This blog is now becoming time warped with a mix of past and present events, as I go through old photos from March to September and capture some regular events.
After a three year gap, we did go play Holi in 2023.
It was great to be in a large crowd of strangers enjoying the colors. We had Jr. join us as she was on spring break, if I remember right.
Looking back, we had a great time in Foster city with friends. A large multi ethnic crowd, great DJ, amazing atmosphere.. smiling faces! What more can you ask for?! We could always wish the little one had joined!
That hazy effect is because of the color powder on the iPhone camera!
Love this festival. We live in a post COVID world now, where booster shots are becoming like flu shots.
Hope we get to celebrate Holi this way in the coming years!
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!
There was a break from social media between March and September. Sadly, this also meant a blog break. Many events, trips, thoughts went unposted. Going to try and catch up over the next few months.
Writing can be cathartic. It can also be a good memory jogger, trying to see what sticks to your mind a few months later!
Here is the first of such posts. The little one graduated high scool and has now settled in college. She is a five hour road trip away and that makes it comforting.
All she has to do is call and I can start driving.
Jr. on the other hand has not had a mention. She should have! She finished her 4 year degree in 3 years and did a summer graduation.
This was because of a deal we made with her. If she finished early, we will support her Masters program, no matter where. Remember, this is a kid who worked hard all summer in 8th grade to jump two levels in high school math. The motivation was a new iPhone instead of daddy's hand me downs.
It is a win win and she is back in California for her Masters. That alone was enough to make me happy.
All she has to do is call and I can start driving.....you get the idea!
When she started at Purdue, I did not go to drop her. Stayed home with my emotional support puppy(aka the little one), while San went and dropped her. My friend went and helped!
Finally the entire family got a chance to see the Purdue campus and participate in the graduation.
The best part was they had a surprise for me. My friend was there again for the graduation!
It was fitting that he was there at the start and the end of that degree.
The graduation ceremony was very well organized. We got to see a very happy Jr. walk with confidence and hope.
Drank some hot cocoa after the graduation before taking off from campus.
My family knows all too well that my best undergrad moments were not in the lecture halls, but sitting under a tree and drinking chai with my friend.
He would invariably challenge me on my grasp (of everything ?!) and always caution me on my jumping to conclusions, generalizing too quickly, forming very solid opinions very fast, only to revert. In short I used to be a fickle minded child and those chai sessions slowed me down for my own good. Apparently not much has changed in 30 years per family. Anyways, I am off topic already.
If there was any takeaway from that previous paragraph, it is :
1. Chai drinking is good for getting an education that you might not get in the classroom
2. It is better to go for Chai than for alcohol as you might actually remember what you learned (not covered in previous paragraph, but good advice given the kids are no longer kids!)
3. It takes a long time to change one's personality!
Got a campus tour the previous evening. Jr. showed us every part of campus she had visited. Nice campus which fits Jr. well. Now we know why she was at home in Purdue!
Got a nice family picture just before the clouds finally gave in and it started raining!
A new beginning for both kids this year..
A short clip of the graduation ceremony..
Wanted at least one girl to do a doctoral degree, but that is a tough sell in this house. We are now into philosophical discussions on the value of a Ph.D in this day and age and "just because you were stupid enough to study forever, doesn't mean .. " type discussions. We live in interesting times and I am continuing to work on the "keep calm and carry on" attitude.
We sincerely hope to see one more graduation picture added to that time series, in a couple of years!
Thanks to all of you who have cheered and supported Jr. all this time!
