After we took Tucker to the airport we needed some comfort....so I am embarrassed to admit it... but.... we went to Burger King for lunch. Hey...a little bit of home can go a long way! There are only two BK's in Shanghai and one of them just happens to be in a shopping mall close to our apartment.

After a Jr. Whopper meal (only $2.00 in Shanghai) Tim and I walked back to the apartment via the river front. It was warm and muggy but the walk was great. Abi took a cab back because she has a 10 page paper due on Monday and she wanted to finish it today so she can have Sunday to play.

On our way back to the apartment we walked through the gardens in the back of our apartments. We drive by them sometimes several times a day and have never stopped to see what they looked like. Wow!!! It was a really fun discovery as you will see from the pictures that we took.

This is at the exit of the drive way.

This is a little water way that runs through the grounds.

This was the best discovery...there is a restaurant in the middle of a large Chinese garden. We can see this garden from our guest room window but did not realize it was so beautiful.


More Inspiration


I told Tim and Abi that I was not sure what I was going to do now that my play mate went back to Bellingham......Tim said....taxes!

Today was a sad day for all of us as we took Tucker to the airport. Spring break is over and I can't believe how fast this week flew by. So...it's goodbye Shanghai....hello Bellingham for Tucker.

We decided to take the Maglev (Magnetic Levitation)train to the airport because it is much faster. In fact the drive to the airport always reminds us of the drive from Boise to Mountain Home.....it just never ends!

Tim, Tucker, and Abi buying tickets for the train.

This is the inside of the maglev station. We got to the platform just as the train was leaving the station. Darn!!!

Waiting for the next train.....waiting....waiting....

While we were waiting a nice man offered to take a family picture for us. I feel so short in this crowd.

Here comes the train!!!!

Enjoying the ride.......all 8 minutes of it.

This is why the ride is only 8 minutes....the train goes 431 km per hour....see the sign above Tucker's head. 431 km equates to about 268 miles per hour. Time really flies when you are on this train.

We got Tucker checked into his flight....he was able to change his seat to the bulk head so he would have more leg room. While we were in the airport we met three HP guys that were on their way back to Houston on the same flight as Tucker. All three of them were in meetings with Tim this week. They graciously offered to take Tucker with them to the "special lounge" while they waited for their flight. We said goodbye, I cried , and Abi said..."Moms bubbling" again.

The train goes the same speed in the opposite direction....Very very fast!

It seems that we have been doing a lot of eating while Tucker has been here. Tim and Tucker ordered egg rolls and the yellow stuff on the table is what they got....literally eggs rolled up in a loaf and then sliced. They were really good sports and eat it anyway!!










Abi and I went for a more traditional fare....white rice and noodles.













Tucker in one of his new suits. He is not one to get dressed up just for fun so it was nice that he humored me and let me take a picture.

Tucker, Abi and Jane at the market in front of our favorite shirt makers shop. We picked up Tucker's shirts and suits.....they look great!!

Abi and Tucker "blending in" with the rock star sculptures in Downtown Shanghai.

Lunch at the Brazilian BBQ restaurant.

Tucker and Abi standing behind a mini model of our apartment building at the Urban Planning Center. This is part of a giant model of the city that shows future development for the World Expo that will be held in Shanghai in 2010.

Resting at the JinMao tower. This is inside the 30 storey atrium that starts on the 56th floor. Very impressive!!!

Life is hard!!!

Tucker after a day of being stared at and Abi after a day at International School.....it is good to relax!!

Tucker with our driver Mr. Zhang.

Everywhere we go people stare at Tucker and make comments about his height. Someone in the restaurant actually took a picture of him with their cell phone today.....they did not ask to do this so it was a little weird. I think he could offer his autograph to people and make some money!
Tucker in front of the Oriental Pearl Tower. This is one of the icons of Pudong and Shanghai.
The two buildings in the background are the JinMao (far right) and the new trade tower (next to the JinMao) that is under construction. The JinMao is the 4th tallest building in the world and will soon be taken over by its neighbor. In the top floors of the JinMao is the Hyatt Hotel...and claims to be the tallest Hotel in the world. The Hyatt purchased the top 34 floors of the new trade tower so they can still claim to be the tallest hotel.

Yippee!! The Internet decided that I could upload more pictures..... These are from today.

Tucker and I created our own "art". We found these shoes drying in the window behind one of the art studios so we just had to take a picture of them. You just never know where you will find inspiration!

This is the back alley to the art warehouse. There were several men having lunch at the end of the alley and they all greeted us as we strolled by.

Here is Tucker in front of the waterfall at the entrance to the art street.

I am standing in front of the sign that is the motto for this area.....Artnow Shanghai

More inspiration....these are signs that direct you to the various art studios.

Tucker and I explored a trendy new art studio area in an old part of Shanghai. They have converted an old warehouse area into different studios exhibiting many forms of art mediums. We took some fun pictures but I can not get them to post today. Hmmmmm......I wonder why I can not upload pictures to my blog all of the sudden. I hope this is a passing thing and not what I think it might be......

This just proves that you are never too old to play with Legos!!!

I bought some new sets of Legos for the kids to put together.

Here they are mixing up the sets and running them across the floor.

More photos from Tucker's visit...

Having dinner at a German restaurant on the riverfront not far from our apartment.












Tucker standing in front of East West. This is one of our favorite spots for breakfast. Abi also like to go here after school for fried rice.

Tucker and I had breakfast here this morning before we went on a tour of JinQiao.













This is the Community Center of Shanghai. We included this in our tour today because I wanted to introduce Tucker to my friend Ana and show him some of the artwork at the Center.













This is a little store that sells really funky white dishes and other fun stuff. Tucker found a few treasures (designer snack bowls) to take back with him for his dorm room. We also found a little art supply store.

These are some pictures from the past few days.

The family having dinner in JinQiao near Abi's school. This is Tucker's first stop after his long flight from Bellingham.


Abi and Tucker enjoying the "raw fish in a boat". Well...actually...Abi is making gaging sounds while Tucker and Tim are eating the raw fish.



Tucker picking out fabric for a suit. The vendors fold the fabric so it looks like the collar of a suit coat so you can see what it is going to look like. We had a hard time holding the mirror up high enough for Tucker to see himself .



Tucker getting measured for his new suit. The tailor kept complaining (with a smile) about how much fabric it was going to take...

In less than 3 minutes after I posted my first blog on 3-21 my site was blocked.So far I can still add new posts but they can not be viewed from here. We think that some of the words triggered the internet censors. I have edited the post and removed some of the words that may have caused this to happen but we don't know if it will ever be unblocked. I guess as far as censorship goes I am in good company....Google News, Wikipidia, and Deb Spofford's blog.

BTW: Tucker arrived this evening and we are so happy to have everyone together again. We went to dinner and then came home to our apartment. We are all enjoying the view tonight and Tim and Tucker are helping Abi write an outline for her history paper. All is well at the Spoffords tonight.

I had my third Mandarin lesson this morning and your prayers are helping because my teacher came back today and is still encouraging. Tim and Abi are also learning Mandarin so at any time during the morning or evening you may hear strange noises as we practice our "tones". Tones are very important because the same word can have different meanings depending on the tone that you use. I wonder if Chinese mothers say "Don't use that tone with me". There are four tones plus one that officially does not qualify to be a tone but really is. I'm not sure what the qualifications are but...there are really five!!! They are flat, rising, falling-rising, falling, and the outcast...Mr. Neutral Tone. To practice these tones you have to say the same word (in this case "word" is a loose term for twist your lips and tongue around until a strange sound comes out of your mouth)four times in a row so that each one sounds different. We never practice Mr. Neutral Tone but he shows up unexpectedly and you should intuitively know how to use him. Let me just say that there is nothing intuitive about learning Mandarin. I may have written about this before but shortly after we moved here, I remember standing in the cleaning supply isle at Lotis looking for bleach. How hard can it be to find bleach? After I had been standing there for about 15 minutes (no exaggeration...do you know how many cleaning supplies there are in one isle of a grocery store with Chinese characters on them?)I over heard a conversation at the other end of the isle. There were two people discussing the pros and cons of a product...or at least that's what I think they were discussion by their body language. They were speaking in Mandarin. When I really looked to see who was talking I saw that one of them was a white person. Side note: White person is the term that foreigners from all nationalities use to describe each other in Shanghai. This person was male and it was really strange to hear this language coming out of his mouth. I was so jealous. This experience caused me to set my new goal. I aspire to have a conversation about bleach in Mandarin some day. Or...at least be able to ask "Which one of these bottles keeps your clothing white? I have simple dreams!!!

Guess what? My ear is 100% better!!!! No drugs...no doctor visit. I am now a total believer in the candle burning paper cone ear treatment.

Our cross cultural training class last Friday was very interesting. We learned about the differences and similarities between Western values and Chinese values and how our histories impact what we think and how we respond to different situations. We received a lot of information so I will try to explain some of it as it relates to our experiences and adventures in China.

Western culture is based on independence, choices, equality, the American dream, entrepreneurial spirit, freedom to speak your mind, etc… Westerners keep their personal lives separate from their work life and in some cases because of our laws are prohibited from asking personal questions in the work place.

I have not spent much time thinking about why we westerners think the way we do….but the bottom line is that America was built on "freedoms" and an “any one can succeed” attitude.

The Chinese culture is based on 6000 years (America is still such a baby)...let me repeat that....6000 years of history where high values are placed on loyalty to one leader that has all the power, close personal relationships with upper ranks and peers, Guanxi (term for favor giving with expected favor in return),following the rules, saving face, dealing with conflict through passive aggressive behavior, and not wanting to be singled out for any reason (good or bad). These behaviors stem from a variety of reasons with one very important one…speaking your mind can get you in trouble. You can see why these feelings run very very deep.

I think that relationships and passive aggressive behavior is really interesting because we have seen this happen first hand. It is not reeeeally funny but Tim and Abi and I are a little amused because we realized that our Ayi is a victim of this behavior. The dry cleaner in our neighborhood has not been doing a great job with our laundry which has caused Delia to become very upset with the attendant. She even mentioned that there was some “yelling” going on at the cleaners.She did not really say who was doing the “yelling” but I have my suspicions. I went to the cleaner yesterday with Delia and Jane so we could resolve a “missing item” issue. Wow!!! Like they say….”You could have cut the tension with a knife”. When Tim or I take the laundry we get “same day service”….in by 10:00am…..out by 6:00pm. When Delia goes to the cleaners she gets 4-5 day service and the day before yesterday only half of Abi’s sheet set came back. The duvet is missing. Delia has returned to the cleaners twice a day for three days straight….each time the attendant says come back tonight…then…. oh sorry….come back in the morning…oh..sorry…come back tonight… We were having dinner when she returned last night from the cleaner without the duvet…. and I think she might have been swearing in her native language… We tried really hard not to giggle out loud. I see a new dry cleaner in our future.

21 hours until we see Tucker.....Yes...I am counting!!!

Some times I am not sure how I get myself into things….but life is short and like they say.. “while in China”…. My ear has been bothering me for the past few days and last night it was really a pain. So….on Tim’s suggestion I decided to try an Eastern form of treatment. The massage place that is close to our apartment offers what they call a heat treatment for your ears. It involves a burning candle, a paper cone, your ears, and some instruments that I can’t describe. It took a lot of guts for me to try this but hey…nothing ventured …nothing gained. This is the procedure….the candle goes into a paper cone…the cone goes into your ear…and then they light the candle. I think the candle wax drips down into the cone causing heat and making your ear feel better. While the candle wax is dripping into the bottom of the cone they massage your ear and surrounding area with oil. This part actually felt pretty good. But…..first of all…..I look completely ridiculous with a paper cone and a burning candle sticking out of my ear and secondly….I was not very relaxed because I was thinking about what could happen if she dropped the candle on the massage oil….I would go up in smoke. I kept telling myself to relax…they have probably been doing this since the Song Dynasty and they know what they are doing. Anyway…..the paper cone has been in each of my ears now for about 25 minutes each. The last part of the treatment is a little unnerving because they stick strange instruments into your ear and extract things that we don’t want to talk about. So…did it help my ear? I think it does feel a little better….but not 100% better. The jury is still out on the effectiveness of the candle treatment. I think I am going to have to follow up with a Western style of treatment. Darn!!

Good news!!!
Someone found Abi's wallet and called our building receptionist to let us know. I am amazed!!! Who would guess in a city of 22 million people (up from the 17 million that is printed in the books) that a lost wallet would be returned in less than 24 hours.

Tim and Abi just left for a scooter ride. I was planning to go but I think I have an ear infection that is making me dizzy. I guess I will be checking out the doctors in Shanghai tomorrow.

4 days until we see Tucker......but who's counting?

Tim has been in search of a scooter that is larger than "the scooter girls" and finally found one yesterday afternoon. He purchased it and rode it all the way back (a very long way) to our apartment. He was so happy!!! I think the "not driving" thing is really getting to him. He said he loved riding his bike because he was in control. He could go wherever he wanted without relying on someone else to get him there.

Yesterday we picked up the rest of our stuff from the fabric market and Tim ordered some more shirts. Our duvet was remade and now fits really great.

Jane took Tim and I on the subway and we learned how the system works. It is really very easy and I think I will use it in the future. I hope to never be in the subway during "rush hour". Jane said it is really really crazy. We did a quick walking tour around the Peoples Square, the urban planning building and then the Shanghai Museum. The weather was really beautiful (a three + bridge day) and it was nice to be outside.

Yesterday afternoon Abi took our driver and some friends downtown to shop. The plan was that Abi would call the driver when they were ready to be picked. However she left her cell phone in the van with the driver and realized when it was time to leave that she had no way to call him or us because (like her mother) depends on her phone to have all the numbers that she needs. Without the phone....no numbers. AND 411 does not work if you speak English and live in China. So...long story short.....they took a cab back to a mall that is close our apartment (the other girls were supposed to be there at 6:00) and then Abi took a cab from the mall to our apartment. She got home about 7:30 and needless to say Tim and I were worried sick because she was so late and we could not reach her by phone. She was very shook up when she got home and then also discovered that she left her wallet in one of the taxis. Lets just say it was a very bad evening for all of us.

This morning we are all just hanging out. Abi is doing homework and Tim is anxious to get out on the road with the scooters. I can not get a grip on how I am feeling.......

Our cultural training was very interesting on Friday. I learned a lot and it was very insightful. More on that later.

Abi had a day out of school today for what we call "mental health day". We are both a little burned out on the whole Shanghai move thing so we decided to take a break. We started out early this morning for a hair appointment. I got my hair highlighted and then we went out for breakfast. We found a place called "the city diner" that serves Western style breakfast 24/7. We were so excited to find this place and order comfort food. Abi ordered pancakes and a basket of homemade breads, I ordered biscuits and gravy (I really meant comfort food) and we each had a side of bacon. You should have heard us eating our meal. We were so happy to have good food that tasted familiar we could not stop moaning. I think people were starting to stare. Bread is not a popular food item in Chinese culture so we have been craving good homemade bread. The basket came with four different samples of breads.....cornbread, sourdough, wheat, and a scone. And....the biscuit with my gravy was Divine!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Bacon is also hard to find. We have had it in restaurants but I have not be able to find it in the stores.
After breakfast I took Abi to the hotel restaurant supply store. She was in heaven looking at all the fun cooking and baking items. These are pictures in the store.....Need a strainer? They have all sizes.....Check out the wedding cake pedestal....ten layers!!! I bought some funky white tea pots and Abi got a turn table for decorating cakes.

Need white dishes?? This is the place to shop!

On the way back home we stopped by the "fake" market and picked up a few DVDs. Then we had what we call a "Gilmore girls" afternoon. We put on our pajamas, popped some corn, got some chocolate bars and sodas, closed the curtains and watched movies. AAhhhhhh!!! Some days you just need a break.....and we really enjoyed ours.

"Only in Shanghai" continues.....

1) Our furniture was delivered early.....4:50

2) I received a package this evening.....guess what was in it? VANILLA!!!!!! My friend Teresa (remember her....she is the one in the picture with James Bond) sent a Currier (her driver) to our apartment this evening with a magazine and a bottle of vanilla. She happened to read my blog this afternoon and remembered that she had an extra bottle in her pantry. You can not imagine how excited I was to get vanilla........only in Shanghai !!!!!

Okay....for all the whining I did yesterday...I must say that today has been much better....in fact....it is one of those days that I can say...."only in Shanghai" could this happen.

I rode into work and school with Tim and Abi this morning. Tim and Abi do this every morning so I had envisioned them chatting all the way to Abi's school and I was missing out on the fun. This was the second time since we have settled in that I have ridden with them....once last Friday and then again today. Last Friday I was chatting away and asking questions and enjoying their company and every once in a while I would get a "yeah" or "uh?" or "hmmm". About half way to school Tim said "Abi have you noticed how different our trip is when Mom is with us?" Then I realized that they both had their computers open and Tim was checking email and Abi was finishing up homework. We all laughed and I figured out that I have not been missing any "fun". They seem to have their own rhythm to the mornings and that is great with me. So.....this morning was no different....laptops open.....and I really tried to be quite.....tried is the key word here. Most of the noise was from my nervous stomach.....I was on my way to meet my Chinese teacher and have my first two hour language lesson. I had my #2 sharpened pencil, my book, and my nerves. Tim was also taking his first Chinese lesson at his office this morning. We felt like little kids on the first day of school .

We dropped Abi at school and Tim at work and I had time for a quick breakfast. I directed our driver to a little restaurant ( he understands: Starbucks, ATM, Carrafour (market), Shimao (our apartment) and East West (our little restaurant) and I ordered coffee (they have really good coffee) and french toast. In less than 5 minutes I had my coffee and french toast. My bill was Y20 or $2.40.....only in Shanghai.

From there I went to "Debbie's School"...our driver made this up to go with "Abi's school". I am telling you....we are getting to be like a well oiled machine!! My teacher is very nice and patient (thank God) and actually gave me some hope that I might be able to learn a little Chinese. Please pray for my teacher.....she will need all the help she can get.

We picked up Tim for lunch and we went to Pines (import store) to look for vanilla. No vanilla!!! That store was my last hope.....who would guess vanilla would be so hard to find......only in Shanghai . I think I have discovered a business opportunity.....importing vanilla.

We took Tim back to work and headed back to our apartment. I have had enough "fun" shopping for furniture lately so I decided to take a break from that....my sewing space will just have to wait for a while. We stopped at a little flower shop (my favorite one was closed) and I bought a big bunch of Gerber daises (it is raining here and will probably continue for the next week) to brighten up the day. Again......Y10 (I did not even have to bargain today) which is
$1.20....only in Shanghai.

I got back to our apartment....Mr Zhang brought all of my junk (a few baskets, a few groceries, and some school supplies for Abi) up to our apartment and unloaded it from the "trolley"......I feel like a princess!!! Delia helped my put all the stuff away, had dinner already planned and defrosting on the counter, and was ironing Abi's shirts.....only in Shanghai. Okay....Okay....I am sorry I whined so much yesterday.

And here is my final "only in Shanghai" experience today. I called one of the furniture places that I visited yesterday to order a cabinet for our entry. She said "would you like it delivered today or tomorrow?" It was 2:30 in the afternoon.... I said...well....today if that is possible but we live in Pudong (which is about 45 minutes from the store on a good traffic day). She said, "I will call my driver and call you right back". When she called back she said, "We can deliver today but it will be much later....like five o'clock". I almost fell out of my chair. I said "Okay...five o'clock will be fine" I tell you....there are somethings that can only happen in Shanghai.

On Sunday evening, while I was balancing a tray of beads on my lap, I decided that I really missed my "work/craft" space. Right now all my supplies are sitting in piles on the floor and my sewing machines are starting to get dusty. So.....for the past two days I have been looking for some fun and functional furniture so I can set up my work space. The three f's....Fun Functional Furniture....and I will add one more F word....FRUSTRATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have reached the point where frustration is winning over perseverance. I am frustrated with price negotiations, the time it takes to do one thing on my list, language issues, and being treated differently because I am a white female. In the past two days I have been to many furniture stores. Only one store had prices on the items. All others....no prices....so if you want to buy something....you have to ask the price. This price varies depending on who you are. I can't exactly hide the fact that I am a foreigner. Foreigner is a frequently used term in China. I think it means....double the price and see if they go for it. My driver told me today that I pay too much for things......and I probably do.....but I am worn down. In some cases I really don't mind. For example...there is a small flower shop close to our house....it is run by a young couple that have a small baby. The first time I went into their store .... I picked out some flowers...and asked how much? The husband said something to the wife.....she got a sheepish look on her face and told me the price. It was inflated about 3 times what I had paid at another place. I started to object and then realized they needed the money far more than I did....so I paid it. The second time I went to their store....the price was much less. Then there is this kind of experience that makes me crazy.....Yesterday I went to a furniture store....I found two items that I liked...but.....I wanted to think about it.....measure my space....etc. As soon as I asked the price......she told me an amount and then said she would give me a 20% discount. This was a special discount only for me (because I am so special) and this was a great deal...blah blah blah. So today I went back to purchase a small table and suddenly the discount had already been taken off from a much higher price. What????? I wanted to scream. I did not buy the table (just on principle) and as I was leaving the store the price changed again!!! A little lower but still not the 20% discount that was promised.... Next time I want to buy something I am going to send my driver and I am going to wait in the car!!!!

Abi and I got some new "big city" transportation. Our new scooters are electric powered and will go about 40 kilometers per charge. I really have no clue how far 40 kilometers really is because I have not done the conversion to miles. Thank goodness my phone has a conversion feature because I use it all the time.

This afternoon we scooted over to City Shop (Import Grocery store) to get vanilla so we could make cookies... The trip was really fun but guess what....no vanilla. We were really hoping they would have it because we can not find it anywhere else. So.....we made chocolate chip cookies without vanilla. They turned out pretty good and they tasted like home.

I took another class at the Community Center today.....It was very helpful and the instructor gave us lots of tips about working with an Ayi and driver. Our new driver is working out very well and he and I are learning how to communicate and we are getting really good at Charades. I am also improving my Pictionary skills!!! Who knew this would be one of the "bennies" of living in a foreign country. When all else fails....there is the China Help Line. This is a 24/7 English/Chinese translation service. I used it for the first time today and now I have it on speed dial. All you have to do is call the number....tell the person what you want to communicate....hand the phone to the other person (in this case to our driver, Mr. Zhang) and they tell them what you said in Chinese. It is a really great tool. I think you have to buy time on the Internet sort of like a phone card and then you use up your minutes as they translate for you. Today was a freebie!!!

This coming Friday we will have been in Shanghai for eight weeks. Wow! I have not said this out loud but the past few days I have been feeling home sick. I am missing my Mom and Dad, Tucker, my friends, our dog, and all my comfort places like church, our patio, and even Fred Meyer. It is not that I don't like it here (well...if I am honest there are some parts that I don't like) I am just missing "home". We are all really looking forward to Tuckers visit next week. He will be bringing a little bit of "home" with him.

Sunrise this morning in Shanghai. This is the view from Abi's bedroom window.

We had a busy weekend. We picked up some of our fabric market orders. It was a bit disappointing but we are working through it. For example....our duvet and pillows look great....and...they mixed up the width and the length. So....the sides are too short and the length is too long. They are fixing the problem so we won't get that back for another week. Tim's suits look good......and.....they forgot to hem one pair of pants.....so we left them to be hemmed. When we got home and took them out of the bag they had grease spots on them from someones lunch. I think they forgot to look at the measurements for my coat because it was about three sizes too small. It pretty much felt like I was wearing a straight jacket. I am starting to feel like "Amazon Women". Tim's dress shirts are very nice.....and.....we paid for a monogram on the white shirt and they forgot to put it on......AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! All of these are minor things but BIG frustrations when you put them altogether. The good news.....Abi's coat fits great and looks very cute!!!

We attended church on Sunday in JinQiao (boy....do they need some padding on those benches!!!) and again the service was 1.5 hours long. Major TB going on here!!! Abi and I got the giggles during the service and could not stop laughing. I hope God has a sense of humor!!!

James Bond sighting in Shanghai.

My Friend Teresa Kessler with Pierce Brosnon. He was working out in the gym at the Ritz Carlton yesterday.

The previous day there was a Martha Stewart sighting in the same gym.....I think I might change our membership!!!

I spent yesterday in JinQiao (area where Abi's school and Tim's office are located) at the Community Center. I met several people that either live in our building or have kids at Abi's school during the Coffee Connection. I also had two culture classes. One class was all about hosting guests in Shanghai.....so......come on over I am prepared to show you the sights!!!!! No guarantees that you will see Pierce however......

Keep the emails coming we love to hear from you....

Today was sort of a bust and a wild goose chase. I went in search of an art supply store because Tucker will be here in about 10 days and I thought we could load up his suit case with cool art supplies from China. Design students can never have too many art supplies!!! But.....so far no luck and lots of dead ends.


Some sights from Shanghai....

This picture was taken just outside of Abi's school parking lot yesterday. Under the pile of white containers is a bicycle and a rider. No matter how many times we see this sort of transportation method I am still in awe.

Dinner is served!!! Here is one of Delia's great meals.

Salmon

Fresh fruit

Rice

Carrot salad

And check out the presentation

Another funny sign. It says Only if please don't sit down. This was in an upscale furniture store....I wondered...Only if what?

Deb in the Hotel Restaurant Supply District. These are impressive pots!!

Abi having earrings made at the Pearl and Bead Market last night.