Plum Season

Well this was suppose to post back in June. I just noticed that it never posted. I decided better late than never:)

We had a day, or a few hours, that I could actually see blue sky! It never lasts long. I think we are all homesick for New Mexico's blue skies!
The following picture is considered an okay kind of day because we can at least see the highway. I am guessing that the highway is about 3 miles away. Also, we have lots of construction going on around us. They have started building another housing development on the opposite side of the club.
Then more to the right, we can actually see the city.
Then we have those days where we can barely see across the street. It doesn't rain, it is just dark and gray! I took this picture from the car. I am actually on the highway that you saw in the previous picture. In this picture, there is a highway that hasn't been completed.

I could only see the planes when they were right on top of me.


Then last week, Plum Season arrived. Plum season is the rainy season and you should not leave home without an umbrella! Our streams around the complex are getting full and everything is too wet. We went from too dry to too wet.


There is a little river/stream right by where a new house is being built. Everyday that we get rain, it looks like that water should be overflowing into that house. I sure would hate to live in that house and be that close to the water.I wish we could send some of this rain to the Southwest. It is sad to see the pictures of the wildfire that was so close to our home town Raton, NM. We will probably be arriving back home just as the rains start back there.

Duck Egg

Jin Di brought me a duck egg to try today. It wasn't refrigerated and it was in a shrink wrapped package. So I am thinking, hhhmmmm, how well is it cooked?
Well, it was cooked like a soft-boiled egg. The whites has a very different texture - almost spongy like. It was very salty. The yolk was very dark - mustard yellow and the part that was runny was orange almost.

I was thinking that maybe I could try to make egg salad but it wasn't cooked enough. I can't say it was awful but I just couldn't eat it. These eggs are a summer favorite amongst the locals. They peel one end and scrape the inside with a small spoon. Sound familiar?

Something we see every day!

I was able to finally get a picture of how so many babies/children get around town with their parents. I wonder what the actual traffic fatality is for children. I don't think there is any law against it because you see so many children on scooters like that. I have never seen a child in a car seat in a car/taxi. I have to say this is one thing that I will never get use to while living in China. Traffic and driving is too dangerous.

Ok - Hiatus is over!

Well, it's been a while, I know, but not quite 2 months:) I have been working hard! The paper chase for the adoption process is over! Yes, we are going to try and adopt the little girl that has been living with us for the past 3 months. I put all the documents in the mail yesterday. The picture below is a nice size stack. It was a good feeling to finally get it completed. Now we just have to wait to have the agency review everything and we should be good to go onto the next step of the long process! I'll keep you posted, hopefully, in a timely manner.

Time is going by quite quickly these days. The kids have been busy with year end school activities and their last day will be June 24th. We can't wait!!! The baby keeps all of us busy with all of her new things that she can do and she sure is cute. I have been playing tennis quite a bit and I am really having lots of fun with that. Jason has just been super busy with work! We are looking forward to our home leave vacation in July. The baby has to stay here which is going to be very hard on all of us. Next year she should be going with us.

I hope to get a few posts in before we leave. I received a new phone for Mother's day and I am still trying to figure out how to use it. I think I should be able to post from my phone. We shall see. Stay tuned.....