A Visit from My Parents

My parents came to visit us for a few days. We were so happy to have them in our house.
My mother cooked delicious meals for us and we had a great time eating them.

Gordon and my parents eating at our back yard.

My father got sick while visiting us. He suddenly had a Gout Attack. He had two of this attacks before so he knew the symptoms. His feet swelled, got purple and they hurt him very bad. It happened very fast. His feet got very bad in just a couple hours. He was in so much pain. We had to call his doctor back in Sacramento in the middle of the night and were able to get him on a medication to help with the gout attack and the pain. We had to help him walk every time he needed to walk. But he was in good spirit and enjoying the visit. He is a good patient:-) He did not want to miss anything. He participated in everything.

My sweet parents and I.

They were not able to come to church with us like we planned because it was hard and painful for him to walk. He was trying to not do much walking and rest his feet because he wanted to be able to walk better the next day for the reunion with his sister Marta in San Diego. (His sister Marta, her husband Beto and Janet one of their daughters had come to San Diego from Miami for a business trip for just a few days. The plan was to meet with them for a day). So they stayed home resting while Gordon and I went to church. We borrowed a wheelchair from our church for my father to use. The wheelchair helped him so much.

Dad eating some of Gordon's homemade popcorn.

His feet were hurting so much. He could only walk a few step and had to sit down.
We felt very bad for him. But he is a good patient. Very optimistic and positive. He wanted to enjoy every minute of their visit and did not want to miss in anything.

The Mini Reunion

We drove to San Diego to take my father to meet with his sister Marta. She and her husband tio Beto live in Miami Florida. One of their daughters Janet had to come to San Diego in a business trip and brought them with her. They have not seen each other in over 5 years and now they were face to face. They were so excited! We met at the lobby of their hotel. They looked so much forward to spending this day together. It was a mini reunion of one day full of joy!

Brother and sister did not know what to do with each other. They were hugging, holding hands, talking and kissing each other. There were a lot other chairs in the hotel lobby, but they just wanted to sit on the same chair together very close to each other. This went on for a good half hour. It was so beautiful to watch:-)

Gordon and tio Beto connected right away and had long conversations.
Tio Beto speaks English fluently.

We went up to their hotel room on the 28th floor to be in a more private place to visit with each other. From their hotel room they had a great view of the San Diego harbor.

Tio Beto and Dad sitting by the window of their hotel room.

Tia Marta and Dad (beautiful brother and sister)

They were so glad to see and be with each other. Lots of catching up to do:-)

Taking My Parents and Tios for a Walk at Balboa Park

Since my tio Beto and tia Marta had already been to the coastal San Diego's sight seeing areas when they visited five years ago. We decided to take them to Balboa Park. We also needed a one stop place that was wheelchair accessible. Balboa Park was perfect because it is mostly flat and full of sideways and ramps. This was the weekend of the Earth Day Fair at Balboa Park and it was full of people. There were hundreds of booths, outdoor shows, entertainment, and outdoor music..... It was also an unusual hot day for San Diego.

Dad, tio Beto and tia Marta.
Tio Beto pushed my dad in his wheelchair everywhere we went.

We stopped at a shaded area and did a lot of people watching and great conversation.
It was very joyful to hang out with the family.

My mom. The first Zulita:-)

Enjoying the Botanic Garden at Balboa Park.
We sat her for a good hour enjoying the garden and great conversation. Bother and sister had a lot catching up to do.

Dad, mom, tia Marta, tio Beto and Gordon

Dad trying to listen to one of my tia Marta's great stories as tio Beto pushes him and we walk around Balboa Park.

Tio Beto, dad, tia Marta, mom and I (Gordon took the picture)
Enjoying some drinks and great conversation at one of the eating places at Balboa Park.
We sat here at this patio for some good two hours. There was a great breeze at this patio, perfect for a hot day. It was so much fun!!! Tia Marta is sure a great storyteller! I can listen to her all day:-)

Helping dad walk to the car

Mi prima Janet did not go to Balboa Park with us because she was here in a Business trip and was busy all day. But we met her in the evening and we walked one of the streets of the San Diego Gas Lamp Distric and ate at a Mexican restaurant.

My parents and tio Beto and tia Marta at the Mexican restaurant.

All of us after eating. My parents, Tio Beto, tia Marta, Janet, Gordon and I.
Thank you for the Mexican food querida Janet:-)

After enjoying the beautiful sunset of the San Diego harbor from the hotel room window where they were staying. It was time to say, Adios:-(

Dad thanking tio Beto for pushing him in the wheelchair all day.
Tio Beto is by nature such a noble soul:-)



Back at my house a different day.
My dad and I the morning they were going back to Sacramento.
Here is when he is about to enjoy the fresh fruit/vegetable smoothie I prepared for him.

Spring Break - Death Valley, California

We visited Death Valley National Park this Spring Break. I was expecting very hot dry weather, flat area with lots of kinds of cactus, lizards, bugs and other animals everywhere. But it was a great surprised that Death Valley was nothing like that. It had a great variety of different kinds of terrains, spectacular views from above and on ground level. A very unique place! Following is just a few pictures of most of the places we enjoyed at Death Valley.


Us at Dante's Point
We started our visit of Death Valley National Park by driving up to Dante's Point. It is a place with hiking trail on the high mountains with the amazing view of Death Valley below. The spectacular view is best during the morning hours. It was very windy up there that day and the view of the valley was not very clear but it was still a spectacular view.

Us at Zabriski Point.
Beautiful view of this light color rocky hills!
It was very windy the day we visited Zabriski Point.

a shot of Gordon at Ubeheb Crater.
A volcanic explosion left this crater.

Our first hike was at the Mosaic Canyon.
This hike was very narrow and among rocks full of marble.

But then it opened up nice and wide!

Our second hike was the Golden Canyon.
At this canyon, late afternoon sunlight paints deep golden tones on the canyon walls.

Zulita at a view point of Artist Drive, Death Valley.
This is a beautiful drive among view of hills of at least 6 different color rock.
Oxidation has produced a rainbow of colors in the eroded clay deposits of ancient lakebed sediments. The colors are more intense during the late afternoon. Artist Palette, about
halfway along the drive, is a particularly unusual mosaic of red, yellow, orange, green, violet and black hues. I've never seen anything like this.

A shot of Gordon and Devil's Golf Course, Death Valley.
This area used to be lakes that evaporated and left layers of salt and gravel deposits on the valley floor. The moisture evaporates leaving the salt to crystallize and be sculpted into sharp ridges spires by rain and wind.

Spring Break - Sand Dunes -Death Valley

We visited the Death Valley Sand Dunes and decided to walk them.

We decided to take our jackets since it had been could and windy the night before and is was a sunny but crisped morning.

The ended up to be a hike not a walk.
They did not seemed that big, but once closed, they were each a hard climb.
But it was a lot of fun!

I think Gordon felt free as a bird. He kept getting ahead of me.

Fun walking this dunes!

Great running this dunes!!!

Kept loosing Gordon in the slopes of the sand dunes..... Where is Gordon?

Zulita working hard trying to hike up the sand tunes.
It is a work out.

They seemed to go on forever!

Feeling tired at this point.
wished we did not bring our jackets because it got warm.
I felt smaller that usual in this place.

Spring Break - Bad Waters, Death Valley

Enjoyed our visit to Bad Waters in Death Valley National Park.
Bad Waters is 282 feet below sea level. Lowest point in North America.
Temperature was in the mid 70s for us that day.
But in the summer it could be supper hot, 130 F.
So if you don't like very hot weather, don't visit this place in the summer.

Here is a shot of some Bad Waters in some areas.

Zulita pointing to See Level up that mountain

Lots of salt here. Amazing salt shapes rocks!

Our shoes

Another view of the Bad Waters Basin. When it rains enough, this gets full of water and becomes a lake.

Fun to walk on this unique surface!

Having fun with our shadows!

Thinking about hiking across this dry salt lake basin to the other side of the valley.
Should we do it, should we not?