First Full Day of Travel - Reno NV to Provo UT

Today started early - probably because we were wedged between two semis in a truck rest stop, drawing in their engine heat (and fumes) while we sweat in our fifth-wheel all night.  We did get a decent night's sleep, but couldn't believe the Nevada heat.  I thought it got cold in the desert!  It was worth driving a little farther than Mullhaven yesterday, though we had to make do boondocking at this rest stop.  It made today's long run across Nevada much shorter.  We still had several hours of sunlight left by the time we got to Utah Lake State Park.  What a lovely little campground this is, right on the shore of the largest fresh-water lake in Utah.  Funny enough, it's just a little south of that other big, but salty lake.  For the reasonable fee of $28 plus a booking fee, we got a pull-through site, water & power hookups, a grill, and a hard-top pavilion with concrete floor and large aluminum table.

Being Sunday didn't hurt, but the drive was actually pretty easy and the speed limit of mostly 75 mph made the mile just fly by.  Many people say driving across Nevada is boring, but we found with the constantly-changing mountain scenery, it was actually quite interesting.  Getting such an early start (we beat the sun up), most of our road companions were the big rigs until early afternoon.  We did stop more for gas than we hoped, but we seemed to spend most of the time going uphill and the gas mileage suffered accordingly.

Tomorrow we head for Breckenridge, Colorado area, which should be interesting with getting to the Rockies.

T Minus 6 Hours & 35 Minutes...

Takeoff Day is almost upon us.  Randy is well into his last day of work before his sabbatical, as I load up the RV for our departure tomorrow.  It's been so long in coming, it's really hard to believe we're leaving home once again until autumn is upon us.  Thank goodness our house-sitters will be continuing to stay here as we travel across the country TWICE, once back & forth to Indiana, and again back & forth to Texas.  

I've been home almost a month after being in Oregon for two years, doing lots of yard work & sprucing up around the place.  Randy flew into the Bay area yesterday morning after commuting back & forth that same month.  We gave up our little 2-bedroom apartment in Orenco Station with a little sigh, but not too big a one, as it was very dark (all windows facing north) and had poor sound isolation from our neighbors.  The tougher thing to leave was our garden plot at the nearby community gardens, that was just beginning to produce some lovely tomatoes and squash, with lots of promise of peppers soon to come.  But we are looking forward to some fresh Hoosier produce next week, especially the tomatoes and corn.

It hardly needs to be said, but we're most looking forward to seeing our family and dear friends again on this trip.  It's been four long years since our last visit, after years of going almost every year.  We have great-nieces and nephews we haven't even met yet!  With the back-to-back Singapore and Oregon assignments, we just couldn't make it back before now.  All I can say is "Look out, America!  The Mulls are hitting the highway again."

Seeing is Believing

A common joke about aging is one's failing eyesight, although it isn't very funny to the person who is losing this basic faculty.  We baby boomers have one leg up on our predecessors due to medical advances. One of the more common causes of blindness in adults is macular degeneration, but early detection and a regimen of particular vitamins can stop this disease in its tracks.  Since it seems to be hereditary, checking one's family medical history can be the first step in prevention.  Similar to another sight-stealer, glaucoma, there may be no warning sign to the individual, but a trained optometrist can see its first stages and help one to keep it at bay, so regular checkups including a slit-lamp test to check interior eye health are a must.

Now to move on to my philosophical take.  When I struggle to read the 6 point or less text listing ingredients on a bottle of dressing, I get very frustrated.  I find myself holding things a little closer - or farther - away and leaning toward the light to increase the contrast.  I'm not really surprised at this, as I've been an avid reader all my life, have spent upwards of 12 hours a day on the computer or reading drawings and specs since the '80s, and love to paint and do crafts, all of which demand a lot from these eyes.

So what is the upside?

When I see a dear friend I haven't seen in a long time, I don't see the new wrinkles around her eyes, nor the more pronounced sag in her chin.  I see her big smile and as I hold an image of her face in my heart, I don't need to look that closely anyway.

When I look in the mirror of a dressing room at myself, I don't see the bags and bulges quite as much, and I am not so concerned about the way I look.  Being free of obsession about one's looks is a sign of maturity in more than one way!

And lastly, if there are so many ingredients in a food I am considering buying, that the print has to be minuscule to fit on the label, is it really that good for me anyway?  The fewer the ingredients, the fewer chemicals, additives, and fake vitamins and minerals I'll be ingesting.

So despite my grumbling each year at the eye doctor's as yet again I have to have my prescription changed, I am grateful to be able to focus on the important things in life.

Vegan+ (or Just What DO You Eat?)

Early this year as I surfed through Netflicks, I came across two documentaries on diet that had a huge impact on me: "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and "Forks Over Knives."  The first tells the story of Joe Cross, an extremely overweight Australian suffering a debilitating auto-immune disease, and follows his journey to health.  He spends 60 days in the U.S. talking with people about their diet and health, and sticks to a fresh juice diet the entire time.  His experience is very interesting, but when he meets Phil, a huge truck driver suffering with obesity and the same rare disease, the film becomes absolutely gripping.

The second film traces the personal journeys of Dr. Campbell, a nutritional biochemist from Cornell U. and Dr. Esselstyn, a former top surgeon at Cleveland Clinic.  These men conducted several groundbreaking studies that led them separately to the same conclusion that degenerative diseases, like heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and even some forms of cancer could almost always be prevented and even reversed by adopting a whole foods, plant-based diet.  (Both have their websites and help for those interested.)

So inspired, I began my journey by dropping all meats, including beef, pork, and chicken, eggs, and all forms of dairy.  I kept fish and seafood on the menu as I couldn't bear the thought of never eating them again, whereas I could envision a future without meat & eggs.  For those who don't understand vegan versus vegetarian, it's simply the moral decision to fully respect animal life.  Purists eat nothing that comes from animals, including milk, eggs, honey and gelatin, and do not wear leather, fur, etc.  Vegetarians come in many different "flavors" including those who eat eggs or drink milk or even eat chicken and/or fish, but not beef or pork.  

The change in diet wasn't easy at first, more because of the lack of dairy than the meat.  I love to cook, though, and persisted with lots of research and a few new cookbooks.  Thank heavens I live near a grocery store that specializes in natural products and carries all those new ingredients I needed, like seitan, Bragg's liquid aminos, and nutritional yeast.  Going out to eat is a bit tricky as restaurants tend to add cheese, butter, and/or sour cream to almost everything to boost the taste, but I found being clear that I could not have dairy seems to work, rather than admitting to veganism.

The biggest change, however, was mental - understanding the importance of not taking away, but ADDING to my diet.  Adding fresh, organic vegetables and fruits in the daily variety and quantity to assure I'm getting all the micronutrients I need.  Here's where my tribute to Joe and his wonderful Breville juicer comes in.  Juicing allows you to live a normal modern life not devoted to cooking and eating the tons of veggies you need every day.  My devoted and understanding husband, Randy, came to realize how important this change is as well, and led me to commit with him to a 10-day juice fast in late January.  The first few days weren't easy for either of us, as there are some, uh...physiological changes that a heavy juice intake will make.  Let's just say I'm glad I was home most of that time!  We also decided to get off caffeine at the same time, which probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, but the incredible burst of energy we began to feel after the third day not only showed us we were over caffeine withdrawal, but with juicing we didn't need it at all.

Randy continues to be supportive in my cooking journey, as I do not prepare any dishes with animal products.  Some of the dishes have been less than spectacular, but many have been surprisingly tasty.  And now that I have found great substitutes for sour cream and mayonnaise, I can prepare some of our more traditional favorites without guilt.  And the best news of all - we are feeling better! We've both lost a good deal of weight, our skin looks better, we sleep better, and have no reflux whatsoever.  We are in the process of buying property in Texas and look forward to taming it for a LONG retirement.

Portland's Japanese Gardens

Yesterday I spent a lovely afternoon at one of Portland's true gems in Washington Park - the Japanese Gardens.  Not only was the weather warm & mostly sunny, but the rhododendruns, azaleas, camellias, and every spring flowering shrub worked together to feed my very soul.

Despite its small size - only 5.5 acres - the garden's design, from the moment you walk through the entry gate structure and past the guardian lion statues, slows you down to a stroll along its winding paths.  Dubbed the most authentic Japanese garden outside Japan, I was alternately charmed and bedazzled by its beauty.  Our tour guide was both friendly and knowledgeable about Japanese garden origins and design, showing a deep love of the art form throughout his presentation.  

The first style we saw incorporated the stunning visuals you see above, with a reflection pond, arching bridge, and two large metal crane sculptures.  Perhaps it was here we realized why these gardens appear so much larger - they make extensive use of something called "shakkei" or borrowing of landscapes in the distance.  We then wandered along offset wooden platforms suspended above a long koi pond to arrive at a lovely waterfall.

The second style is the tea garden or Chaniwa, which reached the height of their development during the Azuchi-Momoyama Period, when they were imbued a spirit of rustic simplicity for which they are known today. Tea gardens are typically simple and utilitarian, monochromatic in shades of green, with a stepping stone path leading from the garden entrance to the tea house. Stone lanterns provide lighting and a decorative element, while a wash basin (tsukubai) is used for ritual cleansing.  A somewhat larger tea house than the norm (5 tatami mats) is here, and one goes through two areas separated by low fences before entering the house itself.

We then learned about the Karesansui (Zen) Dry Garden which uses nothing but rocks, gravel and sand to represent all the elements of the garden landscape as we walked both through and overlooking a fine example of this austere type.  It seemed to have a playful air about it, with the stones like fun-loving animals barely able to sit still in front of the more stern central pillar.  Many of our group sat to enjoy a few moments of peace and no one was eager to push on.

There is even a nod to the Moss Garden type, by the seeding of various mosses over and around carefully placed boulders all along the walking paths.  Given the climate of Oregon, these areas have become a momentus greenscape to admire on their own.

The Sukiya style is exemplified by a beautifully simple and elegant structure that can be reserved for special events.  It overlooks the largest of structured gardens with curved pebbled areas to denote "water."  At the back of this building is a nice terraced area with a direct view of Mt. Hood above the taller buildings of Portland.  Although somewhat misty by afternoon and in her usual garb of blinding white snow, the mountain presented herself for all to admire.

By the time we returned to the entrance, I was ready to grab a shovel and head for the nearest nursery to capture some of this charm for myself.  Alas, it takes many dollars, years, loving devotion, and hard labor to produce such a wonderous place, so I must settle for returning time and again to enjoy this little piece of heaven.

Oregon Overview

So long I have not posted - please forgive the gap.  We relocated from Singapore to California in the spring, then I spent the entire summer fixing up the house & yard, only to relocate to Oregon in the fall!  But it's a beautiful time to be in Oregon, and despite the drastic change in wardrobe due to the weather, I've been enjoying the colors and sights of our new "home" base.  I took this photo only a couple blocks from our apartment, right next to the MAX, which is the local light-rail system.  We love this area due to its locale - across a field from the train station and less than 3 miles to Randy's office.  Also, this is the first time we have lived in a planned development area, where apartments are cheek-and-jowl with retail and professional businesses.  It makes for an exciting place to be, within walking distance of all the necessaries and with the MAX, easy access to downtown Portland and even the airport (PDX).  We have enjoyed dinner at the local Indian restaurant (southern Indian) and lunch at the corner bar & grill.  I walk to the grocery, which focuses on organic and natural foods, and even found both a chiropractor and massage therapist nearby.  To give you an idea of how great this works, I just filled up my gas tank for the first time since arriving here, an entire month ago!

TRANSITIONS

It's hard to believe I've been away from this blogsite for so long - my apologies to everyone for falling down on the job!  In my excitement to go to Western Australia, then home for the holidays, then Chinese New Year, then my new exercise program...well, you get the picture!

We had a lovely time in WA - definitely helped us recover from our homesickness and desperate need for a horizon.  The area is remarkably similar to Northern California with its rolling hills, dry crisp days, vineyards, and the ubiquitous "iron wood" trees.  It was late spring there and we enjoyed touring the countryside, the seaside, even the strange limestone formations called the Pinnacles.  It took a bit of getting used to the chilly wind along the coast, but then again it was a familiar feeling, much like going to Drakes Bay or Carmel.  We stayed in Swan Valley, which is northeast of Perth and eerily reminded us of Napa Valley in the late 70s, with its funky little wineries, boutique craft stores, and small green-shaded lanes promising excitement ahead.  The absolute best part of Swan Valley was Whiteman Park, where we got all the up-close-and-personal time we could with for, with kangaroos and even the ever-sleepy eyed but eternally cute koalas.  We found a wonderful collection of paintings by a relocated Kiwi that incorporate the best of pointillism and primitive art and brought one home for our own.  I would have dearly loved to tote one of the digeradoos home, but was told technically women aren't supposed to play them, so I said to heck with that!

Before I knew it, it was time to head back to California for the holidays.  I was not really looking forward to the two weeks before Randy got home, as I knew it would be a lot of cleaning up both inside and outside, especially the mounds of leaves from our numerous deciduous trees.  And I had a little Christmas shopping to finish, as well as what decorating I could do to celebrate Christmas.  The time flew by, and before I knew it, Randy was coming home and it was time to load up the RV for our trip to Texas.  It took three medium-long days to get there, but it was great to see our daughter and son-in-law and their new place in the country.  Middle Texas can definitely get cold in the winter, and although we didn't see snow until our return trip, it was so cold our water line to the trailer froze one night!  We met all their animals, of which they have several, and only had issues with their donkey, who loved playing with not only our water hose to the trailer, but the electrical supply, which we had to quickly stop.  Maybe on our next trip, they'll have some animals that produce something like eggs or milk.

We had an interesting trip home, complete with sandstorm, rail, sleet, snow, and hail, but made it safely back to California about 36 hours before we had to leave to return to Singapore.  What a race!

We didn't go anywhere for Chinese New Year, but did decorate a bit more than last year, since it is the year of the metal rabbit, which both Randy and I are.  We feel 2011 is going to be a special year for us, since we both turn 60, it's our Chinese birth year, and we celebrate 40 years of marriage, as well.  We're looking forward to celebrating with our cousins, who also got married in 1971, this June/July with a cruise/tour to Alaska.

This month we will be visiting Da Nang in Viet Nam with two other families and another friend from Genentech.  We've booked a hotel right on China Beach, popular with American GIs during the Vietnam War, being close to the old DMZ (demilitarized zone.)  Da Nang's placement between the mountains and the sea should provide us with spectacular views, and the nearby town of Hoi An has many historical sights to explore.

Thanks for your patience in my belated postings, and I intend to provide more in-depth commentary soon, now that I have brought everyone up to date.