Watch, Read, Listen

27 November 2015 – Last year Annika had an expander….and now it's Ava's turn.  Let's hope this device does what it's supposed to do!

22 November 2015- Snow!  Snow! Snow!!!! At the beginning of the snow fall we saw some of the most amazingly perfect snowflakes. Each one was of unique shape and design …and exquisite.  I wish I had a better way of photographing these beauties as my phone took these blurry photos.Several friends and neighbors called and…

4 October 2015-   Trying to bargain with several of the Red Zao ladies….I'm feeling like I'm being swarmed!  I wound up buying a few handmade pillowcases (that all ended up with zippers that don't work. Sigh):   Unique construction techniques: Let me tell you about our ride from Sapa to Hanoi.  First, we hired…

3 October 2015 – So…here's me trying to finish up some lose ends from 2015.  Like finishing my blog posts on Vietnam. And then there's our short trip to Thailand right before Christmas.  And Christmas.  Oh, and did I post anything about Halloween????  It's been far too long. I'm just fighting a losing battle –…

2 October 2015 – Thunderstorms last night!!!  It rained most of the night and now there are nice, cooler temperatures this morning.  Ahhhh…..     Breakfast this morning…"banana cakes" with honey. (deep fried banana fritters) Yummy!   Today we're leaving the Red Dao/Red Zao village and head towards Topas Ecolodge.  We won't walk the entire…

1 October 2015: The Quest to find Cardamom plants in Sapa Valley (Vietnam): Watching Red Dao ladies as they're heading off to where ever it is that they need to go: Crepes for breakfast!  Glorious crepes with chocolate sauce and bananas.  Yummy!!! We agreed with Tuan on a 9am departure.  We're going on a long…

Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten! from our family to yours. Wishing you all the very best this holiday. 

19 & 20 November 2015 – Lights! Music! Make-up! Costumes! What's the goofy grin Ava??? Make-up! (the photo of Annika was taken by someone else at IST…it's not mine).   Chrissie Akov (she's one of the Drama and English teacher at IST and my friend) is the musical's director…and here she cutting the special cake…

30 September 2015 –  Ready for a nice walk?  I sure need to stretch out my legs.  Dead snake…poisonous?  Not sure. Checking out the vegetation and the scattered houses that dot the hillside:  Bamboo! So…do you see the holes in the bamboo?  Those were made by people trying to extricate the bamboo worms inside them.…

30 September 2015 – After a nice rest at the Essence Hotel in Hanoi and an early breakfast it's time to get a move-on and head to Sapa.  Now, a few things to know about this – first of all, Sapa valley is known for its rice terraces.  Second, most people seem to get to…