Ladies Street

We have had numerous opportunities to participate in and celebrate Christmas in traditional back home ways, all of which have kept us very busy and helped us feel connected, starting with the annual Christmas Bazaar at River Garden, where Bill lives. It could have been anywhere at home, just a bit more exotic and upscale. Lots of Chinese vendors as well. I bought a necklace and earrings for myself, having neglected to bring much of that sort of thing with me. I also bought some little mince pies from a couple girls scout; they turned out to be delicious. Wouldn’t mind getting more of them. The following weekend, Patty and Jane, and Dave and I went to the Rotary Club Bazaar at the Beijing Hilton, just a stone’s through from the new US Embassy. There we met lots of Minnesotans, many from ISB (International School of Beijing) who were either selling things or singing Christmas music or just shopping. Among them was Joan Lueth who is from the Bemidji area and teaches art at ISB. She has published 3 photo books, which she sell, 2 feature Beijing and one features Rodeo belt buckles. I bought one of those for Roger.
As you might expect, many of the vendors at the Rotary Bazaar were engaged in philanthropic work. For example, we bought cards from an organization that helps migrant workers and their families. We also bought UNICEF cards. We met a woman who works with developmentally delayed kids who get very little public schooling. I bought a necklace made by them. We also met the wife and daughters of the UN ambassador to China who devotes all of her time to working with the Shangri La organization. I don’t know enough about that but need to learn. The most significant thing we did there was buy a large watercolor painting from an artist by the name of Song. The subject of the painting is 8 cormorants perched on a little fishing boat down in the Quinlin area. Mr. Song said the birds are happy because they have done a good day’s work and are now full of fish. The colors and the subject matter of the painting will bring peace and happiness into our home. We bought the picture because we both really liked it…maybe that’s it.

Sometime in the middle of all this activity, we attended the River Garden Christmas party with Bill. It was an extravaganza to say the least, put on by the family that developed River Garden. Highlights included a huge selection of delicious foods served all night long with a variety of drinks for those who wanted them, a really good music group that sang good songs from the US, socializing with worthy folks, and best of all for me…a fun dough artist/sculptor in the children’s area who I sat and watched for quite a long time. He made anything the kids asked for but the most outstanding was the toucan with multi-colored feathered wings; it perched on its own ring that hung from a stick. Second to that was a little colt curled up in a resting position.

Our wedding anniversary was December 12th, Friday. It had been a long week and I was beat. One of the teachers was having a Christmas party that I wanted to attend, but it was also our wedding anniversary and Dave had only been here for 2 weeks. We decided to walk to the Holiday Inn and try out a Thai restaurant. But on our way to the Thai place we stopped to look at the menu at the Texas Grill and while we stood there we heard the very talented Cruz family singing some familiar romantic tunes. Romance on your wedding anniversary is a good thing we agreed, so we didn’t make it any further. It turns out that the Cruz family takes requests and likes to get people to come up and sing with them which is how we ended up singing Annie’s Song with them; also it was in their book. Since John wrote the song for Ann and we were all at Gustavus together when they were courting and we were just getting to know each other, we thought it a very appropriate song to sing. It certainly brought back a flood of memories from those days. They say if you can remember the 60’s you weren’t there, but I can guarantee that’s not completely true. We’ve been back to enjoy the Cruz’ singing a few times since then and haven’t been disappointed.