Karen's Space

A real vacation is one that gets you away from day to day life completely, not just physically but psychologically, no matter how long or short. I was fortunate to have one of those vacations thanks to a colleague (now my long time friend) who retired from corporate life to enjoy a rural life in Walla Walla.

It has been a long time since I last took a long drive (I used to love these long drives down the endless highway). Leaving behind cold, wet, cloudy home, I drove straight to what was expected to be warm, dry, sunny Walla Walla. What met me, however, was another cloud... but warm and dry temperature.

Ever since my friend retired, I began counting the months to see how long she'd last in the country. The moment I arrived, I could see how different her life is now and that its been keeping her quite busy. She has approximately 4 acre land and she wants to grow vegetables. Here's a snapshot of her kitchen view (yes, her kitchen has this picture perfect view), small part of land that she managed to plant vegetables, and the a grape vine that came with the house (apparently, it's normal to see a vine or two in a regular home in this region).

My friend and her husband showed me around town. Of course we had to stop by nearby wineries. Columbia-Crest is the biggest in town and one of the oldest in the state. It's visitor center looks like a mansion, and its vines are pretty old (I find it interesting that vines look like giant ginseng). Tagaris is a smaller winery, but their restaurant offers great food at reasonable prices.

After a great meal and a sip, we stopped by McNary dam. The triangular block weighs a ton, and hundreds of them were dropped in the river to form a base for the dam. The river divides Washington state from Oregon state.

Next to the McNary dam on Washington side is this long ridge with strange rock formations. They look like giant mushrooms growing on the land. If you look closely at the picture on the right, you'll see a flipped automobile. It seemed to have gone off the ridge.

Although I didn't get bright sun I was hoping for, the clouds gave me good contrast for a dramatic photo-shot. These are from McNary dam. Don't they look like some sacrificial site? The picture on right used to be homestead when they were building the dam.

These are from Umatilla National Wildlife Refugee. Umatilla is known for large chemical weapon storage. As you drive around, you'll find some white spring or mushroom looking poles here and there to detect any chemical leakage. Other than the horrible thought of what could happen, scenery is gorgeous!

I am counting on another visit in September -- a great "crush" time for wineries.

A week ago I read an article on WSJ about rice shortage and its impact to already skyrocketing crop price. I didn't think much of it until I ran out of rice yesterday and went to Costco... only to find no rice. I tried two Asian markets and found no rice there either. What's up?! After talking to the store manager, I learned that they're releasing limited number of rice bags per day per household, first come, first served. This is more serious than I thought! I called my friends and family nationwide to warn them but was shocked to learn that they have no trouble finding rice. It's all the Teriyaki store owners in my state who are hoarding the rice. I shall not be surprised if Teriyaki stores charged extra for rice. I suppose I could go on no-carb diet now...

ref: Rice shortage hits home in Seattle

Some relationships are just a weird mix of love and hate. My fanatic love (and sometimes hate) for my hometown NBA team is exactly that. My team? It's the Lakers. Don't tell me. I know... everyone hates Lakers; everyone hates L.A. The team (like its city) is known for its scandals, accidents, and theatrics more so than its talent. Perhaps that's why I've been ignoring it for the past couple of years or perhaps it was the losing streak.

A week ago when NBA playoff began, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Lakers were back to their old form -- a championship quality form. Now they deserve my attention. 1 down 15 to go... hopefully it will be 2 down 14 to go.

Don't I sound like investors waiting for market to bottom and start rebounding? 

I put away my winter clothes this past weekend, and I had to bring them right back out again. It's April and almost May... are we to reach Summer without Spring this year?

Rome. What can I say about Rome after romantic Venice and historic Florence? Rome is on its own, and I don't think it can be compared to any other city.

Flood-lit Roman Night

I took a taxi ride through the city center. It was a bumpy ride, thanks to tiled road. I must say the Romans are quite fashionable. I haven't seen so many men and women with fur coats and knee high boots anywhere else - not even in London or New York City.

People Watching

Having grown up in tough L.A. neighborhood, I am not used to standing around and watching people pass by. If you do this too often in L.A., you either get run over or shot. I didn't have to worry about that in Rome.

Tiveri fountain is a great place for people watching. Both young & old hang out late at night. There is music, cafes, and sometimes annoying vendors trying to sell you cheap souvenirs. A gelato place across the street from Tiveri fountain is a great spot just to stand and absorb the whole scene.

You can't miss Spanish Steps if you watched "The Roman Holiday". This is another place where young and old hang out. Just sit on a step. No one will ask or wonder what you're doing. You'll just blend right in. If you look closely, you'll find yours truly sitting amongst the crowd :-)

In Rome, you don't need to go to museum to see sculptures. You'll find them everywhere in streets (although they're replicas of what's inside the museum). I was always impressed with real representation of human muscles on the sculptures. I didn't realize until I observed one closely that there are also veins. They seem so real that it almost looks like a real human being covered in flour and frozen in time. They're amazing to look at... just as fun as watching people.

The Vatican & St. Peters

This place was grand. Just take a look at the size of the people (what seems like rows of ant) and the building. It was awe inspiring to walk into St. Peters thinking that Peter's bones are buried somewhere underneath. The architecture and design is of course indescribable. It's best to see in person.

I was disappointed with Sistine Chapel, however. I guess all that hype over the painting on its ceiling got my expectations too high. The chapel was much smaller (and the painting too) than I had thought. It was the same disappoint that I felt when I saw Mona Lisa at the Louvre (much smaller & plain than I had imagined).

Roman Forum

The highlight of my trip to Rome is the Roman Forum. It's just ruins with tons and tons of rocks and pillars. But it's mesmerizing to stand in the center of ruins as you try to comprehend what it used to be like hundreds years ago. To avoid crowd and enjoy the expansive view of the forum in quiet moment, walk into Capitol Hill Museum. For a few euro, it's worth the visit.

What's commonly known as the Colosseum is really "Flavian Amphitheatre". It's a mouthful, isn't it? Probably that's why Colosseum is a better name. It's built to accommodate 50,000 men yet not a single men's room (so says the tour guide). Hmm...