May the festivities begin

November is a very special month for our family. This year, thanks to Veterans and the Veteran's day holiday, we made it extra special.

Both the kids flew in for just 2 days so we could celebrate their 18th and 21st birthdays as well as Deepavali. They flew in and out so quickly that it is like a blur. 

My parents also celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary. In the coming weeks, San and me get to be a year older and wiser. I am just hoping to get some more photos of her smiling face! 

Time has on an average been good to us. We do have our little shocks and suprises, but nothing that we have not been able to handle. The most recent being a catalytic converter being stolen from Jr.'s car. We parked the same car outside our house for 12 years with no impact. She takes it to southern california and within a month this happens. It has been replaced and "wire welded" to the frame now. So hopefully it doesn't get stolen again. Little things like this.. but manageable. I got severe light sensitivity and a series of migraines. Maybe because of too much screen time at work  a few weeks ago. It is behind me now. So again, glad that things are in better shape.

However, this blog usually tells you nice stories. Good stories. Happy memories. So with that in mind... here are some pictures.. This girl is now a confident, assertive woman. All of the women in the house are confident adn assertive around me. Then again, I don't count. It is how they deal with others that counts. 

Just yesterday she looked like this.. or so it seems to me.. 

which brings me to my parents.. they probably feel that just yesterday.. they looked like this.. and before they know it, all their kids are married and settled and now their oldest grandkid is an adult. Who knows, they might be blessed enough to see a great grandkid in this lifetime! Something that not everyone gets to see these days!(note to Jr. : Not saying you need to get married. Just wishing my parents will be around longer. You do you!)

After talking to my parents to wish them, realized that they are happy that all their kids are well settled. They were thankful that their life took them the way it did. What can you give them as a gift? All I could think of was colorize their wedding photo. My mom described the sari color as a "sandalwood color, but not yellowish, with a double tint.. or double color".. she used many more descriptive words to get me to the right hue.

Age catches up with everyone, sooner or later. Given where I see my dad, chances are I will get there sooner. These photos are a reminder to capture good memories and mentally accept changes as they come!

Not to leave out the little lady, who has now turned 18 ! She has always been the most mature person in the house and the only person who can put me in my place in any argument. Both San and Jr. bring her and put her as a shield in front of me when they struggle to use their logic to justify things. This one is smart. As long as she eats her meals on time, I am happy.. for that matter so is she!

We did have a quiet family brunch at Saffron's. Their pick. The food was great! The ambience was also nice! We were the first to start the brunch and had reserved it. Were in an out in an hour. Loved it! Would definitely go there again!

They got to blow candles on what was a Jamun gift from the place. (Should have mentioned my allergy to strawberries.. my bad! Didn't expect to see strawberry sause on Jamun's. Apparently very good combination per rest of family). Got to see my three Jamun's smile a lot and that was good enough!

They probably make better wishes than me!

Last but not least.. a wonderful Deepavali weekend. On Friday I could not even open my eyes to light. By Saturday things got better and we celebrated nicely. There was a total of two sparklers I held in my hand for the photos. That was the sum total of fireworks we held in our hands this year. Two sets of sparklers!! There were some flower pots done by kids at our friends place. It was too cold out. So we just enjoyed talking to friends and drinking tea!

Sadly had to say bye before the weekends parties were over..

already packed and ready to go back to college. Still it was great they came for a weekend! San is teaching me how to keep smiling after saying bye to kids. 

She had this amazing sari with a peacock pattern. One of her best so far! Usually I go out of my way to match her Sari color with my shirt. This one was unmatched. Just admired it. 

The pro photoshopper in me could simply not let it go.. so I had to go do this..

Good memories!

Also wishing my baby sister and FIL wonderful birthday's !!! 

Here is a belated happy Deepavali / Diwali wish to everyone! May there be light in your life!

My three beauties are smiling and that is making my life lit! Cannot ask for more!

Revisiting the Kennedy trail

This post titled Mt. El Sombroso, captured our previous hike at the same place last year. It was the hardest local hike we had tried. 

This year we went there again on a cooler day. The added bonus was the sun rays coming through the clouds. It was just a spectacular sunrise. We started hiking very early and were back after a chai break at the top by 1PM. It was still a hard hike even if the weather was better. 

Here are some pictures.

Chaifie at the summit

These days I sweat so much that there is a change of clothing at the summit. Find it easier to walk back in fresh clothes!

Now the skies..

If you need a prep hike for any all day hikes in Yosemite, look no further.. this is the best option!

Something tells me we might even do this trail again in a few years!

Upper Yosemite falls- a tough hike

Last year saw us do both Clouds rest and Half dome hikes in Yosemite. This year we had no plans. Two of our yoga teacher friends wanted to hike with us and also test out the RV they are building. So we made a quick plan to go with them to Upper Yosemite falls. After seeing posts and reports on the hike, they decided to bail out and do a shorter hike instead. In retrospect, they made a wise decision!

We were this close to canceling the hike but decided to make a day trip, thanks to other friends who decided to join us. 

Woke up at 3:30 AM to make tea for the trip. There is no hiking without Chai! Started the drive before 5AM and we reached at 8:30 AM. After eating breakfast and drinking chai, we started hiking up at 9. The plan was to make it to the top by at least Noon or 12:30. It ended up being a hot day the sun was over us the entire time. We reached the top only at 1:15. 

Most of the folks had a face washing session while I decided to take a dip in the very cold water. It was really refreshing. Also the change of clothes was much needed!

We ate the food that was packed. It was windy and scary but we did go down to the falls head view point using the railing.. (you can see it in the video). 

Tried my hand at doing yoga poses before and after lunch. As usual San and friends were scared of me trying to balance on one leg on top of rocks. 

San was so happy when we made it to the top. Even she found it hard. 

Then we made our way back. Our downhill speeds were different. It is hard to pause on the return. The entire thing is rocky and you have to watch every step. The rocks are all slippery and dangerous. The good thing was it was windy and shaded on the way down. Given we all split up, some guy helped take this photo. Folks came down anywhere from 4:35 to 5:45 depending on their ability to go downhill or take breaks on the way.

There was a beautiful rainbow in the middle of the falls.

After practically hopping and running down without much of a break, all our legs were shaking uncontrollably for a good two hours!

Some more photos..

It was a very challenging hike even compared to Half dome because of the sun! The park service does classify this as a hard hike. 

A mile into the hike we get to Columbia rock, a view point where we get to see half dome. it is a great spot to take a break and get some photos of the valley! 

We started driving back at 6:30 PM after eating food we had packed and came home at 10:30 PM. 

A short video of the hike..

Definitely recommend this as a day hike, ONLY if you have been hiking regularly and can handle a steady climb that keeps going for 3 hours straight. Not recommened for beginners or people who have difficulty coming down rocky terrain. 

While we struggled through the hike, we enjoyed the company and had a sense of accomplishment after coming back to the parking lot. The hike is 7 miles from trailhead to top and back , but we walked 10+ miles in total. The elevation gain on this one is 3200 feet in 3 miles. So a steep challenging hike.

One more hike in the Yosemite National park checked out. Next year, we will find another interesting hike to do in YNP!