25 Oct 2011: Shanghai sideways!

Greetings all!
Happy 1st of Winter day...at least that's what the Chinese say...I think it has more to do with the fact that this was the first day that the heat was turned on the apartments here.  Most of the heat is steam heat that is centrally produced.
The last week, I had meetings in Shanghai, so on Wednesday, Rod came down to join me there and then we stayed for the weekend and took a quick tour of Shanghai...in a somewhat unconventional way.  Rod arranged for us to tour Shanghai in a couple of old motorcycles with Sidecars.  These motorcycles are Chinese copies of the WWII old BMW motorcycles, still produced in Russia and very simple engine technology...and somewhat apt to breakdown from what we've heard.
Here are a few photos of our little trip around Shanghai!

For anyone, who will be in Shanghai for a day, who would like to do this tour, here is their website!
www.shanghaisideways.com

Rod standing beside the sidecar he was about to tour around Shanghai in!

A garden in the French Consession area of Shanghai

Sarah sittin' in the sidecar on the tour of Shanghai

Rod toolin up the street in Shanghai

Sarah tooling around with the owner of the company

Tooling around the Bund in Shanghai

The Pearl of Shanghai as seen from the Bund

Just off the Bund there are some not so glamerous areas...

Rod walking in the little neighborhood off the bund

Wiring in Shanghai...humm...hope they never have a short circuit!

Bread...Shanghai style, cooked on the street

Making cookies or crepes on the street in Shanghai

Sarah in the market...that's a man taking down his laundry in the background...no I'm not buying!

So that's about it for now!
Have a wonderful week, where ever you are!

Rod & Sarah

17 April 2011: Rod's Tenor Tuba playing in the Park...and other adventures!

17 April 2011

Greetings all from Rainy Shenyang,

Thank God for the rain today here in Shenyang.  After a long, cold, dry winter, Spring is trying to arrive in Shenyang!  The wild plum trees are blooming along with the beginnings of Forsythia now and hopefully with this rain, it will green up!  Many of you know, I've been traveling a lot lately, mostly to France in preparation for a major milestone in my work.  I'll have to go back to France in a week, so for the moment, I'm taking advantage of my time here at home...jetlag and all!

While I was away, Rod was busy here in Shenyang!  Many of you have asked what he does...well, in this update, I'll give you a bit of a glimpse into my wonderful husbands life here!  Many of you know that we met in the 202nd KY Army National Guard Band.  He was, and continues to be, a tuba player and I was a trumpet player (we will celebrate 28 years of marriage in a few days!).  Music continues to be an important part of our life together...and Rod continues to play, and draw a crowd here in China!

Rod goes to the local park and plays his horn (which we bought in Austria, when we lived in France...it's a smaller horn than the tuba, so it's easier to move it around!) When he starts to play, other musicians just show up and join in!  In this case, there is an accordion player, singer and a drummer...then the crowd just showed up. The grapevine must be pretty efficient here!

 

Rod and the accordian player in the park at Shenyang

Rod again with the accordian player

Rod drawing a crowd at the park in Shenyang

The musicians with Rod at the park...and their audience!

When he's not in the park, he's out exploring and taking snapshots of our surroundings.  This time, he went to some of the local markets.  1st stop was the fabric market (when he saw my fabrics, he had to go for himself!  He didn't buy anything this time, but took a nice picture of some of the fabrics!

Silks at the fabric market in Shenyang

I'm pretty sure one or two of these silk fabrics will become a Chinese silk jacket some day!

Once through with the fabric market, he then went right next door to the spice market.   In the spice market, there were all kinds of spices, in bulk. The pictures are interesting...but the smells just can't be described!

Peppers at the spice market in Shenyang

Peppers...peppers and more peppers at the spice market in Shenyang

Dried fruits and nuts at the spice market in Shenyang

Dried fruits and nuts at the spice market in Shenyang

Just outside the spice market, was another street market...by vendors for vendors!  Always interesting to see what the local, locals eat!

The meat market behind the fabric market...get your lunch meat here!

Buy your pork here on the street...I don't think this would pass the FDA cleanliness test...take a look around behind the meat on the table!

Once you buy your meat, then get your shoe or purse fixed in the market!

The Shoe repair man...at your local market here in Shenyang

So as you can see, Rod keeps himself busy while I'm working or traveling!  

Thanks so much for your continued prayers and thoughts as we've now passed our 1 year milestone here in Shenyang!  Keep those emails coming!

Sarah & Rod

7 November 2010: Corn on the cob and more fruit markets

7 November 2010

Greetings all from cool Shenyang,

It's sunday afternoon as I write this (by the way China never changes times, so no "Spring Up Fall Back" to remember here!) and it's cold and wet outside.  It's rain today, but for forecast is calling for snow on Wednesday...we'll see!  The weather forecasts here are like the ones in the US...not something you can count on!

This weekend has been some needed rest and relaxation.  We got out a little but, but not much.  This time on year on Shenyang, the street food vendors switch to Corn on the cob and roasted sweet potatoes for your fast food pallets. Here's some fast corn on the cob!  If you have a 3 wheel trike here, you can go into business!

Corn on the cob street vendor in Shenyang

Awhile back I had a picture of some fruit that some of you wandered what the squashed Asian fruit was, and at the time, i didn't know.  Well, now we know. They are persimmons...and big ones!

Persimmons in China!  Are these the biggest Persimmons in the you've ever seen?!

Here's a picture with Rod and his favorite fruit market not far from the hotel.

Sarah at the fruit market in Shenyang

Rod with his fruit market girl

Always a winner with the girls!

Not much else going on here in Shenyang... take care everyone and keep those emails coming!!

Sarah

1 October 2010: My birthday party and more food market photos!

1 October 2010

Dear friends and family,

I write to you today as a 50 year old woman!  Yes, my 50th birthday was yesterday, and Rod ensured that we celebrated in high style!  He planned and pulled off a surprise party for me here at the hotel.  There were several work colleagues and their families with us the help me pass the important milestone.  Of course, now, after the fact, I find the whole story and I'm amazed that so many people knew, but no one blabbed..no one, and in fact, I know now, that at least 3 people on this list were in on the planning and execution of this little affaire!    I was totally and utterly surprised and so humbled by a wonderful party, spending my birthday with our Shenyang family.   Rod has pulled off many "firsts" for me, but this one topped it all!  I've never (until now) had a surprise birthday party!   He pulled out all the stops and made it very memorable.  There were so many wonderful gifts and memories that will last a lifetime...who knows, maybe the next 50 years! (I was voted most likely to live to 100 back in high school)!  Here are a few of pictures...makes me tear up and smile at the same time just to see them today!

The birthday room before everything started...all unbeknownst to me!

Sarah trying to make a speech and Rod laughing!

Some friends sitting around the table

David Davis and Rod sitting at the table

Sarah Miller and Benoit Heubert (my boss) at the end!

Dorthy & Michel, Helmut and Elizabeth, Sarah & Benoit, Joe & Karen...a very nice night out for my 50th!

The gifts so proudly displayed the morning after!  They are still like this right now as I type...I just love looking at it all on our dining room table! All of these gifts mean so much to us and have already garnered a special place in our lives!  Thank you!

The gifts for my 50th birthday party in Shenyang, China...wow, amazing!

So hard to top that!!

Today is a holiday here in China.  It's the 1st of October, the Chinese National Day and actually it's a 3 day holiday, so the fact that it falls on Friday this year, means that we will move the 2nd and 3rd day to Monday and Tuesday of next week...so most everyone gets a 5 day weekend.  We went to a market today, I saw no sign of "National Day" here..no parades,  no extra flags...Rod said he thought it was more like "National Cash Register" day..lots of marketing and selling looks like to me!

I always love taking pictures of the food in the markets...here are some more!

Fresh Green vegetable market...very pretty to look at, and I'm sure tasty to eat

Hows that for some big onions, squash and leeks?

You want eggs...we got eggs..chicken, quail, goose...all kinds

How about some fresh mushrooms and ginger root to go with your greens?

Rod's dipping out something...hard to tell what!

parts are parts in these chickens..or turkeys or whatever they were!  Necks, breasts, feet, gizzards..you got it!

How do you like your eggs?  

Would you like white meat or dark meat for your chicken..now about some feet, or a good neck bone, or something a little more in the organ family?

So, that's about it for now here in Shenyang.  We're going to relax today and tomorrow...I'll probably just continue to bask in the great memories of my 50th birthday party!  Thank you my dear Rodney...it was the best birthday party a girl could ever have!

I’ll be taking my computer with me on my business trips, so next week I’ll be writing from France.

See you soon,

Sarah

15 May 2010: New Recliner and Sofa, Mr Sun and Rod's explores the markets

15 May 2010

reetings all from Shenyang,

Spring has finally arrived here in Shenyang!  The trees are budded out and the annuals have been planted!  It is still cool in the mornings and pleasant in the afternoon low 40's in the mornings and low 70's in the afternoon.  I've been busy at work and trying to cram a million things into the 1 week in the office, so this update is mosty about Rod's adventures and photos of his daily sights here in Shenyang. He goes to really interesting places..and he normally takes me there on the weekend, but since I've got to fly out again today, I'll have to check out these places myself when I get back!  But before we go out on the street, I wanted to show you girls our new home decor since I've redecorated and added 1 additional piece of furniture..a matching sofa for my recliner!

Our living room.  We will eventually get some artwork on the walls,  and maybe a Chinese rug on the floor, but at least now, the furniture layout is the way I want it, and I can recline in the chair...or layout on the couch...both items of comfort after a long day!

So, now to the streets!

Some of you have asked what kind of car we have.  It's a Chinese brand "Jin Bei"..I liken it to a Chinese copy of a Toyota Camery.  The man in front is our driver Mr. Sun.  He is a very nice man, and we are learning to communicate.  We each have a dictionary and a phrase book...so when we get stuck...which is often, we both go to the book and eventually, we understand each other!  My Chinese lessons are coming along...but I have to admit, it's hard to study Chinese when I'm in France...my brain just can't adjust to 2 foreign languages at the same time it seems...or maybe I'm just not focusing enough...at any rate, I'm making progress, but it's a slow go!

Sarah, going to work with Driver Sun in the Jin Bei car in front to the IC hotel in Shenyang.

Every day, there are many vendors on the streets selling food...all kinds of food!

Fresh fruits and vegetables and prepared on-the-spot.  Here some examples.

Have truck, have market!  Note this is a 3 wheeled truck...there are a lot of these here!  Lots of watermelons here and other small melons.  He is parked beside a construction site (of which there are many here too!)  Notice, how many cranes there are in the background..this place is growing!

 This little boy is the son of the guy making the bread.  He was so cute, we just had a to get a picture!

Rod described this as the wafflehouse of Shenyang.  The set up shop on the sidewalk not far from the hotel about 6:00am each morning and go until 11am. He is cooking on a flat top griddle over a propane fire.  She is rolling out the doe....what a team! This doe forms a type of pocket bread and they put an egg and a split hotdog inside and then put it in a small plastic baggie and "the regulars" come up on their electric bikes, put their 3 RMB ( 50 cents) on the cashbox (front and center) and they take their baggie and go. Fast food!

So, that's about it for now.  I'll be in France for the next 10 days, then in Japan for 2 days, then coming back here in the 29th of May...this month has literally flown by..of maybe I've flown by the month...at any rate, it's going by fast!  For those of you on FB, see on there!

Take care and keep those emails coming!

Sarah & Rod