Plastic

Dear Friends,

I just spent the last ten minutes unwrapping all our produce from the plastic it was in.  I tend to think of myself as environmentally friendly so China's love of plastic is a bit much for me.  I am working on finding some more earth friendly places to shop and patiently waiting for my cloth bags to arrive in the shipment.

Love,
H

Roses

Dear Friends,

I have been feeling a bit under the weather the last few days with "Shanghaitis", my first encounter with the pollution related respiratory issues.  My sweet husband decided to get me some beautiful long stemmed roses to cheer me up. Each was individually wrapped in cellophane and then the entire bunch was wrapped as well.  (Sorry I missed the shot of that.)  The beauty of the flowers almost masks the plastic starfish cup I had to use as a vase.  Looking forward to the day our shipment arrives and I have 6 vases to choose from!

Love,
H

Tory Burch

Dear Friends,

We spent some time the other weekend checking out one of the markets near the school.  As we left the US, our friend Stacy wanted us to keep a look out for Tory Burch bags. Guess we can check that off our list.

Love,
H & B

New Classroom

Dear Friends,

Here it is. . . my new classroom.  Got in with less than a week before kids arrived.  YIKES!!! Check back in  a few weeks to see how it is coming along.

Love,
H

Pizza Delivery

Dear Friends,

I was out for a walk the other day and came across a Papa Johns. They have quite a delivery fleet.

Love,
H

Corn Juice?

Dear Friends,

Saw this in the juice isle at the grocery store.  From the picture, we are guessing it is corn juice.  Have you ever tried it?

Love,
H & B

Watts

Dear Friends,

One of the best things about our move to Shanghai...the Watts. Greg and Di worked with us in Romania. Having them here has made our transition much easier and way more fun!

Love,
H & B

Transport Bike

Dear Friends,

By local standards, this guy is carrying a small load on his bicycle. We are amazed at some of the things we see people carrying on bikes.

Love,
H & B

Dragon Fruit

Dear Friends,

The fruit basket in our apartment when we arrived was a welcome sight.  These two beautiful dragon fruit were inside.  As pretty as they are, no matter how hard we try, we just cannot convince ourselves that they taste good.

Love,
H & B

Tea

Dear Friends,

Sorry for the grainy shot on this one... had to quickly pull out my camera to get a shot of this guy pouring our tea.

Love,
H & B

Flower Tree

Dear Friends,

Saw this interesting "flower tree" on one of my morning runs. Sure brings some color to the park.

Love,
H

Flies Head

Dear Friends,

Saw this delicacy on a local menu.  Not sure what it is.  Maybe next time we'll give it a try.

Love,
H & B

Chair Store

Dear Friends,

Ran into this chair store on the side of the road. Not sure where the owner was.  Good thing we weren't in a buying mood.

Love,
H & B

Yuyuan Gardens

Dear Friends,

Spent a morning at the Yuyuan Gardens or, more accurately, trying to find it.  It was worthwhile. The gardens were a peaceful break from the bustling city.

Love,
H & B

Red Bean Scone

Dear Friends,

I am sure none of you will be surprised to hear that there are plenty of Starbucks in town.  The do have some unusual items. I had to give this red bean scone a try. . . pretty tasty!

Love,
H

Woks

Dear Friends,

We went to Carrefour  to do a little shopping. Guess we know where to go in case we need a wok. They had quite a selection.

Love,
H & B

Shanghai

Dear Friends,

We made it to Shanghai.  We've been getting settled in and even took a day to explore the city. Think we are really going to like it here!

Love,
H & B

Lake Huron Sunrise

Dear Friends,

Just love getting up for an early morning run in Oscoda. I get to see these beautiful sunrises over Lake Huron.

Love,
H

Robin's Nest

Dear Robin,

Sorry we didn't get to spend more time at your "nest" this summer. Hopefully we will see you more next year.

Love,
H & B

Tawas Harbor

Dear Friends,

We enjoyed our last two weeks in Michigan.  It was great not to spend everyday in the car. Instead, we rode bikes, walked around town and took the kayaks down the Ausable.   We enjoyed every minute of the fresh air and green space.

Love,
H & B

Harrisville Wine & Food Festival

Dear Friends,

The Sunrise Side Wine and Food Festival...what better why to spend a Saturday afternoon?

Love,
H & B

Fiddle

Dear Friends,

As we left St. Andrews, our friends were sure to remind us to look for the giant fiddle  on the way to Fredericton . . . found it!

Love,
H & B

Hockey Life

Dear Friends,

This is my favorite store in the entire world.

Love,
B

St. Andrews, New Brunswick

Dear Deborah and Andrew,

We had a great time in St. Andrews! Thanks for the fun visit. See you next summer!

Love,
H & B

Charlottetown, PEI

Dear Nathan and Kirsten,

Summers wouldn't be the same without a couple days with you in PEI.  Maybe next year we can make sure to get to Gahans for their home brew.  Thanks for all the fun!

Love,
H & B

PEI Mussels

Dear Friends,

Our annual buck of PEI mussels was delicious!

Love,
H & B

PEI - B & B

Dear Friends,

We found the best B & B at Rocky Point. Every time we arrive, there are homemade goodies, fantastic beverages and amazing company.  We love you guys!

Love,
H & B

Cookbook

Dear Friends,

We saw this cookbook at a bookstore in Fredericton. Thought a few of you might like it but we didn't end up buying it.

Love,
H & B

Bikes

Dear Friends,

Loved the way this bike rental shack on the Halifax waterfront was painted.  We love bikes too!

Love,
H & B

Halifax

Dear Sean and Lee,

Thanks for the great time!  We enjoyed the porch party with you and the girls.

Love,
H & B

Jazz Festival

Dear Friends,

As we wandered around the waterfront in Halifax, we discovered the Jazz Festival. We stopped in to enjoy one of the free afternoon concerts.

Love,
H & B

Bradley Avenue

Dear Friends,

Did you know that Brad has a street named after him?  Just ask him, he can tell you the story.

Love,
H & B

Theodore Tugboat

Dear Friends,

This tugboat was offering rides around the Halifax Harbor.  We decided not to take a ride this time.

Love,
H & B

Canada

Dear Friends,

We had a fantastic trip to Canada.  Got to see so many great friends and family members.  Hard to believe it will be another year before we return.

Love,
H & B

Girls' Weekend

Dear Michelle, Ann, Stacy and Jolie,

Thanks for yet another wonderful weekend!  I am so lucky to have you gals as friends.  And, Robin...we all missed you!

Love,
H

American Spoon

Dear Friends,

Loved all the preserves in here.  Even loved more that this is a local company.  Bought some items to share with friends in Canada.

Love,
H

Wine Festival

Dear Friends,

Harbor Springs put on a fantastic wine (and beer) festival!  We loved tasting all the local beverages.  The local restaurants had wonderful treats out for us to sample as well.  The highlight was the local band.

Love,
H

Little Traverse Bay

Dear Friends,

The view of Little Traverse Bay is beautiful. If only it wasn't so COLD!

Love,
H

Vodka Slushes

Dear Michelle,

Our weekend wouldn't have been the same without your vodka slushes!  Delightful!

Love,
H

Bay Harbor

Dear Friends,

Girls' weekend was was in Michigan's beautiful northwest.  The cottages at Bay Harbor were amazing.  We did our best to take advantage of all the amenities.

Love,
H

Hockey Equipment

Dear Friends,

Back in Michigan, we spent some time locating some hockey equipment.  Brad is eager to get back on the ice.

Love,
H & B

Souvenir

Dear Friends,

We saw this treasure at a gas station in southwest Michigan.  Who doesn't need a horse swigging wine bottle holder? Who actually buys these things?

Love,
H & B

Visa Run

Dear Friends,

We apologize for the lack of posts last week.  We made an unexpected visa run to Chicago which prompted a whole week of surprise travel. Thanks to those of you who provided accommodation and entertainment along the way. The trip was worth it...no more worrying about when our passports with the visas will come back.  Look out China...we'll be there in a month!

Love,
H & B

Healthy Harvest

Dear Friends,

Nothing like some pretty, colorful signs to get your attention.  But, I really don't need anything at the farming store.

Love,
H

Peonies

Dear Friends,

We were delighted to find this in the garden this summer.

Love,
H & B

Sam Adams

Dear James Trojanowski,

I stumbled across this beauty in northern Michigan. Wish you were here to enjoy these 6 IPA's......

Hope the move is going well.

Newly

Michigan Strawberries

Dear Friends,

We found these delicious strawberries for sale on the roadside.  Nothing is better than fresh produce in season. Wish you could smell and taste these.  YUM!

Love,
H & B

Ace

Dear Andrew,

Thanks for a great weekend! Maybe next time I will let you kneel next to your buddy ACE (Toronto Blue Jays Mascot).

Take ease stallion,
Newly

He's Got the...

whole world in his hands.  We saw the evidence today.

Love,
H & B

Summer Reading

Dear Friends,

I happened to find this gem at a book exchange. If you are interested in eating locally, you might find this book interesting. I learned a lot!

Love,
H