A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
One of our close friends offered us the opportunity to stay at the Marriott Beach Club on the Hawaiian Island of Kaua'i. We decided to rent one week, from July 2 to July 9, 2022. Since I had Alaska points from canceled trips to Boston, I could use them to purchase 3 airline tickets from San Jose to Kauai, Hawaii. . . . . .…
Read More: Back to Kauai
To dine on the patio and enjoy a bit of light and heat on colder days, we purchased the Bentley III Outdoor Fire Table by OVE from Costco. It had excellent reviews and was on sale for $599. . . . . The Fire Pit arrived in a large cardboard box, but was not very heavy. It was already assembled, so it was easy to…
Read More: Review: Bentley III Outdoor Fire Table by OVEAs I struggled with consistency and power on my serve, Ryan Reidy from 2minutetennis evaluated it (via Zoom) and offered excellent pointers for improvement. . Strategy Video:. . . . Zoom Video with Ryan. . . . . Serve Video (Side View). . . . . . Serve Video (Rear View). . . Serve Placement Strategy. . In doubles, serve 80% of the time from…
Read More: Lesson 09: Tennis Serve Lesson & Strategy with Ryan Reidy
My home's 30-year-old York furnace and air-conditioner were getting old and working ineffectively at cooling the house. . . After consulting with David Pogosian and Conrad (two highly regarded contractors), I decided to upgrade my system using the following components: . . . Bryant BRGF 801SA48090E21 4-Way 80% AFUE 1-Stage Furnace . Bryant NRCO CNPVP4821ALA N-Coil Puron Up/Downflow . Bryant BRAC 127ANA048000 *17 Seer A/C…
Read More: Bryant HVAC Upgrade
For Father's Day on June 19, 2022, Inna made dinner reservations at Naschmarkt in Campbell, CA. Naschmarkt is one of my favorite Austrian restaurants, and I was pleased to dine there again. . . . . Inna drove me there in the Tesla Model Y, parking at the First Street Parking Garage on 168 S First Street,. . . After arriving for our 19:30 dinner,…
Read More: Father’s Day Dinner at Naschmarkt
. It's been almost 9 months since I last windsurfed, and I was eager to return to the water. When a strong wind was forecast by iWindsurf.com on Saturday, June 18, I was excited to resume my favorite sport. . I arrived at Coyote Point, San Mateo, at about 2:10pm. After paying the $6.00 park entry fee, I parked my Toyota Sienna minivan near a…
Read More: Windsurfing at Coyote Point
After staying in Arnold, where we enjoyed listening to music on the patio (with the installed Bluetooth Patio Speakers), we decided it would be a great idea to do the same at home. . . . . . I researched many available options on wirecutter.com and finally decided on the following possibilities: . OSD Audio AP650 - $194.99. . Requires a separate outdoor 2-channel amp.…
Read More: Review: Pyle Outdoor Patio Speakers
To explore Arnold's beautiful lakes and nearby trails, Inna reserved a charming Mountain Cottage in Blue Lake Springs (via Airbnb). The cottage is located at 1709 Manzanita Drive, Arnold. . Initially, we planned to rent a kayak, but the nearby shop charged about $80/day and required a roof rack to transport the kayak. We decided to order the Explorer K2 Kayak Inflatable Kayak from Amazon.com…
Read More: A Weekend in Arnold
I had a free day at work and decided to surf in Capitola. Although Surfline did not report favorable conditions, I wanted to return to surfing this season. . The 40-minute drive from South San Jose to Capitola was smooth, and I arrived at the Hook Parking lot around noon. I parked and put on my wetsuit, booties, and a cheap watch. I waxed my…
Read More: First Day of Surfing at the HookAfter returning from Boston (where I did not play tennis for May), I resumed my tennis practice at the Almaden Valley Athletic Club (AVAC). . While playing on the club's ball machine, I noticed that my forehand and backhand techniques had deteriorated and that I needed additional help to improve them. I scheduled a video lesson with Ryan Reidy (2minutetennis.com) for June 8, 2022, at…
Read More: Lesson 08: Forehand Tennis Lesson with Ryan Reidy
After returning from a ball-machine session at AVAC, Inna and I decided to return to Los Gatos and visit our favorite local patisserie, Fleur de Cocoa. Inna agreed to drive her new Tesla Model Y, and I enjoyed the smooth, quiet ride. . . . When we arrived, it was pretty busy (with all the inside tables full). We also noticed that most outdoor tables…
Read More: Lunch at Teleferic
Monday, May 30, 2022 . We returned to Cambridge from the Berkshires at about 6:30pm. I parked the car on Harvard Street, and we unloaded our backpacks. I started to sneeze, as Boston had a very high pollen count. . . At 7:10pm, Mounisha (our Turo host) arrived to pick up her Honda Civic. I handed off the keys, and Inna and I walked to…
Read More: Last Days in Boston
For the Memorial Day weekend, Inna made a Bed & Breakfast reservation at the Stockbridge Country Inn in Stockbridge, MA. We planned to explore the museums and hiking trails in this area. . We expected to pick up our Turo Honda Civic at 7:00pm and start our long, 2-hour drive to Stockbridge, where we would stay for 3 nights. . . However, Mounisha encountered traffic…
Read More: Exploring the Berkshires
Sunday, May 22, 2022 . We returned to Boston from Newport, Rhode Island, at around 8:40pm, after a 90-minute drive. After refilling Robert's Audi Q5 that I rented on Turo, I found a parking spot on Harvard Street (with Inna's help). . . . We returned all our items to our apartment at 334 Harvard Street and rested for a bit. I decided to do…
Read More: Boston Workation Week 4
Saturday, May 21, 2022 . I woke at 07:15 to prepare for the long drive from Boston to Newport, Rhode Island. I reserved a 2016 Audi Q5 from Robert on Turo.com and needed it ready by 8:00. At around 07:55, Robert emailed me to say he was running late, but he arrived at 08:35 (about half an hour later than requested). . . . .…
Read More: A Weekend at Newport
In the evening, at 7:00pm, we took the MTA Bus #1 to Symphony Hall (301 Massachusetts Ave) to see Boston Pops - "The Magical Music of Alan Menken". It was only a 20-minute bus ride and very convenient (just 9 stops from our 334 Harvard Street apartment). . . . . . Today's Boston Pops program was as follows:. . Legendary composer Alan Menken has…
Read More: Boston Pops – The Magical Music of Alan Menken
Monday, May 16, 2022 . After a deep sleep, I woke at 7:30, showered, shaved, dressed, and walked around the Charles River. It was warm in the morning - 68 degrees Fahrenheit - and I only needed a T-shirt and shorts. . . . . . During the walk, I finished listening to Eric Metaxas's autobiography, Fish Out of Water: The Search for the Meaning…
Read More: Boston Workation Week 3
Since Inna and I have never been to Cape Cod, though we have heard much about it over the many years, we decided to pay a short visit, stopping at the major attractions. . . . . After eating a small breakfast and getting ready, we started our two-hour drive to Provincetown (the tip of Cape Cod), with a long, enjoyable stop in Sandwich. .…
Read More: A Day out in Cape Cod
I woke up at 07:30, showered, shaved, and dressed. I waited to pick up the Turo Toyota Prius at 08:30. Daniel arrived at about 08:40 and showed me how to operate the 2010 Toyota Prius. . . From there, we drove to Alex's old apartment in Northeastern's International Village (1155 Tremont Street) to help him move to his new Summer digs at 1065 Tremont Street.…
Read More: Visiting Salem
Monday, May 9, 2022 . I woke at 07:30, dressed, and jogged around the Charles River. It was a bit chilly in the morning - 48 Fahrenheit - but sunny and pleasant. I jogged for about 2 miles and saw several other joggers and bicyclists. In addition, I saw a few Harvard racing sculls (racing rowboats) on the Charles River in 2-, 4-, and 8-person…
Read More: Boston Workation Week 2