Ice Skating at Houhai

Recently, we hosted some friends for dinner who have helped make our experience here in China AMAZING!

Chef Wong doing his thing in our kitchen... Unbelievable food!!

Only in China would you see a sleigh pulled by a creature that looks like a cross between a goat and a sheep... Not exactly sure what this is. My guess is that it is some sort of goat by the look of it's face... It's owner kept jumping in front of my attempts to take a picture as he wanted money from me to take one

Here is the 2-man sleigh that we rented. Please note the long screwdriver type poles that we are using to propell ourselves... And think about a lake full of people swinging these around trying to push themselves along.

You could really get going pretty fast with these and we managed to execute a few spin outs as well... Quite fun!

Kieran as he was about to give ice skating a whirl for the first time! He really did well and improved a bunch! Dad is very impressed!

A local Chinese man who is demonstrating his version of the Polar Bear Club. Note the open water behind him that he just emerged from. This is on the same lake we skated..

Houhai Lake... Right near the Drum and Bell Towers in a very neat part of Beijing. You can see them in the background if you click on the picture.

Things are going well since we've been back. We hit the road running as we tried to recover from jet-lag, and all the excitement that we were part of back home. It was so nice to see many folks, although there were also many whom we weren't able to cross paths with.

Kieran and I went down and had another China Experience yesterday as we went to Houhai Lake and skated.

In ways, I felt as if we were stepping back in time. I've seen pictures back in America of crowds of people skating out on lakes and ponds. This seemed to be a big social event at times in places back then. Well, here this truly is. Couples out on a date, families out for the day, friends meeting for a fun time.

The lake is surrounded by quaint little shops, pubs, and many restaurants. In fact, we ventured into an old Chinese neighborhood (called a hutong), to a pizza joint that served up some of the best pizza I've had. A great day for dad and son!!!

Also, we recently hosted some friends for dinner. We were able to secure the services of the very busy and hard to get Chef Wong. He is a favorite with people whom we work with.

You're probably saying "What in the world are they doing getting a chef?" Well, it's a very common and economical way to have get togethers here. Plus, the food is rediculously good, and you get a ton!!!

We had 4 couples whom have been wonderfully helpful to us in our transition to the new world that we live in. The Sadeks have offered guidance to us all along this wonderful journey from the get go. The Fidlers were THE best people that we could have had to welcome us here to China. The Sheridan's made out Olympic experience a once in a lifetime thing. And, the Merrit's have been our rock here. Matt and I have coffee each day, and have had many fun times together already... It was nice to get them all together and tell them "thank you." We've been on the receiving end much more than on the giving end here.

All in all, life is GREAT. Laurie has felt baby kicking and moving much more. In fact, last night, she could actually see baby moving across her stomach for the first time! Laurie is also staying plenty active, working out nearly each day.

Kieran continues to blossom. Our mellow, conforming one is learning every day in school. His teacher, Miss Cindy, is a true blessing. Kellan, our active one, is beginning to do stare-downs with us when he is contemplating whether to do something naughty or not. This is pretty young for that sort of thing eh???

Until next time, we send our love...

Then DuBois Crew