The Wedding

Nicole and Chris got married on December 6^th in the town of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. What a great time for all of us. Bill, Derek and I left China on December 2^nd. We left our apartment at 630am to catch the train from Nanjing to Shanghi. From the Shanghi station we had to taxi to the Pudong Airport which took two taxi’s to get us and our luggage. Bill seemed to think that it would only take one but the drivers had no interest in creative packing of our suitcase so two it was. No biggie. I didn’t double check all the flight information so we extremely early, Bill said the flight was United at 3pm. It was actually American at 6pm, we spent a long afternoon in the Shanghi Airport, advice to future travelers – don’t do this. Our flight was uneventful, a little sleep and a couple movies, 13 hours of dull. We arrived in Chicago at 500pm, but our bodies told us it was 7am in China, Dec. 3^rd – 24 hours of travel.

We had a 12 hour layover in Chicago were we meet up with Nicole and Chris, Warren and Teena, Jeanelle and Uncle Dicky, Andrew, Kimmers, plus Rob and Journey. It was a dinner at the hotel and a 330am wake up call. Into the freezing morning we all go – back to O’Hare, next flight to Miami. I am exhausted but excited about seeing Travis and his girlfriend, Areka. Land in Miami and find the rest of our traveling group. Danie and Chad, Travis, Areka, Scott, Patty, Lindsey and Kayla, the gang is all here. Quick snacks and then back into yet another plane, next stop, Punta Cana. I am a little delirious by this time, sleep deprivation and vodka does not mix. By the time we landed in the DR, my body clock was going on 48 hours of travel. I don’t know if I am coming or going.
Customs was a cake walk and the travel group met us at the airport, loaded us on to the bus, let the games really begin. The resort was beautiful. Lush and green, water features everywhere, statues of various Caribbean gods and goddess. I love this place, The Paradisus.
The next few days were filled with fun on the beach. The sun is blazing, the drinks are frosted and the food was great. It is so nice to sit on the beach beds, listen to the waves and just be in the moment. Derek got to do many of the things that he had requested parasailing, boogie boarding, golfing, speed boating. Some of the group went horseback riding, brave girls, lots of bruises but they all had fun.
Sat. was the wedding, what a perfect day. Weather was spot on, sunny and 80, the wedding started at 4 on the beach. Nicole wore a white dress in a Grecian/Roman style. The bridesmaids wore complementing styles in white and clover green. The groom wore white linen shirt in a panama cut over tan linen pants. The groom’s men wore sage green colored linen shirts over tan linen pants. All the party and guest were barefoot. Everyone looked great. The three piece band was softly playing in the background as the service begun, I was walked down the aisle by Derek, followed by Chris’s parents, then the bridesmaids, Journey, Kayla, Kim and followed, Lindsey, the matron of honor. Finally, our bride, Nicole was walked down by her father, Bill. Such a heartwarming site, the band played the bridal march as they entered through the gazebo to the beach. Teena, Nicole’s grandma, was the officiate to the service.
After the ceremony, snacks were served at the gazebo as the three piece band played for the guest. Photos were taken on the beach and I am most eager the see the results. Once photos were done we all loaded into the trams for a ride to the front for the bus that awaited us for the ride to the marina. The reception as on a two layered catamaran, the captain met us at the shore to ferry us to the boat, were the crew was eager to help us get settled for the wonderful meal they had prepared. The boat went out and cruised the coast line while dinner finished. The dinner was a surf and turf theme with lobster, prawns, mahi mahi, chicken and beef kabobs followed by the cutting of the cake, which was three tiered in white with tropical floors. Classic and beautiful. In addition to the wedding cake we had a second cake for the day was also Warren’s, Nicole’s grandfather, 70^th birthday. Happy Birthday Warren!
After dinner, the crew took a few moments to reorganize the lower level for dancing…..as they cruised us back to the shore. Everyone went to the lobby bar for drinks and more dancing. What a great way to finish a wonderful day.

More to come……..

Tradition: Stuck in Elevator or Not.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Holiday. Our China Family spent a weekend trying to hold true to our stateside family traditions. However, living in China makes for more of a challange but I think overall we prevailed. Friday we followed Tammy's family tradition of heading out to the bar for pre-turkey cocktails. Tammy is from a small town in Wisconson, her clan typically would all arrive a the day before the holiday so going to the local supper club/bar was the town reunion. All those folks that you haven't seen since the previous holidays - classmates, cousins, teachers and preachers all would meet at the tavern to exchange stories, show of the new boyfriends/girlfriends and babies.
Bill and I are very familiar with this story as his family has some of the same traditions. Plus also keep in mind that that this time of year is mid-hunting season and deer camp is going strong. Most of the men folk will only come out of the woods to head to the tavern. Go figure.

Our friday night begun with a meeting at the Sheraton downtown. There is a nice Irish Pub on the fourth floor called Danny's. Tammy is married to Chris, who though born Dutche, was raised in the UK and also lived in the US. He seems more British than anything so we have labeled him - Our Token Brit. Catherine joined us there, she is from Austrilia, single and hilarious. Catherine is also the GM at the Sheraton, nice to have friends with good connections. She knows the best tailors, hair stylest, etc. Bill and I meet up with these folks for cocktails and munchies. The band started at 9 and the next thing you know it is midnight, the band was fun, the drinks were tasty and it was time to go. Bill, Chris, Tammy and I wander into the elevator and head down the main floor. The door opens and slams closed. Holy shit, we are stuck in the elevator.....

I kid you not. We are stuck in the elevator. I am cannot breathe. Not due to clastraphobia but due to laughing so hard I think I am going to pee my pants. We hit the buttons, nothing. Emergancy button, nothing. Oh my God. I am stuck with three very intoxicated friends. Still laughing. We call Catherine remember it is great to have good connections. Catherines reponse - yeah, I get right on that. Several minutes later - still in the elevator. Call Catherine again, we are on it......at this point all four of us are sprawled on the floor coming up with one liners.

I don't know how long we were in there. Felt like forever, reality was more like 10-15 minutes. The door is pried open and there stand four Chinamen. I would have gave anything to know what was going through their mind as they open the door to four whitie's reclining on the elevator floor, all but singing drunk.

Catherine is working to get me the security tape of the elevator - great connections and not going to put this down as a NEW TRADITION!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

I know that I have been absent. I apologize.
Live is hectic at the moment.
No holiday rush for us this year.
China not big on the whole Christmas Consumer Trauma.
Celebrations are in the mix though, Nicole and Chris are getting married soon.
The plans are complete.
The bags are being packed and the excitment is starting to buzz around us.
So thank you for your patience.
I promise big tales to come but right now my focus is on our daughter and her day.

The photo that accompanies this is from a town called Xibi or is it Xidi.
I will figure that out later. The community is near the Yellow Mountains.
Bill, Derek and I spent the weekend in that area a couple weeks ago.
Day of hiking in the Yellow Mountains was amazing. I have photos to post.
My legs were killing me the next couple days but worth every stab of pain.
The second day was spent traveling to two small communities. The first was quaint but
not awe inspiring like Xibi. This is a pond filled with the largest koi I have ever seen.
The pond is in the middle of the town with small channels feeding in and out of the area.
Like a mini Venice. I will post more photos of the area. It was a delight and has really made
me eager to see what more secrets China holds to discover. Oh, the filmed Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon here.

Winter is whispering to the folks of Nanjing.

We have had our first cold snap and it is invigorating. I love the crispness to the air, the kiss of the cold air on the tip of my nose. The air is clear for the first time since I arrived. Smog is gone and I can see for miles. Well, I could see for miles if not for the thousands of buildings in my way. With the weather being so inviting it was time for a long walk in our new city.

Bill and I went out all day Saturday strolling through the streets of a part of town we had not explored. This aimless wandering is becoming our favorite passage of time here in Nanjing. We take a taxi from our apartment to a familiar area and then strike out in one direction and see what we can find. Our journey this weekend started at Hunan Lu, a shopping district that leans toward the higher end and many restaurants representing many different cultures and nationalities. Typically we stay away from the retail areas as the true treasures and bargains are found the in small alley’s with the mom and pop stores.

One this crisp morning we first stumbled upon an open air market. Fresh takes on a whole new meaning here. The fish are not on ice they are alive and swimming in large buckets. Beside the fish you can find an assortment of other edible treats to include, bull frogs, eels, crabs, turtles, shrimp and mealworms. Normally next to the “seafood” is the poultry area; ducks, chickens of various breeds, dove and pigeons. I avoid this area as much as possible, I am not a vegetarian and I love me some fried chicken but I cannot stomach that area. Most food markets also have many stalls of processed meat. Most of the time you can see the cuts and recognize it for pork or lamb, however, a couple things that were not so easily categorized and I am pretty sure there was some canine on the menu. I was told that the Chinese do eat dog, no surprise there, however, they traditionally only eat it in the winter. Some mystical tale is that if you eat dog it will help keep you warm. Needless to say, I will not be trying out this form of winterization. The rest of the market was full of the most beautiful and perfect fruit and vegetables. Watermelon is grown yearly in hot houses, it is a staple for most Nanjingers. There are wonderful tangerines right now, honey pomalos (I am really addicted these), bananas, apples of every color, mangos, dragon fruit, grapes, many nuts and dried fruits. The veggies are wonderful and many I cannot even begin to identify. Onions, leeks, tomatoes of many sizes and colors, peppers, peppers, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, baby basha, kale, carrots and on and on. Mushrooms, dozens of types, the Chinese use mushrooms as a major source of protein, I am learning to use more than the shitake and portabello’s.

Bill and I wandered up and down the aisles saying hello to the vendors, buying a little of this and a little of that. We sampled some fruits that I weren’t sure what they were but most were amazing. It was a great morning that proceeded a fantastic afternoon. I love China.

Friends or Appetizers?

A Lost Ray of Soulshine, Joey

This past week I received a phone call from the states, Joey is gone. Gone as in not of this earth and my heart is breaking, again. For those of you that have no memories of Joey – allow me to tell you about a little dog that made everyone’s day a little brighter.

Joey was a rescue dog that rescued us more then we rescued him. A friend of mine is a vet in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan and she got a call from an animal rescue group that had a number of dogs that they had taken from an elderly unstable woman in our area. I don’t recall the exact number of animals that they removed from her property but it was in the dozens. This friend of mine knew contacted me to tell me about the dogs and ask for some assistance in getting them cleaned and neutering assistance, something that I occasionally helped with in her small practice. Needless to say, I was in. Many of the dogs were ill and obviously in need of rescue, I will say this though, the woman loved these dogs, she just wasn’t able to care of them in a responsible manner. One of the puppies was this little guy that was so scared but had character. We thought the puppies were Yorkshire terrier; he sure looked like a Yorkie. My mother-in-law, Teena, had recently lost a Yorkie named Gimpy and she would love to have another. What better home for this little guy who needed a new family? I brought the puppy home and started working on his training. The plan, we all knows what happens to the best laid plans, was to get him housebroke and give him to Teena. We named him Joey, aka JoJo.
Joey did not do to well on the housebreaking. Bill referred to him as Shit for Brains more than once. Thing is that even with the occasional accident, JoJo’s want to please was so obvious that you just learned to deal with it. A few months pass and we gave JoJo to Teena. It was love at first sight. I cannot say the same for my father in law, Warren, but he came around eventually too.
Joey was great with everyone, human and animal. He loved his cats. Our family has always had several, house and barn cats to hang out with. He was great in the barn, didn’t roll in to cow poo as often as most of the dogs. He loved going for car rides and down to camp to swim in the Paint River with the kids. He just fit with this family of misfits. He would take the new animals under his paw and make them feel welcome. He was buddies to the occasional rabbit and liked to spend time with the guinea pig; never trying to harm any of them.
Several years ago, Joey found his true purpose in this world. Teena’s mother, Granny Mello, was admitted to a Senior Care Facility. Her mind was slipping and was unable to live unaccompanied. Teena, who has been a nurse for the State of Michigan most of her adult life, had a difficult time with the moving of her mother to this facility. To compound the move, Granny Mello’s brother, Unkie was also moved into the same facility due to medical/mental needs. Unkie passed some time there after and Granny was there alone. It was a several hour drive to and from the home but Teena went multiple times a week if needed or not. During one of these treks she decided to bring Joey too. What a trip….Joey was a star. It wasn’t often that Granny seemed to relax enough to exhale. She was always trying to figure out how to escape. She actually had some really good attempts on numerous occasions but when Joey was around she would exhale and just pet the dog. She talked to him, groomed him and followed him around the building pushing her wheelchair along behind him as he sucked up the attention like a sponge. The staff noticed how much she enjoyed the time and asked Teena to bring him to some of the other clients. From then on he was royalty. He would walk in the facility with his head up, tail wagging and make his rounds. He may have been small in stature but he was able to jump up and lay on clients beds for those that were bed bound, he would hitch a ride with those in the wheelchairs and seemed to know when he needed to move nice and slow for those that were in pain. Everyone had a better day when JoJo came to visit. Granny would even eat when he was beside her, something that she refused to do on bad days. Joey found his calling. Granny passed this past winter but I like to think that Joey made her final times warmer and brighter.
In addition to helping our seniors, Joey has also been helping the mentally disabled. There are a number of families in the community with children diagnosed with various challenges. Several of these kids fortunately able to spend time at Teena’s farm working with the sheep, rabbits and goats. Joey was the mascot to the farm. He spent many an hour following these young people around to keep an eye on them and his farm buddies. Again, he seemed to know when to be calm and available for the kids. Joey was an active member in the 4H club ran by Teena, Animal House. Kids, farm animals and Joey, another great combination.
Joey is gone. He will be buried on the family farm next to Shadow, Dobie and other members of our pet family. For some time I know that walking into the house will feel empty without him running to greet us, doing his dance of turning in circles, head on the ground with his butt in the air, happy dog, happy dog, happy dog. We will think of him and feel sad but take comfort in the knowledge that he doing what he did best which is sitting next to Granny Mello, getting her to eat, keeping her warm and finding the peace to exhale.