Dad will turn 90 in November this year. While he played a few rounds of golf with us last summer at the Moraga Country Club and showed some interests in playing in Toronto this spring, he had refused to play on the course until recently. His excuses have always been, "Mom's home all by herself" or "too tired to play."
I was able to get him to go to the driving range one afternoon, about three or four weeks ago. He hit a few balls, unsuccessfully and complaint about the old grips on his club. Joyce finally took action last week and send his club for re-gripping. While the new grips were supposed to arrive on Tuesday, they didn't come until Wednesday and then they told us that Dad's grip were unusually large and cannot fit normal grips. So, I took his club and dropped them off at a golf club fitting/re-gripping shop in Walnut Creek (called, "Kapler"). After the clubs were finally ready on Thursday, we went out for a nine-hole round.
Dad had asked me to book a 3:50pm tee-time, but showed up at my house at 3:10pm to pick me up. After picking up Michael, our third, we arrived at the MCC clubhouse at 3:20pm. Luckily, the course was empty and we were able to get on at 3:30pm. Dad's first drive was a beauty, which lead to many great shots for the day. All in all, I would say that 70% of his shots were good. In fact, he was the only one to get on the par 3 fifth hole in one while both Michael and I missed on either side of the green. He went on the par the hole, along with Michael.
He did even better on the short par 4, eighth. After a great tee-shot, he laid up just in front of the gully. This third shot, about a 50-yard chip, fell a little short, but took an incredible bounce, off a rock in the gully, over a bunker and landed in the center of the green. After a couple of putts on a tricky green, he made a bogey-five, a great score on this hole. The weather was perfect, sunny and mild. We had such a great time, we played 10 holes before quitting.
We played again today, at the Castlewood Country Club in Plesanton. Howard and Joyce, who have been members for over 20 years, treated us to another nine-holes of golf. We left home shortly after 9am and teed off at around 10am. The Castlewood Country Club's golf course is a little easier than that at MCC.
I again paired up with Dad on the cart, so that I can caddy for him. Again, he did well, hitting 70%+ good balls. As for me, it was difficult to concentrate, so I just play for fun. Weather was perfect again. As there were four of us today, Howard and Susan joining us, it took almost two and half hours to complete our nine holes. Dad had a great time again and looked interested to play a few more times before the end of the summer.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Lamorinda Trail on a bike - Done
Last summer, I surprised myself by riding all the way up Skyline Blvd from Canyon Road to around elevation 1200 feet. As I recall, it wasn't particularly a difficult trip. In fact, it was a lot scarier coming down as I wasn't wearing a helmet at the time.
Now that I have purchased a new helmet, I decided to try the Lamorinda Trail which is a 15+ mile trail that circles around Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda. I did a shorter version last week, riding down to Lafayette via the bicycle path from Moraga, turn left on Mount Diablo Blvd, left again on Acalanes Road which turned into Glorietta Blvd at the top of the hill, before turning left again on Moraga Road coming home. The ride was hard as the climb up to Glorietta from Acalanes was slightly steeper than I had anticipated and I had to walk the last 50 meters to the top.
Today, I decided to cut out the steep climb on Acalanes and turn right onto Hidden Valley Road which lead to the bicycle path that ran parallel to CA24 and ended in Orida's Theater Square. Like last time, the ride to Lafayette was very easy. It was mostly down hill. However, I noticed that the broken peddle on my left was getting worse and I wasn't able to peddle hard when needed. So, I stopped by Sharp Bicycle in Lafayette and bought a new pair of peddles before continuing my way. The replaced the original peddle that came with the Bianchi Advantage Hybrid which my parents bought for me 20 years ago for my 30th birthday.
The bike peddled much smoother with the new peddles and the ride was good the rest of the way. The Lamorinda Trail, via Hidden Valley was definitely an easier ride, though longer in distance than going through Glorietta. The ride up Moraga Way from Orinda was fairly easy. The slope was relatively gentle. I was able to stay in the highest gear (3-7) until Glorietta before shifting down one large gear to 2-7 which took me to the highest point of Moraga Way. The cruise home was quick and easy.
Overall, with the 20 minute stop at Sharp Bicycle, I did the loop in about an hour and 20 minutes. Not too bad for a 50-year old man.
Now that I have purchased a new helmet, I decided to try the Lamorinda Trail which is a 15+ mile trail that circles around Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda. I did a shorter version last week, riding down to Lafayette via the bicycle path from Moraga, turn left on Mount Diablo Blvd, left again on Acalanes Road which turned into Glorietta Blvd at the top of the hill, before turning left again on Moraga Road coming home. The ride was hard as the climb up to Glorietta from Acalanes was slightly steeper than I had anticipated and I had to walk the last 50 meters to the top.
Today, I decided to cut out the steep climb on Acalanes and turn right onto Hidden Valley Road which lead to the bicycle path that ran parallel to CA24 and ended in Orida's Theater Square. Like last time, the ride to Lafayette was very easy. It was mostly down hill. However, I noticed that the broken peddle on my left was getting worse and I wasn't able to peddle hard when needed. So, I stopped by Sharp Bicycle in Lafayette and bought a new pair of peddles before continuing my way. The replaced the original peddle that came with the Bianchi Advantage Hybrid which my parents bought for me 20 years ago for my 30th birthday.
The bike peddled much smoother with the new peddles and the ride was good the rest of the way. The Lamorinda Trail, via Hidden Valley was definitely an easier ride, though longer in distance than going through Glorietta. The ride up Moraga Way from Orinda was fairly easy. The slope was relatively gentle. I was able to stay in the highest gear (3-7) until Glorietta before shifting down one large gear to 2-7 which took me to the highest point of Moraga Way. The cruise home was quick and easy.
Overall, with the 20 minute stop at Sharp Bicycle, I did the loop in about an hour and 20 minutes. Not too bad for a 50-year old man.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Segway in Oakland
Matthew has been asking to get on the Segway ever since we saw one near the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. The ride has always been very expensive (close to USD100) and he was 
too young to ride until this summer. Prior to coming to the Bay Area this summer, I noticed Segway tours in the Bay Area has been getting cheaper (closer to the $70 range). Furthermore, the age restriction has been lower to 12, thus qualifying both Nick and Matt. To make this even more enticing, Howard was able to buy a block of tickets at Segway of Oakland for $25 a person which included a 1.5 hour lesson/tour plus another 1.5 hour of self-tour!!
We quickly worked out the boys' schedule and planned a date in the afternoon of the 6th. Since Jacob was here for a visit, there were a total of five riders. We arrived shortly before our 1pm appointment and got suited up with helmets. Matt was the smart one of the group, bringing his own helmet with him.
Our first experience with the Segway began in front of Segway of Oakland on International Blvd. Our coach/tour guide, Alex, gave us lessons, one at a time. The Segway operates via a built-in gyroscope which balances it on two-wheels. The Segway moves forward/backward and turns as the rider shifts his/her weight on the footpad. We were all a little tentative in the beginning but got the hand of it soon.
The first part of the "tour" went in a blur. We were all concentrating on getting used to the
Segway. Matthew and Jacob were the most fearless ones, zooming around, twisting and turning. While the Segway is supposed to be "self-balancing," we soon found out that it is possible to fall off. Jacob was the first. As we rode from the pavement to a dirt-covered road, Jacob fell as he swirled and accelerated. Matt in a re-enactment of Jacob's fall, fell even harder, landed face-first on the ground. After the dusts settled and ego restored, we continued our tour. Alex, probably not a real tour guide, zoomed around the route at near top speed while we try to follow. Matt's Segway did experience a bit of mechanical breakdown and we were forced to wait for about 20 minutes while Alex went back to the shop to get the required tools. Looking back, our tour covered a lot of ground. We went from the East side of Oakland, down to the Oakland Wharf, Jack London Square, back up to downtown Oakland, Chinatown, circled Lake Merritt, before returning to the shop.
After we dropped off Alex, we went back and
tour around the Lake Merritt again. This time, we took our time, stopped and took photos and really enjoyed our rides.
The Segway, according to Wikkipedia, was first introduced in 2001. Due to software and hardware problems, it was relaunched again in 2006. Our ride was easy and a lot of fun despite of the three falls (Howard also fell after bumping his left tire on the wall while passing through a narrow passage way). Even after almost 10 years since its introduction, we received a lot of attention during our rides. Most of them were positive, though there were a few negative comments while we zoomed around on or near the pedestrian sidewalks.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience. We would all do it again in a heart-beat. We would definitely recommend this activity to everyone. You don't have to be athletic to enjoy riding the Segway. But, you do need to be agile enough to jump off and land on your feet if you are going to fall.
too young to ride until this summer. Prior to coming to the Bay Area this summer, I noticed Segway tours in the Bay Area has been getting cheaper (closer to the $70 range). Furthermore, the age restriction has been lower to 12, thus qualifying both Nick and Matt. To make this even more enticing, Howard was able to buy a block of tickets at Segway of Oakland for $25 a person which included a 1.5 hour lesson/tour plus another 1.5 hour of self-tour!! We quickly worked out the boys' schedule and planned a date in the afternoon of the 6th. Since Jacob was here for a visit, there were a total of five riders. We arrived shortly before our 1pm appointment and got suited up with helmets. Matt was the smart one of the group, bringing his own helmet with him.
Our first experience with the Segway began in front of Segway of Oakland on International Blvd. Our coach/tour guide, Alex, gave us lessons, one at a time. The Segway operates via a built-in gyroscope which balances it on two-wheels. The Segway moves forward/backward and turns as the rider shifts his/her weight on the footpad. We were all a little tentative in the beginning but got the hand of it soon.
The first part of the "tour" went in a blur. We were all concentrating on getting used to the
Segway. Matthew and Jacob were the most fearless ones, zooming around, twisting and turning. While the Segway is supposed to be "self-balancing," we soon found out that it is possible to fall off. Jacob was the first. As we rode from the pavement to a dirt-covered road, Jacob fell as he swirled and accelerated. Matt in a re-enactment of Jacob's fall, fell even harder, landed face-first on the ground. After the dusts settled and ego restored, we continued our tour. Alex, probably not a real tour guide, zoomed around the route at near top speed while we try to follow. Matt's Segway did experience a bit of mechanical breakdown and we were forced to wait for about 20 minutes while Alex went back to the shop to get the required tools. Looking back, our tour covered a lot of ground. We went from the East side of Oakland, down to the Oakland Wharf, Jack London Square, back up to downtown Oakland, Chinatown, circled Lake Merritt, before returning to the shop. After we dropped off Alex, we went back and
tour around the Lake Merritt again. This time, we took our time, stopped and took photos and really enjoyed our rides. The Segway, according to Wikkipedia, was first introduced in 2001. Due to software and hardware problems, it was relaunched again in 2006. Our ride was easy and a lot of fun despite of the three falls (Howard also fell after bumping his left tire on the wall while passing through a narrow passage way). Even after almost 10 years since its introduction, we received a lot of attention during our rides. Most of them were positive, though there were a few negative comments while we zoomed around on or near the pedestrian sidewalks.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience. We would all do it again in a heart-beat. We would definitely recommend this activity to everyone. You don't have to be athletic to enjoy riding the Segway. But, you do need to be agile enough to jump off and land on your feet if you are going to fall. But the $25 deal does not happen regularly. So we will have to depend on Howard to find such a great bargain for us again in the future.
Hilton Garden Inn, Bethesda
We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn ("HGI") between 9-13, June, 2010. We found the hotel and booked it via hotels.com. What attracted us to HGI was its location (three short blocks away from the subway stop) and the free internet connection and full breakfast each day. The price was great too. Our rooms, tax and services included, came to around $150/room/day.
Our rooms were large, clean and quiet even though we were on the second floor. Apart from hand and bath soaps and shampoo, there weren't any other personal amenities. The boys forgot their toothbrushes, but we were able to get a couple tooth brushes in the kioks downstairs for about $2 a piece.
The Hotel is about a 5 minute walk from the subway stop, 7-10 minutes from a Safeway and about 7-10 minutes away from downtown Bethesda.
The internet service was free, but requires signing in each day with one's room number and last name. The breakfast spread was typical American, eggs, bacon, sausages, home fries,..etc., along with good quality (sweet) fruit selection, cereals, muffins, toasts, freshly made waffles and pancakes. The only weakness in the breakfast was the coffee which was very weak or watered-down.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at HGI and would highly recommend our friends and family visiting the DC area to give it a try. One caveat would be that Bethesda is about a 25-30 minute, door-to-door, drive/subway ride away from the Mall in downtown DC. For those who expects to spend a lot of time in downtown DC, this may not be the perfect hotel.
The other caveat would be the relatively poorly informed front-desk staff. We had some unpleasantness both during check-in and check-out. It appears that the HGI staff are not aware of the hotels.com deal and made mistakes both during our check-in and check-out process.
Our rooms were large, clean and quiet even though we were on the second floor. Apart from hand and bath soaps and shampoo, there weren't any other personal amenities. The boys forgot their toothbrushes, but we were able to get a couple tooth brushes in the kioks downstairs for about $2 a piece.
The Hotel is about a 5 minute walk from the subway stop, 7-10 minutes from a Safeway and about 7-10 minutes away from downtown Bethesda.
The internet service was free, but requires signing in each day with one's room number and last name. The breakfast spread was typical American, eggs, bacon, sausages, home fries,..etc., along with good quality (sweet) fruit selection, cereals, muffins, toasts, freshly made waffles and pancakes. The only weakness in the breakfast was the coffee which was very weak or watered-down.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at HGI and would highly recommend our friends and family visiting the DC area to give it a try. One caveat would be that Bethesda is about a 25-30 minute, door-to-door, drive/subway ride away from the Mall in downtown DC. For those who expects to spend a lot of time in downtown DC, this may not be the perfect hotel.
The other caveat would be the relatively poorly informed front-desk staff. We had some unpleasantness both during check-in and check-out. It appears that the HGI staff are not aware of the hotels.com deal and made mistakes both during our check-in and check-out process.
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