CROWNED

My first major dental work in years finally came to a close.

I got my gold crown. All nice and shiny for now. My wife wanted me to go porcelain, but I liked gold and went for it.

I had a temporary since July 31. When I went in to get my gold on September 4, it wouldn't sit right on my tooth. According to the dentist and his staff, the lab blew it. I wanted an appointment on September 11, but that was too early so I had it rescheduled for September 25.

With the temporary, food kept getting jammed in between my teeth. Floss, floss, floss.

So finally after all these weeks.

"Don't eat sticky candy." Dang.

DR. MAO'S SECRETS OF LONGEVITY

The following was compliments of Yahoo!:

Diets are very hard, as is the feeling of being overweight. Many of these fad diets may promise instant and significant weight loss results, but most of them rely on depriving your body of certain nutrients and disrupting the natural function of your body's metabolism. Chinese medicine considers obesity to be partly the result of declining function of the metabolic fire of the kidney network and a diet that provides a well-balanced array of nutrients is the key to losing weight in a healthy way. What follows are five foods that will help you restore your body's ability to use energy and help you become your healthy weight.

1. Millet: A well-balanced diet should consist of whole grains instead of refined grains like white rice and pasta, and millet is a beneficial and delicious staple of this category of food. This non-glutinous grain is over 10-percent protein, has high amounts of fiber and B-complex vitamins, and because it isn't an acid forming food, is easy to digest.

2. Asparagus: When losing weight, it's important to favor chlorophyll-rich foods, including asparagus. Asparagus is a nutrient-rich vegetable packed with folate, vitamins A, C, and K, and fiber. Asparagus also contains a carbohydrate known as inulin (not to be confused with insulin) that promotes healthy bacteria in the large intestine - which in turn promotes a healthier digestive function.

3. Pomegranates: Eating a balanced diet to lose weight should include eating fresh fruits, and pomegranates are a wonderful example of a healthy, nutritious fruit that has antioxidant properties and will help prevent cancer. While the benefits of drinking pomegranate juice have gained a lot of attention recently, you will be more likely to lose weight by eating the fruit fresh to increase your fiber intake and keep the calories down.

4. Pine Nuts: Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pine trees and are considered an essential ingredient in the tasty Italian mixture pesto. Chinese medicine uses pine nuts to improve gastrointestinal tract and digestive functions, and pine nut oil is even used for appetite suppression. Pine nuts and other nuts are a tasty part of a well-balanced diet intended for weight loss.

5. Green Tea: It has been found that consuming large amounts of coffee and caffeine can lead to food cravings, increase one's appetite, and induce stress-related eating. Green tea is a wonderful alternative to coffee in that it does provide a little caffeine but also contains beneficial antioxidants. So drink up!

A healthy diet also includes lean proteins like chicken breast, legumes such as lentils, and other whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. While fad diets may promise a large amount of weight loss in a short period of time, there's almost a guarantee that you will put that weight back on-and then some!

Eat five smaller meals a day, avoid processed foods, chew more slowly, and incorporate more healthy foods into your diet-starting with these five.

I hope this article helps you find foods that can aid in your weight loss goals!

May you live long, live strong, and live happy!

-Dr. Mao

WPNRT

After work, Pam and I drove to the holy city of Lone Pine in preparation for our "easy" 8-mile hike up and back the Whitney Portal National Recreational Trail from Lone Pine Campground. It was a four and one-half hour drive from Fresno, down to Bakerfield, to Highway 58 east to and passed Tehachapi, to Highway 14 and up the 395. We went this route to see how far and how long it would take us to get to Lone Pine once the Tioga Pass road is closed for the winter.

We had to do a Starbucks stop in Tulare. We both got black iced teas. Bakersfield was a mess being it was around 5:00 pm, but once we headed east on Highway 58 towards Tehachapi, it was smooth sailing.

We had to stop and make a "splash and dash" in the Hubcap Capital of the World...Pearsonville!

We stopped at one of the mini-marts just south of Lone Pine to stock up on last minute supplies. We had called in our dinner order at the Pizza Factory and had to make a stop there.

We arrive at our campsite and immediately set up camp in the dark. The lantern was our only source of light until Pam got the fire going.

We dined on lasagna, veggie spaghetti and antipasto salad and called it a night. Very calm. The flowing waters of Lone Pine Creek lulled us to sleep.

Saturday, September 13, 2008
We hit the trail at 8:51 am. The heat was pretty intense until we got passed the six switchbacks and headed for higher and shadier elevations. We spotted some mule deer (all bucks) about 3/4 of a mile into the hike. The only only wildlife we spotted was a Steller's Jay or two. Saw some bear scat on the trail but nothing else.












We reach Whitney Portal at 11:17 am. We stand on the rock where we exchanged wedding vows. We saunter over to the Portal Store to look around before ordering lunch. I ordered a Portal Burger and Fries while Pam ordered just the fries. Damn good!

We then headed back down the trail at 12:34 pm and reached the trailhead at Lone Pine Campground at 2:29. Again no encounters of any kind except for a few hikers here and there near the campgrounds. Pam and I never did encounter any hikers going up or coming down from Lone Pine Campground.

The hike according to my Garmin was about 8.08 miles and took us 4 hours and 21 minutes.

After cleaning up, we headed into town to get more supplies. Pam cooked up some organic vegetables and rice to go along with our salmon. Delicious. That night, the waxing gibbous moon was spectacular.

There were no bear sightings.









The WPNRT provides some of the best framing shots for both amateur and professional photographers.


Sunday, September 14, 2008

We broke camp around 8:00 am and headed to town to have breakfast at the Mt. Whitney Restaurant.

We drove up to Bishop to get a cup of coffee at the Looney Bin. We did not stop at Schat's Bakkery.

We turned off onto Tioga Pass road and stopped at the bridger over the Tuolumne River to soak our feet. The river is considerably low this time of year.

We stopped off at Olmsted Point to take in some of the grand vistas of Half Dome, Clouds Rest and Tenaya Canyon.





Many of the erratics left by glaciers long ago.





Erratics.





Tenaya Lake way in the back.

Looking towards Tenaya Lake.

If Half Dome could only be THIS easy.

Half Dome and Quarter Dome. If one won't get you, the other one DEFINITELY will!







If you are planning a trip to Tuolumne Meadows, there is no gas service. The gas station is having its leaking underground storage tanks being replaced.












Wherever I may roam...

FIRE

A structural fire broke out just less than 1/4 mile from our house around 5:15 p.m.

Pam and I got home around 5:00. I went out into our backyard and smelled smoke. I surmised it was the Tehipite fire that was still burning miles away near Kings Canyon.

I came back inside the house and Pam is walking towards me in the hallway to the den and said she smelled smoke as if it were in the house. I told her it is smoky outside.

I went to the garage to start loading gear for our upcoming camping trip in the Sierra Nevada. As I come out of the garage through the garage door I glance to my right and couldn't help but notice this tall column of black smoke from the west coming from the other side of the next crest.
I went back in the house and dialed 911 as I walked out towards the street. The dispatch said fire crews were on the way to the fire on Road 400.

"Road 400? Ma'am, the fire is burning in Yosemite Lakes Park and I am located about 1/4 mile from the fire!"

She said nothing more. I left it at that.

Within 10 minutes of making that 911 call that fire became a grass fire. Where are the fire crews?


I hear sirens but they are down in the valley. They are going the wrong way! They are going down Road 400.

I see the Fire Chief vehicle off in the distance on the next crest.

In the meantime, our street has become a parking lot with onlookers.

I walk down to our neighbor's house down in the draw. I ring the doorbell. No one is home. They have horses. They are calm, but for how long? As I was making my way back up their driveway, my neighbor comes flying down the driveway. I give him the situation and if there was anything we could do, we would be willing to assist.

Soon, there was an OV-10A Airtactical spotter plane circling overhead.



Two other aircraft soon arrived. An S-2A Airtanker swoops in and delivers its 800 gallon load of fire retardant. It is amazing how they can drop this right on target. Another tanker, an S2-T Airtanker delivers its 1200 gallons of fire retardant with a direct hit. Both planes make two drops each.

We could hear the bulldozer that was called in to establish a fire break. We did not see it, but you could sure hear it.

Two helicopters arrive on scene to extinguish what little fire was left. One I couldn't recognize, but the other one had this very distinct "wump-wump-wump" sound. Gotta be a Huey. And it was. A UH-1H Huey. The little chopper that could. It appeared to us that everytime that Huey filled up the bucket with water a majority of the water spilled out. You could see it draining from the bucket in flight. I was reminded of cartoon characters running with a bucket of water only to have a drop left to douse the fire.

After the helicopters left the ground crew moved in with their chainsaws.

Around 9:00 p.m. the embers were still glowing. Our neighbors down below were still outside watching and listening to all that was going on.

Thanks to the efforts of the CDF fire crews the fire was contained and no other structures were damaged. For a moment there, when the wind-fanned inferno flared up, we thought other the houses in the vicinity were going to be destroyed. We had concerns ours would be, too.

It was quite the airshow. Pam and I were amazed at the precision and coordination demonstrated by the fire crews.



Fire retardant being dropped.

One of the helicopters

CYCLE OF LIFE

Delilah, one of the kittens that entered our lives back in May, is gone. The victim of a possible coyote or owl attack on Friday, August 29.

Just that morning, Samson and Delilah accompanied me to get the newspaper. They always scampered about and then dig their claws into the railroad ties that line our driveway and go off into the hillside.

I was in the kitchen reading the paper when I heard a cat scream. I knew something was very wrong. I went outside to look for the cats. I did not see them. I searched all around the house. Nothing

I said nothing to my wife about what I had heard in the kitchen during our commute to work.

All during the day my mind couldn't help but wonder if both cats were okay. Earlier in the week, my in-laws had both cats fixed.

Pam and I got home after work and my mother-in-law mentioned she had not seen Delilah all day. She saw Samson, but not Delilah. I told my mother-in-law what I had heard earlier in the day.

With rattlesnakes, bobcats, coyotes, and scorpions all around us there is no guarantee to the safety of pets. It is a part of life up here.

We will miss Delilah. A very playful and curious kitten. Always getting into things. Always playing with Samson.

Thursday, September 4, when I went to go get the morning paper, Samson was not at his favorite sleeping spot on the padded chair. He was nowhere to be found. This time I told Pam.

Again, we get home, and I do not see him. Then out of nowhere there he was. He plops down at my feet as if to say, "Here I am." I pick him up and take him to the kitchen window to show Pam. A look of relief overtook Pam's face, and Mom looked at me as if to say, "Yeah? So?" Mom tells me that she had been playing with Sampson earlier in the day.

Samson still stays outside. He still accompanies me to get the morning paper. He is a lot more outgoing just like his sister. Plays with his catnip toy. Still banging his head on the table. Wild and riled Samson is.