Tail end of 2023 Summer

 I can not believe that time really flies so fast. I did not have time to leave any post in August and the summer of 2023 ended. 

Since rowing ended at the end of July, August became a REAL free month of summer. Actually, we did not go far away from home. Emily and Alice attended 2-week squash summer camp in MSqaush. We stayed at La Quinta in Stamford as our base and went back and forth to pick up two girls. Jolie had finished her summer curriculum, and I took Vertex summer shutdown and some advantages of remote working. Two girls also had two squash silver tournaments to earn some points and aimed to have the opportunity to be in Philadelphia for the US OPEN this December. 

Emily and her friends went to Six Flags New England on one of the weekends in August. Since I was a driver, I had a very mini trip to Holyoke mall and visited Ashley Reservoir, Holyoke, for my "cross-country running. The weather was good, and 4.5 miles loop trail is a beautiful spot for scenic running. I also saw many families walk or bike on a flat path. I am wondering why the dogs are prohibited. After google, this is reserved water supply and wildlife for Holyoke. 

Wild birds walking near Ashley Pond

I had one thing for the record: I went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada for ICPE 2023. This was the first time I left the US after I came to the US in May 2021. Probably Canada looked very similar to here, and I only found myself in the customs when I came back and was asked to show my green card. Halifax seems like a tourist site, though. 

International Flight from Logan to Halifax

At the end of August, one of my old friends in Taiwan stayed with us for two days before returning to Taiwan. He went to Washington DC and swung by with many thoughtful gifts, such as pineapple cakes, Taiwanese tea, and snacks. When he shared his experience back in Taiwan, it rang a bell! It reminded me of where I came from and what I had been through in Taiwan medical society in the past 15 years. Very interestingly, I did not feel remorse about our decision to leave and almost started from scratch for our new life here. We are very surprised that he studied how to cook seafood to balance the tense pressure as a surgeon. This was also the first time we learned the price of mussels here is cheap. He also shared how to cook a delicious dish using mussels, basil, white wine, garlic, and chili. 

Hsu Kang-Hong shared the recipe for mussels in white wine.

Our 2023 summer came in an end, and kids are already prepared well for new school opening!