A digital travel diary. · WP v1.08 · Updated
We decided to have a fun family day at the Emerald Hills Golfland in South San Jose. In the past, Inna used to beat everyone, with Alex and I trailing by a few shots.. . On this particular occasion, I played unusually well (at least consistently) and made a few errors.. . . . Inna and Alex played equally well, eventually tying for second place..…
Read More: Fun at Emerald Hills Golfland
Today, I listened to the "Jazz in the Spring Concert" at Bellarmine College Prep's Sobrato Mainstage Theater, where my son plays the trumpet as a freshman. The music program was extensive, but it was sad since Frank and Diane Wyant left Bellarmine. . . Ryan Stohs was substituting for Frank and Diane Wyant.. . . . Alex played trumpet in the first three compositions (as…
Read More: Jazz in the Spring at Bellarmine
Since I recently purchased a Goya 84L Custom waveboard and an Ezzy Elite 4.0 wave sail, I have been eager to try them out.. . . . Checking the wind forecast on iWindsurf.com, I noticed that high winds were expected at Coyote Point (and many other sailing sites in the San Francisco Bay area). I headed to Coyote Point (closest to me) and rigged my…
Read More: Windsurfing Coyote Point
Since my son wanted to learn windsurfing, I signed him up for 2-day windsurfing lessons at Boardsports in Alameda.. . Due to lighter morning winds, sandy beaches, and relatively shallow waters, I was told it was the most desirable location for beginners.. . . . On Saturday, May 5, the windsurfing lesson started at 10:00 am and ended at 1:00 pm.. . . . The…
Read More: Windsurfing Lessons at Alameda
Today, I listened to the "Spring Concert" at Bellarmine College Prep, where my son, a freshman, plays the trumpet. The music program was extensive, but it was sad since Frank and Diane Wyant left Bellarmine.. . . . I enjoyed the whole program, but especially liked "El Arco de Los Cabos" by Ed Huckeby.. . Music Program. . Director: Diane Wyant. Assistant: Ryan Stohs. .…
Read More: A Spring Concert at Bellarmine
When I was offered to attend the Sharks vs Ducks Stanley Cup Playoffs (Game 3) for free, I jumped at the chance.. . I was uncertain as I had never seen an NHL playoff game live.. . . . I arrived early - around 18:30 - and found some nearby paid parking for $15 under the I-880 bridge. I walked to the SAP Center (there…
Read More: Sharks vs Ducks Stanley Cup Playoffs
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
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
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
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
At 18:35, I arrived at San Jose City College, where all the Bellarmine Home Football games are played. I parked in the garage, entered the stadium, and walked to the Bellarmine concession stand to purchase food. I decided to get the highly recommended tri-tip sandwich, chips, and water.. . Unlike the previous Bellarmine football game against Gonzaga, this game was much more crowded for both…
Read More: Bellarmine vs Mitty Football
On my last mountain bike ride at Almaden Quicksilver Park, I stopped by for a short break and got talking to another mountain bike rider. She told me about a mountain bike ride on the nearby John Nicholas Trail in Los Gatos (relatively nearby), which she thought was one of the best rides in the area.. . Since I had never biked there, I was…
Read More: Biking John Nicholas Trail
It was my son's first Bellarmine vs Gonzaga Football game and my first home tailgate. . . The actual game was scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at San Jose City College (where the pre-game tailgate dinner was held from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.). . . . When I arrived at 5:00 p.m., I parked at San Jose City College's parking garage and walked to the dinner…
Read More: Bellarmine vs Gonzaga Football
After hearing our friends' favorable review of "Something Rotten," I decided to see it in San Francisco's Orpheum Theater (if I could get reasonably priced tickets). . . Today, on Sunday, September 3, when I checked my iPhone's TodayTix app, I realized that some seats could be available at the $40/ticket price. At 09:00, I got the $40 Rush tickets (which turned out to be…
Read More: Review: “Something Rotten” at Orpheum Theater
When our friends suggested hiking at Butano State Park, I was surprised to hear about it - since I never heard of it before. It was only 80 minutes away from Los Gatos (so nearby).. . . . When we arrived, we decided to follow some of the suggestions from Alltrails.com:. Start from the Park Entrance parking lot. Follow the Six Bridges trail south toward…
Read More: Hiking Butano State Park
As the weather was scorching, I mountain biked the Saratoga Gap and Peters Creek trail in Saratoga (starting at the Vista Point parking lot at Highway 9 and Skyline Boulevard).. . . . . I arrived just before 9:05 am and rode my 2011 Specialized S-works FSR with newly built wheels. The rear tire flat has been fixed at Silva Cycles.. . The trail started…
Read More: Biking Saratoga Gap and Long Ridge
Today, my wife and I saw Constellations at TheatreWorks of Mountain View.. . . . I had never heard of this particular play and thought it might be a musical, but it turned out to be entirely different.. . The basic idea of the plot is to imagine a universe where all possibilities are explored sequentially. In this incarnation, the two main characters, a beekeeper…
Read More: Review: “Constellations” at TheatreWorks
It was Alex's first day at Bellarmine College Prep, and he was very excited. After two days of orientation (Friday, August 18, and Monday, August 21), his classes finally started. . . As parents, we also had to attend Parent Orientation, where we learned about all the activities freshmen attend. Bellarmine had a very nice "Parent Mixer" for us to prepare us.. . . .…
Read More: First Day of High School