For the Birds

Rest Your Wings Birdhouse by I Heart Birds.


Shabby Pink Birdhouse by Michael's Woodshed.


Hanging Wren Bird House by Rural Originals.


Acorn Bird House by Bird Artist.


Rainbow Sherbert Birdhouse by Red Yellow and Blue Ink.

Photo Essay: The Secret World of Hutongs

Hutongs are to Beijing as adobe homes are to Santa Fe. Many Hutongs were plowed under to make way for modern day Beijing, but the ones that remain give a sense of a way of life that has existed in China for a thousand years.

The Forbidden City: Best Tourist Attraction Title Ever.

When in Beijing as a tourist, one is obligated to visit The Great Wall, eat Beijing Roast Duck and also wander around The Forbidden City.





This massive complex earned its name by being off limits to the hoi polloi. It was an extravagant and ornate palace complex for the Emporer, his courtiers and a massive harem of 3,000 women and 2,000 eunuchs.





The first two facades have recently been painstakingly restored with vivid cobalt blue, rich red lacquer and gold leaf that certainly feels fit for an Emporer.



Here's Eric sporting an audio guide and posing with his beloved Dragon Turtle.



Maybe it was the stifling heat, maybe it was the massive crowds snapping pictures above their heads in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the treasures inside the structures, but it was a little tough to imagine this city as the sacred, sumptuous place it once was. You'll have to rent The Last Emporer to see any of that.



There is no shortage of elaborate treasures in the Forbidden City, but...



I was most entranced by these pebble mosaics that line the beautiful cypress tree gardens. Perhaps because the human hand was so evident, it was easy to imagine the team of craftsmen who planned and carefully executed each one. The garden felt more alive and relevant to me than any of the Emporer's other treasures.

Photo Essay: A walk through Beijing

Long Jumpers and Why we Watch.

Our tickets to the Women's Athletics competition were by far the best seats of our Olympic experience. And I still didn't get very good sports pictures. Its way tough people!



We watched the javelin throw from across the stadium, but when the long jump rolled around, our seats were prime territory. Coaches, parents, siblings and boyfriends crowded in to cheer these ladies on, and heavens to Betsy, where they ever hot! They were in amazing shape- all of them had six packs and sinewy model legs. It was very cool to watch in person, especially how each athlete's personality comes shining through in the heat and focus of competition. I must also confess that I adored the automated raker that smoothed the sand after each jumper- sort of the same principle as that automatic cat poo scooper they sell on infomercials, but without the ick factor.



The Bird's Nest itself is an incredible piece of sculpture masquerading as a stadium. Watching the oval of sunlight make its way across the field reminded me of a sundial, which made me think of time passing and ancient Greece and the ideal of constantly evolving human achievement the Games themselves stand for. It's why we watch.

Lady Sings the Blues

I promise that my new Etsy treasury is not as sad as the Billie Holiday song that inspired it. Go and get just a hint of the blues right here.

Yet another reson to love the Internet and the Wide Wonderful World.

Well darlings, it's happened. We've found a quiet, silent, rich, happy place. We'll be looking after this beautiful ranch, thinking and writing all winter long. There are horses, great skiing, we can bring Otis along and we've got satellite internet. What more could we ask for? We'll be driving there on September 13th. Wish us another Happy Adventure.

The Beijing Olympics: Come, Been and Gone

Women's Beach Volleyball

One could draw some interesting conclusions about the nature of a sport based on whether or not it is "enhanced" by scantily clad cheerleaders. (Basketball? check. Badminton? Decidedly not.)

Now, I'm not against cheerleaders per say, but their tiny bikinis and gyrating bottoms seem rather redundant when the athletes themselves are sporting tiny bikinis and gyrating bottoms. (Its no wonder the Olympics has a such reputation for this...)



The crowd was wildly enthusiastic as the Chinese team stomped the Americans. Even watching my countrymen lose, I couldn't help but enjoy myself. The energy was contagious.

Beijing: Our Foray into the Watercube

If I've been a bit remiss in posting about the actual events we've been busy attending, I apologize. My feeling is that you can easily find infinitely better events coverage than I can offer; better photography, expert commentary and all the benefits of professional editing techniques. In fact, you may even be sick of the Olympics by now. So I've focused on showing you the Beijing you won't be seeing on your television set. But I do want to tell you a bit about our trip to the Water Cube.

We watched a women's springboard diving semifinal in this marvelous building (which will later be converted into that highest temple of New China: A Shopping Mall). Did you know that the plastic fibers covering the cube are only 1/125th of an inch thick? And that they allow in more light, reducing energy costs?

All this is fascinating of course, but the Water Cube really shines at night. It changes colors!



And the inside is quite fetching too!


There are tickets available to go and admire the green without going in to an event and lots of folks are milling about throughout the day posing for photos and playing in the fountains that line the walkway from the Water Cube to the Bird's Nest. I didn't get the photos I'd hoped to, but the Chinese have really put on a beautiful games.

Forget Gold Medals: in Beijing its all about Golden Refrigerators

I had to laugh when I saw this golden refrigerator in the Haier Olympic Welcome Center- it made me think about how much China has changed. My grandparents visited Beijing in the early 90's and to hear them tell it, every apartment looked like a war bunker, everyone was wearing green or grey and there were no cars in sight. I'm sure the average person didn't even have a refrigerator, much less a full size golden one. What would Mao have thought pf this golden refrigerator and all its implications? China is fundamentally changed.

Etsy Treasury: The slow fade of love...

I just snagged my first ever treasury. (Here's the tutorial, so you can get one too!) I'm so excited that I just had to share my picks here, though of course you can click here and see them live on Etsy!


Wooden suitcase from Ladies and Gentlemen.


Pretty pink cocktail glasses from High Street Market.



Antique carnival tickets (by the yard!) from Junk Envy.



Vintage tin collection by Moxie Thrift.


Original artwork by Art Quirk.

Beijing: Eating things on Sticks at Dong Huamen Night Market

We paid the inevitable visit to Beijing's Night Market. Billed as a snack street, its really just overpriced street food for tourists. We sampled some because, well, we're tourists. Here are the boys trying some spicy mutton.



This fruit kebab was coated in carmelized sugar. It was incredible- crunchy, sweet and somehow light and refreshing. The one I tried had melons, crabapples, tomatoes, pineapple, but the best was the plum. The tart fruit complemented the crunchy sugar so well. Delicious!



We also sampled a sort of Chinese burrito made with pulled pork, bean sprouts and plum sauce all wrapped up in a paper thin pancake (yum!). We had fried shrimps, squid (chewy-ugh!) dumplings with vinegar sauce and washed it all down with some very expensive beer. Then we strolled around peering into shops and digesting. All in all, a lovely night.

Etsy Bloggers Make the Storeque

Etsy Bloggers team has been featured in the Storeque! Flit right over and investigate!

Beijing: The Great Wall at Simitai

Chairman Mao famously said that he who visits Beijing without seeing the Great Wall is not really a man. So our worries about that are over. (phew!)

We skipped the madness at Badaling- from what I've read, its the most touristy and tschotsky filled. Instead, we opted to take a private car to Simitai. This section of the wall is better preserved, more unique and easier to get to thanks to a cable car. Its also an hour further away from Beijing than Badaling which is why there are usually fewer tourists there.

We had an absolutely magnificent day for it. A trip to the wall can be exceedingly hot, and the sky is often smoggy. But it had rained quite heavily the day before so the skies were clear and a brisk wind kept us cool.



As we rode up in the rickety old cable cars we enjoyed the quiet sounds of the wind blowing across the mountains and the trickle of a distant stream. The car stopped a few hundred feet from the top, leaving us to hike. It was surprisingly steep and the irregular steps and sharp switchbacks forced us to take our time. A team of tour guides/souvenir sellers traveled with us amicably fanning us and making conversation.



Once we reached the top, we gasped at the astonishing view. Although in pictures (ours included) the wall appears to stretch on forever, it is actually badly damaged in many places and only five sections of the wall are open to tourists. The Simitai Wall varies in width, narrowing at one point to just one foot! Uninterested in plummeting to our death, we just took in the watchtowers and gave the wide screen function on our Canon a good workout.




It was breathtaking. I am so lucky to have such wonderful travel companions and such amazing adventures.