Coast Trip - Wonders of the Beach

Dependence

We got to see elephant seals from a three-foot distance.  (The Coast Guard had his eyes stuck on us just in case we decide to touch it.)  They are amazing creatures.  They're huge and yet they've learned to take advantage of the violent force of the waves to advance themselves to the shore.  They'd stop and rest until the next wave comes and avoided to push forward on their own.   They know where their help comes from.

Simplicity

Sea weeds swept into the shore make a beautiful decoration to the otherwise monotonous sand.  They provided a destination for curious eyes.

Shelter

In between the rocks Miriam found a lot of sea anemones sheltered in rock crevices waiting for live food to fall into their big gaping mouths.  The small shells scattered around were homes for the most active hermit crabs that roamed on the intermittent shallow ponds created by waves.

Pleasure 

We came to a part of the shore where there were so many seals basking in the sun.  Watching them provided so much entertainment for our family as we stood on the rocks.  There was even a time when we were surprised to see one of them suddenly pop out from the water right next to Brahms' feet.

Change

There is so much to appreciate and absorb near the ocean.  One of the most impressive of them all is the rock formation.  With a little bit of geology in my past studies, I tend to focus a lot on the appearances of rocks as they tell great stories about their past.  Rocks as we see them didn't always start as such.  They continually undergo a constant change as inflicted by the changing environment which results in beauty that is very specific to every piece of rock.  There are no two rocks that are exactly alike by nature.

Survival

Beautiful and calm, the sea shore is like a bustling city of many creatures.  As much as it is the source of their livelihood, danger lurks in the small dark corners of the place.  Sometimes a crab walks into this anemone and finds out too late that he had just moved from a free crab to a feed-crab.  But even as a predator, the anemone can become a prey when a girl called Miriam will pokes it with a stick. 

Provision

Birds of different kinds fly in different heights and land on different parts of the shore.  They are all in search of a different type of food.  God made all creatures big and small to live on this world.  There is a system that He put in place since the beginning of everything: each life regardless of size is meant to give so that others will live.

Beauty

Everything that is in this world, God created them all...and saw that it was good.

Coast Trip: Hearst Castle

February is our wedding anniversary month.  Whenever we can, we'd go to a place we've never seen before or to a place that we know and like.  This time we went to the San Simeon where the famous Hearst Castle is located. 

Hearst Castle is very big and it would take five tours for a guest to see and appreciate all the things that they want to show.  We took Tour #2 which features the bedrooms, kitchen, offices, etc.   We thought that if we were still interested to see some more that we would take another one.  It turned out that we were quite content with one tour.  The tour started with an outdoor swimming pool called the Neptune.  To me, it looked like something that would have been seen in ancient Greece (never mind that I have not been to Greece) where the mythological gods strolled around in their white robes.  Then we were led to go into the world class castle and saw where Mr. William Randolph Hearst himself and his wife slept.  The tour ended with yet another pool, the Roman Pool, this time it is built indoor.  The special thing about this pool was that the tiles that were used to create the design on the flooring were glass tiles which have been individually laid with gold leaf within.  The effect created the impression that they are gold tiles.  A true picture of opulence.

After an almost two-hour of staring at things that one rich man and his interior decorator decided to put in the different rooms, things began to look boring.  After seeing so many of them, the beds, no matter how ornate and costly they were, began to look common.   The most striking feature of the house for me is the different ceilings in the different room.  Every room had a different ceiling.  Those ceilings were not made for the castle but instead they have been parts of other old buildings somewhere in this world- who knows where- and purchased at auctions and brought up to this isolated hill and installed in a room in the castle.  Imagine that. 

Mr. Hearst had a lot of money.  He used his money in the things that he thought would make him happy or significant.  Most of us do not have that kind of money (maybe Bill Gates does) but we can find happiness and significance by using our God-given resource which is love. 

Dental Appointments

The other day as I sat flipping through magazines at the dental office while Shannon was being see I began to explain the reason for my being there.  Since the beginning of this year I have driven to that office once or twice a week.  If it was not for me it was for one of my kids.  Why do we have to go there very often?  There seem to be no toothache that prevented anyone from sleeping.  As if we're driven like slaves; they tell us when to go there and we go.  How did all this happen?  Then I figured out that this started with just one visit. 

First there was a need to see a dentist.  I looked for one who is preferred by my insurance and then a relationship with that office began.  With some amount of trust and a hint of skepticism I went for the first time.  I left the office that day with an appointment card in my hand.  The date on that card eventually translated into an event on the calendar.  Other things that came up had to give way to this appointment.  A guest teaching job from the El Dorado County Department of Education had to be turned down because of that date.  I cannot go out with my friend for coffee on that time and date. Sometimes I missed bible study because of this appointment.   Everything had to go around it.   Once it acquired a place in the calendar it became irrevocable. 

Having said sorry for everything else that called my time and attention, I went for that dentist visit again...Then I came home with another appointment card that will change the face of my calendar once more.  The same things will happen again.  It has become a cycle that goes on and on.

It all started with that one visit...suddenly an undefined covenant that says, report to me with your insurance card and I will keep your teeth in ship shape, has been established.   Still, I can't help but feel like a slave to those appointments.  :)

How about you?

Savory Saturday - Simply Catfish and Beans

When I tell my children about the nutritional merits of any food they would always give me this expression of disgust, never mind that they like the food.  

Here's a recipe that's so simple that anybody can make it in just a few minutes.  This recipe came about as a result of my effort to add more fiber and fish in our meals.  We buy catfish fillet from Costco and freeze whatever we can't use immediately.  Before freezing, I layer the fillets with wax paper for easier separation later on.

 

Simply Catfish and Beans

3 Catfish fillet

1 can (12 oz) kidney beans

1 can (12 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (12 oz) sweet corn (optional)

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

2 tbsp cooking oil

Salt and pepper

Heat oil in frying pan and cook catfish one minute per side.  Pour tomatoes, beans, and corn over fish.   Bring the mixture to boil.  Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until fish is fork-tender.  Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle cilantro on top.  Serve over rice and a hot sauce if desired.  Enjoy!

Time is Running Out

Inside the glove compartment of our van I saw this watch still in its box today.  There's nothing magical about it, I assure you.  It was one of my Christmas gifts from Tim.  It has not been worn because it needs to be re-sized...maybe a couple of links less.  After Christmas I had planned to bring it to a jeweler, unfortunately, the place was closed.  So I decided to bring it with me the next time I went to Folsom.  Before I could go to Folsom, I saw another jeweler's place at the Town Center in El Dorado Hills which made me wished that I had it with me.  When I came home, I was determined to have the watch with me whenever I'd be out anywhere... so I placed it in the glove compartment of the van.   At least when I am in the right place, I can just grab it and voila!   Well, that was my plan.  It turned out that by putting it there, I forgot all about it.  I was only reminded about it last night when I was opening my birthday present.   It's been a month ago...

Somehow, the watch in the glove compartment represents the way I am handling my personal goals.  To admit this is self-deprecating but the truth can't be hidden.  Beautiful and noble objectives come to my mind but I don't put enough determination and effort to accomplish them.  I act as if they can be accomplished while doing the other everyday things such as bringing kids to their music lessons or shopping.  Each goal deserves a dedicated time and focus from me.   With every objective, there is a corresponding course of action that leads to its materialization.  At the end of the day, I look at my failure and infer that things didn't happen as they should have.  This is way too passive.  

This is the last week of January.  My time (or time-piece) is running out.  Soon it will be Valentine's Day again.  Do I have goals for this month?   Do I have goals for the year?  Do I have goals for this decade?  If I am now fifty-two, I'll be sixty-two in ten years.  What do I want myself to have done when that time comes?

Chess Tournament

"When you see a good move, sit on your hands and find a better one." ~ Bruce Pandolfini

Brooks Elementary School held a chess tournament today.  Miriam took the 2nd place individual trophy.  I've watched her play in chess tournaments from the time that she was the youngest member of the club when she was in first grade, to this time when she's among the best players in the club.  The problem with learning chess early in life is that defeat is always the name of your game.   Lucky for her... she had me to play chess with.  She had a better chance of playing a good game with me than with the rest of the family.  She and I were almost of the same rating.  We've not played together in a long time but I'm guessing that she's now way beyond me. 

Brahms ran the tournament with a little help from his daddy.  He helps Mrs. McClurg run the Chess Club at the school.  He seems to feel that this job is getting more rewarding as more kids show appreciation to the lessons that he teaches them.

A chess player needs to learn not only to win but also to handle defeat.  Shannon had to learn the latter today.  During the last tournament she squashed Ross Grier... this time she was careless and lost the game.  Her confidence probably led her to underestimate her opponent.  As a chess teacher, Pandolfini named the two most important forms of intelligence that he taught his students:  the ability to read other people and the ability to read oneself.  He considered these to be the two forms of intelligence you need to succeed at chess...and in life.

The Book is Out

Tim Lewis (my husband), and the three other UEFI gurus - Mike Rothman,  Vincent Zimmer, and Robert Hale wrote a computer programming book called "Harnessing the UEFI Shell".  The book is now available on Amazon.com in paper back.

The funny thing is Tim has not received his copies of the book yet.