Flying to Monterey

We received a fantastic wedding present from our friends Alexander and Sheryn: a day trip to Monterey via airplane!



Eunice and Sheryn in the "back seat." Communicating via headsets made me feel cool.



Views over the salt flats and Silicon Valley after taking off



Looking down at Rt. 1 and the coastline. This sure beats sitting in traffic!



Landing at the "Million-Air" terminal in Monterey. Very luxurious...



Dipping our toes in the ocean. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon... thanks Alexander and Sheryn!

Eunice's 30th Birthday Cruise

Eunice and Grace prepare to board the Hornblower Admiral for a birthday cruise with friends and family.




You couldn't ask for a more beautiful evening on the Bay, and we all want to go under the Golden Gate Bridge. Dad insists over the objections of the Captain, and soon we are heading straight into massive swells as we cross under the bridge.

Dad and Adam are on the bow as we plow into a wave, sending water sloshing over the deck

We successfully turn around in between the waves, and suffer nothing more then a good drenching! Time to head to calm waters outide Sausalito for some dinner on the boat.

Things are much more calm after dinner. Here's the birthday girl and the lights of San Francisco.

Thanks Dad and Nancy!

The friends and family who helped us celebrate Eunice's 30th. Happy Birthday Eunice!

Eunice's Birthday Weekend

Take 1 on Eunices birthday weekend-- to Lake Tahoe, and back in 12 hours due to some sad news. A brief stop on Echo Lake on our way home...

Take 2: Down to Santa Cruz for a morning on the beach


Then into Nisene Marks State Park above Santa Cruz for a 1 night backpacking trip

We climbed through the redwoods...

..to some fantastic views over the coast|

The flowers were in bloom

We found a beautiful spot on a ridge to cook dinner and watch the sun set over the ocean.

Moonrise over Santa Cruz

Happy 30th Birthday Eunice!

2005 U.S. Grand Prix

Adam and Ryan join the Sabato brother's annual outing to the U.S. Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Click here for photos.

Black & White Ball 2005

Time for the Black & White Ball, San Francisco's Symphony fundraiser (and the perfect excuse to bust out the wedding atttire!)

The events are all held around San Franciso's city center, with dozens of different bands performing in all of the city's public places. Here are Adam and Ryan grabbing a bite in front of city hall.


With Jesse and Eileen + Adam and Rachel as the sun goes down and they light up the buildings around the Civic Center.


Jesse with the ladies, ready to hit the floor for some big band swing dancing.

On the dancefloor-- is someone sick of having her picture taken?

The finale the music was a totally cheesy performance by the Village People

What does that spell? ("YMCA" backwards, in case you didn't catch it).

Post-"party" on Adam's couch South of Market. What an evening!

Ryan's 30th Birthday Weekend

The crew for Ryan's 30th birthday celebration in Sonoma: Adam and Rachel, Jason and Tiffin, Grace and Alonzo, Phil and Nicky, and Jesse and Eileen

Tasting at Roshambo Winery, home of the world rock-paper-scissors championship. The lady behind the counter gave Ryan a free t-shirt, which is now one of his favorites.


We rented a huge house for the group, and Ryan forced everyone to compete for the prime bedrooms through an all-night tournament of games. (Hey, it was my birthday, and I was into it!)

Guess who won?

Giving the little brother advice :)

And of course no birthday is complete without a freezing late night swim!

Best of 2004

Our fondest memories from 2004...

Ahhh... the second half of the second life of business school: Good memories indeed. Spring Break '04 staying at Jerry's place in Honolulu and touring the Big Island, Pinky's 80th Birthday Party in San Diego with the Hills, Spring in Tahoe skiing with friends, and Memorial Day Camping in the Sierras.

Then came the graduation festivities: a week of "Disorientation" events, followed by the Graduation itself. An end of an era!

Before Ryan started work again, there was still time for Karen and Alex's Wedding in Houston, and a Backpacking to Minaret Lake with Jim Sharky.

And then, of course, the epic Nichols family trip to Tibet: we traveled to the roof of the world and discover for ourselves legendary cloud-shrouded mountains, the mysteries and realities of Buddhism, and the spirit and strength of the Tibetan people as they confront a modern China.

We ended the year with the ultimate roadtrip, from Palo Alto to the tip of Baja and back: 4 nights sleeping on the beach as we work our way south, an unforgettable New Year's Eve celebration in Cabo San Lucas, 4 days of recovery at a beachfront condo, and 3,579 miles under our belt before getting home. Our partners in crime? Jesse and Eileen on the drive down and Grace and Alonzo for our time in Los Cabos.

Click here for a close-up of the collage of the best of 2004.

Baja Baby

The ultimate roadtrip, from Palo Alto to the tip of Baja and back: 4 nights sleeping on the beach as we work our way south, an unforgettable New Year's Eve celebration in Cabo San Lucas, 4 days of recovery at a beachfront condo, and 3,579 miles under our belt before getting home. Our partners in crime? Jesse and Eileen on the drive down and Grace and Alonzo for our time in Los Cabos. Click here for photos..

Pilgrimage to Tibet

"My own mind's Tibet,
secret soaring roof of world--
found, and found far more."

Between July 18th and August 15, 2004, the Nichols clan embarked on the adventure of a lifetime: we traveled to Tibet to explore the roof of the world and discover for ourselves legendary cloud-shrouded mountains, the mysteries and realities of Buddhism, and the spirit and strength of the Tibetan people as they confront a modern China. Ryan had just graduated from two years at Stanford Business School and arrived in Tibet early for a week-long trek with classmate Dave Weickhardt. Eunice managed to take a three-week sabbatical from work and joined Ryan a week later. Ryan's father Michael, stepmother Nancy, brother Adam, and Adam's girlfriend Rachel met up with us for our final two weeks of adventure in this magical land.


Dave and Ryan's Trek from Ganden to Samye 
7/18 - 7/28
The adventure began with a week-long trek with Ryan's friend and GSB classmate David Weickhardt. After a quick stop in Chengdu and some time in Lhasa seeing the sites and getting used to the altitude, we set off on our six-day trek between two of the most important monasteries in Tibet-- Ganden and Samye. We walked 50 miles, climbed two seventeen-thousand foot passes, dealt with rain, snow and hail, and handled more than our fair share of altitude sickness before walking down from the mountains and through the desert surrounding Samye's golden spires. Just when we thought the adventure was over, our bus got stuck in a river on the way back to the airport. What a trip!


Eunice and Ryan's Journey from Lhasa to Shigatse
7/28 - 8/1
After meeting in the airport and heading back to the wonderful Mandala Hotel, we spent a couple of days exploring Lhasa before deciding to check out Shigatse, the second largest town in Tibet. The main road was closed and the side roads were flooded, meaning that we spent 22 hours over 2 very full days traveling the 150 miles between these two towns on unbelievably bad roads in various forms of public transportation. The ride was worth it though, for the beautiful views traveling over the passes, the wonderful statues at Tashilhunpo Monastery, and the markets of Shigatse.


The Nichols' tour of Lhasa
8/2 - 8/3
Eunice and Ryan met up with the rest of the Nichols clan in Lhasa to join their Mountain Travel Sobek tour, led by the amazing Cathy Ann. We toured Drepung and Sera Monasteries on the outskirts of Lhasa, had tea with the Abbot of Sera Monastery, watched the monks hold afternoon debates, toured the Jokhang Temple, and visited the Dali Lama's former home, the Potala Palace.



The Nichols' trek to Namtso
8/4 - 8/8
We departed for Damxung and started our long hike up and over the river valley that would take us to Namtso-- "Heavenly Lake." We hiked past yak-hair nomad tents and mountainside monasteries, over glaciated valleys, and through narrow gorges to reach Kong La, a 17,200 foot pass which offered our first views of our magnificent destination.



The Nichols' pilgrimage at Namtso
8/8 - 8/9
After visiting several nomads' camps, we walked to our camp at the foot of the cliffs of Tashi Do, the auspicious rock jutting into the 800 square mile Namtso Lake at 15,060 feet. We made a kora around Tashi Do, exploring the hermitage on the shores of the lake and its remarkable monastery, grottos, cave temples, and twin limestone watchtowers. In the distance, we could see the snowy Nyenchen Thanglha peaks across the turquoise waters, reaching 23,249 feet.



The Nichols' side-trip to Beijing
8/10 - 8/14
Although altitude sickness forced us to spend a couple more days in Beijing than we'd originally planned, we stuck together as a family and made the most of our time in the capital of China. We toured Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Hongqiao Market, and took a fantastic day-trip out to the "Wild Wall." Not to mention sampling some of Beijing's finest food and lodging!

GSB Graduation

On June 12, Ryan received his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Here are photos of that weekend with family and friends.

GSB Disorientation

The week before business school graduation is called "Disorientation," and is filled with hikes, bike rides, and river trips during the day and lots and lots of parties during the night. A great end to a great two years of higher education.Click here for photos

Pinky's 80th Birthday Weekend

On the weekend of 4/17-4/18, Pinky's children and grandchildren gathered in San Diego to celebrate her 80th birthday with a weekend of table tennis, hearts, parcheesi, good food, and family fun.Click Here for Photos

Best of 2003

We started 2003 in San Diego, recovering from our big night out with Adam, Fran, and Morgan. On New Year's day, we woke up early for an 8 hour drive to San Francisco, a 2 hour flight to Vancouver, and a 3 hour drive to Whistler. We joined 200 of Ryan's GSB classmates at Whistler for 4 days of skiing and some time with family in Vancouver.

Then it was back to the "grind" of the first year of business school and our life in Palo Alto... with lots of little breaks to keep things interesting! We made a winter trip to New York where we visited Ryan's old roommates, ate at Peter Lugar's, and caught up with lots of good friends. We stayed closer to home on President's Day Weekend, hosting dinner parties and hanging out with David and Jennifer (getting bigger and bigger!) before heading off to Pinnacles National Monument for a weekend of camping, just the two of us.

Of course there were also loads of business school events: One Tuesday night later in February, 300 of Ryan's business-school classmates dressed up in 70's gear and headed to Las Vegas for a one-night party called "Vegas FOAM." Eunice decided to jump into the fray and became the head of the business school partner's group, planning parties, events, and outings (including a trip to see the elephant seals at Anu Nuevo State Park). And no spring would be complete without a late-season trip to Tahoe with friends, a baseball game at PacBell park, a ride on a segway, and beers with friends in the backyard of our cottage in Palo Alto.

Melody was born in April.... and we were at the hospital moments after her arrival! How exciting to have our first niece so close to home! And Benson and Danielle were married later in July, bringing lots of Eunice's family to the Bay Area (and our house) for more celebration!

To celebrate Dad's 60th birthday, the Nichols boys took a 10 day road-trip through the north and south islands of New Zealand (boys only, much to Eunice's chagrin!). We drove 2000 miles, landed on a glacier in a helicopter, swam with dolphins, climbed a volcano, kayaked to a remote beach, jumped off an underground waterfall, and sampled lots of excellent food and drink. Happy birthday, Dad!

We spent more and more time outside with the arrival of the Bay Area spring. We took a great family hike through Big Basin, meeting Adam's girlfriend Rachel for the first time. Jesse and Lee came out for a visit from New York to visit wine country, do some volunteer work with Eunice, and do some incredible hiking in Yosemite. Susan's visit over the summer was a great chance to enjoy the arrival of summer in the city and cool off in Stanford's fountains. We relived our days in San Francisco for Eunice's Birthday, staying at a B&B in North Beach, having a wonderful meal at Cafe Jacqueline, and enjoying a great hike out to the beach.

We went out to New York again in July to celebrate Tej's Wedding and to spend July 4th in the city, watching the fireworks from a swimming pool by the river (thanks to Jesse's park's department connections!). We finished the summer with a weekend visit to San Diego and a weekend trip to Virginia for cousin Carrie and Pete's wedding.

Ryan spent his summer trying out product management at Intuit, but September brought the start of his second year at business school. It started off strong-- he led a mountain biking trip
up in Lake Tahoe for the new first year students.

We went back to New York in October to see Mamie's dance performance and connect with the New York crew again. We spent our first Halloween in the Castro with Josh and Christine, using Adam's house party as a base to avoid the madness.

Thanksgiving was a huge family event-- the Nichols, the Barons, AND the entire Lin / Tang family, all at Dad and Nancy's place for dinner! After an epic day in the Marina, we went with Eunice's family down to Carmel.

This was also the debut of Eunice's first short film, "New Beginnings," about 3 generations of mothers in her family. You can check out the film here (give it a couple of seconds to load)-- its only about 12 minutes.

After Christmas eve with family at the Hills, the two of us escaped for a week-long road trip to Death Valley. We fell in love with this place-- camping in the desert in the winter is a magical experience. Then it was back to the craziness of the Bay Area for a New Year's Eve wedding: Patricia and Adam threw a fantastic party, providing the perfect finale to a great year.