The Beach of Premia Del Mar

The second day after our arrival, and the last day before my departure the Premia Del Dalt, some of us walked down to the beach of Premia Del Mar. It usually is a 30 minutes walk going downhill to the beach, then about 45 minutes hiking back to the villa.  We saw some beautiful patches of flowers, and a nice luring bakery.

We also would stop by a vegetable and fruit store to look around:

Some of the other scenes along the way:

 A bicycle park in the town:

On the beach, people and dogs are having a great relaxing time:

 The Barcelona city is in the distance at the end of the water.

From a bridge, one can see the long beach, and the sidewalk used by many walkers and bikers:

 
We were in a happy and groovy mood the day before some of us will leave the next day:

The Villa in Premia del Dalt

May is a wonderful month to be in Spain.  Ed rented a villa in Premia del Dalt for a month.  I joined him and some of his Cascadian friends for the first part of the month.   It is really a delight way to visit the Catalonia.  Our villa is 30 minutes walk to the train station, then 30 minutes train ride to Barcelona.  The group are mostly hikers and bikers.  People would do whatever activities in small or large subgroups.  But we all cook and have dinners together. We ate pretty healthy and consumed lots of wine and beer!

 The front and back view of the villa:

 
From the balcony, one can see the Mediterranean sea:

 
We spent quite some time in the kitchen,  planning excursions, cooking, eating, cleaning, sharing pictures, and chatting:

 

 

 

We surely enjoyed the wine, snacks, and fresh strawberries!

 











Evans gets the credit for figuring out the plugs on the kitchen counter:

Wenli was the Taichi teacher:
To be connected is an absolute necessity for everyone!

On the eve of May 15, some of us will be departing the following morning.  A few ladies got together and made a card for Ed to show our appreciation for all his efforts in making us to have a wonderful holiday.  The ladies and gentlemen took pictures with Ed:

The card we made for Ed:
The shells we picked from the beach at Premia del Mar, the herbs we picked from our hiking in the back of the villa, and a penny of Spain/euro.  The song of " We love you Ed......" was picked by RuthAnn.  Ed said "Do you want to see an adult man cry?......"

Mini Reunion in Houston in April 2016

Lily invited KC and I to visit in Houston.  The timing was so good that we get to celebrate her promotion and receiving tenure with her.  We sort of just hang out:  had massage, Dim Sum, Thai food, Chinese food, walked in the park, visited the art museum, the Kemeh Boardwalk, did some shopping, met up with other Chin ladies. and had more Chinese food......We surely had a lot of laugh.

 The Park:

Inside and on the parking lot of the museum:

Kehem Boardwalk:

Inside and outside of the Thai restaurant.  It was the Thai's new year:

The banquet treated by Lily with other friends, including Young MaMa, Nancy's sister Jennifer invited:

 A special photo taken with the three college mates and Young MaMa:

Houston had a rain storm the night before we were scheduled to leave.  The flash flood prevented us from leaving Lily's house and get to the airport.  After hours of delay, we finally found a taxi to take us to the Hobby airport.  I finally got home around 11 PM, and KC did not get home until 1:30 AM the following day.

What a memorable visit!

A Ski Trip to Washington State in Jan, 2016

Ed has been very kind to invite his relatives to ski.  He has been encouraging me to try this sport as he has had so much fun with it.  I was apprehensive due to my concerns with my weak bone density.  But I went.  And Steven and his whole family also went.  I did try.  That is all I can say about my experience:

Steven's family had a wonderful time. The second day,  Ed provided some coaching to Elizabeth while Steven took the boys for some bunny hill trials.  I stayed behind in the nice warm home od Ed's and listened to an audio book.

Ed invited Karen and Sue while I was visiting for some dumplings .  It was a very pleasant visit, and the dumplings were delicious.

I am so glad to see Ed happy.  He has been also especially kind and generous to me .  He drove me to Leavenworth to visit this interesting German town.  We had Bratwurst and sour crowd for lunch.  It is a blessing that ones siblings all get along!

 

The winter scene outside Ed's home: