On the third and final day of this beautiful hike, we got a taste of the harsh realities that the original settlers of the area must have faced, from the fickle Fiordland weather to its numerous sandflies. In the morning, we took the jetboat out to Martin’s Bay. The weather started out quite nice, a …
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
For Mother’s Day, I thought I would share an interview I did with my mother back in 2011, shortly before my sister’s wedding. I had read “10 Questions to Ask Your Mother Now” in a RealSimple magazine and I thought it would be a fun thing to do. Her answers surprised me. It’s an interesting …
Hollyford Track: Day 2
Day 2 on the Hollyford Track started out bright and early. Well, actually, it was very early and not at all bright. We ate a quick hot breakfast around 7 am (there was also an earlier cold breakfast served around 6:30) then headed out for a short hike to a nearby lake. As the fog …
Hollyford Track: Day 1
I chose New Zealand for our honeymoon because of its natural beauty and photogenic landscapes. It’s not hard to take a good picture in such a stunning country and I wanted to take a lot of photos on our honeymoon. Unfortunately, New Zealand also happens to be the adventure capital of the world and this …
Flower Study: Roses
When my wedding planner suggested roses for my wedding, I adamantly said no. I never liked the ones that grew in my parents’ front yard and the only rose I could ever stand was the sterling rose, and that’s only because it’s purple and was featured in the movie “Bed of Roses”. But that all …
Flower Study: Poppies
I never liked poppies growing up, but growing up in California, poppies meant the California poppy of the bright orange variety. Orange has never been a favorite color of mine, and later learning that poppies were somehow related to opium which caused horrible addictions in the Chinese (I know I watch too many Chinese period …
San Francisco: The cool, grey city of love
When people ask me, “where are you from?” and I answer “I was born and raised in the Bay Area.”, they’re usually surprised that they’ve encountered a native. But if you were born here, why would you ever leave? I’ve been spoiled by the beautiful buildings and architecture, the eclectic cultural activity, the liberalness and …