Breakfast with Beales and Carter - Tom on his way back Home

Three of the CES boys met for breakfast this morning. We ate at Denny's, in Galt. Each of us ordered from the senior menu, yes... there are advantages to getting older, and even with the portions being a little smaller, we had plenty of food. Afterwards, we went to Carter's house where Paul did a demo of the video editing program, Roxio. Paul put together some footage comprised of photos and videos and created a burnable DVD. All in all, an easy program to use and one with several useful bells and whistles.

I've posted some photos, to the right of the web page, of the meal that Wendy prepared for Tom, just prior to his leaving to return to the States. Based on what Tom said in his last email, it was quite a feast. Wendy is a great cook! Hopefully, we can share in these culinary delights, once Wendy makes it to Sacramento for a visit. Hurry it up Wendy, get that visa completed! We can't wait to taste some authentic Chinese cooking!

Tom and Wendy's visit to Loudai

Tom is nearing the end of his visit to China and all too soon we will have to end sharing our pictures with you of this beautiful and historically rich country. Today we take you to the city of Luodai. It is about a forty five minute drive from Chengdu and offers an entirely different look and feel than what we've seen in the inner city. Just as in the United States, China offers the traveler some very diverse locations to experience the people's unique customs and the city's attractions. Food is almost always foremost when visiting a new land and Tom and Wendy had some interesting food while visiting Luodai - check out the pictures to the right and below. Tom and I will be searching for "soup pot" restaurants, in San Francisco's Chinatown, when he returns. It looks delicious!

Chengdu Update and Cars at Risk

One of my favorite pastimes is to view all kinds of artwork. My interests are rather diverse and I've evolved over the years as to the type of art that I presently appreciate. I guess that my initial interest was most likely triggered by my uncle, who was a painter. He introduced me to the world of art. I was too young to truly appreciate his talent, or the landscapes that he painted while living in Casey, Illinois, but I was aware that he had a special ability that was certainly not all that common. So, that scenario is in effect my preamble to the posting I have made today of a picture that Tom sent me, from Chengdu, China. It shows the painting that Wendy created and presented to Tom as a gift. It is truly beautiful. I had to do a little cropping to size it correctly for the blog, so the frame which compliments this work so perfectly is not shown. Instead, I improvised by adding a border that is similar to the color of the frame. Nevertheless, you should be able to see the artistic ability that Wendy portrays in this painting. Actually it is more than a painting, according to Tom, as the picture has a three dimensional effect when viewed in person. This effect was created by the materials that Wendy chose for the picture and, of course, from her own artistry. I know that Tom will treasure this gift and I am looking forward to seeing Wendy's picture in person, when Tom returns to Sacramento. Thanks for sharing, Tom and Wendy. Oh, I've also posted another picture from the last batch of photos that Tom sent me. Check the bottom of the web page to see the latest postings from Chengdu.

On another note. I talked to my friend Paul Carter yesterday and he made mention of a rather aggravating circumstance that just recently happen to him - regarding his car. Unfortunately, it was stolen - right from his driveway. However, the police did find it and he got it back the next day. Fortunately, it was undamaged. However, the thieves did get away with an expensive camcorder and some computer equipment that was in the trunk. Paul will apparently have to eat the equipment loss, which amounts to over two thousand dollars. I guess it's a reminder to each of us that we should probably check our insurance deductible for just such an incidence. In hindsight, which is always twenty twenty, Paul may have had his deductible set too high. The police got his car back, but the digital camcorder and computer equipment is not likely to be recovered. According to the Galt police, it (car theft) happens all the time in virtually every neighborhood in and around Sacramento. Food for thought!

More News From Chengdu, China

Tom is doing a great job staying in touch while visiting Wendy in China. Today I received pictures from their High Tea breakfast. The photos really give a perspective on just how modern the city is and how much it has to offer. The meal looked delicious, and although Tom didn't say, I bet the prices are much more reasonable than what a comparable meal would cost in the United States. Wendy and Tom - looking very sheik - at High Tea. Check out the photos to the right and the larger views below.

Nancy and I didn't have High Tea today, but we did visit one of my favorite restaurants for dinner - Finns. As usual, the halibut was great. Tomorrow I'll be doing the cooking, it's salmon day. Love salmon day! We may have a special desert to go with our dinner meal. I'll need to give it some thought. Seeing those scrumptious desserts from Tom's High Tea caused my sweet tooth to kick in.

Gators Repeat! Chengdu Update!

Florida won the NCAA championship game tonight - for the second year in a row. Will there be a three peat? Hopefully not, if you ask my neighbor, Tom. I don't think he can take another Gator win over the "Buckeyes". On the other hand, my friend Tim , from Tampa, should be pleased with the outcome.

Tom Henry called me today - all the way from China. He was awaiting breakfast... yes, Tom has a delicious breakfast brought to him each morning, prepared by his lovely host, Wendy. How difficult would that be to get use to? I assume he will return the favor, when Wendy comes to visit him in Sacramento, later this year.

I also got to speak to Wendy today, using the USB Skype phone that Tom brought with him. It really works well. I meant to ask Wendy about the painting that she did for Tom - but I forgot. Wendy is very talented and I am anxious to see her work. Tom has lots of wall space at his house that would benefit from Wendy's artistic ability.

Tom sent some pictures from his outing yesterday to Stone Elephant Lake. He mentioned that it is about a hour and a half drive from Chengdu. The flower gardens he and Wendy visited looked beautiful and the setting provided an ideal spot for picture taking. I've posted some pictures from their outing. One is to the right of the web page and a larger one is below.

News From Chengdu

Sir Thomas has just emailed me the first picture from his visit to see Wendy in Chengdu, China. Whenever I receive communications from Tom, as he partakes in one of his other side of the world visits, I'm reminded of just how "flat" the border less economy really is. Friedman is absolutely correct in his recent book - where he demonstrates that we are all connected, at least in the technological sense, no matter where we are in the world. It really doesn't matter where Tom, or any of my friends, might be, we have the capability to stay in touch via Skype, instant messaging or by using our cellphones. For the most part, the cost is low - and the quality is quite good. This includes both the video and audio modes of communication. It's fun to be able to use this technology (especially the video) and it ushers in a whole new era of gadgets that support the "flat" world. I've posted Tom's picture to the right of the web page and in a larger version below. Hope to get more pictures from Tom soon. Tom, don't forget to include one with you and Wendy. And lets see some more of Chengdu, it is such a fascinating and beautiful city.

On another note, Nancy and I set up our end of the month trip to Reno. We'll be staying two nights at the Atlantis in Reno and during out stay we'll be seeing a show at the "Nugget", in Sparks. Morrissey is a singer that I have a rather subdued liking to, in regards to his music, but he fits in with the time frame that we chose to make our first Reno trip of "07". I guess that I don't have really high expectations regarding how well we might enjoy his show, but we'll remain optimistic. At this point, and based on footage that we saw of his concerts using You Tube clips, we're rather lukewarm as to how well we might enjoy the show. Hopefully, it will be more to our liking than we anticipate.

Georgetown and UCLA - not in Final

Well, it's Florida and Ohio State for Monday night's final NCAA game. Both of those teams beat their opponents handily and deserve to play for the championship. I'll be rooting for Ohio State. That's my neighbor's team and he'll go into a terrible "funk" if they lose. So I had better give him a little support. He is still recuperating from Ohio State's loss to Florida in the college football final game a few months back.

Nancy and I managed to visit Vince's Restaurant tonight - sort of between the two semi final games. We had a great steak dinner. Afterwards we went to Mervyn's to buy some towels that were on sale. We also picked up a movie at Blockbuster - "Night Listener", with Robin Williams. It's a "Hitchcock" type of movie and Nancy really seemed to enjoy it. Probably a little more than I did. It's a good movie and Robin does and excellent job, but it just didn't have the kind of pace that I needed for it to keep me enthralled. I'd still recommend seeing the movie, but I can't give it a four star rating.

After we got back from shopping, we saw that there was a message on our answer machine. It was Tom Henry, using his little handheld Skype phone, to call us from Chengdu, China. What a neat device. Great to hear that he arrived safely. He is visiting his girlfriend Wendy for a week. We're hopping that he will call again ,to update us on what's happening in Chengdu. Also, Tom - if you are checking the blog - send us some pictures of you and Wendy and I'll post them.