Our Vancouver coffee group ("The Java Jewels") is celebrating its 6th year anniversary in September. I can't believe it has been that long. Java Jewels started out of a desperation to make friends when Julie and I moved to Vancouver. We have been meeting for coffee once a week since September of 2001. We are having a little reunion this week while I am home from China and another "Jewel" is back from Minnesota. Some times it feels like time stands still....but....then.....I look at pictures of our children and realize time has whizzed by. One of our "Jewels" will be celebrating her 50th birthday on Friday (Go Penny!!!) and the first of the Java Jewel offspring will be getting married next summer. Holy Cow!!!! Krista.....we miss you and will be thinking about you tomorrow night.

It is very late on Tuesday evening.....oops.....I guess it is already Wednesday morning (12:06 AM) the house is quite and Buddy is sleeping on my floor again.

I am afraid that my trip to the US has turned into a total "boondoggle" because I am not able to help Tucker get settled into his apartment. So.....I am making the most of it and I am enjoying the time I have in Vancouver. What does one do on a boondoggle in the Pacific Northwest? Well....this is what I have been doing....

Walking around our yard enjoying the plants and green spaces...These pictures are for Abi and Tim.....a little picture of "home".

Time in Vancouver continued.....

I spent two evenings with our friends the Merrett's. Norma invited me to dinner twice and both times the food and company were fabulous. (Note to self...Kodak moments can only be captured if you take the camera out of your handbag!!!) What a treat to have fresh corn on the cob, meat that I can identify, and fresh vegetables and salad that I do not have to worry about how it was grown!!! Norma and Laura (Abi's good friend)had planned to visit us in China this summer. I mentioned in a previous blog that Laura injured her back and could not make the trip. Laura is still having a really tough time and it is very painful for her to sit for any length of time. School will be starting again soon so please continue to keep Laura in your prayers.

Boondoggle continues....

Notice that food is a common theme here...I am going to need a seat belt extension for my airplane seat when I return to Shanghai.

• I went to a movie, had a pedicure, and lunch with our neighbor Julie Wiesner;
• Ate Mexican food with Ellie, Ryan, Lisa and Julie;
• Tucker, Kim and I had lunch with my parents and visited with their "buffet buddies" in Tigard (my mom made chocolate cake for Tucker and bread pudding for me in large take-home containers)
• I have been to Costco twice, Target twice, Fred Meyer four times and cruised all the fabric/craft stores in Vancouver;
• I spent some serious time at Nordstroms, and a cute little clothing store in Camas Washington;
  Browsed my friend Beth's store and bought a really cute tea pot clock;
• Visited with our house sitter and friend Laurie;
• Drank coffee and ate lunch with my "coffee group" AKA the Java Jewels;
• Visited with our neighbors Bill and Joan who have the gift of humor and always make me laugh....(Joan found out yesterday that she has cancer and still manages to keep her sense of humor.....she is an amazing lady....please keep her in your thoughts and prayers this week while the doctors establish a plan to remove the cancer cells.

Last night Tucker and I went to the Harris's for dinner. Michael and Julie have three of the most adorable children you will ever meet. We had a great time playing with the kids and visiting with Julie and Michael. It was the most lively dinner we have had since Abi and Tucker were little and it was a blast.

Jack enjoying his cupcake.....

Jordan enjoying the frosting on her face and in her tummy

This is a face you just have to love......

I think Jack and Jordan are winning the wresteling match here....

Today Tucker and I drove to Jarrel's Cove to see Tim's Mom and Dad. Jarrel's Cove is a beautiful place on the Olympic Peninsula about 2.5 hours north of Vancouver. The weather was beautiful and the wind was very slow (my favorite sailing weather) so we took the sail boat out for a "spin". Pat (Tim's mom) and I are not big sailing fans so it was close to a miracle that we both got on the boat. But....as I mentioned it was our favorite sailing weather......very slow!!!

Getting the boat ready to launch....notice how hard I am working in this picture?? Well.....someone has to take the pictures...right?

Captain Grandpa!!!!

Popeye the sailor Man

Frank and Alma Marvin's (friends of the family) sailboat with Mount Rainer in the background....now....that is what I call a "post card" picture.

Grandma and Grandpa with the Marvin's sailboat in the background.

Hello from Vancouver.
I arrived in Washington on Tuesday afternoon. Because of the time difference between Shanghai and Vancouver, I arrived in Vancouver 10 minutes before I left Shanghai. That is truly time travel...right?? I got to do Tuesday twice!!! My parents picked me up at the airport and we immediately went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant. Ah.....comfort food!!! After a shower and a long Buddy (our basset hound) petting session I went to Fred Meyer and bought my favorite brand of yogurt, cereal, Cinnamon bread, milk, and a bunch of bananas. Ah...simple pleasures!!!

I can not describe how wonderful it is to be back!!! It is like seeing everything familiar but with a new perspective. The blue sky, the green spaces, the cool weather all make me so happy. The plants in our yard have grown like crazy and it is fun to see all the flowers blooming. I feel like hugging each plant as I walk around our yard.

Things I have been doing the past few days:

• Coffee, dinner, and lunches with friends - I am going to gain 10lbs while I am here
• Petting Buddy- he has me well trained...he slept in my room last night....before we left for China...he slept in the garage...
• Napping on the patio in the lounger
• Doctor appointments
• Hunting and Gathering - this has taken me to Costco, Target, Fred Meyer, Craft Warehouse, JoAnns Fabrics, the quilt store, Nordstroms, Athletes Corner...etc.
• Going to the Credit Union
• Waking up at 4:45am - guess that must be jet lag
• Talking to Tim and Abi on the phone - missing them already
• Wondering if I am in a dream and if China is real or if Vancouver is real

My reason for coming back to Washington was to help Tucker get settled back into WWU. He is moving into an apartment this year and out of the dorms. I was planning to go to Bellingham on Sunday after Church but....my plans have changed. Tucker has secured an apartment and a job. He will be working at Trader Joes that opens at the end of September. He can not get into his apartment until Sept 11th so no need for him to stay in Bellingham and no need for me to go to Bellingham. He drove home last night....so....two Spoffords in Shanghai, two Spoffords in Vancouver. Tucker and I will spend some time "hunting and gathering" for a few apartment items. His needs are few because his Grandma and Grandpa loaded him up with lots of essentials from the 5th wheel they are selling.

Tomorrow is Sunday.... am looking forward to going to church....can't wait to stand in our sanctuary and soak up all the wonderful feelings of worshiping with our church family.

Still on the list for my time in Shanghai....maple bars from Albertsons, monkey bread from City Bakery, and many many more friends to visit!!!

Funny thing happened on my way home from Shanghai...
As you know I have been trying to learn Chinese and have been struggling with the frustrations of communicating with others because of language challenges. I did some Chinese homework on the plane and thought it will be nice to not worry about the "language thing" for a few weeks. I flew into San Francisco and had a two hour lay over before my flight into Portland. I went to buy a breakfast sandwich from a "fast food" place and guess what...the servers were speaking Spanish. I almost burst out laughing....I think the joke was on me!!!

If you need to reach me while I am in Vancouver my phone number is 909-3382

It is Sunday evening. Our view is wonderful tonight with clear blue Sky's. It rained a little bit this afternoon but not enough to make getting a taxi difficult. Sunday is Mr. Zhangs day off so we are on our own for transportation....scooters, feet, or taxi. Mr. Zhang has not really "snapped out of it" so we were relieved to have a taxi today....that is a sad state of affairs.

We went to church today so we could get some information about youth groups, small groups, and other spiritual growth opportunities. As I have said before the church service is always very long and it is "Forrest Gump" (never know what you're going to get) as far as the message and speaker. We were lucky today and had a good message and speaker.


Abi tried out for the volley ball team at school and will be playing on the varsity team....it is good to be tall and have a good attitude. The coach told us that she would teach Abi a few "jobs" for this year and develop her skills so she could be a starter next year. Abi is very happy to be on the team and I am looking forward to watching the games.


On Saturday Tim and I went to Suzhou to look at sidecar motorcycles. Tim is convinced that this would be a great souvenir from China. We were told to meet Jessie at the Blue Marlon Restaurant in Suzhou and he would take us to the factory. I expected a large guy with a long beard and leather clothing. Imagine my surprise when Jessie was a clean-cut Canadian kid the same age and size as Tucker. We followed Jessie across town and down a narrow gravel alley to the factory. It turns out that Jessie went to University about 2 hours from Tucker's school and came to China to teach English. He liked the sidecars that are made in Suzhou and started working part time for the factory because he could speak English. He is now selling sidecars but will be going back to Canada on Tuesday to start a professional tour of long drive golf competitions. I did not take in much information about the sidecars but as you can tell I found out a lot about Jessie. Tim, however learned more about the sidecars and here are some pictures from the factory....

Tuckers bags were delivered, Abi survived her first two days of school, I met with my quilt group this morning, and Tim has a two hour drive back to Shanghai tonight after a dinner meeting near one of his factories.

Abi said her high school has doubled in size since last year. The school has grown from 109 students to over 200. That is 9-12th grade.

The sky was blue again today....it is very strange....like someone flipped a switch and the smog went away and the sky is clear again. I have heard that July and August were "unseasonable" hot this year.

I will be in the US from August 21st through Sept 6th. My cell phone number will be 909-3382. Speaking of phone numbers....our IP phone number has finally been changed to our home number 546-1306. If you want to call us in China....just dial 546-1306 (360 546-1306 if you are outside of Washington) and our phone will ring in Shanghai. No long distance fees....How cool is that????

Here are a few more pictures from our "summer". Abi starts school in two days ....so I guess you could say our summer has come to an end.....Big bummer!!!

I have a habit/reputation of going through many pairs of sunglasses... i.e ...I leave them places like the shelves of the grocery store...restaurant bathrooms...etc. Well, I have done it again....I left my last pair in Shanghai Tang (clothing store) in Hong Kong. So....I am searching for a new pair. The girls (Kim and Abi) found a "going out of business" sale at a booth near our fabric market.....the price went down to Y20 a pair (about $2.50) so they each bought several pairs.... The "new style" is very very large sun glasses so I thought I would try a pair......I think I look like I am trying out for a part in "It's a bugs life"....

We went to one of our favorite American style restaurants for breakfast on Saturday. They seated us in a booth that had very high tables and very short seats. Tucker said we looked like little kids .....
Here is Tucker "acting up" and getting "the look" from both Kim and Abi. He was taking up more than his part of the booth because his "wing span" is much bigger than most people. I can't remember what he said to the girls but it did not make them happy.....notice how upset he is that they are giving him "the look".

Monday AM...Tucker and Kim left for the States yesterday afternoon. It took all five of us to get their luggage to the check-in gate.....we can say for a fact that they had fun shopping in Shanghai. They should be arriving in Portland about......now. They flew through Vancouver BC and had a short layover there before going to Portland.

Our house is very calm and quite now.....aaahhhhh!!! The three of us spent last night reading books and watching a couple of episodes of Lost. Tim and Abi just headed out the door. Tim is off to work and Abi is meeting a friend for breakfast before going to their "back to school" orientation. I have a Chinese lesson this morning and then I think Abi and I will be doing some last minute shopping for school "stuff".

several hours later....
I am finished with my Chinese lesson....Tucker called and said they made it back to Vancouver. Two of his bags are lost somewhere.....they said that they would deliver them sometime this afternoon....keep your fingers crossed!!!

The kids are out and about today and I am enjoying a quiet air conditioned afternoon with a book and a view of blue sky and white fluffy clouds. I almost forgot what our view looks like without the grayish overcast of smog. Ahhhh.....it is good to have some fresh air!!!

News from China

Yao Ming (basketball star) was married on August 6th in Shanghai. The location of the ceremony was top secret to keep paparazzi away. The newspaper announced on Tuesday that the ceremony was held in the Pudong Shangri-La hotel that is just down the street from our apartments....I am pretty sure our invitation was lost in mail or something...ha ha

Yesterday was the 1 year countdown to the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Beijing. Yao Ming had a very short honeymoon because he was a participant in the ceremony and had to travel from Shanghai to Beijing where the ceremony took place.

Some Olympic factoids from The Shanghai Daily:
16 days from opening to closing
302 events
16,000 athletes and officials will be accommodated in the Olympic Village
91,000 seats in the Bird's Nest Stadium
7,000,000 tickets will be available for events
5,000 yuan (US $661.40) for opening games (most expensive ticket)
137,000 km distance covered by pre-game torch relay
24.9 Celsius - average temperature in Beijing in August.....I find this one hard to believe having just been in Beijing when the temperature was 32 and 34 Celsius

The City of Beijing
15,810,000 permanent residents
2,000,000+ expected visitors to Beijing during the Olympic games
65,000 old buses and taxis to be taken off the road before the games
3,000,000 cars in Beijing
10,000,000 bicycles in Beijing

About Shanghai blue skys:
Apparently Typhoon Pabuk is responsible for our slightly cooler weather and blue sky this week. The typhoon is not expected to hit Shanghai but the winds from the storm have "blown the stink" out of the air. Yippee!!!

The end of one of our blue sky days. We could see all three bridges again today.

Kim and Tucker ready to go out for dinner.

Tonight....we made a table full of appetizers and ate dinner in front of the TV watching American Dream.......ah.....for a minute I thought we were back in the USA...

More pictures from Beijing

The Temple of Heaven

Abi resting on the temple wall

The seniors in China get together on Saturday mornings and socialize in the outdoor parks. They dance, sing, exercise, play instruments, and play cards. The park that was full of people and it was fun watching all the activities.

This little boy was with his grandmother

More of the temple

More temple


Tucker and Kim touring......the temple....

Okay....the temple was great but enough is enough!!!! Let's get lunch and go shopping!

More Chinese food....oh goody!!!!!

Last photo on our Beijing tour

Today is Wednesday...we have had two beautiful days in a row. By beautiful days I mean that the sky is blue and we can see white fluffy clouds. The smog has been blown somewhere else and it is very nice to see our river view again. Today is a three + bridge day!!! The temperature is still hot and muggy but not as bad as before we left for Beijing. The kids are having fun exploring Shanghai and shopping. Today....I decided to stay home and "veg" for a while. Xiao Zhang is sick today so I will have to make dinner....hmmmmm....I wonder if I still can???

My new Chinese teacher is very cute. She is the same age as Tucker and Kim....so....guess what?....I could be her mother. This weeks lesson is all about getting your hair cut....too bad I did not have this lesson 5 months ago.....it may have saved a lot of trouble.

We are having some trouble with Mr. Zhang. It seems he has been using the car for "personal" activities which is totally against the contract that we have with our car company. This was reported to his boss and now he is in a very bad mood. He seems to be going out of his way to make things more difficult for us...i.e....taking the longest way to our destination, not answering his phone when we call him, does not acknowledge when we speak to him....etc. This is a cultural thing that is a very big pain to deal with. We are all a bit frustrated with him. I just want to say...SNAP OUT OF IT!!!! I am afraid if he does not change his attitude we will be getting an new driver......aaaarrrrggggg!!!

Abi has been spending the past two days rearranging her room and getting herself organized to go back to school....yes...she starts school next Wednesday. I think she will be finished with her summer reading Tuesday night....ha ha.. No need to rush into anything!!!

Here are some pictures from last Friday : The Great Wall and The Old City

The Great Wall.....and Wow is it ever Great....It exceeded my expectations

Kim and Tucker with The Great Wall in the background

In the market at the bottom of The Great Wall

The Spoffords hiking the wall

Some factoids about the wall.... the wall is 6000 kilometers long....which means that it could span the US from Coast to Coast. The Wall was never conquered....but it was once "over taken". A General was bribed to let warriors pass through without a battle.


Tucker and Abi at the Wall

The country view is absolutely beautiful from the wall.



This is one way to get down off the wall. Abi, Tucker and Tim took this way.....Kim and I took the chair lift down.

Abi at the bottom of the wall
.... The market place at the bottom of the Wall


On our way back to the city we stopped for lunch. Tim caught a trout and it was BBQ'ed for us on the spot.....now that is fresh fish!


Waiting for our fish to be cooked

After lunch we went into the old part of Beijing and took a rickshaw ride through the streets. We stopped at a home an visited with a local family

Abi in the rickshaw

Walking through the market in the Old City.

Ahhhhhhh.....we found a Starbucks. Nothing like a cold drink when you are tired of "touring".

Next Stop.....dinner at the home of a local family. We visited another local family that made dinner for us. It was really very good how ever we could not identify everything on the table. Specifically the yellowish squares with Chinese characters stamped on it. Tim decided to try it and then Kim said it was probably soap....we all cracked up and had much discussion about what the Chinese family thought about us eating the "soap"....

Tim laughing about eating the soap....we all had tears running down out faces we were laughing so hard.

Dinner in the Hu tang (old city area) of Beijing.

Dumplings....Can you tell which one was made by the expert and which ones were made by the "Americans"?

This is our dinner host showing us how to make dim sum....Dumplings

Tucker making dumplings...

Abi making dumplings. This is a very important part of the Chinese New Year Celebration. Each family gets together on the Eve of the New Year and make dumplings. All generations and genders participate in this tradition. Each family has a "special" recipe for what is put in the middle of the dumpling.