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