Eight Immortals

Stopping for lunch at B&B (you should have seen the breakfast spread at the hotel!); beachside somewhere en route (or coming from?) Eight Immortals Cave, the waves were super big because of passing typhoon; and looking forward to enjoying fresh sugar cane juice.

Tourists

G and AhPoh begin a week-long tour of scenic eastern Taiwan with Shiao YeePoh (above, at the train station en route to Hualien). 

Art Class II

G needed a second day in the studio to finish her tree watercolor. (Above, with San YeePoh and AhPoh.) In reading her daily journals, it seems a bit of a revelation for her to use so many different colors, not just brown, on the trunk.

Chatting with some fellow students.

Art Class

G spending a couple days (and nights) in Hsinchu with San YeePoh. They have a well-respected art teacher there – my cousin Amber took classes from her for years, and San YeePoh is a current student – G's taking some classes, above, using watercolors.

p.s. Earlier in the week G "survived" her third typhoon (Megi) in two weeks!

Chiang Kai Shek Again

Taipei is very congested and noisy so it's nice to walk around CKS for a bit of peace (though cars can still be heard zooming outside the walls). On this occasion they saw an Indonesian bride having photos taken; and G convinced AhPoh to climb the stairs to the memorial, where they caught the changing of the guard. Just like at Buckingham, two guards stand at attention for an hour at a time before switching places. At least they're inside a building (not air conditioned), there are other guards (at Taiwanese tomb of unknown soldier?) I've seen who stand in full sun, a fellow comes out to spray them with water and twitch their uniform back into place.

 Also on the grounds of the memorial, there are twin performing arts buildings, one dedicated entirely to Chinese opera-theater, the other to all other performing arts, such as ballet.

A Bigger Hole

Right front tooth (top) went the way of the left.

Luxury Treasures

Of the Roman Empire, at the Nelson-Atkins. Interestingly there was a limestone carving of St Thecla and today is her feast day.

Two Holes

One on bottom, a fresh one on top.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial

This memorial is right down the street from where my grandparents used to live, we were always walking past it or through it. There's a beautiful koi pond on the grounds and sometimes someone would take me there to feed them, in fact that vending machine might have been there when I was a kid.

Beard Papa's is an absolutely delectable cream puff, I think out of Japan.

Out and About

G out shopping with Aunt Terry, stopped for a snack at a store that sells healthful beverages and grain soups, the walls behind G are lined with herbal pills and cordials. G's sweet soup had lotus seed, taro root, and white wood ear.