Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad

Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad

When my colleague at work gave me the link for Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad first excursion of the year, I chiseled April 7^th into my brain. This was about a month or so ago. Then about ten days ago, I started looking at the weather forecast for this particular date for the town of Elbe, Washington - the start of the Bunny Express. At the beginning, it was just cloudy with a chance of shower, but then about three days before the run date, the forecast is for partly sunny. It’s a GO! I made the reservation for two and we stayed in Tacoma, some forty miles away from Elbe. I hope you will enjoy the excursion with me. Happy Easter 2012! Spring is finally here in the Northwest. Is it?

Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad

Pizza 101



Veggie pizza by Pokie

 I hope you are hungry, today we try to make some pizza at the Beaverton Culinary Institute. I will let the pictures do the talking.

Pizza 101

Fire !

Photo courtesy of Lisette Sage

I was just about to start my lunch at work when Pokie called, and with a higher tone that usual she said quickly that one of the neighbor’s houses was on fire.  I still could not grasp fully what she was saying and my brain wracked havoc on me trying to decipher what she just mentioned. I finally realize as to which house was on fire.  I tried to notify our neighbors in which the house was just in the back of where the house was on fire to no avail.

I finally called Pokie back to get inside the house as the air must be dirty with the stuff that are toxic to our health. When I came home that day, I could still smell of the charred woods and others. The smell follows us even inside the house. “Enough excitement for one day”, I said. 2/28/2012

Yaquina Light House

Yaquina Light House

I am itching to go somewhere, someplace close to home; winter has taken a toll on me. I want to explore more, but the weather is less than perfect to go out and take more pictures. I looked back where I have been and relive the places that we visited. I am longing for “salty air treatment” in Oregon Coast. Next week, we have Monday off. So we hope that the weather will give some sunshine and I am ready to get some “salty air treatment”.

Here’s Yaquina Head Lighthouse we visited in 2010.

The Year of The Dragon

Welcome the year of the Dragon, January 23rd, 2012.

Let's go to Self Guided Tour of China

Snow Blizzard and Sun

First snow of 2012, January 15th.

Portlanders are still excited about the snow, especially if it comes down to the city level. As for me there’s element of excitement and danger, especially if you were out and caught in the middle of it just like the first snow of 2012. We were just wrapping up our lunches with friends when all of a sudden the snow was coming down hard with the wind and it came down with big flakes. Luckily, Pokie has her Point and Shoot camera in the purse. Here is the result.

The first snow of 2012
From Snow to Slush to Rain

Compare that with 2008:
Snow 1
Snow 2
Snow 3

The Year of the Dragon

Lansu Garden, January 7, 2012

Free is a good price, you can’t beat that! When Lan Su Garden offers fee free admission (January 2^nd  to January 9^th, 2012) and today is not raining, we go in a heart beat. This garden celebrates the coming of Chinese New Year on January 23^rd. This is winter scene and this is the second time I visited this garden, the first being in late spring of 2008. Because it is free, the crowd is tremendous (more than 700 visitors at noon) and my focus today is to see more details with a few that I think it’s good to show how winter looks like in this garden.

The year of the Dragon
Lansu Garden in 2008
Zuzhou Garden 2009 China Trip