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!
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!
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!
