Desert Museum by Ali

Visiting the Desert Museum was really fun. All the plants were beautiful. I thought that all the blooming flowers and cacti looked so pretty. Below are some pictures of flowers and plants that I took.

We went into one exhibit called the Hummingbird Aviary. It was neat to be in the habitat of the hummingbird. It was cool because they were flying all around us. I was able to capture this moment of one of the birds eating.

My favorite part of the Desert Museum was the show that we saw as soon as we got there. One lady from the staff did the show. She brought out different animals and told us about them. We learned about their sizes, diets, life span, etc. First, she brought out a beautiful parrot, who stayed with us the rest of the show. He was described as "a flying three-year-old with a hammer and pliers who lives to be eighty." He was pretty cool. Next, she brought out a chuckwalla, relative to the iguana (which I did not get a picture of). Then we saw a porcupine and a skunk. It was a fun and interesting show. After, we hung out for a little while longer and went over near the parrot. He enjoyed flirting with us. It was pretty entertaining.

The whole day was super fun. It was cool to see all the animals and different exhibits. I had a really good time and learned a lot.

Fun with Tytan and Brie in NJ, Oct. 8-15, 2014

I got to spend time with Tytan and Brie while Camille and Bryan went to look for housing in Michigan where Bryan accepted an offer to work for Ford in treasury.

The morning after I arrived, Camille, Brie and I took Tytan to school.  Camille wisely had me do the driving so I could get used to the car and learn the routes.  Tytan was very excited to tell his teacher and Mr. Freddy, the security guard, "My grandma's here!"  Best welcome ever--I felt like a celebrity.

After school, Tytan and Brie enjoy the playground until Mr. Freddy says it's time to go home.  Note Brie's Cinderella dress and "glass" slippers.  She wore them every day I was there, rain or shine.

Next we picked Bryan up early from work at Goldman Sachs on the Jersey side of the Hudson.  He has enjoyed a magnificent view of Manhattan from his office.  Brie enjoyed a fun twirl with her dad!

We dropped Camille and Bryan off at the airport that evening and I was on my own with Brie and Tytan asleep in the back seat.  With the help of the car navigation system, I managed to avoid taking the Holland Tunnel into New York City and made it almost all the way home, until there was a policeman blocking the road I was supposed to turn onto.  He told me to turn the opposite direction and then the system took me back to the freeway and then at the last minute into Jersey City.  Fortunately, Camille and Bryan were still at the airport, so I called and Camille talked me through the turns until I got to their neighborhood.  Whew!

On Saturday (and again on Columbus Day), I took Brie and Tytan to the nearby Liberty Science Center.  They loved playing with the interactive exhibits and I loved watching them have so much fun.

Watching bees coming and going to their hive

Tytan and Brie playing a video game where one is a virus/bacteria and the other is a white blood cell that gobbles up the bad guys.

 Brie and Tytan enjoyed the Bernoulli effect exhibit most!  Tytan was concerned about losing the "Drug Free" badge he had gotten at school, but he found it again.

On Sunday morning we took a long walk before church.  It was wonderful to feel the warm sunshine and see the beautiful views that Camille and Bryan have enjoyed while living in New Jersey.  

 

We look forward to more adventures with Tytan and Brie and their parents in their new home in Michigan!

Scorpions and the Forbidden City

It is hard to know if the weather was unusual or not during our visit.  One thing is for sure and that is that we were often in a humid cloud, sort of drizzling and hot.  It made the granite pavement in the heart of town look rich and elegant.

We were surprised to see only a few bike carts in town.. It turned out that bikes were restricted and couldn't go in to the center of the city during most hours of the day.

Rickshaws

We had been walking by this little entry for a couple of days before we decided to see what was here.  This was right in the middle of the city coming off the main street of the upscale shopping district of Wangfujin.

Entrance to street food alley off Wangfujin

Upon entering this little alley we were overwhelmed by the sights and smells of different foods.  Some were enticing others revolting.  Hardest to resist were the bugs on a stick, not to mention the live scorpions.  Skewered on a slender stick, their legs and tails were still wiggling wildly. Who wouldn't want to have them deep fried nice and fresh?  How could anybody think of having stale scorpions anyway?  I am sure it makes all the difference in the world to have them fresh cooked.  Because the alley was crowded and there was not a place to sit down and enjoy a snack, we were disappointed as we passed by without indulging. 

What a perfect way to show off the car and bike parts--all cleaned up and presented on a lace table cloth.  It kind of makes you want to become a mechanic and wear white gloves as you work.

The proper way to display hardware

Our favorite store on Wangfujin

Toys, toys and more toys.  There was an assortment from high tech to ancient traditional toys.  We had a ball trying to figure out some of the Chinese puzzles.  Even Craig was stumped on occasion.

The entrance to the Forbidden City, oddly enough, featured a large picture of Mao.

It was not unusual for people to see Craig and want to have their picture taken with him.  As any kind-hearted celebrity, Craig accommodated their dream and posed smiling as if they were long time friends.

Craig and Bruce comply with fan photo request

Another fan request

Photo op in the heart of the main entrance to the Forbidden City

The ornamentation and decoration was quite amazing. Everything  made by hand, every stone hand placed, the terrain hand smoothed, portrayed a thousand life-times of work to make this place happen.  Amazing.  Once constructed only few were allowed to enter and even fewer to come into the very center palaces and temples.  The Chinese have literally thousands of gods--each having some particular specialty.  The visitors would purchase little sticks of incense which they would place burning at the base of the sculpted gods.  They would then kneel and worship quietly appealing for help with their needs.

You can see that it was hard to distinguish us from the local people.  We blended right in.

Security forces marching in formation keep a watchful eye.

The grass surrounding the moat surrounding the Forbidden City created a peaceful place to take a break.

Beijing Tour

For our whirlwind tour of Beijing environs, we contracted with a local tour company,  whose rep had approached us on Wangfujing Street the night before.  We thought we were going to see the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs.  Turned out we saw a lot more!

I am not quite sure what this is, but I think it must be Chinese braille or a jade mural or really nice wall paper.  I am not sure which.

Factory guide, Craig, and Nina, our guide for the day

At the jade factory the artisans work on a piece for a few days and then for the sculpted spheres, the few who have the skill take the piece to a special workshop (often at their homes) where they actually change the spheres to a ball in a ball in a ball, thus keeping the process a closely guarded secret.

Each ball crafted with ornamentation on the surface.  They say that these balls, when placed properly in a room, create the feng shui or harmony in the space.

Official explanation of the "Eternal Family Ball," aka "Happiness Ball"

The markings on the stone slab are not graffiti, rather they indicate the beginning or entrance to a segment of the Great Wall of China.  We climbed a section which was in the clouds part of the time.  When not in the clouds the view was quite spectacular.

Beginning our ascent of Great Wall at Juyongguan (Juyong Pass)

After 3,198 (3,200 according to Craig) non ADA compliant stairs we walked away from the Great Wall.  The vertical rise was about a quarter of a mile and the horizontal run a mile. When you are in great shape like we are, it was a piece of cake (although my legs are still sore).

The segment of the Great Wall that we climbed was actually restored some time ago and is not entirely original.  You can see that the wall is on top of the mountain ridge and there are often cliffs on each side.  I can't figure how anyone could climb the cliffs never mind the Great Wall on top.  

You can see the writing on Craig's fan.  According to my extensive knowledge of Chinese, it says, "We are really having fun now!" or else "Anyone crazy enough to climb this wall deserves to have a Charlie Horse in each leg!"  (I am not sure which is correct because the second character is not entirely clear.)

We made it to the top of the Wall!

 This is what it is like to be in a cloud.

Craig consults with an artisan at the cloissone factory.

Nina and Craig map out our visit to one of the Ming Tombs.

The next stop on our required (unbeknowdst to us) tour itinerary was a silk factory.  The little white balls are actually silk work cocoons.  It is amazing to realize that the entire cocoon is from a single thread of silk.  By stirring the cocoon in water a little, the end of the thread comes loose and thereafter they just roll it up on a spool.  The process is actually quite simple--perhaps even I could do it.

 Sometimes there are two silk worms that have their cocoons woven together.  In that case the silk is pulled and stretched to make a batting for pillows or other stuffing.  Mary Lee is helping stretch out this double or "twin" cocoon.  The silk is surprisingly strong.

The Olympic Stadium from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing was called the Bird's Nest for obvious reasons. 

Although a beautiful stadium, it has not been used since.  It is just for show now.  I would have thought that they would use it for training or competitions or something, but not so.