I returned from Cabo after just a few days because I had a ticket to the Pink Martini & von Trapps concert at Davies Symphony Hall! I've managed to see them precisely every 2 years and my streak continues! Thanks so much to Chrysbe for the tickets. Though you and Curtis couldn't attend, we (Wendy, Juhn, Babu & I) had a great time on your behalf! Having recently recorded an album with the von Trapps (descendants from the actual "Sound of Music" family), we got to hear a number of amazing songs blending the two groups into melodiously beautiful music.
After the show, the band (as they often do) met the fans to chat and sign memorabilia. Such talented and kind people! At the front of the table, you can see Thomas Lauderdale (pianist and band leader) and Storm Large (the co-lead singer).
On the 4th of July proper, we headed over to Ed's for a bbq. We also had, at Susanna's insistence, a watermelon eating competition (my team vs. Ed's team). Such fun (and messy) entertainment!
We then went to a parking lot in Newark where we could light some of the sparklers and fireworks to celebrate the birth of nation. In that same lot, we actually got treated to a number of illegal, aerial fireworks as well. I don't think I've ever been as up close and personal with as powerful an explosive...
In case you wanted to see what they look like, I asked the friendly folks if I could take a pic of their most exciting box. Slipper shown for scale.
Thanks to Daniel for giving me your old Kona mountain bike. I feel slightly silly that the first time I took it out on the trail, I forgot your warning that the hydraulic brakes didn't function fully. I had a great time at Fremont Older with Troy & Lori and somehow managed to survive. I, however, will never forget how bad brakes and downhill trails don't work well with each other. Let that be a lesson to you all...
Had a very brief day trip down to LA to visit a vendor for work. On the return flight to San Jose, I snapped this pic of us departing Burbank. Hasta luego So Cal!
Scott came to town briefly and we had arranged to do some shotgun shooting. Daniel came along and here you see him taking aim at some clay birds flying through the air. Lots of fun, though we visited during a busy day which meant additional waits for some of the stations to open up.
A bunch of us surprised Liz for her b-day by having a nice, evening shindig at the Savannah-Chanelle Vineyard in Saratoga (nestled beautifully in the Santa Cruz mountains). Great summer evening filled with food, friends and live music (on a side note, the band, Redwood, coincidentally featured a familiar face and voice from USC!).
The following day, some of us headed to Pacifica to catch some waves. Stellar day at the beach and lots of fun being out in the water with the Prometheus gang (+Kevin).
Justin, Troy and I decided it would be great to take sailing lessons so we signed up for a weekend class at Shoreline Lake. After a brief hour or two of classroom instruction, we got thrown onto two-man boats to figure things out. Apologies for the blurriness, but I took this pic through a ziploc bag in order to protect my phone from potential water damage.
Good fun all around. We even had a moment where Troy and his sailing buddy got stuck in the shallows without much wind and had to be towed back to the dock!
So Judy & Grant came to town for a visit and we decided we should eat some delicious food in the city. First stop: Burma Superstar in the Richmond for some Burmese cuisine.
The highlight of the meal: Tea Leaf salad, which mixes together nuts, garlic and lentils with lettuce and the magical, fermented tea leaves. Delicious! I need to figure out how to make this!
For dinner, we (+Brian & Kevin) ended up in Berkeley at Great China to sample their excellent Peking Duck (pictured). Would most certainly eat again.
Not content just to play along with Troy, Lori, Bernie, Cindy & Co., I got an opportunity to play with Daniel, Karen and Karen's family. Though they've played mahjong before, I introduced them to the "Standard Mahjong" (aka Guobiao Majiang") rules I've been playing the past several months.
On a beautiful afternoon, I went to Stanford Stadium to cheer on the Trojans against the Cardinal. Fortunately, we got great tickets last minute!
I'm glad I got to see the game with Allan who came all the way up from So Cal. Proud day for the team and fans to upset a strong Stanford team on the road! You can also see in the picture how close we sat to the Trojan Marching Band!
On an otherwise quiet Saturday, I decided it would be nice to visit the Asian Art Museum to see what new exhibits they had. I particularly enjoyed the gallery featuring works by Arnold Chang and Michael Cherney. As you can see in the pic, the two artists combine their respective talents (Chang's Chinese ink skills with Cherney's granular photography) to create a beautiful work enhanced by the union of the different art forms.
On an evening after work, I also got to see some more art at the Pace Gallery's newest exhibition: "A Brief History of Pace" featuring a survey of works from 12 artists who have an extensive history with the Gallery. They displayed the smaller Chuck Close works I spotted in the office during a previous visit.
Some of us from work signed up to participate in a Statewide Beach Clean-up and joined a sizable gathering of folks to help tidy up Linda Mar Beach (my usual surf spot in Pacifica). While the beach didn't look that dirty at first glance, we all filled our buckets with lots of plastic and cigarette butts. Koji, Me, Curtis, Chrysbe, Adam & Michael represented Abbott well at the event. And after, Koji and I went surfing.
The following week, Me, Troy & Brooks headed out to Linda Mar yet again. We encountered some of the biggest waves we've ever faced. I think it took about 20 minutes just to paddle out through the whitewash. A challenging day due to the size of the surf, but any day in the water (injury-free) can be counted as a good day.
Thanks to Troy, I had a chance to catch the 49ers v Eagles game at the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. I can confirm it makes the 'Stick look pretty disappointing in comparison (comfort and amenity wise). Very happy to have witnessed the Niners win despite that outcome being in doubt for most of the game.
I tried one of the concessions offering: steamed pork buns. Tasty little treats, but the high price of stadium food might dissuade me from repeat purchases in the future. Besides, you can get tastier and cheaper ones from the Chairman food truck!
Got to celebrate Nicolette's B-day this past weekend with a Carnival themed party complete with a piñata, cotton candy machine and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bouncy castle (the thing behind us in the pic). Nic, me, Jas & Harman representing current (and former) AVSH folks.
Hope you all enjoyed the photos. Onward to Autumn!
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