By Elizabeth R. OuYang Pictures courtesy of Henry Jiang
After calling nearly 20 places for a rental home for President’s Day Weekend, Henry Jiang found a gorgeous, spacious 4 bedroom, 3 full bath, duplex home with a wood burning pipe fireplace, TV and DVD player, a kitchen with ample cutting board space and a large table that sits 13 people in Lake Placid, New York! The only thing he forgot to ask the owner was what decorations were on his walls!!
Sharon, Henry, Liz, Mandy and Kelly, in a Mercedes Benz SUV packed to the roof, drove to Lake Placid, guided by GPS. This SUV was so full that Liz had to reluctantly part with her two tiered steamer, oversized wok and cover and sleeping bag. The further we drove north, the more snow we saw. From the periodic cellular phone calls, we knew Yet, Elisa, Tobby (their dog), Peggy and Wing in a BMW SAV were somewhere behind us and gaining momentum. (SAV stands for Sports Activity Vehicle and SUV for Sports Utility Vehicle-don’t ask what the difference is- I’ll find out on my next trip!) While Yet hoped to catch us and pass us on this 6 hour drive, his BMWX5 was no match for the Mercedes Benz ML 320. The non-cooks, Helen, Mark, and Ysabel lagged two hours behind everyone in their four door non SUV, non SAV, half empty car with no snow tires.
Less than ¼ mile to our final destination, GPS guided us through a forest of trees dotted with snow on their branches. Mandy commented that we were likely to see deer here. Little did we know when we opened the door to our weekend home, there would be a dead real moose head with antlers, open eyes and all, prominently mounted on the wall in the entrance way. As Sharon ventured further to the kitchen, she was startled by an overarching stuffed real goose with outstretched arms. Then, as we turned around, mounted on the living room wall was a full length animal with white fur, paws and head attached. This is where people’s wildlife principles showed their biases. If it were a baby bear, we were truly saddened his or her life was cut short, but if it were a fox, there was far less sympathy. Over the door, there was a scary bear’s head with his mouth open! (Luckily, I didn’t see this, but Henry told me about it later when we were safely in the SUV driving home!) Perched on the leather couch, was a sheepskin cover-Mandy said that was from IKEA!!! Throughout the house, there was bear paraphernalia-bear imprinted towel cloths, bear pictures, and bear soap holders! Needless to say, Tobby was traumatized, wondering if he would be the next victim!!
As we settled in with the dead and live animals, we toasted our safe arrival with champagne, cheese, pate and smoked fish. The next morning, the cross country skiers (Mark, Kelly, Sharon, Ysabel, Mandy and Liz) went to a nearby quaint cross country resort that was only a five mile trail around -perfect for beginners and pleasant scenery for everyone. The snow was like velvet set against a backdrop of open fields, newly built homes and views of the Adirondack Mountains. We went three times around, stopping in their lodge for New England clam chowder and hot chocolate to accompany our homemade sandwiches amid a glowing fireplace. The downhill skiers (Henry, Helen, Wing, and Peggy) and the snowboard couple (Yet and Elisa) ventured to White Face Mountain. Even though the snow was great, the views impeccable and the trails not crowded, no amount of coaxing could convince any of them to ski down black diamond slopes with Henry!
Later, we met back at our “home” for a feast. Without my steamer and wok, we managed to cook a nine course meal!! Sharon made a delicious cold seaweed dish and Henry, his signature soy sauce baby chicken dish. With the aid of Kelly, Mandy, and Ysabel, the microwave, oven and rotating pot washers, we cooked steamed fish, dumplings, two different vegetables, beef and asparagus, ketchup shrimp, and rice! Later, Peter Lau arrived to join the festivities. With no non stick pots, Peggy and Wing were cleaning up in the kitchen for a while!! Without asking, Tobby volunteered for floor duty licking up fallen scraps. We capped the evening eating Japanese cheese cake and Italian gourmet chocolates and watching “American Wedding” which Kelly thought was trash, but some how she managed to stay wide awake to watch the entire movie!
The next morning was a test of marital compatibility in the kitchen for Mark and Helen. More nervous than their wedding day, this newlywed couple that don’t cook often had to prepare apple pancakes and scrambled eggs for 13 people. It was a shaky start. The couple overslept and had to be rudely awakened by Liz at 7:30 a.m. and summoned to the kitchen. Half awake, they tried to read the directions on the pancake mix and beat the eggs. Helen tried repeatedly to assist Mark, but Mark kept lovingly persuading Helen to focus on the eggs while he did the pancakes. Liz and Ysabel chopped the apples in silence in the other corner of the kitchen avoiding the marital dispute completely. In the end, Mark and Helen found a way to work well together-he made the pancakes and she put them in the oven to keep warm!! Several people asked for seconds and the relieved cooks smiled!!
With a good warm up the day before, the cross country skiers were ready for the Olympic trails and headed for the Verizon cross country center which was home to the Winter Olympics. The trails were so wide and endless. Peggy and Mandy took a class, while Peter, Sharon, Kelly, Helen, Mark and I completed a five mile trail in an hour and a half in comparison to the 10 minute record of Olympic skiers. It was the experience, not timing that matters! We were so proud of ourselves that we skied the very same trails that Olympic skiers did! Rewarding ourselves, Mandy, Liz, Peggy, Helen and Mark went shopping afterwards in the Lake Placid village. With the weather hovering around 0 degrees, Elisa, Ysabel, and Wing opted to go touring and sledding. With creative thinking and Elisa’s charm, they managed to take the ski lift to the top of White Face Mountain to get a breath taking panoramic view. However, the cold did not keep the hot doggers, Yet and Henry, from skiing down White Face Mountain a second day. Sticking together, Henry would ski down and patiently wait for Yet who, according to Henry, took his sweet time snowboarding down the mountain. True to his sport, Yet placed form over speed and a good friend waiting in the cold!!
That night, Sharon and Elisa prepared a delicious hot pot with an impressive spread -taro, turnip, shrimp, fish paste, an assortment of fish cakes and mushrooms, toufu, chicken, beef and pork, and vegetables galore!! In rotating rounds, we dipped, waited, ate, replenished, and ate some more! The night’s DVD entertainment was a love story in Chinese with Lost in Translation to follow.
We left with a bang on the final day. Elisa, Yet, and Ysabel treated us all to arepas-Venezuelan homemade breakfast muffins made of corn flour and stuffed with a filling of your choice- Spanish omelettes, tuna or ham. Equipped with their own arepa making machine, Ysabel kneaded the dough, Yet rolled it into neatly packed round circles, placed them in the four slots and then clamped down the top of the machine. Hot and fresh from the machine, Elisa would scoop out the insides of each one to make an empty pouch for the filling. It was delicious!
With our stomachs full and a good two day workout, we said goodbye to the dead animals, packed the Mercedes Benz SUV, BMW SAV, and the 4 door car without snow tires and ventured safely home.
After calling nearly 20 places for a rental home for President’s Day Weekend, Henry Jiang found a gorgeous, spacious 4 bedroom, 3 full bath, duplex home with a wood burning pipe fireplace, TV and DVD player, a kitchen with ample cutting board space and a large table that sits 13 people in 
ility Vehicle-don’t ask what the difference is- I’ll find out on my next trip!) While Yet hoped to catch us and pass us on this 6 hour drive, his 
her life was cut short, but if it were a fox, there was far less sympathy. Over the door, there was a scary bear’s head with his mouth open! (Luckily, I didn’t see this, but Henry told me about it later when we were safely in the SUV driving home!) Perched on the leather couch, was a sheepskin cover-Mandy said that was from IKEA!!! Throughout the house, there was bear paraphernalia-bear imprinted towel cloths, bear pictures, and bear soap holders! Needless to say, Tobby was traumatized, wondering if he would be the next victim!!
As we settled in with the dead and live animals, we toasted our safe arrival with champagne, cheese, pate and smoked fish. The next morning, the cross country skiers (Mark, Kelly, Sharon, Ysabel, Mandy and Liz) went to a nearby quaint cross country resort that was only a five mile trail around -perfect for beginners and pleasant scenery for everyone. The snow was like velvet set against a backdrop of open fields, newly built homes and views of the Adirondack Mountains. We went three times around, stopping in their lodge for New England clam chowder and hot chocolate to accompany our homemade sandwiches amid a glowing fireplace. The downhill skiers (Henry, Helen, Wing, and Peggy) and the snowboard couple (Yet and Elisa) ventured to 
, dumplings, two different vegetables, beef and asparagus, ketchup shrimp, and rice! Later, Peter Lau arrived to join the festivities. With no non stick pots, Peggy and Wing were cleaning up in the kitchen for a while!! Without asking, Tobby volunteered for floor duty licking up fallen scraps. We capped the evening eating Japanese cheese cake and Italian gourmet chocolates and watching “American Wedding” which Kelly thought was trash, but some how she managed to stay wide awake to watch the entire movie!
With a good warm up the day before, the cross country skiers were ready for the Olympic trails and headed for the Verizon cross country center which was home to the Winter Olympics. The trails were so wide and endless. Peggy and Mandy took a class, while Peter, Sharon, Kelly, Helen, Mark and I completed a five mile trail in an hour and a half in comparison to the 10 minute record of Olympic skiers. It was the experience, not timing that matters! We were so proud of ourselves that we skied the very same trails that Olympic skiers did! Rewarding ourselves, Mandy, Liz, Peggy, Helen and Mark went shopping afterwards in the Lake Placid village. With the weather hovering around 0 degrees, Elisa, Ysabel, and Wing opted to go touring and sledding. With creative thinking and Elisa’s charm, they managed to take the ski lift to the top of White Face Mountain to get a breath taking panoramic view. However, the cold did not keep the hot doggers, Yet and Henry, from skiing down White Face Mountain a second day. Sticking together, Henry would ski down and patiently wait for Yet who, a
ccording to Henry, took his sweet time snowboarding down the mountain. True to his sport, Yet placed form over speed and a good friend waiting in the cold!! 
making machine, Ysabel kneaded the dough, Yet rolled it into neatly packed round circles, placed them in the four slots and then clamped down the top of the machine. Hot and fresh from the machine, Elisa would scoop out the insides of each one to make an empty pouch for the filling. It was delicious!