December 25 – Santa came tonight!
And left us many presents….
Hoop Earrings 
Kate Spade purse 
Jo Malone perfume
Christmas 2018
Category Archives: Holiday
Spring Break 2018
April 5, 2018 , Carmel-By-The-Sea
A much needed spring break at the Carmel Valley Ranch with her generous and gracious host family…. happy and relaxed after a grueling semester.
Wild deer, domesticated cat on Adirondack chairs and a bunny… gentle hikes and good food. Life’s good!
Carmel Valley Ranch Swimming Pool
Holiday Tea Party 2013
December 14, 2013
“To celebrate the holiday season among friends”
To celebrate Christmas and Hanukah, I host an annual holiday tea party with a few of my very best friends. There will be three of us this time (two cancelled). We can exchange gifts and be sisters for one afternoon. We get to practice our etiquette and afternoon tea manners at Lisa’s Tea Treasures in Los Altos.
Exciting!
We unanimously ordered the Christmas Special which consisted of English breakfast tea, salmon mousse sandwiches, chicken salad and cranberry sandwiches, apple and brie tart, cinnamon scone with clotted creme and preserves, and broccoli cheddar soup. The broccoli cheddar soup was especially yummy!
And Maya looks like she’d just got off a private jet from New York City! She’s so cool. Kate really hit it off with Maya and we were all super happy to be together!
Thanksgiving Day 2013
November 28, 2013
Spending Thanksgiving with old friends and getting re-acquainted with my school buddy. As usual Dad is doing the rib roast and hors d’oeuvres. I’m making the salad and mashed potatoes. The Chengs are doing the rest.
Dinner Menu:
- Rib Roast with Rosemary and Sea Salt (4 ribs @ 9.3 lbs)
- Yorkshire Pudding
- Mash potatoes and gravy
- Salad with mizithra cheese and grapes
- Pt Reyes Blue Cheese, caviar and capers on crackers
- Cabbage & Crème soup
- Bourbon sweet potatoes
- Sautéed Brussels sprouts
So nice to enjoy Thanksgiving with friends and family! And such yummy food! And Dad and Dennis are talking about going skiing this winter!
Christmas in Costa Rica 2012
December 22, 2012
We finally get a real vacation after years of staycations! Departing from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), we head off to Costa Rica via Houston, TX.
Vamos a Costa Rica!
At George W. Bush International Airport, Houston, TX.
Relaxing 
On The Bus 
Bougainvilleas in the Garden 
Bougainvilleas
December 22-23, 2012
We’re just hanging out at Casa de Luz visiting with a retired NASA colleague, Brenda.
December 24, 2012 (Monday)
We’re staying at El Cafetal Inn, Santa Eulalia de Atenas. While waiting for the bus to Atenas, we witnessed a pigeon landing on a power line and getting electrocuted.
There was a ball of bright white light, a very loud explosion sound and the bird dropping from the the power line pole. It had it’s tail feathers and parts of its wings totally blown off and couldn’t fly. People came out of their homes to see what had happened. The bird was stunned for awhile but then revived enough to try and evade some kids who had come out to look. Later, a man from one of the houses came out and caught the bird and went inside his house. I don’t know what fate befell the bird
We went to Atenas and got my data card (dongle) set up. Amelia bough a pair of boots and we had lunch. Headed back to El Cafetal to fetch our things and head off to Casa de Luz. We’ll stay at Casa de Luz for some days and join with Christmas Celebrations there.
Later we went to visit at local family who work and live around Casa de Luz. It was really nice to see a Christmas Celebration in a village. Amelia made friends with a girl in the family about her age and she was able to speak in Spanish – I think her Spanish teacher would be very proud of her
December 25, 2012 (Tuesday) – Christmas Day
Hung around Casa de Luz most of the day and enjoyed the company of Albert and his son A.J. from the British Virgin Isles.
December 26, 2012 (Wednesday)
Brunch with the neighbors. Swimming pool time with my new found friend, Maria S.
We’re going swimming at a neighbors pool.
December 27, 2012
AMS is off to Atenas with her friend Maria. They both wanted to get hamburgers in town. AMS also will get a SIM card for her phone so she can make calls and send text messages. They will take the local bus and be on their own]
December 28, 2012
Went to Dona Anna Beach. Fed wild monkeys living in the trees. Ate chicharones and a great meal at Cases de Cafe on the way back. Really tired.
Cariblanca Monkey 
Cloud Forest 
Trees at the Beach 
Wild Monkeys
December 29, 2012
Spending the day in Atenas at an Internet cafe getting caught up on our Internet fix. Planning the rest of our trip in Costa Rica.
Tomorrow we go to Alajuela and play. Tonight dinner at Don Yayo’s.
Internet Cafe in Atenas 
Chicharones at Don Yayo’s
December 30, 2012
Travelling by bus from Casa de Luz to Atenas then to Alajuela and spending the rest of the trip there at Club Martino Costa Rica (dropped off at Zoo Ave). The bus leaves at 1:15 PM from Casa de Luz and goes to Atenas (420 colones). Then we transfer to another bus departing Atenas at 2:00 PM for Alajuela (640 colones). From there we’ll be able to go out on day trips in all directions and yet still be close to the airport.
December 31, 2012
Visiting Zoo Ave and checking out the rescued animals and the small canopy tour (zip line).
Zoo Ave animal rescue and rehabilitation….
January 1, 2013 – Happy New Years
We rang in the new year with fireworks and sleep. Went to Canopy San Luis and did a canopy tour (zip line). They had a very long (1,500 meter) Superman zipline.
On The Way 
Tree Hugging Poolside 
Superman Zip 1500 m. 
Superman Zipline 
Zip me 
Zipline 
Zipline Costa Rica
January 2, 2013
[Today we take a quick trip into San Jose.] Walked to Barrio San Jose and had lunch at a “typico Tico” restaurant, La Princessa Marina. Very good, very typical local food.
Then by taxi to Cuidad San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica for some urban culture. We visit the Museos del Banco Central, San Jose, Costa Rica.
Pre-columbia Peoples and their Artifacts
Pre-columbian Display 
Ceramic Artifacts 
Gold Artifacts 
Gold Lobster
Contemporary Art Exhibit – Lola Fernandez
Espectadores, 1987 Lola Fernandez 
Untitled 
Untitled
We return by bus Tico style for $1.20!
January 3, 2013 (Thursday)
We return to Casa de Luz via public bus in preparation for our return trip to the San Francisco tomorrow.
January 4, 2013 (Friday)
Enjoyed our last hours at Casa de Luz. Hugs and good-byes. A drive to the airport and we begin the long return to our home in the US.
Arrived exhausted in SFO around 11:10 PM. Shuttle ride home and a long sleep. It’s really cold in Palo Alto!
Garden grown mandarino marmalade from Casa de Luz returns with us to Palo Alto as a souvenir!
Christmas 2011
Christmas Day 2011
Angry Birds, Ant Smasher, Ninjump, Veggies and Zombies….
|
|
|
|
Christmas 2010
What will Santa bring me this Christmas?
And a camera…and a bunch of other things!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Wonderful Christmas Day At Home
Maui Christmas 2005
December 19 – 26, 2006
We finally get to go on a Hawaiian vacation over Christmas. We went straight to Maui and stayed in a condo. From there we went whale watching and down in a submarine and enjoyed a Hawaiian Luau with dancers and drums.
Maui
A few days later we went on a car trip to Hana on the crazy Hana Road. It was great but a little bit dry. The waterfalls weren’t as full as in the pictures we’d seen.
Hana
Easter Sunday 2001
Spending the day with cousins….
Cousins 
Cousins