A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
. . It was time for our Spring Break trip to Puerto Vallarta! . . . I initially considered canceling our trip because Alex and Inna had come down with the flu, but they convinced me to continue since they were feeling much better. I contacted Costco Travel to double-check the severity of my penalties. If I canceled the trip, I would lose 60% of…
Read More: Vacationing in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
After a long day of snowboarding at Heavenly, we decided to try snowboarding at Kirkwood - one of our favorite Lake Tahoe resorts - especially because the US-88 road was open.. . . . To avoid parking problems, we woke up early and departed South Lake Tahoe at 7:00 am for the one-hour ride to Kirkwood. We left on time and arrived at Kirkwood at…
Read More: Final Day of Snowboarding Kirkwood
While Alex and I were busy snowboarding at Heavenly and Kirkwood, Inna found time to visit the beautiful Filoli Gardens in Woodside.. . . . Inna spent many hours walking around the beautiful gardens, photographing many tulips and other blooming flowers.. . . . She saw a few beautiful peacocks wandering on the property.. . . . With many tulips in full bloom, she took…
Read More: Beautiful Filoli Gardens
With another significant snowstorm approaching, Alex and I were eager to have one last go at snowboarding at Lake Tahoe's ski resorts. Checking the weather on Friday, March 16, I was concerned about the requirement for chains on Highway US-50 and US-80 and the closure of US-88 (the road to Kirkwood).. . . . When I woke up at 4:00 am on Saturday morning, I…
Read More: Heavenly Powder
Time to make fresh tracks!. . When a massive snowstorm appeared on the horizon, Alex and I began tracking it using the OnTheSnow and OpenSnow apps on our iPhones. Hoping for some fresh, light powder at Lake Tahoe ski resorts, we eagerly anticipated its arrival.. . . . As expected, the storm deposited 30+ inches of fresh snow at Kirkwood, Heavenly, Northstar, and other nearby…
Read More: Fresh Powder at Kirkwood
In November 2017, we considered skiing at Whistler/Blackcomb but realized the cost was too high. However, while drinking coffee at our favorite Philz Coffee, I was perusing a message from NorCal Snowboarders and noticed a planned Whistler ski trip, which was really inexpensive. How did NorCal manage to keep prices so low? . . . Inna and I looked into it further and discovered we…
Read More: Snowboarding Whistler
I have always liked the entrees and desserts at the Plumed Horse - a Michelin 1-star restaurant in Saratoga. When it was time for Valentine's Day, I reserved a spot for my wife and me.. . . . The Plumed Horse prepared a special Valentine's Tasting menu for $225 per person (quite a steep price).. . When we arrived, we were quickly seated at our…
Read More: Plumed Horse, Saratoga
With a reported total of 16 inches of fresh snow at Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, January 24, and Thursday, January 25, Alex and I decided to try snowboarding at Northstar and Heavenly on Saturday, January 28, and Sunday, January 29. . . . We woke up around 03:50 on Saturday, January 29, and quickly dressed for the 4-hour drive to Northstar (from San Jose). The…
Read More: Snowboarding at Northstar
Since I purchased the Epic Local Pass from Vail Ski Resorts for Alex and me, I was eager to snowboard at one of the accessible ski resorts (Heavenly, Kirkwood, or Northstar). Although the snow conditions were not very favorable, I decided to try snowboarding at Heavenly anyway.. . I booked a room for one night on Saturday, January 13, at the conveniently located Blue Lake…
Read More: Snowboarding Heavenly
Which are the best restaurants, spas, and travel destinations? At the end of 2017, I am rating the following (from best to worst) based on my personal experience.. . . . . . Restaurants. . Even though Michelin has not rated it, Mama's Fish House on Maui is our favorite restaurant worldwide. Mama's Fish House combines an authentic Hawaiian atmosphere with exceptional cooking and a…
Read More: Best of the Best 2017
On Saturday, December 23, we decided to see the famous birds and animals at the world-famous San Diego Zoo.. . We enjoyed our stroll through the zoo, but Inna could not really enjoy it due to her mother's fall and transfer to the hospital.. . The Pink Flamingoes were the first colorful birds we saw, and Inna could not resist the urge to take a…
Read More: San Diego Zoo
For a nice, relaxing, and relatively inexpensive trip during the Christmas holidays, we decided to revisit the city of San Diego. We last visited San Diego in June 2008, so we were eager to review our main attractions. Inna found inexpensive, direct flights on Southwest Airlines from San Jose to San Diego, so we booked the trip.. . Our initial plan was to fly out…
Read More: Visiting San Diego
Today, I saw "A Night of Jazz" at Bellarmine College Prep - a concert of the Jazz Band classics.. . . . The music program included several compositions I had never heard of and a few I recognized (as Jazz Standards). "Cottontail" - a famous Duke Ellington tune - was a highlight for me, along with "Charade" by Henry Mancini.. . . . . Music…
Read More: “A Night of Jazz” at Bellarmine College Prep
I last saw Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox live at Warfield, San Francisco, on December 13, 2015. At that time, the line-up included Arianna Savalis, Haley Reinhart, and Sara Niemietz.. . . . . Two years later - on December 10, 2017 - my wife and I saw another show with many different singers and musicians. Unfortunately, neither Hailey nor Arianna were present this time (nor…
Read More: Review: Postmodern Jukebox at Warfield
On a chilly, 38 Fahrenheit December morning, I decided to practice my dirt biking skills at Hollister Hills SVRA.. . . . After loading my Yamaha WR250F motorcycle and associated gear, I stopped by the nearby House of Bagels to pick up my croissant, Turkey Bagel, and chocolate muffin for lunch.. . The drive to Hollister took about an hour, and I was surprised to…
Read More: Dirt biking at Hollister Hills SVRA
Today, I saw the TheatreWorks production of "Around the World in 80 Days" at Lucie Stren Theater in Palo Alto.. . Around the World in 80 Days by Laura Eason takes the classic work from Jules Verne and adapts it for the theater. It centers on the story of Phileas Fogg, who tackles the wager that he cannot cross the World in just 80 days.…
Read More: Review; “Around the World in 80 Days” at Lucie Stern Theater
Today, Alex played trumpet in his first Symphonic Band performance with the Bellarmine Symphonic Band in the Sobrato Mainstage Theater.. . . . The Winter Concert Program was scheduled with the following performances:. . Symphonic Band. Synergies by Robert Sheldon . Ghost Fleet by Robert Sheldon . Instant Concert by Harold L. Walters. Performance Choir (with Notre Dame High School) . Let It Snow. Winter…
Read More: Bellarmine Winter Concert
After trying many different earbuds, I recently purchased the Jlab Epic 2 Bluetooth Earbuds (and from the excellent review on Wirecutter). . . . Wirecutter claimed that these were the best headphones for working out, and I wanted to replace my Klipsch S4i wired earbuds with a Bluetooth headset using an Apple iPhone 7 or an Apple Series 3 watch. . . . Since this…
Read More: Review: Jlab Epic 2 Bluetooth Earbuds
I decided to purchase the Jabra Move wireless Bluetooth headphones on Amazon for my work (to block coworkers' noise and to use them on walks during lunchtime).. . Although I initially liked them, I realized they were too bulky to be painful to wear for over 30 minutes. Here is my overall review.. . . . . Positives. Relatively inexpensive ($50). Sound exceptional with excellent…
Read More: Review: Jabra Move Wireless Stereo Headset
Wanting to retire my iPod Nano player with Klipsch S4i earbuds, I decided to use my iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 3 with wireless, Bluetooth earbuds.. . I looked forward to avoiding long cord dangles and fully wireless operation during my workout sessions at Forma Gym and mountain biking rides.. . Researching online, I saw that the AUKEY Latitude wireless headphones were highly recommended…
Read More: Review: AUKEY Latitude Wireless Headphones