From Grits to Chopsticks

Terrorists with long knives burst into our local train station last night at 9:20PM and stabbed travelers, killing at least 28 and wounding over a hundred more.  Such a sad, senseless act reminds us of the brevity and uncertainty of our lives, even in a place that seems relatively safe. We pass through this station each Sunday morning on the way […]

[Read more →]

It’s that time of year again – time to go to the local zoo and enjoy the cherry blossoms.  It was a beautiful day on Sunday, so we headed over after our morning fellowship — along with thousands of others (my tall head is slightly visible between the distant umbrellas): The main activity is photographing the cherry […]

[Read more →]

Last week as we were preparing to return to China, the Atlanta area got hit with another blast of winter weather.  Sleet and freezing rain fell all day Wednesday, shutting down the city and the airport: An inch or more of snow fell during the night: On Thursday morning, it was quite beautiful: As the temperature rose and wind […]

[Read more →]

Here are a few recent photos from our travels around the US.  We’ve had the privilege of spending a good bit of time with our daughter and grandsons: It was freezing cold when we left PA, but the sun was shining with a temperature above 70 degF when we passed through SC and stopped by my […]

[Read more →]

As you browse the internet, you will occasionally see a list of “things that you should do before you die,” lists that appear to be compiled by adventurous people with unlimited resources.  But for the rest of us, those who enjoy a good “B-grade” vacation, there should be a list of “one hundred ‘dorky’ things to do before you die.” […]

[Read more →]

On the weekend of December 21, 2013, we traveled to Pine Bluff, Arkansas to share in the wedding of our youngest son Timothy and his sweetheart, Caitlyn.  Many friends from far away joined in this celebration, including a few from Asia: Friends from Honduras: Family from South Carolina (relaxing before the wedding the Arkansas way):   Brothers […]

[Read more →]

As a child, I remember when the crew came to dredge the silt from the lagoon near our house at Barnegat Bay.  With a large pumping rig mounted on a rusty barge, they sucked up the gooey stuff, piled it on the deck, and floated it away.  It was a pretty efficient process. But in the […]

[Read more →]

On Sunday afternoons, we try to take time and relax from our busy week.  Last weekend was cold, so we made a rare stop at a Starbucks for a hot drink.  It is interesting to note that very few restaurants in our city have an “A” rating – not even Starbucks: After our coffee, we walked to the […]

[Read more →]

From our city in southwest China, it’s only a 90 minute flight to ChiangMai, Thailand.  We recently had the opportunity to travel there to visit with some of our students and to help a friend with a medical visa need. We visited during the busyLoi Krathong festival which limited our hotel options, so we stayed on […]

[Read more →]

As a child in America, I was strongly warned to stay away from the railroad tracks.  Gruesome stories were told about those people who wandered onto the track, unaware of the grave danger approaching. Things are much different here in China.  The railroad tracks are used for many things other than train traffic.  Kids walk to school […]

[Read more →]