The End Is Near

It should be the beginning of the end.

But, it is not.

Rain, rain, and even more rain kept it away.

But time didn't wait. It kept marching on.

And, now the end is so very near.

Less than a month.

The first of many graduating traditions.

Meant to be done when 2,016 hours remain for the senior class, but unfortunately, that moment came and went during an extremely rainy period. While alternate dates were chosen, they too were wet.

Perseverance paid off and the beginning of the end finally took place.

Graduating Class of 2016

Sparkling grape juice to toast in the end of their high school career!

And, of course, gobs and gobs of photo opportunities!

Elizabeth and Abbi- swim team sisters.

Maggie and Abbi- sisters at heart.

Abbi's small group.

Swim team captains.

Soon to be an only child. I think Jacob is going to really miss her.

Six, five, four; soon to be just three!

Amid the cheers, laughter, and smiles the realization of difficult goodbyes mingled within.

Despite emotions raging up, Mom did well.

No tears, yet....

Twenty-Two Years

The year was 1994.

It was a beautiful spring day in Ohio.

The sun was shining. The temperature a balmy 70 degrees.

A perfect day for a wedding. 

That was four children and twenty-two years ago.

Today, two of those children have moved onto college, with a third on the cusp of graduation.

And we are no longer in Ohio.

Most of our special day was spent at at the American School of Taichung, attending a volleyball tournament. My sweetie was with me, but it wasn't a very romantic location for an anniversary.

But don't worry. We took the time the previous day to celebrate our lives together.

We went hiking.

I just read an article detailing research of how hiking in nature can actually improve your brain function. I'm all for that. I need all the help I can get. 

Along the way, we had two unexpected encounters. 

One of a human nature.

And one, not.

As we began our challenging hike, we stopped at a gazebo to admire the view.

 In addition to the gorgeous scenery, we were graced with traditional Chinese tea accompanied by great conversation. Jeffrey and Darren, old classmates, were also taking advantage of the beautiful spring day. Not having seen each other in quite a while, they had agreed to meet at the gazebo. We unknowingly stumbled upon their reunion. 

Jeffrey, speaking rather well English, invited us to join them. For the better part of an hour, they shared their tea, apples, and melon seeds with us, as well as their thoughts and memories. It was an unexpected treat.

 Darren is a tea aficionado with over 200 traditional tea pots.  The prize of his collection was purchased over thirty years ago for 30,000 NT (about 1,000 US). He estimates its worth now over a 1,000,000 NT.

 Conversations ranged from teapots and tea to Jeffrey's recent recovery from an illness which had rendered him deaf in one ear. While very expensive, his treatment has returned 97% of his hearing.

Bidding our friends farewell, and after a "I've drank way too much tea" bathroom stop, our anniversary hike continued.

Yes, it says monkey crossing. And no, I am not a monkey

But our second unplanned encounter was with a monkey. Looking up the path, I saw his tail as he crossed over. Thinking he was high tailing it away from us, I was surprised to spy him perched in a tree just watching us.

For several minutes we watched each other. Then silently, he slipped away out of sight.

So on we hiked...

This particular trail is marked as challenging and I agree. Up, up, and up we went. In the above picture, you can see the trail in the far distance, hugging the side of the peak. At the top, several gazebos await tired hikers with cooling breezes and peaceful vistas.

The sign before the trail warns hikers to wear long pants and long sleeves as a protection from poisonous bugs and snakes. Serious hikers follow those suggestions. This older woman had almost every speck of her skin covered, including her hands. I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts and was sweating from the midday heat as well as from the challenge of the hike. I like to follow the rules, but this is one I don't think I could do.

After our strenuous  workout, we headed back into the city to find something to eat.

Not wanting to wait for sit down fare, we settled on street food.

I devoured this radish cake wrapped in fried egg. The sauce was spicy, but with a hint of sweetness. 

Carl, lover of chicken, found some fried chicken. Together our meals cost 100 NT ($3 US).

Our ultimate goal was not the supper, but rather the ice cream we shared afterwards!

Which, by the way, cost twice as much as both our dinners combined.

But it all comes down to priorities, because after all, no anniversary is complete without ice cream.

(Right, Dave and Ann?)

Swim!

 So after a wait of over a year, the pool is finally done!

And, boy, is it nice!

This new aquatics center is a result of an executive decision creating a subsequent domino effect.

The city of Taichung needed some Morrison land.

The land they needed contained the bottom half of our track.

Thus, the track needed to be moved. The only place to move it was where the pool sat.

So, the pool needed to be moved.

Unfortunately, the best place for the pool was exactly in the spot of the tennis courts.

Naturally, the tennis courts were demolished. As was the pool. If you want to experience the destruction, follow this link...

It all sounds so sad, but, not really.

See, the track was a cinder track, from way back. I think it was one of the last surviving of its kind. Sounds nostalgic, but it was just plain yucky.

Shoes and socks were permanently ruined after 1 lap. Black dust covered the legs. Falling meant black embers embedded into your skin. 

And the pool, while a nice facility, had a major problem. Having just been built prior to the 1999 earthquake, it suffered damage resulting in a small crack. Everyday, the pool would lose water. Everyday, the lost water needed to be replaced in order for the pool to remain swimmable. 

The waiting is finally over.

Monday was the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Speeches, dignitaries, cake and ice cream were the order of events.

Then the real fun began- The Community Swim Meet. Typically, this meet is held in the fall during swim season, but its hard to host a meet when you don't have a pool to swim in.

At a very weak moment, I agreed to be part of a relay team, which somehow turned into two relays. But how could I pass up a chance to participate in Abbi's last high school swim meet? Especially since she was swimming in the same relays! I'd like to say my team of mostly over 50 beat those youngsters, but to do so, I would have to lie!

They naturally broke the meet's record!

I only had two problems. The first being that after several days of warm "now this is swimming kind of weather" it turned chilly. And rainy. I think I burned more calories shivering than swimming!

My second problem, being into the second half of my life, was appearing in front of students and their parents in a bathing suit! Its hard getting old. I put aside my pride (and bought a new suit) and went for it. I will save you the torture of viewing all the pictures Carl took. They will be deleted soon from the camera!

I was so glad that these seniors had a chance to swim in the new Morrison pool. It was hard not having a home pool for their senior year, but they handled it with maturity and grace.

Now, how about those tennis courts?

Those will have to wait until an older housing unit is demolished. But that can't happen until a new faculty building is completed.

And so the dominoes continue to fall.

Silver Turtles

I miss camping.

To me, there's nothing quite as relaxing as a weekend spent outdoors.

Beautiful scenery.

Fresh air.

Crackling bonfire.

Food.

Ok. There's the truth of the matter. Its all about the food. A meal cooked over an open fire is hugely satisfying, as well as tasty.

Once in a while I get a hankering for some delicious campfire food. The most recent occurrence was during spring break. That could be a problem since I live on the 6th floor in the middle of a city.

Thank goodness for a grill!

A perfect time for silver turtles.

I don't remember where we first discovered this camping delicacy. It might have been through the Royal Ranger group at our church. Or possible our yearly camping adventure at Pike Lake. But where ever it was, I am so glad.

The ingredients are simple- hamburger, onions, potatoes, carrots, a little butter, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Wrap these in two layers of foil and place over coals, or in our case on a hot grill. Wait a little, unwrap, sprinkle with cheese, and enjoy!

Very little prep. Very little clean up.

And best of all- everyone makes their own, just the way they like it.

Since Abbi was on a mission trip in Thailand, I planned on just the three of us. But our camping food party soon doubled in size. A group of Jake's friends shared the food and fun.

After explaining the concept, they went for it!

 When Jake was younger, he was always altering games, adding new challenges, perspectives. Jake suggested adding egg. Several of the guys liked the idea and added a beaten egg to the mixture.

Onto our little Taiwanese grill they went.

The guys were pleasantly surprised by the result.

Naturally, everything is made better by a little hot sauce!

A little experimenting took place as to the right time to add the egg- before it goes on the grill or right after when it is hot and steamy inside. Since I can't remember the verdict, some more experimenting will have to take place.

Since I am not fond of meat, I alter my silver turtle a bit. Clams are cheap. Add some mushrooms, a little onion, a touch of butter..... yummy! 

Thats my Taiwan version of the classic Ohio silver turtle!

An old successful dish plus a new idea equals deliciousness.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!