A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
For our 25th Anniversary dinner, I initially booked Evvia, but had to cancel because Inna felt unwell. When I tried to book another day, I could only reserve outdoor tables, which worried me due to the cold weather. I decided to try dining at Le Papillon—a restaurant I visited decades ago. I made a dinner reservation for Saturday, October 24, at 19:00. . . On…
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With Alex relocating to San Francisco's Noe Valley neighborhood, we decided to celebrate his birthday at Memento SF, a local, well-regarded restaurant. . After dropping off a few items at his new digs (and his birthday presents), we walked a few blocks to Memento SF (on Castro Street). . . Since one of Alex's roommates was running late, we ordered appetizers and drinks, and then…
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The Almaden Valley Athletic Club, where I am a member, was celebrating its 50th anniversary on May 30th, and I decided to attend with my wife. . . According to ChatGPT:. . The founding story of Almaden Valley Athletic Club is closely tied to two longtime friends, Jim Theiring and Joe Shank, who grew up together in Coos Bay, Oregon. . In 1974, Jim and…
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For Mother's Day, I made dinner reservations at Dio Deka, our favorite Greek restaurant in Los Gatos. It used to be a Michelin 1-Star restaurant (but not any longer). . After parking near the restaurant, we walked over and were seated outside. It was the first time we had ever sat on the patio at Dio Deka (near the fountain), and we really enjoyed it.…
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For Inna's Birthday dinner, I made reservations at Evvia - one of our favorite Palo Alto restaurants. Evvia serves authentic Greek entrees, and we really like the high-quality dishes. . I was really tired from work and came home around 18:30. We even contemplated cancelling going to Evvia, but I decided it was worth the effort to revisit this local gem. . . We arrived…
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Is human knowledge only to be found in books?. As wonderful as books represent, document, and express human thoughts, they are not a substitute for direct, personal contact that comes from seeing, hearing, feeling, and experiencing things for oneself.. . Can any book truly capture the exhilaration of windsurfing on Bonaire, snowboarding on freshly fallen powder at Mammoth, piloting a Cessna single-engine aircraft, swimming with…
Read More: The Bucket List 2025
For Thanksgiving, Inna decided against cooking and instead selected the nearby Lele Kitchen restaurant for the main dinner. She made reservations for Thursday, November 27, at 16:00. . . . . We ordered the Thanksgiving "Trust the Chef 7-Course Menu" as follows:. . Bread (freshly baked from a 38-year-old starter). Pie Tees x2 (Boris, Inna). Oysters x1 (Alex). Chestnut Soup x3. Trout Draniki x2 (Boris,…
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As I started playing more classical guitar music on my Yamaha FG830 acoustic (metal-string) guitar, I ran into difficulties with the narrow string spacing common to most metal-string acoustics. Unlike modern acoustics, classical guitars are strung with nylon strings, spaced farther apart to allow more space for plucking. . . I decided that to perfect my classical guitar technique, I really needed to learn on…
Read More: Suzuki No. 34 Classical GuitarIs human knowledge only to be found in books?. As wonderful as books represent, document, and express human thoughts, they are not a substitute for direct, personal contact that comes from seeing, hearing, feeling, and experiencing things for oneself.. . Can any book truly capture the exhilaration of windsurfing on Maui, snowboarding on freshly fallen powder at Mammoth, piloting a Cessna single-engine aircraft, swimming with…
Read More: The Bucket List 2024
. How was 2024 in Sports? I was more active than in previous years. Tennis was my most intense activity. . 187 days of playing tennis at Almaden Valley Athletic Club (AVAC). . 97 days of Fitness at Almaden Valley Athletic Club. 14 days of SUP surfing (Waikiki Beach on Oahu, Lihue's Kalapaki Beach). . 9 days of wing foiling (Crissy Field and Coyote Point).…
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For Alex's 22nd Birthday, we decided to treat him to dinner at nearby ASA Los Gatos. After arriving at 19:15, we sat down indoors and ordered the following items: . . Drinks: 2 Raspberry Cream Sodas, Lemonade. Appetizer: Burrata, Truffle Fries, Croquetas de Jamón. Alex: Carbonara Pasta. Boris: Paella Entree. Inna: Mushroom Pasta. Dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Vu Ice Cream. Our dinner was excellent, and…
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I have been looking to replace my 2008 Toyota Sienna Limited with a newer vehicle for a long time. My vehicle requirements were as follows: . hybrid engine (to lower fuel costs). space to carry a mountain bike, windsurfing gear, and surfboards. . AWD/4WD for ski trips to Lake Tahoe and Mammoth. . low maintenance costs. excellent long-term reliability. price of $50,000 or less new…
Read More: 2022 Mazda Miata Grand Touring. How was 2023 in Sports? Except for tennis, I was less active than in previous years. . 78 days of playing tennis at Almaden Valley Athletic Club. . 12 days of surfing (Capitola, Lihue's Kalapaki Beach). . 10 days of wing foiling (Crissy Field). 0 days of snowboarding. . 5 days of swimming at Almaden Valley Athletic Club. . 5 days of hiking in…
Read More: The Year in Sports 2023
I can't believe Alex is turning 21! . To celebrate the momentous occasion, Inna and I purchased a few presents, followed by a delicious dinner at the Michelin-rated Selby's Restaurant in Redwood City. . For presents, I purchased the following items. Initially, Alex wanted to build a Gaming PC, but after numerous discussions, it seemed that a PlayStation 5 would be more suitable for his…
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For Father's Day, Inna and I took a leisurely stroll around Vasona Lake, followed by lunch at Oren's Hummus in downtown Los Gatos. . . . . I was still sore from Saturday's wing-foiling session at Sherman Island. Although Sunday promised excellent wind, I needed to rest my arms and shoulders. . After we finished the excellent walk around Vasona Lake, Inna drove to Los…
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Inna and I were fortunate to dog-sit a Bernie-doodle named Teddy for one week. . . We enjoyed playing with Teddy and going out for daily walks. He never barks and is very affectionate and playful.. . . . . .
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For Inna's big birthday, I made reservations for Thursday, February 23rd, at our favorite Michelin Star-rated local restaurant nearby - The Plumed Horse. . . . . . The San Francisco Bay area was experiencing a powerful winter storm, with temperatures plunging into the low 40s and periods of heavy rain. We drove to Saratoga without issues, and I parked my minivan nearby. . After…
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With Valentine's Day approaching, I made early (30 days in advance) reservations at the Tasting House - one of our favorite local restaurants in Los Gatos. . . . . . When we arrived at 19:15 (right on time), we were quickly seated at our table in the main dining room. It was busy, and all the tables were occupied. It was deafening inside (and…
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With Covid-19 mostly gone, we are happy to move into 2023! Let's hope for better tidings. . . . 2022 in Review. Highlights . Jobs (Inna accepted an excellent position at Drata). A month-long workation in Boston . . Day trips to Portland, Maine, New Hampshire, Newport, and Cape Cod. Mini-trip to the Berkshires. A month-long workation in San Francisco. Learning to wing foil in…
Read More: Welcoming 2023!. . . How was 2022 in Sports? Except for tennis, I was less active than in previous years.. . 146 days of playing tennis at Almaden Valley Athletic Club. . 18 days of surfing (Capitola, Lihue's Kalapaki Beach). . 19 days of windsurfing and wing foiling (Crissy Field). 0 days of snowboarding. . 5 days of swimming at Almaden Valley Athletic Club. . 0…
Read More: The Year in Sports 2022