A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
We have been away from Hawaii, especially Oahu, for so very long. The last time we visited Oahu was during the week of July 4, 2010. While in Oahu, we always stayed in the Waikiki area (Hilton Hawaiian Village).. . . . This time, Inna found excellent airfares on Alaska Airlines, but we stayed at the Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu's North Shore. We also…
Read More: Relaxing on Oahu’s North Shore
I couldn't believe Alex was turning 17! It seemed he was a tiny toddler, not so many years ago.. . Inna and I decided to surprise him with a few presents.. . Since Alex has developed a passion for surfing, I indulged him with a lightly used Firewire Tomo v4 LFS 6' surfboard. It's a small, 6-foot shortboard/fish with excellent speed for carving waves in…
Read More: Alex’s 17th Birthday
Last year (2018), I took my first windsurfing lesson with Andy Brandt of the ABK Windsurfing Clinic at Sherman Island. I have been primarily self-taught in windsurfing (and had picked up many bad habits along the way). Andy significantly improved my sailing technique, and I was eager to become more proficient, especially in planing jibes, duck jibes, and tacking. . . . Day 1 -…
Read More: ABK Windsurfing Clinic at Sherman Island
On the spur of the moment, Inna informed me that she could get tickets to see Leslie Odom Jr (the lead in Broadway's Hamilton) with the San Francisco Symphony in concert at Davies Symphony Hall.. . . . Although the program was not known beforehand, it might surprise me with unexpected popular songs.. . . . The concert began with the San Francisco Symphony playing…
Read More: Review: San Francisco Symphony – Leslie OdomRick Newman's Tennis Lesson 7: Serve. . After two weeks without playing tennis (because the Sunnyvale Tennis Center courts were being resurfaced), I finally had a tennis lesson with Rick Newman. It seemed that I "lost" some of my serve technique over the past two weeks and needed time to regain it.. . Serving Lesson Notes. Relax the serving hand (it must be really loose;…
Read More: Rick Newman Tennis Lesson 7: Serve
With recent surfing in Ventura, Alex and I were ready to return to surfing at "The Hook" in Capitola. When we arrived at 2:30pm, finding parking was difficult. After a few go-arounds, I found a parking spot on Opal Cliff Drive.. . . . After I parked the Lexus RX350, we waxed our boards and headed for the Hook. The waves were rolling nicely, but…
Read More: Surfing at The Hook
It's been a while since I could windsurf at Coyote Point. The wind had been inconsistent and quite gusty. . . . This time, I drove up, expecting to try my new Exocet RF81 foil board, but the wind was much higher than expected. It blew 17-20 knots at the beach and 23 knots in the channel. . . . . . . I rigged…
Read More: Windsurfing Coyote Point
It's been a long time since we last visited Santa Barbara (September 1, 2012), and we decided to revisit the beautiful city during the July 4 Independence Day weekend.. . Since I had loaded the car the previous day, we could depart early (before 08:00), avoiding the usually heavy holiday traffic.. . . . On the way there, we planned to stop at various scenic…
Read More: Road Trip to Santa Barbara
After searching Craigslist and Nextdoor for many months, I finally purchased a used 2008 Lexus RX 350 AWD Sport Utility for my son.. . I considered many vehicles for my son's first car, including the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Subaru Impreza Outback, Scion tC, Toyota Matrix, and Lexus IS250. However, none of the other cards had the safety track record of the Lexus RX series.…
Read More: Buying a used Lexus RX 350
For a while now, I have been intrigued by all of the windsurfing foilers and kiteboard foilers at Coyote Point and Crissy Field. They seemed to sail fast, even under less-than-ideal wind conditions. After talking to a few sailors, I decided that it would be a great addition to my current windsurfing setup to have a foil board and a windsurfing foil for marginal or…
Read More: Foiling on Exocet RF81 with Slingshot Fwind Foil
Rick Newman's Tennis Lesson 6: One-Handed Backhand. . . . One-Handed Backhand Notes:. At the initiation of the stroke:. Raise the left shoulder during the take-back part of the swing. The chin should be near the right shoulder. Carefully watch the ball to hit it in the center of the racquet (try to read the writing on the ball) . Wrist movement provides spin. Feet…
Read More: Rick Newman Tennis Lesson 6: One-Handed Backhand
After reviewing the iWindsurf.com weather forecast, I determined that the best place for wind on Saturday would be Crissy Field or Treasure Island.. . . . I decided to drive to Crissy Field, which was closer and more convenient. When I arrived around 13:30, the wind was just picking up. Windsurf's station at Anita Rock was reporting 14-15 knots. When I looked at the other…
Read More: Windsurfing Crissy FieldRick Newman's Tennis Lesson 5: Slice Backhand. . Slice Backhand Notes:. Grip: Continental. Knuckle-facing net for the slice. Knuckle upward for a backhand drive. The Hitting zone is on the side (not in front like in a single-handed backhand) . Hit the back of the ball (not the bottom of the ball). Start the stroke with the racquet, and open and close the racquet when…
Read More: Rick Newman’s Tennis Lesson 5: Slice Backhand
For Father's Day, Inna surprised me with a dinner at the Black Sheep Brasserie in Willow Glen. I selected the hard Washington Apple Cider for drinks, but I did not like it (it was too sweet). Inna tried one of the unique cocktails - the Lava Flow Punch - and she liked it a lot.. LAVA FLOW PUNCHST. BENEVOLENCE RUM | GIFFARD BANANE DU BRÉSIL…
Read More: Dining at Black Sheep Brasserie
In the morning, I planned to stop by the Boardsports Shop in Coyote Point to participate in the Windsurf Foiling demo hosted by Wyatt Miller of Slingshot.. . . . . . 2019 SLINGSHOT WINDSURF, KITE & SURF FOIL DEMO & BBQ SAT 6/15. with special guests: Wyatt Miller & Maui Mike*Bonus – we will have the 2020 Slingshot SLING WING for demo as well.…
Read More: Windsurfing Sherman IslandRick Newman's Tennis Lesson 4: Two-Handed Backhand. . Two-Handed Backhand Notes:. Shoulder and hip rotation provide two-handed power. Wrist movement provides spin. Need to select the right combination of power + spin. Feet do not move until after ball contact (to keep the stroke quiet) . The racquet grip is not too tight,t o allow the wrists to flex upwards . Here is a GoPro…
Read More: Rick Newman’s Tennis Lesson 4: Two-Handed Backhand
With time running out for the once-a-year Bouquets to Art Show at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, we decided to visit the beautifully arranged flowers next to fine paintings and sculptures.. . . . We had difficulty finding parking when we arrived at Golden Gate Park, near the de Young Museum. Eventually, we found an open spot and walked to the museum. A…
Read More: Bouquets to Art at de Young Museum
Having sailed on my 1999 Mistral Flow Classic 276 for 19 years, it was time for an update. I tried out the Fanatic Freewave STB 95-liter version at the ABK Windsurfing Camp on Sherman Island in July and thought it was a nice board but lacking volume for lighter wind days.. . The Stubby, as it is affectionately known, has a unique outline with no…
Read More: Windsurfing Coyote PointRick Newman's Tennis Lesson 3: Serve & Forehand. . Serving Lesson Notes:. Focus on the UP and OUT swing path of the tennis racquet. If the ball lands outside the service box, the racquet is opening up too early . Try to keep the racquet closed until ball contact. The wrist needs to snap forward for more power . Use more of the shoulders to…
Read More: Rick Newman Tennis Lesson 3: Serve & ForehandRick Newman's Tennis Lesson 2: Serve. . I needed a few weeks to recuperate from an ankle injury sustained while hiking in Yosemite. Once I recovered, I also needed time to overcome a severe cold/flu.. . Serving Lesson Notes. Relax the serving hand (it must be really loose; grip the racquet lightly) . Be sure to throw the racquet on the edge (closed) until just…
Read More: Rick Newman Tennis Lesson 2: Serve