2017 is a miraculous year in the world of tennis. After the magical Australian Open Win, the Federer Express kept the dream alive as he won his 8th Wimbledon Title. At this dinosaur age of 35, Federer became the very first man to win Wimbledon 8 times. I am still ecstatic that miracles do happen if we believe in them.
Ironically, modern life moves on fast and faster with internet, it is hard to slow motion these joyous and inspiring moments. I am learning to pause and soak in happy moments, when they come my way.
I am not complaining, and last two weeks of July has been great too.
My teenager went to Toronto for a 3-week summer program. I experienced a glimpse of empty nesting. When kids are not around, time travels at a different pace, there is just more time, it takes some getting used to, and it is nice. My husband and I went outside, watched the movie of “Spiderman” and “Wonder Woman” and took on a 3-day National Park itinerary.
Day 1 – Mono Lake, California
Mono Lake is among places I want to go since seeing its pictures. It is about 5 hours’ drive via the Sonora Pass. Sonora pass is the second highest highway pass at the Sierra Nevada, after the Tioga pass. My marginal acrophobia does not help me to enjoy the scenic route, I don’t dare to turn towards the striking mountain range.
I like the peacefulness of Mono County. Mono Lake is huge. The museum is worth the visit and the 1-hour guided tour around South Tufa of the lake is very special. I must say the lake looks different from the picturesque and mystic image on postcards. I wish I would have more time to walk around the lake at sunset or sunrise. That must be beautiful.
Mammoth Lakes Juniper Springs Resort is just about ½ hour from Mono Lake. It is a bit pricey considering we just sleep for the night, and the ski-in-ski-out convenience does not give much in summer months.
Day 2 – Mammoth Lakes, Devils Postpile National Monument, Rainbow Falls
At this time, shuttle bus is the only way getting to the Devils Postpile National Monument. It is the second day that the Monument opens for the season, so we trade the Mammoth Lakes Gondola ride with a visit to the Monument.
I can feel the elevation of 2000+ meters. We hike from the shuttle stop to the Devils Postpile and then its top. The rock formation is unique at Devils Postpile National Monument, and reminds me of the special rock at the Hong Kong Unesco Global Geopark. From there, we take a moderate hike to the Rainbow Fall. Rainbow Fall is a site of beauty with rainbow, the rock and the waterfall.
(We end up waiting for 40+ minutes for a shuttle to take us back to the Mammoth Lakes Ski Resort, not to mention the very expensive $4 ice cream drumstick from the store.)
The 3-hour hike is a great way to feel refreshed from day-in-day-out responsibilities.
Yosemite Valley Lodge is near the west entrance of Yosemite National Park, and is about 2 hour drive from Mammoth Lakes, via Tioga Pass. At an elevation of 3000+ meters, the Sierra Mountain Range is striking and, for me, fearsome.
Day 3 – Yosemite Vernal Falls
The room at Yosemite Valley Lodge connects us to the meadow and the redwoods. With the comfort of a hotel room, we enjoy the nature just like we are camping out there. We take the Yosemite shuttle and do a 2-hour hike to the Vernal Falls Footbridge. As we hike up the Falls, the trail becomes misty, the path becomes steep and uneven. We do not quite make it to the top this time.
The Lodge has an outdoor swimming pool with a view of the Yosemite Falls, we take a dip before our 4-hour drive home.
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So grateful to be still in shape to do some good hiking in 3 consecutive days.
The smart device (aka the “Computer”) is getting smarter. It may know you, more than any other human being, as it “effortlessly” read and remember your email content, your calendar, your whereabout, and all your online activities. It can remember all your password too, which I highly suggest that you deny every time it asks for your permission.
Next time, when you install an App, and it asks for permission access, what would you do? We could struggle to yield until we believe. Just like how we turn a non-believer into a believer.
Pope Francis Ted Talk
得獎的學生們失望，也為了節省畢業禮時間，之後都是在班房內各班老師分發成績表的。女兒不多說話，有幾年中文演講比賽明明她準備了很好的故事，臨場又不願意站出來，令人無奈。書法比賽倒是得了一些獎吧。 小學時候，她在中文學校拿到的獎滿多呢。
Larry Ellison bought the tournament for 100 millions and has done amazing things with his 
h point, the anticipation was palatable and it was pleasantly converted to a 6-1, 7-6 win. The momentous and joyful cheers throughout the stadium made the best human vocals . We enjoyed the fighting and aggressive play of Sock, but it was obvious everyone was happier with a Federer win.
You don’t need to know much about tennis to like reading “Breaking Back” by James Blake. James Blake is a retired tennis pro and is two years older than Roger Federer. He achieved a career high ranking at number 4 after surviving a freak-accident during practice in Rome, the loss of his beloved father, and a potential career-ending illness. James Blake provides detailed recollections of his professional wins and losses, his relationship with family and friends, his struggles to overcome life challenges. It is a story of his relationship with life and how he overcome the dark days, and arrive on the other side with a new approach to everything on the court and off. It is an inspiring read.
professional tennis in the 90s – those were the years when Pete Sampras was on the rise and Stefan Edberg was fading. It covers some matches of Pete Sampras and some matches of Stefan Edberg. Yet, this is not a book about tennis stars, it is a book about those lesser-known and their path towards college or skipping college to be a professional tennis player. The author followed a few up-and-starters (Jonathan Stark, a pro made it to the top 30s at one point; Ania Bleszynski, a Stanford college tennis player). For those who love stars, there is a chapter covering a conversation with tennis legends in the 60s and 70s (Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall), and there is a chapter devoted to Wimbledon.
w Cronin, is the riveting account of the McEnroe vs Borg rivalry through the Wimbledon and US Open Finals in 1980. Many would remember the 18-16 tie breaker in the fourth set of the 1980 Wimbledon final and until 2008, the 1980 Wimbledon final has been considered by many as the greatest Wimbledon final. The author recollected the two finals with detailed accounting of many points in those engrossing five setters, and in between those sets, covered the personality, the career and the relationship of the two players. Their rivalry, their friendship, and their contrasting style was unmatched until almost 28 years later as Federer and Nadal played that “heart breaking” five setters in the Wimbledon final in 2008. “Epic” is a reminder of the many great tennis matches, and that the sport is bigger than any players.
I love tennis. The challenge is thrilling, there is that desire to play better and the happiness, associated with the presence of mind in the playing moments, delivers even at tough moments in life.
Every fan has different favorite tennis players. How much I hope Lendl would have won Wimbledon. He tried so very hard, he skipped French open for 2 years and focused on grass practice, but it was not meant to be, and he ended up as 2-times Wimbledon finalist. It was a good moment when Murray, his 
Nadal. The 2009 devastating loss of Federer against Nadal in AO final also hurt, in a match that Federer knew he should have won. That same year, Federer was rewarded with the elusive French Open, followed by a Wimbledon win. Those reverse of fortune is so telling that there is always something after the toughest setback. Tennis is greater than any player, but Federer comes that close to equate to tennis. 
My son took the American Literature AP class in his class and he chose the novels of Jhumba Lahiri to write a thesis. Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize with her 
的，電視也是後來才有的。可能回憶是有選擇性的，感覺小時比現在的年輕人開心，社會和諧多了 （social coherence），鄰居是會守望相助的。歌曲唱的是應該要自愛，辛苦時可聽
oliviatamccue 