Had a wonderful trip back the the states for the month of March. I want to thank everyone right here for putting me up and making it such a wonderful visit - especially Rebecca for loaning me the guest room for longer than a guest is really supposed to stay, and my folks for heating up the hot tub for me so I could soak the extended winter out of my system!
Started in Houston and got all the business items out of the way and then headed to CA to meet up with all my sisters, niece, and great-nephew for a girls weekend. We had some fun including shopping (of course), a nice long walk along the river, Korean food, excellent smoked salmon and beau coups of wine courtesy of my most charming brother in law. The best part (sadly I don't have the photos) was my sister Nancy pulling out her wedding dress for our amusement. Although I am not sure we were all amused given that 24 years later she still fits in the darned thing!
After the reunion Nancy and I headed up to Yosemite for one night. My first trip there - and I have now decided that in retirement I need to make a goal to visit all the National Parks. It was ridiculously scenic. And it snowed. What more could you ask for?
What we didn't know was that we had arrived for Dripping Season at Yosemite :-) As we walked along big blobs of snow plopped on the ground around us, and sometimes on us.
Yosemite Falls - Nancy was most thrilled to have the falls both with water in them and all to ourselves. The coolest part was that over night ice had formed on the walls of the falls and as the sun warmed the rocks, big sheets of ice cracked off and plunged down to the base of the falls. You could hear the crashing as you made your way up and it took us a minute to figure it out. The ice would fall and then a moment or two later the noise would come. So so cool.
Bridge at Yosemite Falls. I liked the the shadows.
The iconic Tunnel View vista. Honestly y'all. It's pretty much impossible to take a lousy photo here even in dicey weather. That's Bridal Veil Falls on the right side of the photo and El Capitan looming in granite-y splendor on the left.
After California I headed to Florida to visit my folks and see some old friends. It was a great visit - good to see the parents in mostly good form and good to see Maura and her family and Guru and Ingrid. Thanks for all the hospitality!
Took a long weekend up to TN to visit Laura and we spent a lovely afternoon out and about in Johnson City/Elizabethton on the one sunny day. Took a walk along the river and found a bench to sit and soak up the sun. There were some Canada geese that would fly up the river and then float back down to our vast amusement, and envy - because it looked like a lot of fun.
After FL and TN it was back to Houston for my pal Kate's engagement party, dinner with the Franklin gang, and the REAL shopping of the trip. Got down to New Braunfels to visit Mike's family as well (thanks again y'all!!)
Then it was off to Singapore for the long Easter weekend and a happy reunion with Mike. We stomped around all over Singapore - the Botanic Gardens, Clarke Quay, Asian Civilization Museum, Sentosa, Orchard Road. And more hawker food than was actually good for us. We didn't even scratch the surface on the eats though - what a place for food!
But despite all the fun and nostalgia associated with my first visit back in a year, it is still very good to be back in a routine. The first morning back the dolphins were literally leaping around in the river right outside the apartment chasing fish and these rainbow lorikeets were hanging out (one of them upside down) in the palm tree squeaking their heads off. There are some up sides to living in Perth. :-)
Yosemite Falls - Nancy was most thrilled to have the falls both with water in them and all to ourselves. The coolest part was that over night ice had formed on the walls of the falls and as the sun warmed the rocks, big sheets of ice cracked off and plunged down to the base of the falls. You could hear the crashing as you made your way up and it took us a minute to figure it out. The ice would fall and then a moment or two later the noise would come. So so cool.
Bridge at Yosemite Falls. I liked the the shadows.
The iconic Tunnel View vista. Honestly y'all. It's pretty much impossible to take a lousy photo here even in dicey weather. That's Bridal Veil Falls on the right side of the photo and El Capitan looming in granite-y splendor on the left.
After California I headed to Florida to visit my folks and see some old friends. It was a great visit - good to see the parents in mostly good form and good to see Maura and her family and Guru and Ingrid. Thanks for all the hospitality!
Took a long weekend up to TN to visit Laura and we spent a lovely afternoon out and about in Johnson City/Elizabethton on the one sunny day. Took a walk along the river and found a bench to sit and soak up the sun. There were some Canada geese that would fly up the river and then float back down to our vast amusement, and envy - because it looked like a lot of fun.
After FL and TN it was back to Houston for my pal Kate's engagement party, dinner with the Franklin gang, and the REAL shopping of the trip. Got down to New Braunfels to visit Mike's family as well (thanks again y'all!!)
Then it was off to Singapore for the long Easter weekend and a happy reunion with Mike. We stomped around all over Singapore - the Botanic Gardens, Clarke Quay, Asian Civilization Museum, Sentosa, Orchard Road. And more hawker food than was actually good for us. We didn't even scratch the surface on the eats though - what a place for food!
But despite all the fun and nostalgia associated with my first visit back in a year, it is still very good to be back in a routine. The first morning back the dolphins were literally leaping around in the river right outside the apartment chasing fish and these rainbow lorikeets were hanging out (one of them upside down) in the palm tree squeaking their heads off. There are some up sides to living in Perth. :-)
1 comment:
Come to Yosemite in Summer and you'll see why I was so excited to have the falls to ourselves.
You were a splendid guest!
Nancy
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