IFlying with Sarah

The grownups in our family do a white elephant gift exchange at Christmas. We set a price limit, everyone buys one gift, and we take turns choosing (or stealing) gifts until everyone has a present. This year one of the presents was a gift certificate to iFly, an indoor sky diving establishment. Sarah drew that as a present, but then I had an opportunity to steal it from her, which I did.

For various reasons it didn’t work out to be able to go there until recently. I didn’t want to do it by myself, and Lee would rather die, so I asked Sarah and she said of course!

So that’s what we did yesterday. I had apprehensions; I wasn’t sure how it worked but I was afraid that we had to go to the top of a very high tower and step off a platform into a column of air. I thought I would be okay once I was aloft but I wasn’t sure I could do that initial step.

Well it was nothing like that at all! When we got there, we checked in. The girl at the ticket window explained what we got with the two flight package we had scheduled. We would actually be very close to the ground in the wind tunnel, and an instructor would be holding on to us so we wouldn’t fly away. 

We could also purchase an extra option called a “high flight” where the instructor would take us on an up and down flight pattern in the wind tunnel. It sounded like fun so we went for it.

We were a little early so we could sit in the viewing area and watch the people before us. They were amazing, doing all sorts of tricks in the wind tunnel and going in tandem, doing somersaults, holding hands back-to-back, flying on their backs and their fronts, and seated, like they were in a chair. We were impressed. We agreed they must be very experienced!

Then it was our turn. There were supposed to be another 5 people in our group but they never showed up so it was just Sarah and me. First we got fitted in our flight suits, our goggles, and our helmets. We wore a silk cap underneath our helmets so no stray hair flew out, and ear plugs as well, because the wind tunnel is loud. And I got a glove to wear on my left hand because its difficult to take off my wedding ring and we aren’t supposed to wear any jewelry because if it hits the glass exterior in the wind tunnel it could actually shatter it!

Then we watched a short video that explained what we would do and the hand signals that the instructor would use to communicate with us. Basically we would fly on our stomachs. We needed to keep our chins up, our elbows out and bent, our legs extended and our knees somewhat bent. How our arms and legs and head were pointed affected how we flew. Oh yes and we were also supposed to smile, and relax!

We each got two flights of about a minute each. It doesn’t sound very long, but it’s actually kind of strenuous to hold your body correctly while you’re flying, even with the instructor helping you. A minute was plenty of time!

At the end of the first flight we did the high flight. Wheeeee! With two instructors helping us we went up and down in a circle in the wind tunnel. UP up up and DOWN down down and AROUND around around! It was way fun and made me a little dizzy!

To get out of the wind tunnel the instructor guides you over to the door, you grab the door frame and use an exaggerated movement of lifting your knees to step out of the tunnel.

It wasn’t at all scary, just took a fair amount of exertion. It reminded me a little of Pilates, and Sarah agreed. After the second flight they said we did great and we could do one more flight if we wanted for another $20 but we were both done. It hurt my back a little, probably because my core isn’t as strong as it should be. 

We both enjoyed it, and kids can do it, so when the boys are a little older this would be a really fun birthday party. I’m one and done though. Unlike zip lining, which I would certainly do again if the opportunity presented itself, this is more of a learned skill. Those people doing the fancy tricks that were in the tunnel before us? Well they were real sky divers, practicing their moves. 

Afterwards we went out for sushi and got ourselves a glass of a nice Sauvignon Blanc. We had earned it!

ifly has facilities all over the country so it this intrigues you there is probably one somewhere near you. It’s not cheap though, but maybe if you’re lucky you can win a gift certificate to one in a white elephant gift exchange!

Thanks to Suzanne Herberg for coming up with such a unique and fun gift idea!

https://www.iflyworld.com

We didn’t purchase pictures but of course you could.

Meeting Emi - California March 2024 Part IV

Saturday March 2

On Thursday after that immense breakfast we didn’t really need much lunch. We walked down to a deli and ordered sandwiches for the drive back to PA on Friday. I got a 1/2 sandwich and a cup of soup. I ate the soup right then and that was my lunch.

Then a couple hours later we walked down to the shore and got affogatos. That was my afternoon coffee! Then we walked along the shore one last time, visited the seals and sea lions, walked back up the coastal walk. It was another beautiful day. There were people swimming in the ocean without wetsuits, way out there too, so a long way. I don’t know how they do it, the water temperature was 59F!

That evening we went over to La Jolla Shores for dinner. We met Daniel Tse and Holly at The Sandpiper Grille and Oyster Bar. It was fun to see them one more time before we leave and the food was good too.

Friday morning we were on the road by 8:30. We made good time; avoided most traffic through LA, so that was lucky. We stopped outside Bakersfield for lunch at a rest stop. We had just gone over the mountains, and were still at 4,000 ft so it was chilly. We ate in the car and then were on our way. The temps rose to almost 70F while we were in the valley and then dropped again by the time we got close to Palo Alto. We made good time, our rental car got great gas mileage so we hardly had to stop for gas, and eating sandwiches at a rest stop was a lot faster than going to InandOut, in spite of the name!

We stopped in the area where we are thinking of renting a house next year, in Mountain View. We’re not going to go to San Diego; we’ll stay around Palo Alto instead. We might need to take another small vacation earlier in the winter to someplace warm, because Palo Alto isn’t very warm. This year has been bizarre though. It’s 45F in Palo Alto this morning and the high in Minnesota is supposed to be 70F! That’s crazy.

Sunday March 3

Yesterday I had to wear tights and a warmer long sleeved shirt to run. It was 45F! I wore little gloves too, but just a ball cap. I was fine. Palo Alto is so flat compared to La Jolla. They’ve continued to get lots of rain. I saw a mama duck and her babies in one of the canals.

We went to Shake Shack for lunch. I was craving a burger, and a wanted a shake too, just not a whole shake so Lee split it with me. I’m not sure if I’ve ever been to Shake Shack before. It was pretty good.

After that we were mostly lazy, except Emi. She’s suddenly learned to roll from tummy to  back. She did it like 5 times on Saturday and a couple of time today already as well. It depends if we put her in tummy time with her hands closer to her body. If they are spread out she can’t quite manage it yet. She keeps trying though! She kicks those cubby legs and tries to fling them over. If she moves her head and her leg at the same time then over she goes. She looks pretty pleased when it happens but she needs to stay in tummy time too to get a stronger core. That’s the trouble with babies sleeping on their backs. But it’s certainly better than dying from SIDS.

In the afternoon we tried to go for a short walk in-between rain storms, but it started raining again right as we went out the door. Everyone else bowed out but I grabbed an umbrella and went for a short walk. Rossi would have come with me but they didn’t want her getting all wet. It actually stopped after about 20 minutes.

For dinner we went to a place in Menlo Park called Camper. It was modern Italian, different and good. We shared a salad and their herb cornbread. Then Lee and Kelsey got their ragu and Daniel and I got an interesting pasta with gnocchi, ricotta, broccolini and interesting flavors. Dan and I were both a little taken aback when it came out because it looked like a fancy salad but as I said to Dan, it tasted a lot better than it looked. Then we shared an apple tart for dessert, which was fabulous!

This is our last day. One last run, pho for lunch and Lee is making dinner.

I tried to figure out how to download The Queen’s Gambit so I could watch it on the plane but alas, unless you have the app it’s not possible. So I downloaded it on my phone and I guess I’ll watch it there.

Meeting Emi - La Jolla California February 2024 Part III

Thursday February 22nd

 Yesterday that cinnamon roll mid-morning meant that I wasn’t hungry for lunch. Finally around 1 we walked down to the ocean and sat down in a Thai restaurant. We got spring rolls and a stir fry, so not too much. I still couldn’t eat a lot. Then we walked around, looked at some shops, admired the ocean. It was a beautiful day. We walked back up the hill, stopped at CVS so Lee could pick up a prescription he had transferred here and I could get some acetone, kleenex, and purel. Then we chilled again until it was time for dinner. We got mediterranean from a place right down the street. baba ghanoush, falafel, a salad. Very good and we have leftovers that I’m going to have for lunch today!

This morning I went for a run along the Coastal Walk again, this time going the other direction, down the hill to the beach where we rented kayaks the last time we were here. Might rent cruiser bikes from them this time around.

We’ve got reservations at a Japanese restaurant for tonight, and a French place for tomorrow. I really want to get a cream puff from Beard Papa at some point as well, as long as I can do it without completely destroying my appetite like I did yesterday!

Friday February 23rd

So we ate the leftovers from Wednesday’s dinner for lunch yesterday, and then walked down to Beard Papa for a cream puff snack. Lee got a chocolate one with vanilla filling and I got a regular one withchocolate filling. Much fewer odd flavors in California, although they did have green tea! They are really good, but I also had them built up in my mind, and they are not spectacular, just normal delicious, haha.

Later in the afternoon I went for a little walk. I went up the hill instead of down toward the ocean this time and explored the neighborhood above us. 

The Japanese restaurant, Himitsu, was great. They had some very special nigiri and appetizer choices. We tried a lot of the chef recommendations and everything was good. My favorite was something I’ve never heard of before, gruntfish! It had several different flavors and textures. It was creamy and crunchy too. Just very fun to eat!

This morning we took our laundry to a wash and fold service at a nearby dry cleaners. If it really only costs $60 (her estimate, its by the pound) we will do it once more before we leave. That’s a bargain!

Then we walked over to Harry’s diner for breakfast. An old fashioned diner that’s been in the same location in La Jolla since 1960! Lee got chicken fried steak with two eggs over easy, hash browns and tortilla’s. I got the oatmeal blueberry pancakes with maple syrup, pecans and whipped cream. No need for lunch today!

Then we went for a walk down the coastal walk to La Jolla Cove. We strolled along the shore admiring the views and all the sea lions. The mama’s with their babies were especially charming. 

Saturday February 24th

Last night we went to a very nice french restaurant, Bistro du Marche, about a 10 minute walk. I got a glass of pinot noir that was so good I actually had a second glass, a rarity for me nowadays. We split everything and it was still a lot of food. A salad, mushroom ravioli, scallops, and profiteroles for dessert.

This morning was cloudy, which made it seem cooler, but actually it’s not. It was 60 when I ran at 7 and its in the mid-60’s now, just kind of hazy and cloudy. I ran along the shore, of course. It was high tide and the surf was up and there were a fair number of surfer out. And some ppl snorkeling without wetsuits which seemed crazy to me, but what do I know?

Barb Lais came to visit us today. We sat around and talked and caught up on things and then went out to lunch at a place called Beeside Balcony. I got avocado toast with scrambled eggs so kind of brunch/lunch. Barb got a gyro and Lee got a chicken sandwich. They got beers and I got a grapefruit mimosa. Of course now I’m sleepy, but we’ll get coffee soon.

After lunch we did a little shopping. Barb showed me a shoe place she likes Charleston Shoes. Their shoes look very comfortable, but I think I might try them online. They say they’re machine washable, haha.

Then I went into Lululemon and bought some lightweight cargo pants with cuffed ankles. I liked the ones that Kelsey had. Barb went into Talbot but no luck there. Then we said goodbye but she might come back Wednesday. It was great to see her.

Sunday February 25th. 

Lee cooked us dinner last night. he grilled some halibut we bought at the Fish Market. Also asparagus and rice. The fish was so great; fresh and delicious. You just can’t get fish like that in Minnesota. We should stop trying. It’s generally a waste of money.

I watched the last episode of Expats last night. It’s a Nicole Kidman mini-series set in Hong Kong. I enjoyed seeing Hong Kong, and some episodes (in and of themselves) were good, but the storyline? Meh. I guessed the ending long before the last episode; probably by the 3rd one. The one exception to this is episode 5 (there are only 6). The story that episode is told from the point of view of the helpers and some local characters, and goes into the umbrella revolution and those poor idealistic kids. So very sad. 

If you haven’t seen it and think you might want to, the next two paragraphs warrant a spoiler alert, so here goes.

The main expat family asked their long-suffering helper to come back to the US with them. Doesn’t happen. I knew a few people that would have dearly loved to have brought their helpers to the US when they left. They can’t get Visas for them, period. And even if they could, most expats in Hong Kong arereally middle to upper middle class people, even though in Hong Kong they appear very wealthy. That’s because (usually) their companies are paying a lot of their living expenses. So once they get back to the US they could never in a million years afford to have a live-in helper, or pay that helper a living wage. So that was ridiculous.

Second thing. The whole premise of the story is that their youngest child is kidnapped in a crowded market. No one notices that he is gone until it is too late. First of all, yes, this does happen on the mainland, especially to little boys. But not in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is extremely safe. But Hong Kong is really really crowded. No one, and I mean NO ONE would let go of a 3 yo’s hand in a crowded market. You’d have to be out of your mind. And to think no one saw it or said anything? Nope.

Ok enough of that! Now I need something else to watch!

This morning I ran toward La Jolla Beach again. It was in the mid-50’s but very humid so it felt warmer. I wore short sleeves and I’m glad! The waves were much quieter today and there were lots of beginner paddle boarders and surfers out.

We went to a Mexican place for lunch, Puesto La Jolla. They are known for their tacos. We got 4 different ones to share, chicken, fish, rib eye and short rib. The best one was the fish taco imo. Lee liked the rib eye the best.  I think we need to go back there again with Dan and Kelsey this week.

We needed to walk off that lunch so after a little while we went on a hike to La Jolla Natural Scenic Park. 545 ft of elevation gain! Very steep and rocky on the way up, with a nice view at the top. It was much easier going back down because we took the road.

Monday February 26

Dan and Kelsey and Emi come today! Lee has gone to the airport to pick them up. I can’t wait to see them!

Last night we went to happy hour at Eddie V’s for dinner. We sat at the bar, with a beautiful view of the coastline. I had an Old Fashioned, Lee had a martini. We ate sliders, little lamb chops, and a beet and burrata salad. It was all very good and we had fun. And since it was happy hour it didn’t cost a lot either! Win-win, lol.

We met Dan, Kelsey and Emi at the Parakeet Cafe for lunch. I had breakfast again, this time eggs benedict on sour dough bread, and lemon ginger turmeric tea. The tea was good, but VERY yellow, ha. Emi seems to have grown in just a week. She is very into trying to stand; it’s hard to get her to bend to sit! She’s holding her head up better, and smiling more. And talking and cooing! She’s really great. 

Afterwards we strolled around a little, stopped at a bakery for rugelach and then went to check out their hotel. The Colonial is very old, overlooking the ocean, nice in a lost grandeur sort of way. It’s sprawling, consisting of several separate buildings with courtyards and a pool. Their room is nice; a suite with a kitchenette and a bathroom bigger than ours, ha. We sat around and visited for a while until it was time to leave. They are going to have dinner with friends tonight, and we are going to continue to chill. We’ll see them again tomorrow.

Wednesday February 28

I went swimming yesterday morning. Finally back to being able to do a full workout, first time since surgery. Now I need to start working on gradually increasing the amount of time I can swim continuously. 

We went to Din Tai Fung again last night. We went to the Westwood Mall early so we could do some shopping first. I marched right into Marine Layer. I’ve never been in one of their retail stores before so I was psyched. The sales guy said it was one of the first retail stores so it was very small. But I bought a shirt and a hoodie. No more shopping in California! Maybe. I still need some little presents for Lula and Willa to include in Oscar’s present so we’ll see.

We sat down at an outdoor wine bar and had some drinks while waiting for our table. When it was time we discovered that because we had a stroller we had to wait for a table that would accommodate us. The hostess said it would be another 15 minutes but it really was only around 3!

We again got lots of chou long bai and hot and sour soup, but this time we got pork buns (just ok) and fried rice (fabulous). I had hoped the pork buns would be bbq’d but no. Next time I’ll get gyoza instead.

Today has been beautiful. I ran this morning, then Barb Lais came over again and we met Dan and Kelsey at Duke’s for lunch. The view was beautiful, Emi was very chill, and my food and cocktail were very nice. I liked the macaroni salad and the rice, a nice sort of change.

Thursday February 29th. Happy Leap Day!

Yesterday I took a little nap in the afternoon because of that lunchtime cocktail! Then I walked down to the grocery store and bought some fruit and some Lara Bars for breakfast and snacks.

We met them again at dinner, at a pasta and pizza place called Isola. No wine for me! Lee and I split a mushroom pasta dish and an arugula salad. Then we got dessert; panda cotta and tiramisu, yum. Also split 2 glasses of moscato between 3 of us. 

Today is our last day in La Jolla; we’re driving back to Palo Alto tomorrow. It’s overcast and cooler today. We are using the laundry service again, just enough to get us through the weekend, until we are home.

After dropping off our clothes we walked over to The Cottage for breakfast. Lee got a turkey club, because why not? I got brioche french toast with blueberries. They gave me an immense amount of toast, at least 6 pieces. I could barely eat three, but I did my best.  Then we walked to CVS to get a bandaid for the cut on my thumb. I don’t know when it happened but at lunch yesterday I suddenly noticed I was bleeding and later I discovered I had bled on my new Marine Layer shirt. I scrubbed it with soap and water but I also put it in the laundry today just to be safe.  I got Paw Patrol bandaids so when we take them home the boys willbe happy if they need one while they’re at our house. I don’t mind having a picture of a puppy in a hard hat on my thumb either! At least it will keep me from banging it and causing it to bleed again before it can form a good scab.

Then we walked over to the Parisian Bakery and bought some more of their multigrain bread so we have some for breakfast. We’ll take it back to Palo Alto with us tomorrow.