Mom & Dad visit the Central Valley

My mom and dad came for a visit to see us settled in our new place.  It was wonderful to see them and we had a great time exploring the greater Merced area.  They arrived Thursday evening and we took them to our favorite restaurant, Houa Khong, and to the Market on Main to purchase some delicious local produce.  Friday we ran some errands and relaxed in the backyard while Dad helped Sean with some backyard chores.  Then we headed out of town for some excursions.

Yosemite National Park
Friday night we watched some great videos produced by the National Park Service and available on Youtube called Yosemite Nature Notes.  It gave us a great preview of things to come.  Saturday morning we headed to the park on Highway 140.  First we hiked Inspiration Point Trail.

Then we headed to Mariposa Grove where we hiked the outer loop trail (and finished with ice cream bars at the Wawona Store).

We camped that night in the Wawona campground in the park.  I had brought a bottle of California wine, but, though we remembered the wine bottle opener, we had to improvise cups.

Saturday morning we awoke early to take in Sunday brunch at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel.  Delicious food in  gorgeous setting! 

Then we drove around the valley with stops to hike the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail and view El Capitan and Bridal Veil Falls.  The falls certainly weren't as spectacular as when Sean and I visited in May with all the snow melt, but they were still flowing more heavily than they would normally be this late in the summer. 

Finally we headed up the Glacier Point Road to see one of the most spectacular views in the park.  At Glacier Point you can see Half Dome, Nevada Falls, and Vernal Falls.

We headed home with a stop in Mariposa for a great dinner at a new bar and grill and a second stop at The Fruit Barn in Merced to stock up on fresh local fruit.

Monterey and Carmel
Monday we decided that Mom & Dad's car should make the trip all the way to the Pacific Ocean since it had left from the Mississippi River more than a week earlier so we headed to Monterey and Carmel for some coastal climate.  In Monterey we walked along the coastal trail and had lunch at C Restaurant along the water where we had delicious seafood.

In Carmel we toured the Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo.  It has a rich history and a beautifully well kept garden. 

We also spent some time at the beautiful Carmel Beach where it was nice and sunny before the fog rolled in and prevented us from seeing much of a view.  The waves were crashing heavily on shore, though, which provided a show, and the sand was soft on our feet.

We stopped at Casa de Fruta on the way home because it is impossible to get too much fresh produce in California.  It was also fun to guess all the crops growing along the ride home. 

Wine Tasting in Lodi
For our last day together we decided to head up Highway 99 to Lodi for some wine tasting.  It is a great town with ever increasing wine growing.  Dowtown has interesting shops, like Cheese Central, and good restaurants like The Dancing Fox.  We visited the Delicato Vineyards tasting room, the Cellar Door tasting room downtown Lodi which is shared by 4 local vineyards, and Heritage Oak Vineyards. 

Wednesday morning Mom and Dad dropped me off at work on campus and headed off to drive the Tioga Road through Tuolmne Grove in Yosmite.  It was hard to say goodbye but knowing they would be enjoying one last day in such a gorgeous national park made it better.  I can't wait until they visit again.

Yoga

Last year about this time Sean and I began attending yoga at River Garden Yoga Center in St. Paul.  It was a great opportunity to relax, focus, improve strength and flexibility, and, for me, concentrate on something other than my dissertation for 90 minutes twice a week.  I have been working out on a regular basis since moving to Merced, but realized I was missing yoga.  After asking around a bit, I found out that Holistic Xchange, where Sean goes for chiropractic care, has a great Hatha yoga class on Tuesday evenings taught by a Physics lecturer from UC Merced.  I tried the class for the first time last night and really enjoyed it.  I always feel more flexible, relaxed, and taller when I leave yoga class.  It will be great to have it back in my weekly routine.

Holistic Xchange
561 West 18th Street
Merced, CA 95340
209-726-9762
customerservice@holisticxchange.com

Class Calendar; Includes yoga, Capoeira, belly dance, and more

Monterey and Carmel

It is amazing how many great places are within a 2-3 hour drive of Merced.  This weekend we escaped the heat of the Valley by heading to Monterey and Carmel.  We started off Saturday morning with a stop at the Merced Farmers Market for grapes to snack on in the car.  Of course we had to stop at La Super Michoacana for breakfast smoothies. 

We drove for a little over 2 hours, through Los Banos, San Juan Bautista, and Castroville, where there are artichokes growing as far as the eye can see.  We entered the coastal summer fog and high temperatures in the mid-60s which were a welcome change from the 105 expected in Merced.  We checked into the Victorian Inn, our hotel within walking distance of Cannery Row and headed to lunch outside at the Trailside Cafe where they welcome pets with water and treats and have heaters hanging from the arbors.  Then it was off to introduce Kodi and Ili to the Pacific Ocean (well, Monterey Bay, anyway). 

A stop at the Ghirardelli shop brought hot chocolate and 3 bags of delicious chocolate squares.  Pierce Ranch Vineyards has a tasting room in Monterey, so we stopped in for a liesurely tasting of their wines made from Argentinian grapes.  So delicious that we bought a mixed case.  We had a terrific dinner at the Duck Club Grill with a lovely view of the water from our table.  Sunday brought breakfast at The Monterey Crepe Company followed by a 4 mile walk on the trail along the coast from Monterey, past Pacific Grove.  We saw beautiful views, seals, and sea otters and the huskies smelled more smells than they have in a very long time.

Sunday evening we enjoyed a good dinner and great drinks at Hula's Island Grill and Tiki Room.  Sean was so happy to see Painkillers on the menu, not just because he has been experiencing back pain, but because he first tried them in the US Virgin Islands and they became his favorite drink.  Monday we were up early for a breakfast of hot chocolate, yogurt with fruit & granola, and beignets at the Trailside Cafe with the dogs.  Then we headed a few miles south to Carmel-by-the-Sea, most commonly known as Carmel.  We took a walk along a beautiful trail in the Mission Trail Nature Preserve near the Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo which was founded in 1771.

There were lovely shops all over downtown Carmel, but we focused on tasting and selecting some delicious cheeses, bread and olives at The Cheese Shop.  Then we headed to Carmel Beach for one last look at the ocean before heading back to the San Joaquin Valley.  We even let the huskies dip their feet in the Pacific.

On the way home we stopped at the Casa de Fruta in Santa Clara County.  It is a pretty tacky place, with a miniature train for rides through the grounds, but they had some delicious local fruits and nuts that paired nicely with our bread and cheese from Carmel.  It was a tasty picnic lunch and a good end to our trip.

Move-in Day at UC Merced

Welcome to the 1,400 plus new students moving in and starting classes this week at UC Merced, who bring our campus population past 5,000 students for the first time! I remember how exciting it was to start my undergraduate studies.  A bunch of staff and faculty volunteered to help with move-in this morning I was assigned to hand out keys as students checked in to The Summits residence halls.  While I was busy on campus, Sean took Ili in to get her stitches removed.  She is healing well from her surgery.  When he picked me up, naturally we had to stop at La Super Michocana for some aguas frescas.

This year's Common Read Project book is Popul Vuh, which I have been reading in preparation for the beginning of the school year.  Luckily I have friends on campus who are in the loop, as Heather told me about the Common Read book, and Belinda told me where I could pick up a free copy.  It is providing interesting food for thought as I prepare to co-teach a Freshman Success course.  I am looking forward to heading back into the classroom, if only for 1 hour per week.

Visitor from Home and Agua Fresca

When we told friends and family we were moving to California they assured us they would visit when work or other travel brought them to the area.  The trouble is, work doesn't really bring a person to Merced.  But it might just bring them near Merced.  Case in point, my friend Mao whose good friend lives in Sacramento. She awesomely drove down Highway 99 to visit this evening.  We gave her a tour of campus, had dinner at Houa Khong, and purchased delicious aguas frescas at La Super Michoacana Paleteria & Neveria.  The owner gave us samples of rose petal, tequila, and strawberry/cinnamon ice creams.  So fabulously freshly made and delicious!  It is one of our favorite places in Merced and will be one spot we take all visitors.  Then we walked down Main Street for the Market on Main where there were fantastic farmers, bakers, and others selling treats and gifts.

We passed by Merced's Multicultural Arts Center, which was saved from closing by generous, creative donations from the community, and Mao told us about the symbolism in the tiles on the side of the building, so we had to pose for a picture.  What a fun visit from a good friend!  More visitors from home are welcome anytime!

Market on Main
Thursdays from 6-9 pm, August 3-October 13

La Super Michocana Palateria & Neveria
http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-super-michoacana-merced
661 16th Street, Merced, CA

Forestiere Underground Gardens and Fresno-area Wineries

Heather, Joe, Sean and I headed out on a day trip to Fresno.  Since our destinations were on the north side of the city, it only took about 45 minutes to arrive at our first stop: Forestiere Underground Gardens.  This spot is on the National Register of Historic Places.  One man, when his dream of growing citrus became difficult due to the hardpan soil on the acreage he had purchased, decided to build a subterranean garden and living area.  It was an interesting tour and well worth the trip.  (As a bonus there is an In-N-Out Burger right across the street, so when the 11:00 tour ended at 12:00 we were set for lunch.)

After lunch we set off to Engelmann Cellars for a bit of wine tasting.  The guy working the tasting room just started his bachelor's degree in Enology at Fresno State.  When the group that arrived after us was done he sat out in the patio area with us and told us about the winery he plans to start on his family's grape growing farm when he finishes.  We will definitely add his winery to our list when it opens up in a few years.  It will be located in Lodi where there are many wineries to visit.  We bought a few bottles of wine each (their 2009 Summer Quartet white was a particular favorite) and plan to return for one of their many outdoor events.

We only planned to visit the one winery, but our guide at Engelmann Cellars suggested we stop at LoMac Winery which is owned by the brother of the owner of Engelmann's.  While the folks were nice and we enjoyed chatting with them, the wines were not our favorites (though I did like the label of their dessert wine).  The LoMac folks recommended we stop at Milla Vineyards and we are very glad they did as these wines turned out to be some of our favorites!  Plus they make an amazing vanilla limoncello that I fell madly in love with.  Based on our purchases I would say we must schedule a party at our place soon.

Merced Animal Medical Center

We feel fortunate to have found a home to rent that welcomed our dogs and has a large, shady, fenced-in backyard.  The huskies love to roam around and sniff and wrestle.  Last weekend, however, we were introduced to the perils of letting them have free reign of the yard.  Having no sense of what is and isn't actually food, Ili decided to eat this:

We are not positive what it is, but it appears to be some sort of fruit pit.  A really expensive fruit pit.  It is small enough to have gotten down her throat, but too big to have passed through her system.  It got lodged in her stomach opening, causing her much pain and preventing her from eating.  The folks at the Merced Animal Medical Center were very kind and helpful and Ili's surgery to remove the thing was completed at 1:30 am, with a call from the veterinarian to assure us that she would be fine.  They are open 24 hours, are affiliated with the University Pet Resort, where we take the huskies to be kenneled, and both offer a 10% Catspots discount for members of UC Merced Staff Assembly.  We are grateful they are so professional and competent.  Now Ili, shaved belly, stitches and all, is healing comfortably at home.

Merced Animal Medical Center
3765 East Yosemite Avenue
Merced, CA 95340
209-383-0434