This and That!

There is a good reason why I have not blogged in a while. Life has settled back into a steady routine of simply staying home, taking care of stuff around the house, studying and going to the gym.

Gym and fitness
Yes, I decided at the end of March to sign up for a 3-month gym program at Elite Fitness, which is about 5 minutes drive from my home. Because I need to clear my calendar for the month of July, I am squeezing the 3-month program into 2 months i.e. May and June. As a result, I am going to the gym 3 times a week and occasionally 4 times a week. The first couple of weeks were absolutely draining; I ached all over and could barely do anything for the rest of the day. It is getting a lot better now as I have been at it for nearly a month.

The team at the gym is one of the best group of trainers that I have worked with – they are friendly and very professional. Each session lasts an hour and a half. It starts with 5 minutes of warm up on the treadmill, followed by 6 warm-up exercises, then 30 minutes of cardio on the treadmill at specified incline and speed, followed by 30 minutes of strength and resistance training (this is the toughest part of the session). The session ends with 10 minutes of stretching exercises. Phew! I am usually totally exhausted by the end of the session!

Celebrity encounters
A fortnight ago, while we were taking a nice leisurely evening stroll in our estate, a black BMW 740i pulled up next to me, a lady popped her head out and said, “Do you need a ride? I am Heather Locklear.” She looked good without make-up and appeared to be in high spirits. The last time I saw her was some 6 years ago when we had a ladies’ lunch for residents in the estate. Then, she appeared extremely self-conscious and not particularly friendly. My H asked me that evening if any of the ladies at the lunch gathering worked. I replied, “Only Heather Locklear!” : ) : ).

Recently, while I was working out at the gym, my trainer greeted a guy who was walking towards us – “Hi, Pete!” he said casually. I looked up and the guy looked extremely familiar so I whispered to my trainer – “Is that Pete Sampras?” “Yes,” was the reply. I was totally thrilled as I had enjoyed watching him play at Wimbledon over the years. On TV, he looked a lot bigger and taller. In person, he appeared only slightly taller than me, very tan and slim – all in a good looking young chap. He must have heard my whisper because he smiled at me. Very cool!

The most interesting celebrity that I have met thus far, was a guy I ran into while walking in Green Park on a bank holiday some 7 or 8 years ago. As I was enjoying my nice evening stroll with an "ancient" friend who was lagging some 15 feet behind me, I was attracted to a fairly young looking father in a blue shirt and blue jeans walking towards me with a young boy skipping in front of him. I thought to myself – what a perfect picture - a father and son enjoying a stroll in the park! As the gentleman approached me, he smiled and in the next instant I found myself shaking hands with him – when my friend caught up with me, he asked me who was the guy I shook hands with earlier. I replied, “Tony” and he said, “Tony, who?” I replied, “Tony, the prime minister.” Yes, that was Tony Blair!

When I first arrived in this United States years ago, often people back home would ask me if I had seen any celebrity. Over the years I have seen quite a few of them: David Soul (at the US Passport Office in LA), Sally Field (at Hamburger Hamlet in BH area), Oprah Winfrey (at a theater in Chicago), Mary Steenburgen (on Main Street in Ojai), Tom Selleck and Frankie Avalon (at Bauduccos’ – Italian deli in our neighborhood), Lyle Waggoner (in our estate looking to buy a lot near our home), Will Smith (at the North Ranch Country Club), Diana Ross (at BA Lounge in LAX and on board the same flight to London), Alan Thicke and Tanya Roberts (we were in the same private booth at the Dodgers Stadium), Daryl Hannah (at a parking lot in our neighborhood open mall), Dennis Haysbert and Peter Strauss (at Marmalade Café at our neighborhood mall) and Marianne Jean-Baptiste (at Breadbar in Century City). My H ran into Sophia Lauren at our doctor’s office.

Beautiful Squaw Valley
On Thursday, I flew to Squaw Valley to attend the high school graduation of a German friend’s son, Robert. Robert’s sister Valerie invited me to join her in Squaw Valley for the occasion. It dawned on me only after I had accepted her invitation that I had never traveled alone in this United States – I began to feel rather apprehensive. I have traveled all over Europe alone and have never felt such apprehension.

The very tiny De Haviland plane that I boarded - notice the propellers!

I felt even more uncomfortable when I discovered how small the plane is at the airport. It had propellers sticking out on both wings and the aerobridge does not fit the doors of the plane. We had to go through the aerobridge, down a flight of steps onto the tarmac and then up 6-8 steps to board the plane. Inside, the height of the plane was probably about 6 feet high, extremely narrow aisle and the overhead compartments were so narrow and shallow - a regular carry-on would not fit.

The plane was relatively empty – less than 20 passengers on my outbound flight. The seating was two-two. I had both seats. It was also one of those rare occasions when I was able to sit by the window and enjoy the view below. I am always amazed at how the farm plots have such perfectly straight edges. I was also pleasantly surprised by the beautiful view as we approached Squaw Valley. Squaw Valley is an hour from Reno International Airport and half an hour from Lake Tahoe. The view of Lake Tahoe from the air was quite spectacular – it appeared almost like an giant infinity pool cradled by snow-capped mountains on one side. Simply breathtaking!

View of Lake Tahoe from the air

The drive from Reno International Airport to Squaw Valley Resort was especially beautiful as we got closer to the resort. The Truckee River flows next to the 2-lane highway, making the drive very picturesque most of the way. Squaw Valley itself is almost like a mini-Switzerland. It was the site of the 1960 Winter Olympics. I shall not try to describe the beauty of Squaw Valley – as they say – a picture is worth a thousand words.

Truckee River flowing next to the highway

Squaw Valley Resort (Black high-rise set against the trees)

View from the lobby of the Squaw Valley Resort Hotel

Another view from the lobby of the hotel

We had lunch at The Village. The Village is actually a small complex of hotels, condominiums, restaurants, shops and has ski-lifts direct to the mountains.

The Village at Squaw Valley

View of the ski slopes from The Village at Squaw Valley

On Thursday evening, we went into Tahoe City for dinner. Tahoe City reminded me of drives along the Pacific Coast Highway 1. It is a two-lane street/highway with homes next to the lake on one side and on the other side, homes are built up the mountain slopes. It has a very intimate feel and interesting log-style homes dot the sides of the road. As it was late and we traveled by taxi – I was not able to take pictures of some of the more interesting log-homes.

The Soule Domain Restaurant at Tahoe City

Entry area of The Soule Domain Restaurant

Part of the main dining room

We had dinner at a restaurant called “The Soule Domain.” It is housed in a cozy log cabin in North Lake Tahoe at Crystal Bay. It is managed by two brothers – Chef/Owner Charlie Soule and brother Steve manages the front part of the restaurant. The food is excellent. I had asparagus soup, duck breast and strawberry with white chocolate mousse.

Garden beautiful!
The flowers in the garden are blooming everywhere. Simply beautiful!