Massachusetts and Maine. April 11 - May 27, 2025.

Well, we are not spending six weeks in MA and ME, but will be making (most probably) three trips during that time period.  As I start this blog entry, we just completed our first trip of April 11 - 16, and we have planned a May 2 - 7 trip (both flights and car rental have been booked).  And we are seriously looking at a May 19 - 27 trip - car rental booked, but flights not booked yet.

Symphony Hall for a BSO concert (4/11).

Photo taken 5/25.

Trip 1.  April 11 - 15.

Friday 4/11.  UA1508 was to leave from Newark Terminal A.  As I have mentioned a few times already, that is not my preferred terminal.  Today it redeemed itself as the process was smooth.  Of course not being busy was a factor - the test is when thing somewhat go awry.

We were upgraded for this flight.

We rental a car from Budget, and there were no lines at the counter either (getting off the bus quickly helped).  The Kia Forte is a basic car that feels an update is long overdue, but it got the job done.

The main event - and the main reason for this visit - was a BSO concert with Yo-Yo Ma performing Shostakovich's first cello concerto.  Emmie and Joe P also attended the concert.

Yo-Yo Ma and Andris Nelsons after the performance of Shostakovich's first cello concerto.

Accommodations: Putnam Road (entire trip).

Saturday 4/12.  Dinner with Anny Wong in Malden.  We wanted to try Ming's, but it was closed for a banquet, so we hit Zuru Zuru instead.

Dinner with Anny Wong at Zuru Zuru in Malden, MA.

Sunday 4/13.  Went over to the Tsai's for dinner.  Joe and Jess bought food from a nearby restaurant.

Tuesday 4/15.  Visited the Chase Sapphire Lounge at BOS.  Frankly the freshness of the place has vanished: the same dishes have been on offer since we first visited it a couple of years ago.  Still a nice place to relax and get something to eat.

The 737 Max 8 was delayed coming to Boston from Newark due to an "indicator light" problem.  Luckily there was enough ground time at BOS so we left on time.  It was a bumpy ride.  The two folks sitting next to me were holding their hands - tightly - for most of the trip.

As a recent 787 we took did, this 737 also landed on the East-West runway at Newark.

We took an Uber home.  From the Uber driver we learned about this Hindu deity Genesha.  His father Shiva lost him in the forest, and couldn't find him.  Instead, he found a baby elephant which grew up to be Genesha, who is now revered as a deity with many attributes.  A brief look at the Wikipedia entry did not confirm this origin story, but it is as plausible as any described in that entry anyway.

We got home at around 6 pm.

Trip 2.  May 2 - May 7.

Friday 5/2.  Our flight was to depart from Newark at 2:35 pm.  At 1:57 pm (we were already at the airport) I got a message saying there could be delays and cancellations due to FAA staffing issues.  It seems the issues are more complex: runway construction, dated air traffic control equipment, and an incident that triggered 20% of air traffic controllers to take a leave of absence result in many flights to/from Newark being canceled, and even more flights suffering delays.  We were fortunate enough that both our flights ran smoothly, but typically one or two flights between EWR and BOS were affected (out of about 7 in either direction).  Nonetheless, the possibility of disruption was always on my mind.

Rental cars were readily available.  In fact when we first booked the cost for the 5-day rental was over $400, it eventually dropped to about $230.  We checked out a Toyota RAV4.  Our grandson Harrison pointed out how often we encountered RAV4s during our trip - indeed I didn't realize this model was that popular.

Accommodation: Putnam Road (entire trip).

Saturday 5/3.  We drove to NEC to see the NEC Prep Orchestras concert.  Emmie played the cello in the STO 8 ensemble.  Joe rushed off afterwards to take Harrison to soccer.  Anne and I went to the cafeteria to have breakfast.

Emmie had a soccer game in Charlestown at about 5 pm.  Jess took us to watch the game for a bit, and we then left for Symphony Hall to see the BSO perform works by Shostakovich.

Sunday 5/4.  Church on line.  Legal Seafood for dinner - service was exceptionally slow today.

Monday 5/5.  We went to CBCGB to attend their monthly Joshua Fellowship.  The three talks were on: Malden ministry, German (Siegen) ministry, and a trip report on Spain.  We skipped the lunch at a Spanish restaurant because of time constraints.

We visit Quincy's ACCESS program mid-afternoon.  The program started after quite a few delays.  Susan, Pasang, and Carol were also there.

Tuesday 5/6.  For whatever it's worth, I was at Trader Joe's four times today.  Sometimes there are no reasons to be efficient, and I could use the walks - I haven't met my daily "move" goal for a while.

It was foggy on my way to Trader Joe for the fourth time today.

Wednesday 5/7.  Today only one BOS-EWR flight was canceled by United.  Our experience was very smooth.  I was upgraded to F after having settled in my seat, so I gave my seat to the standby passenger assigned to my seat.

I also managed to finish the 3-part series on Navajo Police: Class 57, and got an appreciation of how difficult the life of a police officer can be.

We took an Uber to go home.

Trip 3.  May 18 - May 25.

Anne and I had been thinking of visiting Maine in June, something we have done on and off for the past several years.  When Joe asked us to come to Somerville to help out during his business trip, we decided to combine the two activities.  Because of prior commitments, and because of Labor Day, we will end up spending only 3 nights in the state.

Sunday 5/18.  We couldn't leave until 3 or 4 pm, after Anne finished her class, and I had a conference call at 9 pm in the evening (with Australia).  We decided to drive to the Hartford area, and stay the night there, doing so would allow us to break up the drive, and give me a place to do the conference call.

Traffic was not bad, and we encountered no stoppages along the way, but there were still enough bottlenecks to add about one hour to the drive time.  By the time we get to the Hartford area (Cromwell, to be specific), many restaurants were closed.  We picked up takeout from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

Accommodations: SpringHill Suites Hartford Cromwell (1 night).

Monday 5/19 - Wednesday 5/21.  Doing chores such as driving and babysitting.  The grandchildren are very comfortable with us, and we enjoy being with them.  I also get new appreciation of how difficult it is to "run" a household with three young kids, and both parents work.

On Tuesday I went to the nearby Trader Joe's four times, each time paying less than $20 for my purchases.  I could use the walks, and there is little need to be efficient.

Accommodations: Putnam Road, Somerville (3 nights).

Thursday 5/22.  Joe moved up his flight so his arrival would be around 10 am.  We picked him him (getting lost for a bit at the airport), and had lunch at Ming's in Malden.  We then went back to 92 to finish tidying up, and to load up the car.  After waiting for Emmie to return, we started our drive to Ogunquit.  Weather was quite atrocious (rain and wind), but traffic was fine - other than a section on US93, and the intersection of 93 and 95 is always bad.

We drove along Shore Drive/Main 1A, the sea was angry today.  We wanted to have dinner at Barnacle Billy's, but they had only a limited menu.  Next to our hotel is Ogunquit Lobster Pound Restaurant.  Boiled live lobster is $28.95 a pound, so we opted for their regular menu instead.

From the restaurant's website.

Today things were quiet at the restaurant.  A long row of chairs in front is for busier days ahead.  It was raining on and off during our trip to Maine, but not nearly as bad as the weather forecast would lead us to believe.

Ogunquit Tides Resort.  It is certainly better than a roadside motel.  It has an indoor pool (not sure it's open, although Anne managed to walk inside), and has bikes and kayaks for rent.

We booked our hotel through Chase Travel.  We were expecting a roadside motel, but got something slightly better.  Very few guests though.  This is just before Labor Day weekend, perhaps the rain kept people away?

Accommodation: Ogunquit Tides Resort (1 night).

Friday 5/23.  We drove up from Ogunquit to Boothbay Harbor today, taking many detours along the way to visit some of the coastal sights.  Of particular interest are the Footbridge over which one could walk to the Footbridge Beach (Ogunquit); the Perkins Cove Draw Bridge, where we first spotted Ugly Anne; "The Pool" at Biddeford has a narrow gap to the ocean; a nearby Audubon trail where I used Merlin to identify the songs of a few birds.

A footbridge leads to - where else - the Footbridge Beach.  Parking in Ogunquit is typical $6 to $7 an hour, it is a tourist town after all.

Still photos don't do the "angry" waves any justice.

Lunch at Mike's Clam Shack in Wells, ME.

The narrow channel that connects "The Lake" to the (more aptly Biddeford Pool) to the Atlantic/Gulf of Maine.  The tidal height could be as much as 10', with consequent changes on the appearance of the pool.

Wood Island Lighthouse as seen from East Point.

Boothbay Harbor feels very familiar, and we found out the Inn had merge with the resort next doors.  After checking it, we walked across the footbridge to the west side of the harbor and strolled around a bit.  Anne was trying to capture the lights of the sunset with her phone camera.

For dinner we went to Boothbay Lobster Wharf.  They were selling oysters (harvested from the Damariscotta River) for $1 a piece, so I ordered 6; Anne ate one.

We have been to Boothbay Lobster Wharf before.  Two 1 lb lobsters with two sides costs about $31 (soft sheel).  Oysters were a steal at $1 a piece.  From the Damariscotta River.

Anne was trying different angles for the lights at sunset.

Accommodations: Boothbay Harbor Inn (2 nights).

Saturday 5/24.  Anne went to Baker's Way to buy breakfast while I slept in.

Then it was off to do our usual things.  First to Damariscotta for coffee and a simple sandwich, then back to Boothbay Harbor to catch the 1:10 pm cruise "Lighthouse and Islands."  The area is still quite quiet this time of the year, and there were about 15 passengers on a boat that can accommodate probably 200.  Pink Lady II, also used for the Puffin cruise, went down the eastern shore of Boothbay Harbor, cross into the Gulf of Maine, and then up the wester shore of the harbor.  The captain provided commentary along the way.  The weather the previous few days had been bad, but things were basically calm today, and the sun poked through every now and then.

Red's Eats has been opened for the season since 2025, and is enjoying long lines again.  I was a bit surprised that it would close at 5:00 pm as we got to the place at around 4:30 pm.  The line moved slowly, and the rain was not letting up.  We decided to go across the highway to Sprague's, and got served quickly our order of a lobster roll and a clam cake.  They were okay, but certainly not great.

With a bit of time till sunset (it was 5:15 pm, maybe, and sunset would be after 8 pm) we decided to drive to New Harbor, where we first found out about puffins many years ago.  Shaw's was doing good business, and we ordered a boiled lobster and an order of calamari.  The lobster was hard shell, and the meat tasted quite different.  (Hard shells tend to sell for a little more, but we prefer soft shells.)

It was a short drive to Permaquid to visit the lighthouse.  Anne wanted to recreate the reflection photo we did with the Yangs a few years ago, so we walked on the rocks to the pool of water, and she slipped.  At this stage our pride is not hurt when we lose our balance, she hurt her finger a bit, and got a shoe and one of her pants leg wet.

A group of harbor seals lounging about.  Some reluctantly moved to the water as the boat got close.

It was chilly on the water.  In the background is the Ram Island Lighthouse.

The Cuckolds Island Lighthouse guards the western part of Boothbay Harbor.

Failed to catch a good reflection of the Permaquid lighthouse in this selfie.

This one is better, but the considerable wind resulted in ripples in the pool.  Anne slipped and sprained a couple of her fingers (she is recovering well).

A few days ago the weather forecast for our Maine stay was terrible, the nor'easter would be raining on us through today (Saturday), and wind would be blowing at 20 mph.  We did get some of that, but the weather turned out a lot better than we expected.  I wonder if the forecast also contributed to the quiet couple of days.

Sunday 5/25.  Hotel checkout was 10 am, and we started our way back right after that.

I had no idea what Memorial weekend Sunday traffic would be like; turned out things were relatively quiet.  We first stopped off at Putnam, where we met up with Joe's family to say goodbye.  Our summer schedules are such that our next get together may not be until August.  Joe P bought food from Kelly's roast beef.

It was a little after 3 pm that we left Somerville.  Our contingency plan of stopping somewhere in the Hartford - New Haven area didn't have to be exercised as traffic was quite light.  Indeed we got back to South Amboy in about 4:30 hours, a record for me, and we took two (short) breaks - Anne drove most of the length of the Merritt Parkway.

We bought food from Oriental House for dinner.  We drove the VW for this trip, and put on close to 1,100 miles.

Austin, Texas. April 2 - 5, 2025.

The purpose of this trip was to attend the "Dreaming Beyond Weekend" hosted by Hope International.  Similar events were held in 2021 and 2023.  Altogether about 200 staff and supporters were at the event.  Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort, at a negotiated rate of over $300 per night, was a bit steep for my taste, so we used our Marriott points for a TownePlace hotel located south of Austin.  And were upgraded to a 1-bedroom suite.

Wed 4/2.  Our Austin flight left from Terminal A.  The 20 minutes it took to clear security (with precheck) confirmed why I preferred Terminal C.  The sign at the entrance said 10 minutes, which was longer than the 5 minutes for the non-precheck line.  I made the decision to go precheck as the process would be simpler (shoes, etc).  I skipped CLEAR, which seemed to be moving faster today.  So perhaps I made two wrong decisions.  To cement why Terminal C is better, there is no touchless ID at this terminal.

We bought something to eat before we boarded.  (I also got this free meal on board, as a 1K member.)  The flight was packed, and I discovered to my dismay that the seats I picked didn't recline as they were in front of an exit row.  While the flight experience was generally okay, I got the feeling that people shouldn't have to travel like this.  But can't beat the fare.  During the flight I noticed the we were upgraded on the IAH-EWR segment on our return.

I watched a few more episodes of the TV series "The Old Man."  I would complete the seven episodes on the return trip, and - spoiler alert - the story isn't wrapped up!

Joe Tang landed before us and waited around.  After checking into the hotel we drove to the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch for these bats that come out every night to feed.  These Mexican free-tailed bats stay in the area from mid-March to October.  Sure enough, they came out soon after sunset.  Even though they emerge from the span right beneath us, they were a bit difficult to see because of the lighting.  Eventually they appeared as groups against the (still) blue sky.  And the smell.  Joe T remarked that he felt he needed to wash up even though we didn't touch any.

People watch for bats from three locations: from the river (turns out it's the Colorado), the bat viewing area at the Bat Observation Center, and the Congress Avenue Bridge (where we were).

Waiting for the bats to show up.

A snap shot from the video I took of the bats flying off to their feeding grounds.  The light bands at the top were indeed bats.

Texas Land and Castle, Austin, Texas.  Reasonable steak for reasonable prices.

We had dinner at Texas Land and Cattle by the hotel, then drove Joe T to Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort.  Joe claimed he saw an armadillo; Anne and I weren't so sure.  I did see one clearly the next evening, so they do live in the area. 

Accommodations: TownePlace South Austin (3 nights).

Thu 4/3.  Breakfast at hotel.  Drove to Congress Avenue Bridge and walked below the bridge.  Drove by State Capital.  Visited Blanton Museum of Art.  Installation: Austin by Ellsworth Kelly.  $18 million to build and endow fund for maintenance.

Up to 1.5 million bats live in these crevices under the bridge.  The number in April is probably smaller as pups haven't been born yet.  The bats started moving into this area after the bridge was built.

The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin.

Kelp hanging in the atrium.  The marble tiles represent the ocean.

The museum guide highlights several of the pieces being displayed in the museum.  (Not sure whether this belongs to the list, I don't remember.)

These figures were done by a mother-daughter duo (Nora Naranjo Morse and Eliza Naranjo Morse).

St. Cecilia by Simon Vouet.

Rite of Spring by Marguerite Zorach.

Missao/Missoes by Cildo Meireles.  2000 cattle bones suspended on the ceiling; 800 communion wafers; and 600,000 pennies on the floor.

Inside the building "Austin" by Ellsworth Kelly.  During the right time of the day/year, the openings cast interesting patterns on the floor (don't they have to at some point?).

These are the first stations of the cross.  From the left: Jesus is condemned to death; Jesus takes up his cross; Jesus falls the first time.

Stations 12 to 14: Jesus dies on the cross; Jesus is taken down from the cross; Jesus is laid in the tomb.

Drove to Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort for Hope International Dreaming Beyond Weekend.

This coffee-encrusted steak is quite an interesting dish, tastes good also.  Some complained that some coffee grounds were left on their teeth after the meal.

Dzaleka Refugee Camp is located in Malawi.  It was designed to house 12,000, and now has a populatio of over 50,000.

Fri 4/4.  All day Hope meeting.  We did duck out between 2 pm and 6 pm to head back to the hotel for a couple of hours of rest.

Various animals are kept on the grounds of the resort.  It is obvious how Long Horns get their name.

Raining on the way back, made driving a bit difficult for me.

Sat 4/5.  The Hope Dreaming Beyond Weekend concluded this morning.  We had lunch and then drove to the airport.  Joe T rode with us as he was renting a car at AUS.  The line for AVIS check-in was surprisingly long.

Yesterday United sent a message saying weather might affect flight operations at Houston, and offered changes for no fee.  When I looked at the APP, the only viable alternative was AUS-EWR non-stop.  I didn't book that because it was quite a bit cheaper, and that option would cost $300 to $200 (the two times I checked) per person.  Weather forecasts indicated the chance of rain/storm was less than 50%.  So I decided not to make any changes.  And we were upgraded to F on the IAH-EWR leg a few days ago.  All in all a chance worth taking.

I had not been using CLEAR for a while.  Today the CLEAR line at AUS looked considerably shorter, so we gave it a try.  They have new looking terminals.  I got through readily.  The system recognized Anne quickly, but asked her ID be rescanned, which took a while.  Improvement, yes, but still a ways to go.

We sighted a couple of armadillos while driving at night on Lost Pines Road.  This was on display at the Austin Airport.

The AUS-IAH leg went without a hitch.  The coach section was quite empty, Anne and I had an empty seat between us on the 1 hour flight.  The in-bound plane for our IAH-EWR arrived on time, and we boarded on time.  Then the wait started.  After about 45 minutes the we were told we could deplane if we wanted to, as they weren't sure how long the weather hold would be.  I went out for a bit and returned.  All said and done, the flight took off about 2 hours late.  As bad weather goes, this wasn't so bad.  (Our Frankfurt flight last August was delayed by more than 5 hours.)  There were passengers connecting to Europe, and if the assigned gate had been in Terminal C, there was a chance some would have made it.  Alas, it was Terminal A, so the plane - which landed on Runway 4 - had to taxi the length of the runway, and no international flights leave from Term A anyway.  I could feel the frustration of those passengers.  For those seated in First Class, the flight attendant got United to issue a travel voucher (Anne and I each got $100).

A decent meal of creole shrimp over rice served on the IAH-EWR flight.

As I suspected, Terminal A wasn't ready for disruptions.  All the restaurants were closed.  We took an Uber home.  The driver suggested we wait at the Lyft stops as Uber drivers have to contend with more traffic.  Which won't happen with a better-designed terminal.

Our frig was quite empty, so Anne and I had instant noodles.

Hong Kong. March 15 - 28, 2025.

The Garsson kids have two week off for their spring break, so this trip to Hong Kong became possible.  We were entertaining a side trip to Bangkok, but decided to nix the idea as logistics seemed a bit daunting.  Tim had just vacated the apartment at Repulse Bay, so we could make use of it, saving on accommodation expenses, and have enough room for the seven of us.

Saturday 3/15.  First time pre-ordered Uber to leave our house at 4 am.  Worked very well.  While upgrade for our LAX-HKG segment was confirmed a few days ago, we didn't expect to be upgraded for the EWR-LAX portion, so I was pleasantly surprised that we did get it.  The flight was full, so Reid and Maisie had a "stranger" next to them - they were okay.  LAX's United Club was strict about guest policy, so Anne used one of her Club passes to get all seven of us into the lounge.  They served a reasonable breakfast.  Our flight's gate was at Terminal 6, and the United Club is at T7, so it took a few minutes to get to the lounge.

We actually had the same aircraft for both flights, they managed to fix the clogged toilet during the layover.  The LAX-HKG flight wasn't all that full, Ellie's family had one empty seat between them.  However, a family with two babies managed to disturb all of us during most of the flight.  (Of course the parents didn't get any rest either.)  The three kids managed some sleep, Apple Watch said I had less than 2 hours.  There were strong headwinds that made this a 15:30 hours (airtime) flight.  On the same day flights in the other direction took 12 1/2 hours.

Premium Economy on the EWR-LAX flight offered a meal at takeoff, and one before landing.  They were both breakfasts.  So the breakfast at LAX United Club was my third one.  The prearrival meal on UA801 was also breakfast, so four altogether.

Taken at EWR at 5 am on day of departure.

Three egg breakfasts for this trip.  This was served on EWR-LAX flight after takeoff.

Another meal was served before landing at LAX.

LAX-HKG had two full meal services.  For lunch it was beef, this was pre-arrival HKG breakfast, somewhat puzzling as flight landed around 6 pm.  Including the one at LAX United Club, I had 4 breakfasts during the trip.

Sunday 3/16.  Plane landed at 6:15 pm.  Anne decided to go with Ellie through the visitor lanes, while I zipped through the HK residents lane.  All quite straightforward.  Since Repulse Bay is not an area you can readily get food, we stayed at the airport to have dinner at Crystal Jade.  Then it was buying Airport Express tickets and Octopus cards before we took the Airport Express to Hong Kong Station.  From there two taxis brought us to Repulse Bay.  Tim had the beds made up, some food (instant noodles and bread, mostly), and a car ready for us.

Dinner at HKG Crystal Jade before we left the airport.

Everly unpacking at Repulse Bay apartment.

Accommodations: Repulse Bay apartment (entire trip, except for two nights in Tung Chung).

Monday 3/17.  The Garssons took a walk down to Repulse Bay while Anne and I got groceries from Market Place at Repulse Bay.  Tim has given me use of his car, and I am reasonably comfortable driving to Repulse Bay.  Market Place is a subsidiary of Wellcome, while things seem expensive, I am told they are priced the same as Wellcome stores.

Peak adventure was next.  Taxi's to the Central Peak Tram station, and then the Tram up: it really felt like an amusement park ride now.  Lunch at Mak Noodles at the Peak.  The Garssons (except Everly) walked around the Peak on Lugard Road.  Anne and I stayed behind with Everly.

After the Garssons left, Anne and I went to CWB where we met Ruth and Stephen for a short while, and we then bought some takeout food back to Repulse Bay for dinner.

Over thirty years ago Joe and Ellie would run around the parking lot.  Now it's our grandchildren's turn.  The apartment building is being renovated, this is the ground level.

View from the Peak hasn't changed all that much over the years.  Of course when I was a kid the only skyscraper was the Connaught Centre (now called Jardine House), visible on the right side of the photo.  It's now dwarfed by the IFC a bit to its left.

Three generations  Everly is holding a clover leaf, plucked from the drain in the back.

Tuesday 3/18.  Lunch was at the Hong Kong Yacht Club, hosted by Kenneth.  We then took the MTR and the ferry to go to Kwun Tong where Anne got her HK ID renewed - the process itself took about 15 minutes..  We then joined the Garssons for "vegetarian tea" at JaJa in Wanchai.

Reid slept on a sofa in the living room for a few days.  Eventually he moved to share a bed with his parents.

Kenneth and Anna hosted lunch at the Yacht Club.

Vegetarian afternoon tea at the JaJa Restaurant.

No idea whether there is any significance to these stuffed animals.

Wednesday 3/19.  It was Ellie's turn to get her new HK ID.  Since she lost her ID, she could go to Wanchai for the equally quick process.  While she had to pay HK$370 for the replacement cost, it would save two trips to Kwun Tong.

The seven of us then went to Shatin, the Garssons walked up to the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas, while Everly stayed with us in the Shatin Plaza area.  She really enjoyed playing at the Dino Land Playground.  Reid and Maisie also spent some time in it after they returned.

Justin invited the Garssons to the Jockey Club for dinner.  Anne and I ate at the food court at Hysan Place.  We also bought a few books for the children at Eslite.

At the base of the walk to Temple of 10,000 Buddhas.

Everly stayed behind and had a lot of fun at Dino Land located in the Shatin MTR plaza.

We were used to this view of Middle Island and Ocean Park when we lived in Hong Kong in the early 1990s.

Thursday 3/20.  Anne and I went to Lingnan Club for lunch with friends from Cornell.  I have joined them on several occasions, this was Anne's first time.  Elaine (a year ahead of us at Cornell) also joined the gathering.  We ate for free as they insisted that people from overseas are guests.  It was good to catch up.

For the Garssons today was Ocean Park day.  Anne and I joined them after lunch.  With an MTR station nearby the park was easy to get to.  Seniors over age 65 can visit for free.  I was pleasantly surprised at how nice the place looked.  We got on only one ride, though (the "skyview" - not sure what the actual name is).

For dinner we had BBQ at 20/F.  Tim and Whitney were also invited.  There was a lot of food, expertly prepared over a grill.

Since we decided not to go to Thailand during this trip, we moved our flights up by a day.  Not only did we get back a small credit ($45 and $12 for us), we also got confirmed upgrades to Premium Economy on the HKG-LAX flight.

Cornell Lunch at Lingnan Club.  The "newer" faces are Abraham, Tony, and Ronald.

We caught up with the Garssons at Ocean Park afterwards.  Free entrance for senior citizens.  A bit overdressed for the place.

View of South Hong Kong from the Ocean Park cable car.

View at sunset.

Friday 3/21.  The Garssons went to Kowloon, Anne and I joined them at the Star House Jade Restaurant.

Hope International had a fundraising dinner at the American Club.  The main guest was Christine Braingana from Rwanda.  Tim and Whitney also attended.  They gave us a ride home.

Our Uber driver to Exchange Square was an interesting character.  He is retired, lives in Sai Kung, drives a Tesla (which works well in Hong Kong), and - most surprisingly - is a member of the rather exclusive Hong Kong Yacht Club.  He mentioned he would be in a yacht race on Sunday, and sure enough we saw groups of yachts leaving Middle Island for races.

Star House Jade Restaurant.

What we ordered at Jade.

Shrimp toast and French toast, Queen's Cafe, The Southside.

Saturday 3/22.  Visited Stanley Market in the morning, then taxi to Aberdeen Boat Club to get on Tim's boat.  Traffic was so bad that there wasn't enough time to pick up Whitney, so she missed the trip.  Kuau, Ellie, Reid and Maisie were dropped off at Sok Kwu Wan to hike to Yung Shue Wan (with Tim).  Those who didn't want to hike stayed on the boat.  We had a late lunch/early dinner at the Man Fung Seafood Restaurant.  The boat then swung by Repulse Bay and Deep Water Bay before heading back to the pier.  We had enough at the restaurant so ate only snacks for dinner.

The Uber driver told us about yacht racing from the Yacht Club (Middle Island) on Saturdays.  We saw groups of yachts leaving the marina this morning.

Writing out Reid's Chinese name, Stanley Market.

Stanley Market.

Fishing boat towing some sampans along.

Late lunch at the Man Fung Restaurant on Lamma Island.

Crab over rice is the signature dish.

Sunday 3/23.  Lunch at Country Club with the Koo's.  Altogether about 24 people.  Larry brought Anne and I back to Repulse Bay while Ellie's family stayed behind so their kids and Justin's can play together.  Dinner was hosted by Tim at the Pacific View Club House Restaurant.  We also used the occasion to celebrate Alyson's passing her Royal College of Surgeons exam.  Whitney and Tim drove us home.

We also decided to travel to Tung Chung for a couple of days to visit some sights in Lantau Island: Ngong Ping 360, Tai O Village, and Disneyland.  We have time probably to see two of the three as we need to be back by early afternoon on Wednesday.

Lunch at Country Club hosted by Larry and Elaine.

The younger generations (well, Elaine joined them).

Dinner at the Pacific View Club House.  Alyson passed her FRCS exam the day before.

Monday 3/24.  We got to Tung Chung via Uber to Hong Kong Station, and then MTR to Tung Chung.  A relatively easy journey to navigate, even with luggage (2 rollers for the 7 of us).  While others wait at the MTR stop, Kuau and I got a taxi to go to Sheraton, where we have 2 room reservations.  Given how early we were, it was no surprise that no rooms were available.  We were given a pass key to the Executive Lounge and decided to check it out before heading back to City Gate (next to MTR).  This time we took the hotel shuttle, which was quite full.

After lunch we headed to Ngong Ping 360 for the 25-minute cable car ride to NP where Ngong Ping Village (a tourist attraction) and the Big Buddha beckon.  The Garssons climbed up to the statue, and I did that towards the end of our stay.

When we passed by the bus terminus, I noticed there was a line waiting for Bus 21 to Tai O, which meant the bus was about to show up.  The Garssons didn't want to go, so Anne and I went on a side trip by ourselves.  At Tai O we joined a "heritage and dolphin tour" which in 20 minutes took us through a waterway lined with houses on stilts, and then out into the bay to look for dolphins.  The latter is a hit or miss, and today it was a miss.  (I had seen the dolphins on prior trips.)  We had a simple dinner at a local restaurant, and then took the 6 pm ferry back to Tung Chung.

It was a short walk along a promenade from the ferry terminal to the hotel, even though Google suggests a circuitous route that would take 35 minutes.  As "supplementary dinner" we ate at the hotel's lounge.

Reid would stay with us during our stay.

Gondola on NP360 on way to Ngong Ping from Tung Chung.  It's a 25 minute ride covering over 3 miles.

NP Village caters to tourists.  There are items that seem available only at this location.

The Garssons preparing to climb the 250 steps to Big Buddha.  Everly joined the hike.

Anne and I had Tofu dessert.  HK$22 for a bowl.

I decided to climb up the steps also.

On the Scenic Tai O and Dolphin tour.

We had a quick meal (fried noodles and tofu) before we left Tai O.  (Photo from web.)

Ferry from Tai O to Tung Chung.

The Gang-Zhu-Ao bridge tunnel system is 34 miles in length.  By comparison, the Chesapeake bridge tunnel is about 1/2 the length.

Accommodations: Sheraton Tung Chung (2 nights).

Tuesday 3/25.  The hotel offers free buffet breakfast to Platinum Elite guests.  So we all ate to our hearts' content this morning.

Anne left with the Garssons at around 9 am to go to Disneyland.  They mentioned long lines for park security.  I started my trip with the 10:20 am shuttle to MTR, took the MTR to Sunny Bay, then the Disney MTR to the park.  Including security and admission, I was in the park at around 11:05 am - no complaints.

During our park visit, we basically stayed together as a group.  Anne and I did peel off every now and then to do our own things: It's a Small World being one of them.  At around 5 pm Anne and I were to take Everly back.  She wouldn't be able to stay in the park long enough for the 8:30 pm fireworks.  We did hit the Jungle Cruise and It's a Small World with her, which she enjoyed.  One of the highlights for her was the Caramel Popcorn we bought before we left the park.  Both the Disney and Tung Chung lines were quite crowded, but we managed.  Anne took Everly back to the hotel to prepare for bed while I stopped at Cafe de Coral for dinner.

The others stayed for the fireworks - which Reid said wasn't that impressive - and came home via taxi.  Anne and I then went across the street for takeout; she hadn't eaten yet.

Kuau, Reid, Maisie and I were seated in the first row in this RC Racer ride.

The cars go back and forth on a "horseshoe."

Anne and I went on It's A Small World.  The line was short.

All of us a Adventureland.

On the Jungle Cruise conducted in "English."  The River Guide wouldn't let his lack of command of the language curb his enthusiasm.

Everly kept telling us afterwards that things were not real.

Riding It's A Small World with Everly.

This meal at Cafe de Coral cost HK$89.

Anne's dinner (what's left of it).

Wednesday 3/26.  After breakfast at the hotel Anne and I were ready to return to town.  We had to rush a bit so that we could first drop off the luggage at Repulse Bay and then to the HK Club to meet up with Larry and Elaine for lunch.

After lunch we went back to Kwun Tong to collect Anne's new ID card, we had to use MTR as the North Point to KT ferry did not run in mid-afternoon.  We did catch the ferry on the return trip, then stayed in the NP area to have "tea" (mostly to while away an hour or so), and then it was to The Southside for dinner with Tim+ and Ruth+.  Whitney dropped us back at RB.

Enjoying buffet breakfast at Sheraton Tung Chung.  Free for Platinum members.

North Point to Kwun Tong ferry.

Peking Duck at Huayan Banquet, The Southside.

Thursday 3/27.  Today was the last full day for us in Hong Kong.  Ellie went off to collect her HK ID card, and her family then went first to M+ then to Rosewood for tea (at lunch time).  Anne met her sister at the Country Club to chat, I then joined them to visit their family's old homes (Des Voeux Road West) - the buildings were torn down in the 1960s and rebuilt, the street address (147 and 186) are still "valid."

I left the sisters to get to Tim's office at 1 pm for some hyaluronic acid shots for my knees, followed by a simple lunch at the Causeway Bay Cafe de Coral.

All of us then congregated in the Li Yuen East/West area to do some shopping; Anne and I managed to snack at the "Miu Miu" cafe on LY West.  To my chagrin I found out the "Swiss Cafe" is just a couple of shops down - that was the one I was looking for.  Maybe next time I visit.

The Garssons bought some food to bring back to the apartment for dinner; Anne and I stayed at The Southside, eventually sharing a meal at Food Lab (essentially a more expensive CdC).  The taxi driver that took us back to Repulse Bay is from the same village I grew up in the New Territories (and it's a small village), and he told us where best to get cabs coming out of the Mall.

It's now time to prepare for the journey home.  We booked cars for 5:45 am tomorrow morning.

Based on the birth certificate of Anne's uncle, we visited two locations on Des Voeux Road West.

These are packages of Chinese caterpillar fungus.  The larger specimens sell for US$4000 per box.  For the month of March a 25% discount is offered.

World's "longest" escalator is not what it is cracked up to be.  Practical for commuters, though.

Friday 3/28.  All things considered, it was a smooth journey home.  We left the RB apartment at 5:45 am on Friday, and got back to NJ around 6 pm the same day.  So about 24 hours door to door.  HKG gate departure (8:12 am) to EWR gate arrival (5:01 pm) was a "short" 21 hours.  No one got much sleep during these back-to-back day flights, Everly probably didn't understand why she felt so bad at the end of the journey and cried quite a bit after we landed in NJ.

Reserved Uber worked out very well, with a load of 3 or 4 (we used two regular Ubers) the price different with using Airport Express was minimal, and it took only 45 minutes as there was minimal traffic that early in the day.  The motorway to the airport was surprising busy, as buses and trains start at around 6 am.

The United APP lists several Plaza Premium lounges as facilities in Hong Kong.  The one located near Gate 35 said United uses the Singapore Airlines lounge (quite far away) as the one used by United customers.  Anne's and my Priority Passes allow 2 guests each, and Ellie volunteered to not join us.  The receptionist decided to let her in (she had to fill out some form), which was nice of him.  We all gulped down some breakfast before boarding the plane.

UA153 had a light load, so the Garssons had empty seats between them.  Anne and I got upgraded on the HKG-LAX flight, we all spent some time in the coach section - I to watch Deadpool and Wolverine without disturbing others, Anne to sleep as she could take all three seats.  We did stay in Premium Economy for the better meal service.

We got in before 6 am, and were let out of the plane.  Evidently LAX immigration starts earlier.  Anne and I breezed through using MPC, ahead of Ellie with her Global Entry.  (To be fair, they had trouble with Everly's photo because of camera location.)  The other experiment was to see if taking the transfer bus would be faster than walking from TBIT to Terminal 7.  The bus beat the walk by a minimal amount.  We went through TSA precheck without using CLEAR as the latter didn't seem to provide any advantage this early in the day.

At LAX we visited the United Club, again using Anne's club pass for the seventh in our party.  All the kids ate well during this trip.  We were happy to see Reid enjoying the food as he tends to be picky in what he eats.

Measured by the reactions of the grandchildren, the trip was a success.  Living in Repulse Bay meant transportation logistics issues, but they were not overwhelming.  We got to spend close to two weeks with Ellie and her family, which was to be treasured.

Another egg breakfast on United Airlines.

No one got much sleep during the trip back to NJ.

Bangkok suffered an earthquake on March 28.  We were originally thinking of visiting it during this trip, but decided to not do it.  (We would have left on 3/27 in any case.)

The Garssons took a taxi back to Hoboken, Anne and I got an Uber.