My First Overnight Vistors

Both Furry and Family!

I have had a great two weeks. Last weekend I went to a concert in Stockton--Fun. previously The Format. I had one of the best times I have had here...until...

My parents came one week later. I was excited to show them the new place, my neighborhood, and explore new areas of California. The only thing that put a damper on the weekend were the wildfires.

Places visited:
Monterrey Bay. A quieter town than San Fran, but just as beautiful. There were two major areas, the Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row. Fisherman's Wharf was stocked with thousands of yachts, fishing boats, etc. There was one major pier loaded with restaurants trying to pass free
samples of clam chowder to us. We consumed an entire lunch of free samples and moved to Cannery Row. Cannery Row was a few blocks of businesses along the bay, mainly small candy shops, restaurants, wine shops, and souvenier places. This area was previously known for it's sardine canneries and many of the original buildings were still standing. Monterrey Bay is also known for it's sea otters (which we did not see) and it's aquarium (which we decided to save for another visit). However, we did get to see some seals!


Saturday we ventured toward Yosemite National Park. Unfortunately a controlled burn that was started the previous week (sequoias need burn to reproduce) grew out of control so much of the park was inaccessible. Luckily, the most touristy part, "Yosemite Valley" was open to visitors (except for the historic hotel that was plagued by rock slides and was closed to traffic). Part of our drive was on route 49, one of the most loopy, tight-turned roads that I have ever experienced. The SUV in front of us actually needed to stop a few times to allow one of their children to puke on the side of the road! As we approached the valley, we got to experience the sight of helicopters dipping into the Manteca River in their attempts to control the fire.


Inside the park, the views were amazing! See page http://picasaweb.google.com/amyrauf/Summer2009# for pictures of El Capitan, Brideveil Falls, The Half Dome, Three Brothers, etc.




Other excitement during the weekend was the cooking! I got a new grill.... what an awesome new toy!


I also was able to try cooking a few new dishes: Pork with a mushroom wine sauce, and chicken and scallion ravioli (totally awesome!). Mom also made two containers of my favorite meal (Ham and Potato casserole). I'm set for the next two weeks!


In weekly news: I joined the gym down the road. It has something like 4 pools that are outside, open, heated in the winter, and open from 4am to 10pm. Can you say pool party??!! I also was encouraged to try a new one-eyed monster: a 10 week old pug. He was absolutely adorable and reminded me of my "nephew" Murray "Bean" Rauf. He slept on my chest the second night and snored away. He had the best personality a puppy could have. Made me miss my sister and her boyfriend :(. I realized yet again that I can't handle a puppy. One of our office managers took him so he'll stay in the River Oak family. Now they are trying to convince me to take a tiny kitten that they found out in the parking lot...

I recently attended a nutritionist meeting at the local feed company and met some more young vets from the area. I hope I'll be able to hang out with some of them this weekend. Tomorrow I go hiking with two of my friends from vet school, and I have a half day on Monday, so I'll have to find something fun to do! Hope you all are doing well. Enjoy your Labor Day weekends!