4th of July

This year on the 4th our family traveled with friends to one of China's deepest lakes. It was a beautiful drive once we left the city behind; roads weaving between hillsides and finally a descent to green planted fields of corn, tobacco, and, of course, rice. The lake itself was almost completely surrounded by mountains and the waters were dark, steely gray. The kids played on the dirt and rock shoreline, jumping in the rolling waves which the wind blew in. Then they moved on to trying to hold their positions on a slick floating slab and jumping from a 10 foot concrete ledge. The kids also enjoyed going exploring and a little kite flying. The weather was windy which was great for us because we also planned to go sailing. We had two national sailors who took turns guiding us through choppy waters that sprayed and dowsed our legs, arms, faces - anything the water could reach. We brought a picnic lunch that we spread out upon arrival. And after all the sailing was done, we shared in an all American hamburger and hot dog cookout. We finished off the day with a Chinese firecracker left over from earlier in the year. It was fun to watch the dads trying to light the right end in all that wind. The edges of our circle keep scooting in until the cracker was lit, and then everyone dispersed to safer ground in an instant. Wish you could have seen those dad's take off. It was like someone had thrown a grenade. The sound was tremendous - all pops and blasts and explosions. After that there was some more tower jumping, and then we packed up and headed for home. Though the day had been overcast, the sun was plenty concentrated. The van ride back found us quiet (some sleeping) and radiating heat from our warm sunburned bodies. It was altogether a very special time. I know our family felt we had experienced a good mixture of America and China and we're extremely grateful for dear friends with which to make memories.