We celebrated Daddy's birthday today! It was a fine October day for a party, even if we were a few days past the offical event. We had lunch at Rafferty's and cake and ice cream at Leslie and Mike's. Happy Birthday Daddy and may you have many more!!


Chocolate on chocolate (baked from scratch by me)

The birthday table (including a tin of Carol's incredible peanut brittle)

The birthday boy!!

Leslie and Mike (caught in the act of eating :-)

Carol and me

Walking in Leslie and Mike's backyard...what a view!

Ron, Steve and I went paddling on Chilhowee Lake this morning. Surprisingly enough, it was a perfect morning for being on the water. The cool temperatures warmed as the morning turned to afternoon and the foliage on shore was stunning. This was my first trip in a kayak and the guys took turns keeping an eye out to be sure I didn't encounter problems. Below are some pictures of our adventure.

Steve (yellow kayak), Ron (blue) and my paddle, carefully balanced while I take a photo.
I am using a Kodak disposable water camera, not secure enough to take my Olympus just yet.

Sun reflecting on the water (and on the water on the lense)

The foliage, the sky and Steve's yellow boat reflect on the water.

Padding into the cove where we stopped for lunch.
On an earlier paddling excursion, Steve discovered a small waterfall in a cove. Perfect for a picnic lunch!

Ron securing his kayak.
We hiked the short distance to the waterfall and enjoyed a light lunch among the fall splendor.

Ron paddling out of the cove.
The water was incredibly clear and we could see the bottom around sections of the shoreline. Of course the middle of the lake was deep, deep blue!

Headed back in the direction we came.
We paddled to the entrance of Abrams Creek before returning to the car. Time demands did not allow us to go up creek...another trip.

Yours truly, still doing okay after almost four hours on the water.

Calm waters.

We logged 8.5-miles in four hours including a 40 minutes stop for lunch. Parts of the lake were smooth as glass, while some areas, stirred up by the winds, were rough with small whitecaps. All in all the experience was great and I look forward to some overnight kayak trips in the spring!

Some 10 years ago, three women formed a friendship while working together in the same division at Proffitt's Department Store. Over the years, one friend (me) left retailing for manufacturing, one (Carol) moved to several cities in search of the perfect retail job (finally landing in Nashville) and one (Angela) happily remained at Proffitts until the store was sold to another last fall. Through the years, all remained in touch, even if it was just a letter at Christmas.

Yesterday morning, the three friends finally got back together to catch up with each other and enjoy breakfast cooked on the campstove at Metcalf Bottoms (Great Smoky Mountains National Park). Joined by family and loved ones, a great time was had by all! We plan to do this again before another 10 years flies by!


Angela, her stove, John and Anglea's new BMW (visible over John's right shoulder)...fancy!!

Angela arrived at Metcalf Bottoms early. She grabbed a couple of picnic tables and fired up her stove to boil water for hot chocolate. Angela is originally from Townsend, TN and Saturday breakfast by campstove in the Smokies was a family tradition when she was growing up. I have some fond memories of early morning campstove breakfasts with Angela, her husband Richard (who had another obligation this morning) and daughter, Julianna. Thanks for introducing me to the tradition!


Angela cooks, while Carol, cup of hot chocolate in hand, supervises!

John and me at the Coleman stove, filling the crisp mountain air with the smell of frying bacon. Any bears lurking?

Justin (Eric's brother's son), Angelica (Justin's girlfriend) and Christopher practice the art of keeping the fire going!


It is always about the food!

Scrambled eggs (cheese, onion, mushrooms), bacon, sausage, hash browns, fresh fruit and coffee cake. Yummy!

The whole gang!

Friends and glam girls, errr, that would be me and two glam girls, Angela and Carol.

A good looking family, Eric, Carol and son, Christopher!

The party is over. John warming his hands over the last of the hot coals before the drive home.

Roger Jenkins, friend, backpacking companion and one of Montana's newer residents, planned to be in town over the weekend for a few days of work and play. He decided his old friends might want to see him so he sent out the call for an impromptu "pot luck" dinner on Sunday night. Since Will was hosting his visit, Roger designated Will's house as party central. Luck was with Roger because his friends really did want to see him. So, armed with an assortment of wine and really great food, his friends showed up at Will's at 6:00 pm for a fun evening of conversation and catching up.

Thanks for pulling the dinner together Roger, it is always great to see you. But next time you visit would you just not look so happy and relaxed? Some of us still have a few years to go before we can enjoy the virtues of retirement!


Kim and Robin catching up. They haven't seen each other since the gourmet backpack last weekend!

Roger and Brian enjoying a glass of wine from the vast assortment carried in under people's arms. H-m-m-m, this seems to be the prefered method to carry wine when one's hands occupied with dishes of food.

Lance and Carol listen to Roger spin his magical tales about life in Montana.

Host Will setting up the dinner buffet. "Is everything vegetarian??!!"

Kim, Ron and Ginger chatting, but not necessarily to each other! We were sad that Kim couldn't stay for dinner; she had a date with her son to go to the theater.

Barbara listening as Ray tells a story.

Food, food everywhere and most of it is vegetarian. This made Will a happy guy. From left, my profile, John, Angela, Will, Barbara and Lance. Ron and Duane are in the back talking, though not to each other.

Dinner around the table. From left, Ginger, Angela, Ray, me, John, Robin and Ron.

Dinner around the coffee table. From left Barbara, Duane, Lance, Barbara, Carol, Will and Brian.

Why is it that guys don't sit three to the couch...look at all of that wasted seating space!

Thanks for the great evening Roger and Will, and thanks for the pictures! Equipped with a camera with no batteries and no digital card, I had to rely on the kindness of friends to blog this event. Not sure whose picture is whose but I know none of them are mine!!

Busy weekend, October weekends are always that way!

Friday nights have been pretty hectic recently so when we realized Movies on Market Square was advertising it's 4th film (in a 7 film series), we grabbed our lawn chairs and hurried to the Square to reserve our spot. We were hungry and The Tomato Head beckoned so we abandoned the chairs and disappeared into the restaurant for a fine dinner of chips and hummus, salad and sandwiches. An hour later we resurfaced with a few minutes to settle in before the film was scheduled to roll, or so we thought.

Technical difficulties with the big screen forced the event coordinators to call in the heavy equipment...a big truck. So, while the band warmed up the spectators, the coordinators huddled around the side of the truck with the projector. About 30 minutes late, "October Sky" finally rolled up on the shiny, white panel truck. The temperature was cooler than expected and a moderate wind put a mighty big nip in the air. Although the film kept us engaged, an hour of shivering finally forced us to "toss in the towel" and hurry back to the car where we warmed ourselves with the heater. Disappointed, we will be better prepared next time!

(Note: this post was originally written on September 23, 7 days after our return)

China...intriguing history, welcoming people, crowded cities, incredible scenery. We are home and settling back into our everyday lives, changed (as we always are) by our experiences in a different culture. Early exhaustion and early waking are still part of our daily routine, a part we hope will be resolved soon.

We left the US on September 1 but our journey began in earnest when we landed in Beijing on September 2. We stayed in Beijing for 3 days and caught all the popular sites. Traveling on to Xi'an by overnight train, we explored the city for 2 days visiting the Terracotta Soldiers, the old city wall, the Moslem Quarter and many other sites.

After an evening flight to Guilin, the morning of day 5 found us floating down the Li River to Yangshuo, experiencing our first glimpses of the famous limestone mountains. We spent several days in Yangshuo bicycling in the countryside, hiking to Moon Hill, winding our way through the Silver Cave, exploring night markets, walking through rice paddies and eating at local eateries. Our time here was too short!

Late Sunday evening, after driving back to Guilin and flying to Chongqing, we were rushed aboard the President Cruise Ship #4 for a 2.5 day cruise on the Yangtze River. This was the most relaxing leg of the journey. John and I spent our first cruise day sitting on our balcony, watching the ever changing shore, reading and sleeping. We sailed through the Three Gorges on day 2 of the cruise and saw the massive concrete structure called the Three Gorges Dam in the morning of day 3.

With the cruise complete, we hopped in a van and for 4.5 hours we drove as the changing Chinese countryside flew past our windows. Our destination...Wuhan, for dinner, a night's sleep and a morning flight to Hong Kong. Hong Kong, our final stop before returning home! We were ready for this exciting, easy to navigate, very westernized city. That we could explore without a translator was a bonus.

Below are a few pictures from our time in Beijing and Xi'an.


Our first taste of Peking Duck

Peking Duck was the main course (for 3 of us) for our first dinner in Beijing. Peking Duck is usually served in 3 courses but we had mostly the 2nd course (duck meat), with some of the 1 st course (crispy skin). Peking duck is served with mu-shi flour pancakes (wafer thin), slivered green onions and plum sauce. The duck meat is dipped in plum sauce, placed on the pancake with several onion slivers and rolled in the pancake. Yummy!

The Forbidden City

Built between 1406-1420, the Forbidden City served as the residence for emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasty. The FC is divided into 2 major sections, the outer palace for business and inner residential buildings. Because we had a lot to see, we buzzed through the Forbidden City in a couple of hours, we could have spent days. Above, Chairman Mao glares out at Tiananmen Square from his perch on the outer walls at the Forbidden City.

Tiananmen Square (Gate of Heavenly Peace), nuff said.

The cast of the Beijing Opera

We spent an evening at the Beijing Opera during our stay in the city. It depends on whether you are me or Will, Kim and John as to whether the experience was enjoyed or not. Unfortunately, we were all exhausted and struggled to stay awake. The next morning our guide told us that China's youth do not like the opera and are very grateful for the tourists that keep this bit of tradition alive.

The fine art of drinking tea

On our last day in Beijing, we stopped at Mr. T's Teahouse for a delightful demonstration on how to make and drink Chinese tea. Note in the photo above, the men are holding the teacup with their middle finger on the foot of the cup to stabilize it, fourth and pinkie fingers curled under...very manly. The women, on the other hand, have their fourth and pinkie fingers thrust outward. I think we forgot these rules with our next cup of tea. And yes, we each brought home a little bit of Chinese tea to enjoy.

Summer Palace (Garden of Cultivating Peace)

Originally built in the 12 century, this 717-acre garden provided us with a relaxing afternoon stroll and dragon boat ride from shore to shore. Another place itching for further exploration but we just didn't have time.

The Great Wall in Simatai (also known as the "Wild Wall")

One of our most memorable experiences was our trip to the Simatai section of the Great Wall. This section seems to hang precariously on the Yanshan Mountains.

The Great Wall photographed through one of the watch towers

The Great Wall is truly great


Beijing train station

The Beijing train station is unlike anything I could have possibly imagined. Hundreds of people poured through a single front door and lined up at the security checkpoint to toss their luggage on a single conveyer belt. The luggage passed through an x-ray machine (in disorganized mass) and spilled out the other side. People (mostly Chinese) were crammed along the belt to claim their bags. I couldn't get close to my bag so I took a chance and literally jumped into the crowd, eventually surfacing with my bag. Whew! Jill, our guide, ushered us and our baggage to the correct platform and said goodbye. Soon we were off into the darkness alone, crammed into our little soft sleeper, looking forward to our next stop, Xi'an.

Exhausted tourists!

Do we look tired or what? Our train departed at 8:30 pm and we couldn't wait to go to sleep! The 4 of us shared a soft sleeper compartment (basically 4 bunk beds equipped with hard mattresses and silk comforters). John and I claimed the top bunks and Will and Kim the lower. Stowing our luggage above the compartment door was an interesting contortion act performed by John and Will. The act included lifting heavy luggage while hanging from bars around the door. Overnight train travel is an experience not to be forgotten!

Terracotta Soldiers

Our main reason for traveling to Xi'an (pronounced Ci'an), the Terracotta Soldiers. Surely the most spectacular site in China, these soldiers were buried some 2,200 years ago to protect the tomb of the first Qin emperor. The emperor left no record of the army's existence and remained a speculation until the sight was discovered in 1976 by a couple of farmers searching for water during a drought.

The soldiers of Vault Number One face east toward the emperor's tomb

Soldiers are lined up about 70 across, 150 deep and are separated by 10 walls and 11 corridors. The next 2 vaults are smaller but no less interesting. The soldiers on the wall in the above photo are in various stages restoration. Visible dark blotches indicate missing sections . Archaeologists will replicate only small pieces, large pieces not recovered are left unrepaired.

Xi'an City Wall (built from 1374-1378) "It's a long way down!"

We explored the great city wall around of Xi'an by bicycle. Unfortunately the south gate was under repair and we were pushing the closing time for the bicycle rental stand so we had only 40 minutes to ride and marvel at the construction. The red lanterns along the wall are magical when lit at night.

DeFachang's Dumpling Banquet

One of our favorite meals on the trip was the dumpling dinner at DeFachang in Xi'an. Fish, meat and vegetable dumplings were served along with a nut dumpling (brown dumpling).
Bell Tower (Zhong Lou)

The Bell Tower was built in the Ming dynasty in 1384 and moved to it's current location in the city center 200 years later (note the bell on the front left corner). Even though we did not have an opportunity to tour the tower, the building served as landmark for us when finding our location within the city.