Grand Island update

I'm in Grand Island and just got back from seeing Mom. I was there 3 or 4 times today, all visits much the same. She's not said a word while I've been there, and I've talked to several of the CNAs/RNs/etc. They say that she's been like this for most of the last 7 - 10 days. Josh's Mom, Sandie thinks much of it's the result of yet another UTI. She is on anti-biotics, yet again. This is the 3rd or 4th UTI she's had in the last 3 months. I know that they keep her very clean, so don't know what might be causing the recurrences. What's most troubling for me is the lack of awareness. She doesn't follow things with her eyes, just sort of stares off. Doesn't seem to focus on anything and doesn't respond in any way. This evening, I fed her; soup and pears. She ate fairly well, but it took nearly 45 mins. She seems to be having problems eating anything of substance, does better with very soft things. Can no longer drink through a straw, the process of sucking liquids doesn't seem to work. After she finished eating, I gave her a drink of water. She drank a bit, must have gotten a bit too much. Coughed a bit, then almost instantly closed her eyes and was asleep. I wheeled her back to her room and sat with her for 15 mins. or so and she was still sleeping when I left. I'd say she's awake maybe 4 or 5 hours and asleep the remainder of the time. I'll be here tomorrow all day and leave on Monday. I'm planning on stopping in at her Drs. to see if I can talk with someone, or at least get someone to call me in the next day or so.

Sorry I haven't been posting much here . . . been on facebook more lately.

I'll try to keep up some more detailed posting here. Inta is planning on coming to GI next Saturday, so we'll see if there is any change.

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you don't stop . . .

That chinese proverb is one that I've been taking to heart over the past months.

Betty had posted awhile back about being on a weight loss journey. That inspired me, but I struggled for a few months. Finally decided I couldn't do it on my own . . . I need to be held accountable. So, on June 1st I joined Weight Watchers. I do my weigh-ins either Sunday or Monday, depending on if I'm in town.

I'm thrilled that as of this morning I've lost 15.6 lbs!

It really has been pretty easy for me, which has been a surprise. I've continued to enjoy dinner out with friends and when I travel, which has been nearly non-stop, I'm making much smarter choices. Who knew the salads at Chick-fil-a would become such a staple in my diet! I've coupled that with continuing to exercise. When I'm home I do a 60 min. spin class nearly every day. Some days when I'm bored of it, I'll go for a 6 mile walk. I'm lucky to live in a community that has awesome trails!

So, I've reached my first big goal. I need to set a second goal . . . will need to ponder that for a few days. I'll have a challenge next month when I go on my first Alaska cruise! This isn't work, but a vacation. I'm traveling with friends, so it'll be interesting to see how I do!

China - On the Yangtze . . .

We'd flown from Shanghai to Wuhan where we boarded our ship to sail the mighty Yangtze, the 3rd longest river in the world. (can you name the first 2??). As you can see by the picture on the below, the days were unbelievably hazy . . . a product of heat and humidity, not to mention pollution! The picture of the bridge was taken midday. Shooting was really difficult, and actually in person it was the same. It was often hard to see the amazing green of the land, or much ahead of us.

We spent 5 days cruising the Yangtze, and for me it was the most interesting time in China. We could get a glimpse into the small towns and villages that would otherwise be impossible to see and got a perspective on just how important this river is to the lives of the people who live around it. First, the depth of the Gorge (or the height of the surrounding mountains) is amazing. I like taking close up pictures of people and things. However, I constantly found myself taking a close up shot of life on the river, and then immediately pulling back to take one at distance so I could get it into perspective. It's tough to see, but on the 2nd picture you can barely make out a man carrying his produce down a steep, rocky path to the river.

The Chinese who live in the vicinity of the Yangtze do virtually all their travel on the river; to schools, to the market to sell/buy fish or produce. The make their living on the river fishing and catching shrimp. Larger boats move goods like cars downstream to the big cities, they move coal and of course there are large boats that transport people.

One of the more disturbing sights was the garbage that we saw. We'd boarded a smaller ship for a trip to the Lesser Three Gorges. The scenery throughout was spectacular. The water a clear blue and the towering cliffs a sight to see. However, when we got towards the end of the tributary, the river was absolutely covered with trash and garbage. There were small boats that were 'fishing' through all the refuse, bringing aboard items that were 'recyclable' . . . wood and plastics.

China - the Pandas!!!!!

One of the highlights of the trip for me was seeing pandas! It wasn't listed on our itinerary, so I had no idea this was included. What a thrill for me!!

I've been lucky enough to see pandas in the US (in San Francisco and San Diego). But this was a special treat for me.

We saw these wonderful animals in Chongqing, the largest city in China . . . about 34 Million!!

China - the People

I love taking pictures of people in the various places I travel. I have so many images in my mind of the people I saw. The kids are always special, but so are those of people doing ordinary things. As in many countries, people in China don't like having their picture taken by strangers. Often, they ask for money, particularly in the less populated areas. The little boy to the left is one of those.

We'd been cruising on the Yangtze, and we stopped for a tour of a pagoda. As is typical for areas where ships dock, there were many vendors trying to sell their wares to the tourists. This little boy was with his grandmother. I asked our guide if I could take the little boys picture. His grandmother told him it would be 1 yuan. I took 4 or 5 pictures, couldn't get the little guy to smile. It was a bit uneasy for me. I got the sense that they were there just to make a few pennies to help them survive. I gave the little boy 3 yuan (each yuan a coin about the size of quarter). Three yuan is the equivalent of about 45 cents.

The little boy and his father to the right were snapped when we stopped at a school sponsored by the Viking River Cruise line. They were waiting outside the grounds of the school and waved at us as we left. The hour or so we spent at the school was probably

the most miserable day we had on the trip. We

got there fairly early, maybe 9:30, but it was unbelievably hot and humid. We stood outside watching some of the kids sing and dance, and I could feel the sweat just snake down my back. The kids singing and dancing were obviously

even more soaked, buy they entertained us with gusto! After, we went into one of the classrooms where they sang some more.

This next picture to the left is one I snapped as we were driving to the school, taken through the window of the motor coach.

While we spent several days in the larger cities (Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing) we really didn't get to spend time in the smaller cities and villages. So, when we drove through on

our way somewhere, I tried to snap some pictures that were typical of what I saw.

This picture is also a sight that we saw everyplace we traveled in China. Big cities, small villages. On the side of the street or in this case at the zoo. People playing cards or mahjong. We'd see people sitting outside at all hours of the day playing. Air conditioning isn't widely available in China. When it is, it's

very expensive so used in a single room, and very sparingly. With the heat of the days (generally around 100 degrees with 100 percent humidity) people sit outside and cook and entertain themselves.

This last picture was taken at the zoo as well. When we entered, we came across several groups doing tai chi. This particular group

were 'senior citizens', but we also saw a group of younger people. The most inspiring was a group of women who we were told were breast cancer survivors. They would gather in the park daily to celebrate their victory over cancer.

China - the Great Wall

One of our last days on the trip started with a drive to Badaling where we had the opportunity to walk/hike the Great Wall. It was an overcast, misty and drizzly day. I was initially disappointed that we wouldn't have sun . . . I imagine with the green hills and a blue (?) sky it would have been an amazing sight. But, I actually enjoyed the day better I think. (plus it was the one day without oppressive heat) There were two paths that we could have taken. As our guide said, one easy/crowded . . . one hard/not crowded. Typical of me and my personality, I took the road less traveled.

My roommate on the trip, Linda, started out with me. She lasted all of 10 mins. Now Linda is a good southern girl (from Sulpher Springs Texas). Every morning she'd spend a good bit of time putting on her make-up, complete with false eyelashes (details in another post!). We got along amazingly well. I certainly didn't expect it, I'd traveled on other trips with Linda, but not as her roommate. I'd always found her a bit anti-social. Well, I found out that she's just a lot like me. An introvert! We were literally joined at the hip for 10 days, and I can't think of a better roommate for this trip!

I digress. . .

Linda turned back, and went shopping. I went forward. Loved the drizzle, even though I was soaking wet by the time I got done!

The first half of the hike was fairly crowded. The 2nd half, not at all. During the 90 mins. or so that I hiked the 2nd half, there were only 4 or 5 others on the wall. It was amazing! We had 3 1/2 hours, I took 3 hours to hike and take pictures. There were parts where I was walking at such a steep incline, that it seemed straight up.

It was an awesome, awesome morning.

We stopped for lunch on the way back, for what else . . . Chinese food!!

I sat with Linda, Mikki (from work) and Camilla (the owners wife), along with a couple of other older ladies from Texas. (we had 34 some traveling with us on this tour).

The food was good, the drinks better! (I don't think I've drank as much during these 10 days as I have since . . . I don't know when!) We always had Chinese beer with lunch, it's much lighter and not nearly as filling. Plus I think it has a lower alcohol content. Anyway, they'd set 2 or 3 bottles on the table for us to share. These are big bottles, like 30 ozs each. Of course, Linda, Camilla, Mikki and I each had a glass or

two, plus lots and lots of water. There was also a small green flask type bottle on the table. Brian, the owner came around and told us it was Rice Vodka, and our wonderful Chinese Guide, Zhao, told us that it was meant for doing 'shots'. There were small, almost thimble sized little cups on the table. Those were meant for the shots. Well, the 4 of us figured, when in China . . . So we enjoyed our Chinese meal, our Chinese food and our Chinese Rice Vodka shots!

The 2 other ladies at the table told Brian (the owner) that they were quite 'shocked' that we'd be drinking at lunch!

It was a great, great day!!

China

Just a quick post . . . an awesome trip! Got home Monday afternoon. Mowed the lawn which sorely needed it after 2+ weeks! Spent the next day doing laundry and cleaning house. Then had a bad attach of jet lag! Couldn't sleep that 3rd night at all! Putzed around yesterday then went to friends house for a glass (or 2) of wine and to watch the sun set. Got home around midnight and slept till 8:30 this morning. I hope I'm back on schedule!

The trip was wonderful and I hope I get to return. Highlights - hiking the Great Wall in foggy, drizzly, misty conditions. It was amazing! Seeing the Terra Cotta Warriors. An unexpected treat - seeing Pandas at a local zoo! The Yangtze cruise was a must. Very humid, hazy conditions, but gave us a real insight into how most Chinese live. The big cities - Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an (13 - 20 million each!) were mostly new buildings . . . sailing down the river gave a much better idea of the conditions that most live under.

I tried to blog, but the Chinese Government blocks access to 'social networking' sites. I could get to CNN, but not to my blog!

I'll be posting more pictures and thoughts in the coming days!