I have read a lot of words these past few days, working on the local paper doing some copy-editing and writing for them, and then reading a working draft for a friend of mine. Busy is good, but the past few weeks have left me with very little inspiration for my own work, or even my essays, which are due in a work or so for the MFA applications.
So here’s a photo dump.
We went home on the 22nd for the hols and spent the night before going back to Claremont with my brother and his fiancee, Laura, making sugar cookies.
They were not the most perfectly shaped things:
And then we frosted ’em.
Apparently I enjoyed myself.
I also got smacked down for making this cookie, which was, in Laura’s words, “Not your best work, Yi Shun.” Hmph.
Then we went home to Squaremont on the 23rd. We went to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden, where I’d only been once before. I thought it absolutely gorgeous. There is something really magical about a desert garden and the sheer variety of desert plants.
My town is best known for Mt. Baldy, which serves as our everyday backdrop and has nice bowl skiing when it’s not dusty and dry out. I haven’t been there in years, but the view of it is always in my head.
Adrianna spent the night on Christmas Eve (we banished mom to the living room and Jim, Adri and I cooked). Mom got drunk later. I didn’t get nearly drunk enough.
We had a very active Christmas Day. We all exchanged presents and then we went for a walk in the hills with like, a gazillion other people who all had the same idea.
My parents look like bookend penguins in this photo. adorable. I look like a treetrunk.
And then we picked up Kara and went to Laguna Beach to sample some incredible Japanese food. First we had more exercise in the form of a nice walk along the beach.
When we finally got back to New York, our friend Dave was happily ensconced in our place awaiting our arrival. Then Dave left and Jody arrived. We spent a lot of time doing this:
And then there was New Year’s Eve. Alan and Helene came up to a very loud place in White Plains. We ate a lot of food and had some margaritas and then we exited the madness, but not before this photo was taken.
And then the next day we went to Jen’s for a New Year’s Day party
And I think that’s quite enough photos for today, don’t you think? Meh.
I like that photo of me too!
After my brother and family left I convinced my parents to drive me up to Mt. Baldy for a picnic. Only you know what happened? I got so car sick we had to turn back. I even took Dramamine.
It wasn’t a total waste as we were taking the long way there but going up Azusa Ave through the Crystal Canyon and we stopped at a couple of other places before getting on the fork to Baldy. Still, I’m disappointed. I always loved Baldy.