Obligatory baby pix

This is Meribel, after a tasty lunch of Enfamil.

This is Ilsa, snoozing after getting her diaper changed.

My mom can hold one of them, as long as they are not wriggling around.

Their mother can wrangle both of them. That SLR camera's picture quality is a lot better than my battered point & shoot Canon.

Jenn is feeling much better today. The first hours after the surgery were painful and nausea filled. We were given cards today that stated both passed mandated hearing tests. Apparently they put small headphones on them, as well as a brain wave monitor, and measure the response from playing sounds. By the time the girls are teenagers, I suspect they will not be listening to their parents though.

Our girl(s) Friday

Our twin girls arrived at noon, on this Good Friday.  Their names and details are:

Ilsa Courchevel Ohlsson Rao

11:56 am, April 2, 2010

5 lbs, 11 oz

18.5 in

  

Meribel Grace Ohlsson Rao

11:57am, April 2, 2010

6 lbs

18.9 in

Mother and girls are fine, but tired.  We'll be at the hospital for several days so it will be hard to reach us so please don't be alarmed if it takes a little while to get back to you.

 

Arv & Jenn

A busy weekend

We did all kinds of things this weekend

• Set up the nursery, including Dr. Seuss decals on the walls
• Donated older clothes and electronics
• Had brunch with my mom
• Visited a new church, St Pauls in Elmhurst, which is nearby, and seems nice
• Went to one of the better fish mongers (Fin's) here
• Baked a swedish braided roll (see the picture)
• Prepared for guests tomorrow, which means the cats got evicted from one of their favorite snoozing zones.
• Rode my bike to Corti Bros to pick up a veal roast

The weather has been perfect.  I'm hoping to get some skiing in midweek.

Great Cantonese

As I have mentioned before, we have been pleasantly surprised by the great Asian food we have found locally. We went the other night to New Canton, with some NYC friends who were visiting and I think the quality of the food was just as good as we would expect in either NYC or SF's Chinatown. Tonight we stopped in at a place called Bistro 33, after more classes at the hospital, and I was surprised to see that they had full bottles of Veuve Cliquot NV off their list for only $45. That's only a few bucks more than where it wholesales for, but Champagne has taken a real beating during this great recession.

I've just been swamped with things recently, so have not time to post snippets, but we are getting the last bits arranged prior to new arrivals. We have come up with a short list of names and are down to finalizing that.

More San Francisco Trip Pictures

These are pictures from Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, and the marina in Sausalito.  We got the one weekend of good weather in two months, and crammed a number of things into the weekend.

Fwd: San Francisco Trip Pictures

 

Toothless Tigers

It looks like all cats teeth had to go, on both of Nik and Zam.  There are going to be some very cranky animals when they return home. We had hoped they would be able to save a few.  They are quite old, but hopefully this will give them several more years, without the constant pain of toothaches.

Cats @ the Vets again

They are having extensive teeth extraction done, and we are hoping that Nikolai will be left with some.  But for now, it is not looking good.

 

 

La Folie in SF: Amazing

We just had dinner at La Folie, which was 3 hours long but worth the time and money. Fantastic haute cuisine French -- especially the seafood -- and a great place to mark a special occasion.

Going out at night will be much harder in a few weeks!

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A breezy day in San Francisco

We spent this afternoon down on the Embarcadero, enjoying the sun and wind. We stopped for a bowl of chowder and then some very messy roasted crabs. The seagulls are out in force alternating between begging and stealing chunks of sourdough bread. J bought some lilac bath salts and hopes to enjoy them tonight at the Palace hotel.

It is fun playing tourist locally.

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More Keystone & Breckenridge pictures

Here are the links for the photos Yuji uploaded:

Keystone and Breckenridge

His camera seems to have much more pixel density than my old one.

I am thinking of upgrading to a newer Canon.

Dinner at Kolani's

We had an excellent dinner at Kolani's -- a Hawaiian sushi fusion restaurant. It was the first great sushi I've had since getting out to the West Coast. They also did a version of Nobu's roast cod, although it was done with sea bass, but still it was great. It was superb...and priced at that level too. Afterwards we went for a stroll around the ice rink, which was cheerfully lit up at night.

I also enjoyed some time up at Heavenly Valley, which was bright and clear, but could use fresh snow. (The trail to the right is looking down Comet on the NV side) I'm not sure why, but the general quality of the skiers/riders there is much worse than most ski areas I've been to. It's not only ability (or lack of) but also just general cluelessness about conduct, lift lines, etiquette etc.

One thing cool about Sacramento

has been the spectrum and quality of Vietnamese restaurants. I guess in the 20 years I've been gone, there has been plenty of Southeast asian immigration so there are a wide range of Vietnamese specialty grocery stores and restaurants. I've had some great bowls of soup, as well as barbecue recently as well. It's quite different from Chinese, Thai, Japanese etc.

Many of these are just as good as Pho Pasteur and Nha Trang in NYC.

Last day at Breckendridge

We had a great last day at Breckenridge, enjoying the peak 9 area, and after getting our ski legs moving to the steeper slopes of peak 10. I just stuck to the runs down the main ridge/spine of the peak, but some of the group ventured off to try the narrower chutes down the sides.





That night we went out for sushi at Mountain Flying Fish in Breckenridge. It was ok, but in general unless you're in Whistler or Tahoe, getting sushi in the mountains is not a great plan.



It was a great day, and we got a lot of vertical in that last day, probably 20k worth even on the shorter lifts (vertical wise) of Breckenridge. Afterwards we went out looking for souvenirs, which left me underwhelmed, but we found one of the oldest saloons in the west, and stopped for a Silver Bullet.

Jesse posted a host of pictures on Picasa, which is worth the click through.

Breckenridge - two great days so far

We arrived at Breck enridge on Wednesday and took the gondola to peak 7, and from there took the Independence chair to the top. Peak 7's lower half is rolling intermediate runs, while the top is windswept open bowl skiing. We proceeded in a methodical fashion, going from right to left across the mountain: Monte Cristo, Angels Rest, Wirepatch, Pioneer, and then Claimjumper.

After a quick bite at the Sevens patio, and observing the hungry real estate agents peddling timeshares, we went down Northstar to peak 8. We rode the Colorado Super chair a number of times, gliding down Springmeir, Swinger, Powerline, Crescendo, 4 O'Clock, and Spruce. We skied fast, enjoying the soft conditions and low levels of traffic.

Here I am starting down a trail on the top of peak 7; the wind has swept the snow off the trees. On the next day, I went over to peak 9 and zoomed down all the trails there in order: Briar Rose, Cashier, Bonanza, Columbia, Sundown, American, Goldking, and Red Rover. I also went back to 8 and tried Dukes Run which I had missed before.

Here I am coming down a peak 8 trail, that was lower and better wind protected as the snow on the trees is still there. The snow conditions on Thursday improved as the day went on, as a half inch of thick flaked snow fell in the mid 20's temperatures. This made turning easier and the light snow sent people home early, leaving an empty mountain for us as the day went on.

Yuji tried snow boarding, and has made great strides. I started on peak 9, while Yuji picked 7, and after exchanging texts, we met in the middle at peak 8. We took a couple of trails and I could barely keep up with him.

This what peak 9 and 10 look like, at the end of the day.

The infamous shot ski makes an appearance, having traveled from Vermont to California and now to Colorado. After this we went out to the white table cloth chop house, Briar Rose. Dinner was very good, but I've become spoiled by great restaurants after having been in big cities for so long.

We strolled through Breckenridge's charming main street on our way to dinner, and saw their ice sculptures as well as lighted trees. The town is one of the most charming I can recall in ski country: right up there with Gstaad, Zermatt, Aspen etc -- and it all grew up organically rather than as the product of a master plan like Tremblant or Whistler (which are also charming, although not as authentic).

Keystone - the last day

Our last day at Keystone was on Tuesday. We started on the main mountain, warming up on the big Schoolmarm, and then trying the excellent Mozart, followed by Paymaster. Conditions were good, and some of the group went on to try the steep Diamondback trail but I took Mozart again down to LaBonte's cabin where we met up and then did Prospector. Then we took Spillway down to the Outback area. At this point half the group stayed there while some of skied down to the second gondola and took that back to the main mountain, coming down Spring Dipper, Sante Fe, Jacque St James, and Missouri feeding into the big River Run apron.

From there I went to the SureFit boot fitters and had some work done on my new Tecnica boots, while Jesse had his skis sharpened and waxed, which had gotten scuffed on the thinly covered Santa Fe trail. Then we wandered around the pedestrian village looking at the shops, which had very little foot traffic, but lots of sales advertised. I sent a few postcards and bought the obligatory T shirt here.

Keystone was fun, and more challenging that any of us had expected. I recommend it but don't see the particular need to come back any time soon -- the last time I was here was 14 seasons ago. It's a worthy day trip for Breckenridge visitors. Later that evening we played the Verrater card game that Alex gave us many years ago. Its complicated (rules are in German!) but was fun. It's more like a board game than a traditional card game.

A couple inches of fresh snow at Keystone

We woke up this morning to clear skies, sunshine, and a couple inches of fresh snow. It was warmer than yesterday, hitting 30F at mid mountain. After gathering our freshly tuned skis, we hopped on the (now operating) gondola and went to the top of Dercum mountain. From there we took a long cruiser, Mozart, to the Northpeak area. From there we took another lift and run to the Outback area. The runs here, although rated intermediate, were steeper and more challenging that expected. We skied long groomed runs down the face -- Elk Run and Porcupine. They were challenging, and we took a pit stop afterwards, lunching on the deck at the base, while birds hovered about hoping to cadge a Cheetoh crumb or two.

After that we took Prospector down to Lower Mozart and then went back to the top of Dercum. The ski runs on the back parts of the mountain were generally less buffed out and tougher than the front face. Now that we had more snow on the main area, we tried Frenchman's run, which was excellent. As an extra bonus, we hooted and hollered in pidgin French as we raced down the hill. "Pardonez Moi!" The thicker and more Inspector Clouseau the accent...the better. After that we took one more run down Irishman, whose conditions near the bottom made it stressful.
We're having Andy's special turkey chili tonight, along with a pan of my jalapeno cornbread, plus Yuji's excellent salad.

Keystone - A windy day

We had our first ski day at Keystone, Colorado today. The wind was quite strong, and caused the gondola system to be closed. We primarily skied the front face of the Dercum mountain, which was a good way to start the week and get our ski legs. Some of us were using new equipment, which needed to get broken in. The high winds had blown off most of the the last few days fresh snow, so trails without fresh snow making were somewhat crusty and firm. The ski conditions reminded me more of New England than our traditional soft powdery Colorado experiences. It's true that Keystone does not get the great snow that some of the resorts to its west do -- Vail especially -- but it still should have been a little better than what we experienced. The winds at the summit were harsh enough that it made us want to ski the lower parts, but they don't really have a natural way of doing that when the gondola is not running. We're going to hit the hot tub now, while Yuji goes looks for equipment and gets our skis sharpened. I'm hoping a fresh tuneup will help with the conditions.

Vermont artist dies

Stephen Huneck, a well known Vermont folk artist, best remembered for his dog wood cut prints, took his life a few days ago after having to lay off staff.

You'll recognize his dogs Sally and Molly from his books too. I never saw his dog chapel in Vermont but it was reputed to be quite moving.

Heavenly Pictures

Warm conditions at Heavenly

I tried out my new boots on the California side of Heavenly Valley
today. They were good but not as snug as my old ones. So I will have
to get a few adjustments made. The views of the lake are beautiful but
there was a cottony fog settled all over the basin.

Tomorrow I will take gondola over to the Nevada side. This is good
mountain for mid level skiiers.

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Svenksa Smorgasbord

We had everyone over for the usual Swedish smorgasbord dinner for Christmas. I'm probably missing things but we consumed

• herring in mustard sauce
• herring in wine sauce
• herring in cream sauce
• sardines
• gravlax
• salmon pate
• pickled beets
• pickled cucumbers
• carraway akvavit
• saffron akvavit
• prinz korv
• potato sausages
• many kinds of Swedish dry flatbreads
• stuffed grapeleaves (taking the place of stuffed cabbage!)
• Jarlsberg and other Nordic style cheeses
• Goat Cheese and a stinky (very) washed rind cheese
• Swedish meatballs
• Lingonberries
• Johannsson potatoes (some made without anchovies)
• a giant bone in ham
• green beans
• Rutmus (rutabaga and turnip casserole)

I'm forgetting all the stuff for dessert too, but by then everyone was full anyways. I'll post pictures, even though it was done in stages. We had a lot of people over, so that was good too.

Condos booked for Keystone & Breckenridge

As mentioned via email I have booked our housing for the Keystone and Breckenridge trip. You can see the Keystone house here and the Breckenridge one here. Here's the first one we are staying at to the right. And here's the second one below. We went through central reservations and got a much better deal than through individual landlords, which is a break from the purchasing pattern I have used for the last decade. Unusual, but smaller firms have not adapted to the New Normal as well.

Christmas Lights

We had a holiday cocktail party at our home, with some of my work colleagues and local friends. The Christmas lights looked nice on the house, although many of our neighbors (in the 40's area) have gone quite overboard. Entire streets are lit up, with strings of lights criss crossing the entire block. Our get together was pretty well attended, which was a pleasant surprise.

We put up the family tree, which is already preinstalled with lights, but it actually takes a lot of time to connect all the lights. And then we got all the ornaments down from the attic to place on the tree. The cats like to sit under it and look at the shiny globes.

At the party, we announced to everyone that J. is due with twin girls, sometime this spring. The timing is for April, but with multiples its not as predictable as regular single babies. So we are excited, and getting ready for a house full of craziness.

Unfortunately, both cats are ill, refusing to eat or drink along with being listless. We've been at the vets for hours each day, where they are get fluids and medicines transfused and are force fed. They have something that is viral and bacterial, although we are unaffected. They are sitting here sitting in front of the fire on their (now early) Christmas present - an animal heating pad. It's a foam pad that has a pressure sensitive warmer underneath. It turns on when they are resting on it, and even then, only on the parts under them. This Amazon dispatched item goes to a mellow 102F. They love it, especially when they are not feeling well like now, but I think it will be good for their arthritis in general.

[Addendum - after a week of IV infusions twice a day and 4-5 other random medicines - the feline nation is feeling much better]

NYT article about Stowe

The NYT has a very sunny article about Stowe, VT. Definitely worth the click through. The mountain is going to undergo tough times the next few years -- it was late to the expansion game, and in a new value concious America, what they offer versus what they cost is not fitting in with the new social mores.

Waiting in long lines for their Quadrunner lift will cure anyone of thinking the development monies went into the on hill product, rather than unsold condos. It is still worth the visit -- we loved our trip a while back -- but look for package deals to lighten the hit to your wallet.

This does not surprise me

 

The Sundial Bridge in Redding

On the way home from Mt Shasta, we stopped in Redding to see the famous Sundial Bridge, pictured above. Shasta was beautiful, but snowy and cold. Winter has arrived there.

Getting settled in

We are preparing to have family over for Thanksgiving. It will be our first "party" here so we are looking forward to that. Things are mostly put away -- we hung many of my vintage Art Deco prints last week -- but we still need to sort out our books.

This weekend we are heading to Shasta for a wedding. I have never been up there so am interested to see this mountain town. I heard it is already snowy there.

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De-Icing Required Before Take Off

This is an old picture of Lena, back when she could still fit her girth into the red coat.

 

If only the runway was longer she could have attained liftoff...

Speed Checked By Radar

It was not a good weekend for the Corvette, which inexplicably decided to start having lunging problems while driving.

 

We pulled off Fair Oaks, and called Hagerty's RoadSide Assistance, which sent a flat bed truck to take the car home.

 

I am baffled, as I have never had this issue before with the car.  Typically when it acts up, its usually electrical gremlins at work, which I know how to deal with.

 

So next on my never ending list of things to do is to find a good classic car mechanic nearby.

 

We still had a very busy weekend, unpacking the house and shopping for essentials.