Sunset Views from the main swimming pool:

My family had a nice lunch at the City Club of Los Angeles yesterday with a family friend. The view from from the top of 51-story building (555 S. Flower St) was simply breathtaking.

Here I share some of the pictures I took:
Panorama View to the northwest:

You can almost see the “Hollywood” sign from here:

Close up:

More close up:

Overlooking the 110 Freeway exit:

Recorded this pumpkin carving contest at work.
Happy Halloween!

To celebrate the 75 anniversary of NASA, it held an open house at the Ames Research Center in Moffet Field of Mountain View, California – the heart of Silicon Valley.

Despite the reservation system to limit the number of people, it was like a zoo traveling in and out of the center. The bus shuttle between the front gate and the center of the complex seemed a bit silly that created lots of traffic and long lines for the visitors. And there were many long lines trying to have a hands on cockpit experience and a few popular spots.

For me, it’s the first time visiting the center, having lived in the valley for well over 25 years and driven by almost every week day going to and from work. I was surprised by how huge the place was. The hanger, long a symbol of Moffet Field, where it served as a garage for the aircraft was a lot bigger and elegant than I thought. The old planes and helicopters were museum pieces and had lots of history behind them. Here are some of the pictures I took:

Overall, it was a good day to venture into a place long held a mystery and pride in the minds of the Silicon Valley residents.

My wife arranged this July 4th Celebration at the Capital Club San Jose with a party of 16 friends and their families – celebration for the independence day of this great country and my birthday. Yes, I was born on July 4th. I was destined to be part of this great country.

There were BBQ buffet dinner, wines – great food and great company. The highlights were the San Jose firework just outside of the balcony that made the evening so wonderful.

Here is a short video introduction of Capital Club, its view and a much condensed version of the 25-minutes firework started at 9:30pm. Hope you enjoy it.

To those who enjoy good wine, visiting a winery with good wine and a beautiful 270-degree panoramic view of the San Jose South Bay area can be quite appealing to your palate and your visual senses. We visited the Ridge Winery in Cupertino or the Monte Bello Mountain today in this warm 85F weather – a 15-minute drive from home. I took this 270-degree panoramic picture below (click to zoom in): To the left, I could almost see the high rise in San Francisco city. Directly in front of me was the San Jose downtown and the San Jose Airport Runway: What a beautiful scenery!

I took pictures of a couple of the grape plants that were bearing the small-size grapes, normally used for wine making (not table grapes).


There were grapes plantations all along the mountain road and beyond.

We tasted six different wine offerings including chardonnay, zinfandel, merlot, cabernet and etc. When done sampling, we even bought a half bottle of the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate so we can enjoy the wonderful wine on top of the mountain with the wonderful scenery. We are truly blessed with so much abundance around us. It still amazes me that the various kinds of grapes and turn into something so rich in flavor and has been a source of pleasure for human kind.

Last weekend, the family decided to drive up to Tiburon to cash out one of group-purchase restaurant coupon set to expire last Sunday. It’s one of the ways to find excuses to visit one of our favorite spots. The day was simply gorgeous in the 70F’s, without any fog in the San Francisco Bay. Decided to stop by Sausalito as it’s on the way. Sausalito was like a zoo with many tourists. But Tiburon was a calm place for retreat and dining. Took some pictures to share (click on pictures to zoom in):

Panoramic View of San Francisco from Sausalito:

Sausalito Street View:

San Francisco View from Sausalito:

San Francisco Zoomed-In View from Sausalito:

Panoramic View of the San Francisco Bay from Tiburon

Tiburon Fountain on Main Street

Calming Fountain on the Main Street of Tiburon

The sound of the water is very calming for me. The sculpture in the middle of the fountain looks like the sail on a sail boat. Depending on the angle you’re looking into, it varies quite a bit. Nice.

Tiburon Main Street in Panorama: