Long Awaited Pictures of our Backyard

Hello Again...

We've had these pictures for a while but haven't had the chance to post them.

Some new additions:

1. BBQ Grill (Propane)

Let's see what Jien's grilling here....chicken, corn, Tri-tip...

2. Ikea Patio furniture (surprisingly hardy and stylish):

When not in use, the couch stays in the basement.

3. Reeds in a makeshift laundry basket:

(Yes, I converted a laundry basket into a floor vase and there's a reason why the reeds are placed in that location. Neighbor's very cute dog tends to clear its bowels frequently in their yard and the droppings tend to remain untouched for a while. Squint and you might be able to see them thru the reeds =)

View from the 1st floor balcony

The other side of the yard is filled with Pea Gravel.

Oh, and there's this....

4. Our Slim Yamaha Clarinova:







Hours of fun!

Yosemite

It's been more than a few weeks. Time has flown past quickly. We apologize for the very delayed post.


Yosemite - Pronounced (Yo-Seh-Mah-Tee):







Our trip to Yosemite has been so enriching that we find ourselves wandering back to those trails and waterfalls in our minds. Here's a quick recap of the trip and the pictures that do not do the actual place justice...



Day 1: Giant Sequoias

We were lucky it rained and snowed on Friday but stopped on Sat when we arrived. The roads were still open, but the snow hasn't melted. We did a hike to Fallen Tree and saw many incredible Giant Sequoias on the way. Many of them look charred. That could be due to controlled foresting or getting struck by lighting, but the sheer size of the trees were jaw dropping.



















We arrived rather early and so there were hardly any other people on the same trail. The air was pristine, it was quiet, there was still snow on the ground and the skies were blue as can be. It was really a perfect day.











Day 2: Waterfalls













There are many different waterfalls and trails. We chose to visit Brideshead and Yosemite Falls.


We also did a rather steep hike up Vernal Falls. It's one of the most popular trails and it's no wonder. The sights are awe-inspiring. As we were scaling up the steep steps, we couldn't believe we were actually there in the midst of nature at its best, even though there were a ton of other tourist trying to get up there.








We got quite soaked from the spray from the waterfall, but the sun was out and it all dried up in no time.











It was such a life-changing experience and we cannot wait to go back, perhaps try out some trails that are less traversed.

Till then...

Wonderful Vacation!

We are back from Grand Canyon/Vegas and it was a wonderful trip!

We left the house Thursday morning at 6am to drive to Arizona. At lunch time, we stopped at Cracker Barrel, known for good Southern food, and ordered Pork Chops, Meat Loaf, Hashbrown Casserole for lunch.

We got to the Grand Canyon around 2:30pm and it was SUPER windy. Whenever we opened our mouths to talk, we would get a mouthful of sand. Despite the crunchy taste in our mouths, the Grand Canyon was a sight to behold. It's virutally impossible to grasp the size of it and photos do not do it justice. With the winds blowing furiously, my knees got really shaky. Jien was bravely standing at the edge taking in the sights, while I was skirting the path trying to stand as far away from the edge as possible. I had too many "whoa" moments on a regular hiking trail to feel comfortable being so close to the edge that plunges 7000 feet, even with barriers and all.

Along the Rim Trail, there were a ton of spectacularly twisty looking trees. With one especially, I couldn't help wanting to climb it....so I did.

Our little Cabin was cozy and rustic, and just steps away from the edge of the Grand Canyon. Wonderful location!

That night, we walked to the Maswik lodge for dinner...regular food court sandwich and fries kind of food, but the walk back was in TOTAL darkness. Aside from the resort areas, there were no street lamps and we left our torchlight in our room. So it made for a real interesting night walk. The stars were out and they were beautiful. It felt like we were gazing into the cosmos. Unfortunately, we were pelted by more gusty winds and after a few minutes of eating more sand, we were done. We found out later that the freeway into the Grand Canyon was closed due to sandstorms and were feeling mighty lucky that we managed to make it through earlier.

The next day, we took shuttles that dropped us off at different lookout points and enjoyed a calmer day sightseeing.

By afternoon, we left for Vegas. It should have taken us 2 hours or so to get there, but because of the spring break crowd at the Grand Canyon, our drive lasted 4 hours.

As Vegas veterans, we've tried different hotels, but our stay at the Trump has to be one of our best experiences. This is mainly because we were upgraded from a regular studio suite to a one-bedroom suite. I bet there were a ton of empty rooms considering the state of the economy. There was a full kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, oven, dishwasher, all stainless steel no less, dining room, living room, guest bathroom with standing shower, bedroom and master bedroom. Our jaws dropped as we walked into the master bathroom. The view was wonderful on the 38th floor and that TV inset in the glass mirror was the icing on the cake. How opulent.

The only thing about this place is that it is right by some train tracks and we would hear the train at all hours of the day...and odd hours at night.

We went to Penang (a Malaysian restaurant) for dinner the first night. Ooh boy..the Chai Tao Kway (they call it something else) , Beef Rendang and seafood hor fun were all super yummy. We even had Durian Sticky Rice dessert. I wish there was a Penang closer to our home in the San Fernando Valley. Went back for lunch the next day and the Char Kway Teow brought us back to Singapore, in our imagination at least.

The next night, we went to the Wynn for a buffet dinner. The spread was not too bad, but our buffet days are effectively over. We hardly even went back for seconds even though the Prime Rib was juicy and the crab legs were oh-so succulent.

After dinner, we headed out onto the Vegas Strip and at 8:30pm on Sat March 28 (Earth Hour) , we saw all the lights go out on the strip. That was quite a sight. I guess Vegas never had a need for too many street lamps because the hotels were bright enough for miles, but when the lights went off, the sidewalks were dark. Interesting place to be for Earth Hour.

We finally made our way home Sunday evening and got in around midnight.

It was a nice restful trip and we cannot wait for the next one.

(We'll be going to Yosemite for a weekend in a few weeks and will post more pictures then!)

Quick updates on the yard: the composite wood decking hasn't been laid yet. We are just waiting that that to be done and the job will be completed. We are heading to Ikea this weekend because it's No Sales Tax weekend and we will be getting some patio furniture for the space!