Oregon

 

a Taste of Summer

Cute Boy and Halloween

So at long last I am getting Halloween pics up. Gregor Trick-or-Treated for the first time this year. He had a great time following Austin around, I think hanging out with his older cousin was cooler than getting the candy. I went as Totoro- as Totoro is also big and round :)

Frightmares at Lagoon was fun as well- since Gregor was big enough to ride a few things.

What we did for our summer vacation

So I realize it been forever since we've posted anything, all I can say is we decided we were too lazy for awhile. Anyway I thought I'd give you a heads up on what has been happening with us.

Earlier in the summer I hosted my family reunion, it turned out okay but I was left mildly insane from the experience.

We also went to my cousins wedding reception in Idaho. I hadn't seen her and most the rest of the family since 1996- yes I have always been bad at keeping up with people just in case you were wondering. She looked lovely and it was nice to find out the rest of the family is doing well.

We spent lost of the time at parks - this time Gregor was lucky enough to have someone to play with other than mom- she is boring.Played with lots of toys & my favorite game that starts every morning- lets look for the random toys Gregor wants to play with (not knowing it will take three hours because he has hidden them under the couch or other random weird place).We have also played in lots of sand and dirt- this sand happens to be at the natural history museum and if you have a couple hours Gregor will be happy to tell you how much he enjoys dinosaur bones.We also took a train in the mall- Gregor was very upset when it was over and mom wasn't willing to go again. Again if you have several hours he would be happy to tell you how mean his mommy can be.We have also played dress up a few times, hopefully that will get us ready for Halloween- since we still don't know what we would like to be although I'm thinking since Gregor likes to run around the house yelling "Super Gregor to the rescue!!!" we may have to come up with some great superhero costume :)Anyway my little guy makes me both insane and happy every day and we have spent the last few months enjoying that.

China part 3... The REAL Big Buddha

Well, my trip in China was extended by five days, so you all get another post. This Saturday we visited the largest Buddha statue that you can imagine. It was a long day of subway and train rides, tram rides, and 140 steps up to the statue. Tiring, but worth it in the end. After we returned to our hotel, we ate at the best Japanese restaurant that I have ever been to.

Anyway, I should be home Wednesday... On to the slideshow:


Next to the toilet in the Bathroom is a small red button. I am assuming that it is for "Emergencies", but the translation says "Emergence". I guarantee that if ANYTHING emerges from the toilet, pushing that button will not be the first thing on my list.

The view of Buddha from the tram leading up to the monestary. You can see the "small" set of stairs leading up.

After climbing the neverending staircase, you are greeted by this view. There are some people in the photo for a size reference.

There is somewhat of a little town surrounding the Buddha and Monestary. It was a very misty day at the top of the mountain. It felt like you were walking around in a steam sauna.

The town even has it's own creepy monkey mascot. It looks like Curious George's dirty uncle.

I could tell you that the subway was crowded, but it would be an understatement.

Anyway... Here's to a long flight on Wednesday!

China Part 2...Hong Kong

Well, I am back in China for another couple of weeks. We had a slowdown at the end of this week, so I came down to Hong Kong for the weekend. It is very warm and humid here, just a couple of minutes outside and you feel like you have been swimming. I can now add cuttlefish, frog, and eel to my list of food that I have consumed.

The hotel that I am staying in down in Hong Kong is very nice. It is situated right near the bay, and is directly in from of Hong Kong's largest park. The park is very nice, and has a lot of different areas for different interests. Every morning there is a crew of Tai Chi people fighting each other in slow motion. Someone needs to up their caffiene intake...


Here is what a cuttlefish looks like. It is related to squid, but I think that it looks like Dr. Zoidberg's head from Futurama.

This is the view from my hotel window, looking out across the bay. There are lots of ferry tours and such out on the bay at night to see a light show that all of the buildings put on every night. I am going to try to get tickets for a ride tonight.

This is one of the park entrances. From this walkway you can take side paths into various areas of the park. They have a swimming complex, a jogging course, several children's playgrounds, and a festival field that happened to have a music festival while I was here.



One of the side areas of the park is a pond built specifically for R/C Boats. There were probably 10-15 people here with their boats. It seems to be a fairly popular pasttime. Lots of participants, and onlookers.

One of the Children's play areas has the creepy-happy-fun-fun-time heads to watch over your children. I am not sure why they have a heart in their mouths...maybe if you aren't playing nice they will eat your heart right out of your chest...?

There is a 10 or so block shopping area surrounding the bay. It in known as the Causeway Bay district. There are all kinds of vendors here, ranging from street food and magazines to high end department and jewelry stores. There are also four or five mall complexes in this area. It is kind of like a miniature NYC. There is a "World Trade Center" building, and a "Times Square" shopping area.

One of the small restaurants in the shopping district sells "pizza". It is fairly similar to "normal" pizza, except that is has a baked rice "dough" with things like raw salmon and bean sprouts as toppings.

All over Hong Kong, and mainland China for that matter, there is football fever. This little soccer mascot guy is everywhere. I guess the World Cup is being played, or something...

Thats all for now... Hopefully I can get one last post about China in after I get back next week.

Jason