Odds & Ends in Merced

In between some of the events that comprise most of our posts, we've kept busy with smaller things that aren't big enough news for their own entry, but do add up to a comprehensive news piece. Here are some of the odds and ends from our day-to-day life in Merced.

 

Quite a while back, in June I believe, Patrick and I stopped by the Merced Fruit Barn near the outskirts of town on our way back from a hike. We'd seen an ad for it and wondered if it was a decent market. Turns out it was a little more than just a market, as it contained an ice cream stand (aaaah! I just remembered that- must go back to try!!!!) and had a few pens of animals such as goats, exotic birds, potbelly pigs, alpacas, and emus. I don't think I'd ever seen an emu before, but boy are they ODD lookin'!

 UC Merced has been constructing new buildings as it continues to expand and proceed with its long term campus design plan. At a Topping Off Ceremony for the Housing 4 Building on July 20, members of the campus community were invited to sign the final beam before it was put into place. Not too many people came out, but that made it easy for our names to have dominant placement as they remain forever a part of the campus! :) 

I was worried Patrick wasn't going to make it in time to sign the beam so I added his name too. (Turns out they gave a second chance for people to sign after the speaker talked, so he was able to leave his unique signature as well.) I wanted to add a little flare, so I did a really quick/primitive ode to the picture we drew on the ceiling of a room in his housing building at GVSU when we started dating.

There it is, being lowered and attached! My sharpie-picture is on the top surface of the beam, slightly left of the flag pole.

Before Patrick embarked on his 30-mile Labor Day weekend hike of the North Rim in Yosemite (to be posted at a later date), he  wanted to examine our old tent to make sure the body wasn't compromised if one of the other hikers needed to borrow it. Naturally, the perfect place to do said check is in the dining room where the table and chairs normally sit. There it stayed for several days, but he made good use of it by laying out on our sleeping pads to computer surf.

A week or so after we got back from Michigan, Patrick and I started hanging out with Aditi (pictured above). She is visiting from India to learn how to use hydrology models like those used in Patrick's department. Outside of work, she was a bit bored and lonely, considering she has a husband and 3-year old back at home. Patrick had mentioned to her that maybe we could all go out to a restaurant so she could try Mexican food. Time kinda escaped us quickly, especially due to our travels, so about half of her 3 months in the States had passed by when we finally got on the ball and took her out. :( We wanted to makeup for the lost time, so we followed it up with an early September visit to a nearby farm/winery/event venue that serves wood-fired pizzas on Friday nights.

 

Exploring the grounds after dinner, Aditi mentioned everything in America seems giant: the farm cat, squirrels (both of which seemed small to us), pumpkin, and sunflower. Oh yeah- you'll notice that I also recently visited the neighborhood Great Clips for some dramatic grooming! :)

Hydrology models weren't the only things Aditi was interested in learning about while in the U.S. She requested we teach her how to make pancakes! That was fun. :)

We made a lovely lunch out of the occasion with turkey sausage seasoned at home by Patrick, fresh fruit, and mimosas!

Patrick had told Aditi before our first meeting that I love Indian clothing. So after we ate, she wrapped me in a sari and told me I could keep it! The only issue is they are way more complex than I expected, so I'm not sure I could get it on again without assistance....either way, I'm still excited to have one!

This completes our current updates from odds and ends in town! Phase 2 will consist of a similar-style blog featuring out-of-town items.

Mid-summer trip to MI

The last 10 days in July were blocked out for our travels to MI! Unfortunately my sisters had circumstances preventing them from making it to MI while we were there, but we decided we'd just devote a little more time hanging out with our nephews while Patrick's family was all in the country, and then trade that out at Christmas. As per the past few years' tradition, the Wombles rented a house on a lake for a week for plenty of outdoor fun and interaction.

Patrick teased at one point that he could shoot fire out of his fingers. The problem was that then Isaac asked to see it! :) Since the boys were going to have smores in the afternoon, Patrick decided he could somewhat satisfy that curiosity by starting a fire without a match (we couldn't find any at the house anyway). He did shoot some flames, but without a string it was much more laborious to get the woodpile ignited. (We did try dryer lint, which Calum is holding above, but it just never got hot enough.) Eventually we decided that eating smores was much cooler than flamethrower fingers anyway, and sought out some other way to kindle things. :)

I was standing on the boardwalk while Grandpa did drive-bys to give Isaac an opportunity to ambush me with a watergun. In between snapshots I'd chase him off with my own loaded weapon!

Sally and John fishing for seashells with the net.

 

Some sibling R&R!

Our timing for arriving in Grand Rapids was fortunate in that it afforded us the opportunity to go to our friend Mike's birthday dinner at Mangiamo! Italian restaurant.

 

We had a nice visit with Cassandra & Tyler and their girls, with additional entertainment provided by the slightly early b-day gifts we brought. Glow-stick star-shaped glasses (not yet glowing) and stretchy "sticky hand" toys were fun to introduce to Mattie and Anya.

Patrick and I are not the most prepared aunt & uncle. We get everyone their bday gifts late! Count it a leg up that the girls' presents were early, but to our shame we did go to the store a little before our visit. Realizing I didn't have any tape/scissors/etc. (and the finger painting portfolio pad was too big to get in a bag), I got creative and used up all the bandaids in my purse to wrap it. I figured it was kid friendly at least!


Even though we also had some great quality time with just my parents, and got to go to lunch with Mike & our other good pal Brad, the time goes by too fast and there just isn't enough to go around. So naturally we're looking forward to our next visit at Christmas! In the meantime we'll try to get the rest of our blog material posted soon! :)

San Francisco Color Run

There was a Color Run in Grand Rapids on August 5 and it takes place in various locations around the country. But in case you haven't heard of it (like I hadn't beforehand), maybe this will give you an idea of what it's like:

BEFORE

 

AFTER 

The color run is a "just for fun" non-timed 5K where a different color food-grade powder is thrown on the participants at each of 5 interspersed spots along the route. The only rule is you have to wear a white shirt! Part of the registration cost goes toward a non-profit group or initiative in the community hosting the run.

My coworker, Jennifer (pictured above), had paid the registration costs for her and a friend to participate in the July 14 run in the parking lot at San Franciso's Candlestick Park (where the 49ers used to play). However, Jennifer's friend had a family medical situation going on and decided she wouldn't be able to attend; so, Jennifer asked me if I'd like to go to keep the registration from going to waste. It totally sounded up my alley, and Patrick had an engagement that morning anyway, giving me the perfect opportunity to have a 24-hours girls' adventure!

We went up Friday night after work (splurging along the way on a decadent dinner/dessert at BJ's Brewhouse) to stay with Jennifer's aunt and uncle who live nearby since the race was in the morning. After the race we originally thought we'd get good & clean for the car ride, but decided it would be fun to surprise our husbands with our decorative looks. :) Jennifer's aunt & uncle took us out to eat before our departure, so we attracted some curious stares. Looking at the following pictures, it's no wonder why!

Here is one of the stations- you can see how the volunteer used a condiment bottle to spray the powder on the passers-by (they refilled from the adjacent barrels). No doubt our lungs were loving us that day, considering the color clouds they created.

 

That's me jogging on the left. The volunteer on the right looked like a smurf! The color settled from the air would pool on the ground so I did a couple "snow" angels and loads of people were picking it up to smear/throw it.

Post race- I look like a rainbow! :)

After the race, we could get free mini-slurpees/juice/etc. at vendor booths, then we all gathered around a stage where it felt like a big rave. A DJ on stage played bumpin' music and pulled people up for a break-dancing competition and prizes (such as "who has the coolest colored beard" award, etc.). They should think about doing this at night- it would be a totally fun dance party!

 

Each registrant was given a packet of color to use at any point during the race. I saved mine for the end, at which point they threw more out into the crowd for people to open and scatter. It was one giant color binge! (Good thing I bought waterproof disposable cameras for us to use during the whole event. Then Jennifer snapped some photos with her iphone afterward.)

 

After the crowd cleared out, you can see the collateral damage- the sidewalk is covered, and so am I!

I wore a white t-shirt to the race which I then topped with the Color Run shirt handed out. The color bled through so much that it left ghost letters silhouetted on my undershirt.

I look like I could be related to Neelix on Star Trek: Voyager. Until my sleeve recedes to show the untouched flesh!

The difference is so stark that it looked like I had tights on when I removed my shoes! lol :)

My shower that night took considerably longer than normal! hehe. I tried to use vinegar to "freeze" the color on my shirts, but a lot of the defining splatters and streaks muddled and rinsed out leaving my shirt a purple tinge. Not nearly as cool as it was in the photos above, but still a nice memento of the experience!

Hike to Paradise Lake

July 7th we did a 7.25 miles out, 7.25 miles back trek to Paradise Lake in the Tahoe area. Excluding a few uphill segments of the trip, the topography was mild and the trail well paved, plus the weather was gorgeous.

 This is actually day 2 of the hike, but it is near the beginning of the trail. The photos are slightly out of order from when they were taken but they'll better show the progression of the route to our overnight destination.

 

I've seen this odd leafy plant at a few other places in the area, but it coated the land more thickly along this path. Parts of it made me feel like I was in a Mario game. Now I tell Patrick we're in Koopa Troopa Land when I see it.

 

This picture is of me, but Patrick (behind the camera) is standing at a marker for Castle Pass, elevation 7880, where there is a nice broad view of the valley below. Behind me is a spot with intersecting trails, one of which we think goes to that ridge in the background.

 Pretty mountain meadow area. The flowers in the foreground unfortunately do not translate their purple color through the photo as well as in real life.

My hot hubby placated me by being the subject to highlight our lovely surrounding scenery. :) For some perspective of location, the previous photo is to the left, and Peter Grubb Hut (next photo) is to the right.

 The Peter Grubb Hut (available to reserve from the Sierra Club) may seem primitive to the person who doesn't much care for camping, but to us, it was quite spacious, rustic and in fabulous condition. It had a kitchen area with a large camp stove and giant wood table, a large loft overhead, and the adjacent room contained a wood-fired stove with built-in wooden benches spanning the length of the wall. The pictured ladder to the upstairs, and a second story outhouse round the back are presumably due to the snow that may pileup in the winter.

 Speaking of.... A divot in a wooded area further down the trail still contained snow from the winter, which I found rather amusing, as it was a hot weekend (90-degrees there; Yosemite was 100; Merced 105-110).

After crossing an open expanse along a hillside (like where we are above), we continued through a forest. At first it was pleasant: low grade downhill in the shade. Then we passed a bog, which marked the start of low spots harboring stagnant water between the trees. The mosquitoes were so bad that I saw a plant sustaining side-to-side quick movement as bugs flew into it. We could feel them berating our bodies with every forward step, and retaliated by madly swinging our arms back-and-forth like inflatable sock people at a car dealership. The next morning, we made sure to wear long sleeves and pants, as you can see, before braving that area of the path again.

 

I was hoping for a break so I could stay fairly fresh for the last few miles of the trail, but we didn't stop since relentless mosquitoes would have eaten us alive (they already were with us moving at a quick pace!). I was so worn down by the time we emerged from the forest to a rocky exposed area that I plopped down on a fallen tree and declared that we would have to just camp there (the lake is about a mile or so down a path diverted from the Pacific Crest Trail and we thought by that time we should have made it there). Patrick said he would look around a bit and about 15 feet/5 seconds later he said he had found it just around the next bend!

 

Here is a view of the lake, unimpeded by us.

Paradise Lake was lovely and serene, and we had it nearly to ourselves. A couple guys with their horses were about 90 degrees around the lake who never realized we arrived, so they occasionally made a bit of racket, but for the most part it was quite peaceful. Patrick cleaned up a bit in the mountain water, but it was too chilly for me to do much more than wade in and splash a little over my arms. The mosquitos plagued us once again as dusk fell but not nearly in the size droves we had encountered through the forest. We ended up just going to bed early to escape them.

With the exception of vampiric insects, the hike was very pleasant. I'd love to return to the Lake again, with bug spray in tow, so that we could build a campfire and hang out at the shoreline to lazily look at the stars, and enjoy the morning sun over the still glass when we woke up. We'll file that away for the future, but in the meantime it was a valuable learning experience! :-)

Getty'ng Cultured in LA!

Wow, we are super behind on posts! It was 2 months ago that we were in Los Angeles, staying overnight on June 9 for the Festival of Animation Prom at UCLA. 'Prom' is the designation for the screening event of the animation students' thesis films. Family-friend, Evander, was in town from France, originally anticipating his film would be shown. Unfortunately some technical difficulties corrupted his sound file when he tried to submit his work. :( We are very sympathetic, but the silver lining is we may have another chance to see him when he returns next year to show it!

 After the screenings, Evander gave us a tour of the animation department, housed in the theater.  These tables were donated from Disney after they transitioned primarily to computer-based animation.

This classroom whiteboard advertising Prom features characters in the films we saw. I came to the event with a glass-half-empty mentality, preparing myself to see some unusual and possibly depressing or confusing movies, thinking it might be like an Independent film festival. But I ended up enjoying myself immensely, as many of the films were clever, amusing, creative, and funny- the students were definitely aiming to impress their crowd of peers!

 After the screening and Evander's tour, we joined the after party hosted on a sound stage (the dinosaur, currently chewing on a pack of tissues, is the star of Evander's film). Patrick and I ate melty cheese & crackers, blueberries and a lara bar leftover from our warm car ride after an unsuccessful endeavor to find dinner on the Northern end of campus, so we were overjoyed to find a catered nacho/taco bar, candy, and wine/beer service awaiting us, all free of charge. The colorful dimmed lighting, trendy playlist, and 'monster mash' themed decor created an inviting and exhilarating atmosphere.

One of the highlights of the party was a free photobooth! We hit it up multiple times. Karin is the other person in the photo with us- she is Evander's sound/music composer and was extremely personable. We had a great time hanging out with her and it gave Evander a chance to catch up with some of his old classmates and professors.

The evening was a lot of fun, but not super condusive to uncontested time with Evander; consequently, we picked him up the next morning to spend the day together at the the Getty Museum. We traveled the scenic route through Belair to gaze agog past the front gates of the majestic homes we drove past, then took a tram up a steep hill from the parking lot to the even more impressive vistas, gardens, architecture, and art that compose this LA attraction. (Pictured above is the terrace where we ate lunch.)

From this angle the museum looks like a modern research facility (there is an observatory housed in a building to the left of this photo's area, actually) but the walk through the entrance (on the opposite side) made me feel like I was in a palace. I adored the gardens, particularly these metal sculptures covered with vibrant vine flowers. From afar, I thought they were very intriguing, exotic, almost science-fiction-born-but-real trees. Even though I was wrong, they were still lovely.

As I said above- lovely! To help give this some more perspective, the green shrub labyrinth-looking thing is within the pool of water created by the waterfall in the center of the photo.We overlooked it from a gravel pathway that lined a higher tier.

 My fave photo of the trip!

Why yes, Getty Museum- we may be willing to offer this up as your latest promotional postcard, IF you give me that gorgeous vase from your gift shop. ;)

 This black succulent caught my eye as a rather exotic, yet elegant, specimen.

 A view of the LA skyline from one of the outdoor walkways/observation decks/balconies.

 

For a sense of scale, I should have made someone stand next to this marvelous tapestry depicting a Grecian mythological scene. This draped an entire wall- my knees were probably around the bottom edge of it and the people pictured in it were probably close to life-size.

Vincent VanGogh's irises painting! The color is stunning in-person! Another major highlight of our art exploration was the visiting photography exhibit of Herb Ritts' work. We've/you've probably all seen photos of his, but didn't realize it. Not all of it was "for me" you could say (what artist's complete collection is though?), but much of it was quite entrancing.

It was a whirlwind trip, as we spent less than 24 hours in the SoCal city, but it left us with a favorable impression. Beforehand, my only expectations were for the Hollywood-inspired image of a traffic-infested, fake-n-bake beach & club crowd city, but I was handed my hat to eat, and I didn't mind! I imagine there are parts of LA true to that paradigm, but I am a little more optimistic about exploring those parts now that I know there are nearby reprieves to retreat to. At least, I certainly wouldn't mind visiting the Getty again!

Happy 4th of July!

We celebrated after dinner with red (strawberries), white (vanilla ice cream & bananas), and blue (serving bowls) brownies followed by economical "fireworks" put to music. Hope your day was a great one and take a moment to thank God for being privileged to live in a land of many freedoms!