Spring in Jin Qiao

Spring is in full bloom here in Shanghai and with Spring comes lots of changing weather. We have had days in the 40s and the next day in the low 80s with humidity.  As usual the sky is a mix of smog, clouds and a general grayness however this morning the sky was crystal blue with not a hint of pollution as the winds and recent rain really cleared things up.  Didi and I went for a walk this morning and I brought along my camera to capture the cherry blossoms and weeping willows around the property in their full springtime display of pink & white flowers and fresh green buds.

Mason arrived home safely from his school trip to Guilin.  They had a great time and he came back with some amazing photos taken with his new i-Phone.  I will try to get him to post a few here.  The train ride was quite the adventure as they were in cabin sleepers - 6 bunks to a room - for twenty five hours one way.  There were no proper seats just the bunks so everyone sat on the lower ones eating, playing cards and chatting.  After about 8 hours of that people tried to get some sleep but not too successfully.  Smoking is very prevalent in China and on the train is no exception - sounds like fun?!  Once they arrived in Guilin they learned very quickly to guard their belongings as the crowds were incredible and the pick pockets and "snatch & runners" were numerous.  One of his classmates got his camera taken but the students rallied and caught the guy and held him until the police arrived.  Once they had their bearings and belongings secured the rest of the trip went very well.  They visited parks, the river and Guilin mountains - which Mason described as Dr. Suess mountains - caves, and local restaurants and shops.  We went out to dinner as a family on Friday night and listened to all Mason's exciting stories and viewed his photos.  He was exhausted but had a really great experience.

I was in Qingdao most of the week and returned on Friday as well.  This weekend the Formula One race circuit is in Shanghai and I have a ticket and will be going with a friend from Schneider Electric.  Should be a fun day as the weather is very nice - not too hot or cold with lots of sun.  I hope to get some good pics and will post them here along with some of Mason's Guilin photos. 

SMP Skate Park

On Tuesday of this week (Tomb Sweeping Day) we journeyed to SMP Skate Park to join Regan and his friend's family for a picnic while the boys rode their skateboards.  The weather was beautiful with clear skies (by Shanghai standards) and temps in the mid 60s.  This skate park is billed as the world's largest and is where they hold the X-Games for skating and biking.  Regan's friend Jarod Baldwin and his brother Parker are regulars at the park.  The Baldwins brought a full picnic spread including BBQ grill with all the fixings.  We enjoyed hot dogs, grilled chicken, veggie kebabs, pasta salad and of course brownies and cookies.  I had to leave for the airport around 1pm as I had to catch a flight to Beijing but Cynthia and the boys stayed until the late afternoon.  For the skateboard fans in the blog audience, I have posted a photo album on Picasa so you can view some of the photos from the day.

Today one of our White Bear Lake friends and neighbor has arrived in Shanghai on business and we are going to join him for some sight seeing as well as pick up the care package that he has transported from the US for us! 

Electronic Weekend

Today, Tuesday April 5th,  is a national holiday - Tomb Sweeping Day.  We have had a long weekend as a result and have enjoyed the time off.  Not sure of all the details of the holiday but in a nutshell the Chinese honor their ancestors and family who have passed away by burning offerings of money (they use fake money now).  The idea is that the burnt money passes to them in the afterlife and provides them with prosperity.  People also burn paper furniture, houses and other material things so that their relatives will have all these things in heaven.  We passed a family doing this ritual on the sidewalk of a busy road on our way to dinner the other evening and while it seemed odd it also seemed very solemn and a good way to remember your loved ones.

This weekend Cynthia finally reached her wits end with her Chinese cell phone which seems to have a mind of its own and randomly places calls to people on her contact list - repeatedly.  Her iPod also died and so now she is without music.  This conversion of electronic anomalies led us to the Apple store here in Jin Qiao where some indescribable force overcame me and I purchased 2 iPhones and a 32G iPad2.  The iPhones were for Cynthia and Mason (whose Chinese phone would randomly reset itself not to mention the micro typing pad which required precise stylus skills and a magnifying glass)  The iPad2 was for me because I needed...to ...um...work...er...well I just really needed it - okay!?  Not to be left out - Regan "lost" his Chinese phone for which I paid a handsome price of 150 kwai ($20)  To be 13 and without a phone in Shanghai is next to insanity - or so I am told - but it is nice to be able to keep tabs on our family's social butterfly - so we headed to Carrefour and bought Regan a new phone.  Finally, Landon was not to be outdone by all this electronic madness and he ended up winning a new laptop at the Scout's Blue & Gold banquet.  Actually, he earned it by being the scout who recycled the most bags of plastic, cans and paper.  Early in the year Landon's den leader challenged the boys to recycle (which is not done in most homes in Shanghai) and promised the winners some sort of an electronic prize.  Well in the spirit of recycling the laptop is a recycled Compaq Presario (the Den leader owns a computer consulting business) and Landon was so proud of his prize which rounded off our family's electronic bonanza weekend.