Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Golden Gate Bridge and Muir Woods

Beautiful View of the bridge. Today we went to Muir Woods, Kinty and Sue have been wonderful taking us everywhere, I'm sure we would have been lost if by ourselves.


Entrance to Muir Woods.


View looking over the city.
Cross section of a redwood tree on display in Muir Woods.

H in front of a redwood.

Kinty, their friend, and Sue.
H and me.




Flower beds in front of a museum.

Napa Valley

Monday Kinty and Sue took us to Napa Valley, to tour the area and taste some wine. The flowers are beautiful, the scenery is beautiful even though the grapes are dormant now.
This vineyard is in Yountville.

This is in Oakville, Robert Mondavi Vineyards.

H, Kinty, and Sue enjoying the sun.

Statue of St. Francis at the Mondavi Vineyard.
This is a mansion at Beringer Vineyard in St. Helena.

This is cut grapevines in fireplace of the mansion.
Lights hanging in the tree in front of mansion.
This is Winston, who kept us entertained while we ate a picnic lunch at the Frank Family Vineyard. He wanted us to throw the ball continually.
This is a view from the terrace of the Artesa Vineyard between Napa and Sonoma. Click on the picture so you can see it better. Acres and acres of vineyards everywhere you look.
Fountains at Artesa Vineyards.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Alcatraz

H in front of ferry to Alcatraz Island.
Approaching Alcatraz.

Sign says it all.
We did the audio tour of the prison.
Cells were 5' x 9' x 7'.
Courtyard where prisoners would spend 2 1/2 hours on Saturday and Sunday.
Three levels of cells.
They weren't allowed to put of any pictures on the walls but they did allow some to have shelves to place personal items.
The remainder of the house where the warden lived.
The view of the city of San Francisco from Alcatraz.

A long view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Alcatraz was named by the Spanish for island of birds.
This afternoon we went to Kinty and Sue Lin's home. H went to college at ONU with Kinty and has not seen him for about 33 years. These are their grandchildren, Michael, Timothy, and Naomi.
May(Kinty's daughter), Ming and Michael(Kinty's daughter-in-law and son), Sue, Naomi, me, Timothy, Michael, H, Ming's father, and Kinty.
Me, H, Sue, and Kinty. They took us out for a Chinese New Year's dinner tonight. Food was very good, many dishes to try, with preparations different than traditional American. So good to see them again and to see their children all grown up and the grandchildren. We are staying with them tonight, not sure what we will do tomorrow due to much rain today.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

San Francisco

Fisherman's Wharf area.

Cathedral.

A Victorian style home.
A shot of the old style in the forefront, new in the far back.
Looking down at the bay from top of Twin Peaks.
Can't remember what these trees are called, but limbs are trimmed back every year, then they leaf out again.
Golden Gate Bridge, getting close to sunset, so it looks dark.