Smukky Day

Smukky is my new word for smoggy and yucky. I can not see the ground today from our window...that is a Smukky Day!

Tim will be back from ChaungQing (from now forward this city will be referred to as CQ). late this evening. The construction and progress in CQ is coming along. I see many many more trips to CQ for Tim over the next six months.

Xiao Zhang is coming home from the hospital today. Yea! She said she is feeling better and our visit to the US for the next four weeks will give her lots of time to rest. I really miss her smiling face!!!

A quick update

Here is a small photo journal of the past few weeks of "Where in the world are the Spoffords?"

Backpacking in Southern Utah, Coyote Gulch was our chosen hike this year....

Catching a bit of shade... Barry, Deb, Steve, and Tash

We drew the very lucky straw and got to cook dinner on the first night out. There are many advantages to the first night...1) you can take somewhat fresh food for cooking, 2) you lighten your pack after the first day.

lounging after dinner

Friends we made along the way......let me just say I did not have a long conversation with any of these guys.

that's us....we look so little in this canyon...just a speck in the universe!

resting....

Hiking buddies...Boyd, Martha, Tash, Steve, and Leland....let me just tell you now that Leland will be 80 next year. He put us all to shame!
Climbing out of the canyon....in the back ground you can see one of the arches....that is one of 4 or 5 that we saw on this hike. This hike rated one of the top on my list....

Ah....we all made it to the top

resting again....water is good!

Tim catching some shade...

Cool water on the feet.....a nice treat at the end of the day

Pumping water

ah....it's Kindle time

Love birds under the arch

Lunch on the cliff

If you look closely you can see people up in the rock cliff. That is the destination were we climbed through the crack.....

Tim on the cliff.....again!

The end of the trail....oops....well it would have been the end if we had parked the car in the right place. Tim and Boyd hiked another 2.6 miles to get the cars....We won't make that mistake again....or...well....we might.

Bellingham....Visit with the kids...

Shoe shopping with the girls....

Scooter Tim

Tim getting scooter lessons from Abi

Hanging out at the Inn

the girls

Ohio - Crow Workshop

Suitcases full of fabric

My workspace at 'the Barn".
I was the only student for this workshop. So....I got private lessons from one of the best quilters in the business.

Pattern pieces for my quilt. Workshop 1

Work in progress Workshop 1 with Phillipa Naylor



ready for construction

All sewn together...let the quilting begin!

That was my project for the first week at the Barn. Two more weeks to follow...stay tuned...


Visitors in Ohio

Jane Smith, Joan Der, and myself checking out the local Joanns store.

I was very lucky and got visit with several friends that have recently moved back to the US from Shanghai.

I also got to see the Miller family (we met in Finley Ohio about half way between Pickerington and Detroit.


Construction in the city

These are cement trucks that lined up several days outside our apartment. We counted 43 and that was just what we could see from our window. When I was on the street later in the day we saw more trucks in a line....they are all going to the new building in Pudong that will be the 3rd tallest in the world.....It was amazing to see all these trucks for one building....

Sister "Doctor Sister" visits China

Brunch at Yi Bin Zhang

Tour of "the Bund"

Got to love the security at this building!

Dawn with the view of Pudong in the background.
The day after we took this tour "The Bund" was officially reopened. It has been under construction for over 3 years.....Wow!!! It was a place to avoid....now it is very nice.


Xian....the Accent City and home of the Terra Cotta Warriors.

And there they are!!!
This is truly an amazing thing to see. The guy who built this was one crazy ego centric dude!

This is one of the farmers that found the warriors. Or at least he is a replica of one of the farmers that found the warriors....so I guess he could be a faux farmer? You never really know in China...

Warrior Doctor Sister

Dumplings are very good in Xian!

Lunch is severed! We walked all over the city to find these famous dumplings!

Biking on the city wall....this was a hoot! Not sure when I rode a bicycle last...probably with Dawn when we were kids...

On to Beijing....and the Great Wall

Here's your sign! Please be civilized!

On the Great Wall

The wall

Girls lunch at the Bund

View out our window and the World Expo site. It opened on May 1st. The city is really beautiful right now. Construction has stopped and the city has many many new green spaces, plants, and lights.
Hianan - Island off the souther coast of China

Great view...unfortunatly thats about all I saw of Hainan...the second day we were there I got the flu....no fun!!! but...then...if you have to have the flu...why not is this beautiful location?

I took this picture so I could remember the colors.....I am think a new quilt with this color combo