Towering

Towering, originally uploaded by sarah_laughingguts.

The beauty of an ice storm...when the sun comes out and before it all melts away into memory.

Iced Out

It's lovely to have friends all over. Yesterday there was a massive ice/snow storm that dumped about half an inch of ice and several inches of snow on my homeland. Not even sure there's power at my apartment. Which is why I'm staying put elsewhere!

Tried to talk my mother out of lunch yesterday since she lives an hour away, but we compromised and met halfway. It took us each double the time to get there.

The fantastic part is we're celebrating Washington's birthday today, and my employer has given us a paid holiday. So here I rock, holding a cup of coffee and bundled up with two great protector-dogs (what I mean is they bark at any old thing and sound vicious but they're really just 70-lb babies) while surfing for something on a steal from Dealnews...

Who's who in this goodbye between mother and daughter?

'I love you'
-'Love you too'
'Take care -- Call me if you need anything, OK?'
-'OK'

Happy President's Day!

train!

Another popular way to get around, which isn't so popular here in the US (although I wish it were!) is by train. Yes, it's slower than plane, but so much cheaper!



This here is an image from the train going from Beijing to Ningxia


View Larger Map

Which was quite a trip!

This one is actually a subway ride in Shanghai taken by my friend Lance:



Touch being a love language of mine, it wasn't such a travesty to be squeezed into the subway while in China. It was a lonely time for me, seeing as how my father had passed away just months before and I didn't know anyone walking into this place. So riding the bus and subway were times of being near people- even though we weren't 'near' to one another. True, it has its downfalls, such as pickpocketing (which more than one of my friends experienced in China in large part because we were 'laowai', but hey, it happens)

Now here in the states, I'm not sure they understand how many people can fit on a subway car.

This clip makes me think of China, even though it's Japan...



You might not believe it until you see it. Have a peek.

transportation

So...in my line of work, transportation is really important. Granted, I don't live in a small village where you can walk anywhere you need to be, or hop on a moving car/bike. Half the year, practically, our world is snowed in and biking/walking are not at all appealing options in subzero temperatures. (today, for instance)



But really, there are lots of ways to get around. I'd like to take a stroll down memory lane with you photographically.

There is the ever-popular biking option,


Yes, a mother and toddler are riding on the back of a bicycle with a bucket counterbalancing here. I saw this a lot in China, unfortunately there aren't any photos from that time I have taken. I got pretty decent at riding sidesaddle on the back when in China...can hardly believe that was 5 years ago...


Ever-popular way to transport wood, this is a little zealous in my estimation. At least it's dry season and there aren't massive amounts of mud to contend with on those dirt hills they'll be riding this wood through!


These folks don't let a few stairs deter them! Looked for a photo of massive amounts of people riding in Shanghai, but pretty much everyone has seen that picture by now. Not everyone has seen how in the cities stairs have a bike track on the sides and sometimes in the middle for people to carry bikes up, like this.


Even a white shirt and tie with black pants, there's no excuse for not riding around here :)

Well that's all for now. I'm going to go enjoy my state of emergency blizzard evening...