Vancouver

We had a good time in Vancouver.  Time seemed to pass at a different rate, it all happened so fast.  Each day was so different, and I could not stand still.  After landing in Seattle, we drove up to Bellingham historic district -- haven't been there in 25 years.

 In Vancouver, the Granville Island waterfront was amazing with the shops, parks, city view.

The next day we biked Stanley Island and the city streets.  We saw the totem poles, waterfront, gaslight district, and more.  In the evening, we took the sky train to the city center and walked to English Bay for a giant firework show.

The city closed the streets which make it fun to walk.  Next was Queen Elizabeth park, lunch in Chinatown (Richmond) and a visit to a Buddhist Temple.  On Friday, we did two half day hikes.  First in Deep Cove to the rocks, which were the best views of the water and city skyline in the distance.

Then, a second hike across a suspension bridge with streams and waterfalls.  Eli and I, despite being sore, ventured into the city on our own to explore a few hours and have dinner.

   
On Saturday, we visited the Museum of Vancouver (it was quite good) which had many exhibits and a nice park and beach nearby.  We meet Jill and Jeff in Richmond for dinner then headed to the night markets -- which were filled with people!  We left Vancouver, off to Seattle, on Sunday, where we visited Pike's market, some gardens, and Aliki beach with Ken, Jeannie, Darren, and Julia.  It was busy and full!

Can't Get Past the Summer Blues

I am at a loss, unable to shake the summer blues and this mild sense of despair.  Usually, it is my calm demeanor which anchors my thoughts and outlook on life, but this past week has been confusing, if not alarming.  While only a glimpse, I see how mental health issues can be destabilizing.   I know I need to focus on abundance, gratitude, adventures of life; yet I am plagued with a constant melancholy and lack of interest.  My prescription is to journal, walk, meditate -- the key to recovery is gratitude. 

Today is Mae's birthday.  We'll go out to dinner with Marianne and Thad's family.  Tomorrow is the 4th of July.  We invited my extended family.  

 

Summer Blues, Dillon Beach

I have been exceptionally melancholy the last few days.  Whether a short phase or something much longer, its unclear how I should respond.  I feel as if I can cry at almost anytime, and while it is uncomfortable, at least I know I am alive.  Nothing in particular set if off, however, I have felt overwhelmed with parenthood recently.   Parenthood never seems to end. 

I had a nostalgic time at Rich Mourey's retirement gathering.  I especially liked seeing his Coast Guard housing, similar to housing at the Naval Postgraduate School. 

Our Felton cabin sold.  We moved on our anniversary.  Philip drove the U Hail back, while Pearl and I signed documents at escrow.   We have been seen so many houses in Roseville, Rocklin, Antelope, and West Sacramento -- as an exchange.
 

Our extend family trip to Dillon Beach was nice.  Everyone got along well.   Mae and Elias had a good time.   Caleb, Philip, Sarah, and Chris joined for at least part of the weekend.  I enjoyed the walks on the beach.  Katie and Mae played lots of Ping-Pong.  Pearl, Arlene, and Shirley made puzzles, while everyone watched Women's World Cup soccer.  We celebrated Philip's birthday.

We invited the Toy extended family over for July 4th. 

Melancholy blues ....   the mind is a tangled web.

Selling the Cabin / Easter / Brandon & Lauren Wedding

Today, we put the cabin up for sale.  In a sense, we are selling a dream.  Long ago, we dreamed of a vacation home (a retirement home) that it would instill a family legacy.  But, overtime, it because work -- clearing the gutter, weeding the yard, fixing an old house.  Certainly, it was good and served its purpose.  I have many fond memories of Fall Creek.  While I will miss the house, I know that a"vacation home" (that sense of peace) is not a physical building, but rather a grateful attitude to experience everyday with every breath.

We traveled down to Huntington Beach for Brandon and Lauren's wedding.  It was fun to see everyone and enjoy and weekend.  The weather was great and the ceremony grand.   

We had a nice Easter and all went to church.  It is always a pleasure to have everyone together for a short holiday weekend.   

Costa Rica

An early flight delay resulted in a long wait at the airport and missing the first day of Costa Rica tour.  Yet, despite the poor start, we had a good time in our first major family vacation.  I enjoyed seeing the family together. 

The first day we walked the San Jose downtown.  The next day, we saw a plethora of animals at the rescue center.   Up north, we stayed near the volcano and enjoyed the hot springs and hanging bridges hike. 

On our first river cruise, we made it up to the Nicaragua border.   On the river, we saw many birds, crocodiles and monkeys.

The hanging bridges was a great hike in the rain forest with 6 suspended bridges which shook as we walked across.  It rained, yet was warm.

On the Pacific coast, we stayed at the Marriott Resort.  It was a restful couple of days, with musical bands in the evening and sunset walks in the dry, warm beach.   We swam, played some volley ball and relaxed, before venturing South to a large national park. 

 Our second river cruise took us out near the Pacific ocean.  The trees and greens were lush. 

Finally, we headed south to the national park.  Rod Grossman visited as he was there with this family.  The beach waves were among my fondest memories, riding the waves -- up and down -- with everyone in the warm water.










   

San Francisco

I traveled a day to the big city.   It started with an early bike ride to the train station which took me to Emeryvile, then a bus to SF.  I walked throughout the Financial district, Chinatown, and parts of Nob Hill.   First, the Beat Museum, City Books, Chinese Historical Museum, Ross Alley, Tin How Temple, Cable Car Museum, Grace Cathedral, and WWII Museum.

My favorites where Chinese Historical, Cable Car, and Tin How.  Several of the stops were only a few minutes, but nonetheless interesting. 

The Tin How, the balcony above Chinatown, was very beautiful, although a mere, small hole in the wall. 

I spent the most time at Chinese Historical Museum.  I saw the ID cards that Chinese were required to carry at all times and remember seeing my dad's ID in the safe deposit box, after mom passed away. 

It is something fun to travel alone.  Able to go in any direction, at any time.  I bought a few small Asian figures (small statues). 

By 4pm, I was ready to come home and took the trip home.  All in all, by the time I was home, it was as if it were a regular work day. 

I am certainly fortunate to have this opportunity to retire at age 55.  The question is what to do?  How much does my job define me.  How many other opportunities are there to reinvent myself?   There are so many opportunities, yet I know my skill level is modest.

At work, there is a new Secretary.  There are new ideas and new challenges.

Winter

Christmas and New Years has come and gone.  We celebrated Christmas at JoAnn's (Louies) then Suzanne's (Toys).  We also celebrated New Years Day at Chris and Joe's house.  I enjoyed seeing Joe's workshop and his woodwork.

Our family tradition is attending church on Christmas eve, going out for dinner, then opening family gifts.  I hope we can keep this tradition.

Our only adventure was a day trip to see the Museum of Modern Art in SF.   Eli and I also spend a few hours at the Crocker Art Museum.

Pearl and I, with friends, also enjoyed an Escape Room -- a gift from Caleb and Philip.

We booked a vacation to Costa Rica for Spring Break.

I've been interested in the biography of a couple of hedge fund entrepreneurs.    Their ideas are fascinating.  School has restarted.   I am settling into the rhythm of everyday life, still wondering about retirement.

Reno, Binge TV, Thanksgiving, X-Country, Thoughts of Retirement, Extra Soccer

We traveled to Reno for 1 day to escape the smoke.   The air quality has been extremely poor, as the Camp Fire in Butte County rage out of control.   It was a simple getaway, when school was unexpected close.

Over the last couple of years, I've discovered binge TV shows.   I watched most of the Homeland series.   Now, I'm watching Bosch.   The shows can be addicting.

We celebrated the Thanksgiving (Toy side) lunch at our house.  It was good to see everyone.  I think lunches are easier, as I'm not as tired.   Then, we went to the Louie's for dinner.

Eli ran cross country in the Fall.  He is fast, as he finished 4th overall for all 7th graders in the yolo area.  He is dedicated.

We won our first Extra Soccer tournament in San Ramon.   In the championship game, Eli had one of the penalty kicks.   He made his shot!   It was exciting.  

I continue to explore retirement.  My boss is retiring at the end of the year.   I'm never sure of the right balance between work, leisure, purpose, fulfillment, responsibility. 

A Day in San Francisco / First Day of School

Pearl and I enjoyed an afternoon in San Francisco exploring the Castro and Mission neighborhoods.   We had lunch, walked the streets, admired the murals, and then picked up Caleb from the airport in the evenings.   It was a simple getaway, only a few hours, yet quite enjoyable.  I particularly liked Dolores Park, with the SF skyline in the distance.   For dinner, we enjoyed dumplings!

School has started.  We had back to school night at DaVinci.  I am teaching the coding class again.  Caroline Loomis is the co-teacher and I like her experience and classroom management skills.  I am definitely learning from her, an experienced teacher.

My thoughts wonder often about retirement.  I am fortunate to have this opportunity.  Work is an important part of my identity; yet, it does not consume me.   In my new role, there are elements of stress.   Finding the right balance is difficult.   While I enjoy my job, I wonder, if I retired, would find enough purpose in my many projects?  

Crater Lake, Crazy Rich Asians, Tahoe, Felton, and JV Tennis

We had a relaxing trip to Crater Lake and Sunriver Oregon over the summer.   The views at Crater Lake were incredible, but it was a disappointment that we could not access the water.   After Crater Lake, we drove to Bend Oregon for some great restaurants, rafting, and catching up with Pat and Jamie.  Sunriver was a fun resort community with swimming pools and miles of bike trails.

 

Later in the summer we went to Lake Tahoe twice.   Once with just Lisa and the other time with the Lees and Jangs.  It was nice.   The water, on one day in particular, was great with waves and wind!  Lisa sold her house.


On opening night, we saw Crazy Rich Asians.  The commentaries discuss how the movies breaks stereotypes with an all Asian cast and diverse roles.

Pearl and I stuck away for 1 night to the cabin.   Although much of it was a work day, we still got away for breakfast and a hike.

MaeMae starts JV tennis.  I am so proud of her trying her best!

3 Great Weekends

Whether it is an attitude of contentment or the attempt to make each weekend count, I am not sure, yet I feel a satisfaction with life, as each of the past weekends have been with family.

It started with a trip to San Diego with Eli for the Future Problem Solvers competition.  Eli's team won first in the skit and 3rd in the writing competition.  Later that week, he won the Math Olympiad for best in his class and scoring in the top 2% of all competitors.

We took Friday off, so we got to explore the Natural History Museum at Balboa Park.   Then on Sunday afternoon, after the competition, we toured the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier as well as walked the piers.   The harbor parks and tall ships, as well as the Navy statues were reminders of my nautical days in the Coast Guard.

The following weekend we had a soccer tournament in Palo Alto.   The weather was perfect and the team played well.  We lost to only an AYSO Elite team, that swept the competitive division in an earlier tournament.

Most recently, all 6 of us drove to Portland, OR for Anthony and Natalie's wedding.  We drove down on Saturday and it was serendipitous to run into both Shirley and Arlene's family that evening.   The wedding was grand!  Both families are religious, so in many ways they match.  Anthony has forged his own path, moved to Oregon, and started a new life together with Natalie.

For us it was a great weekend -- a long drive, yet refreshing!

New Orleans Getaway

Pearl and I had a great getaway, just the two of us, for a few days. New Orleans is like no other place, filled with music everywhere. One of my favorite moments was hearing a street performer, clarinetist whose music was sublime. I bought her CDs and researched her, only to learn that she has performed for many Presidents. The Jazz clubs and music venues were delightful. And while the food was great, nothing could compared the pure joy of the possibility of hearing music around any corner. The garden tours around beautiful homes, the cemetery walks, the French quarter, the late night beignet snacks... made for an unforgettable long weekend.

New York City

What a great experience we had in New York. The city never sleeps and I was invigorated being surrounded by so much energy. We walked forever.

On the first day, I was so tired, having taken the red eye. We walked around Central park and the humidity only added to the lack of sleep. We saw the metropolitan art museum and the circular Guggenheum. By the afternoon, we made it to our hotel, then shopping. The next several days we were on bus tours. We saw the city, Chinatown, the upper and lower side. We walked the Brooklyn Bridge, wall street, and climbed the statue of liberty. One of my favorites was top of the rock -- seeing the city from one of the tallest buildings. The NBC building has TV themes throughout. More museums (math, modern art, historical society). I was impressed with the historical society -- to learn how the city evolved as a hub of immigration. The kids loved the statue of liberty, as we climbed to the crown. The windy day and city skyline views were great. We watched a Broadway show, Wicked, and dined at the Stardusk--singing wait staff. The 9/11 memorial was somber.

I was pleased how well everyone did with all the walking and close quarters in the hotel. We were lucky to have good weather and even brief rain storms to cool the summer evenings.

Fort Ross, Seattle, Welks Resort, Lake Tahoe

For school trips Eli's class went to Fort Ross and MaeMae's class (the year earlier) was at Angel Island. Fort Ross was nice, next to the ocean, and we acted out being part of the Russian trade post over 100 years ago. In the middle of summer, we had a good time in Seattle. On the first evening, we took the duck tour and I was amazed at how quickly I was able to leave my day to day life and suddenly be swept in the middle of a new city. The vibrant, growing city was everything I expected and more. We enjoyed the downtown, public transportation was great, and the airbnb home comfortable. On other days we went to the Boeing factory tour, then headed out to the coast around Olympus National Park. My favorite was the mountain lake, similar to Lake Tahoe but fewer people. Our other vacation was at the Welk's Resort, a gift from Aunt Amy. Then a short trip to Lake Tahoe with Ken and Jeannie at the start, then the Chings at the end of the week.