Hi, kids — 

     Special thanks to Ceci and Finn for the great videos telling my students about snow! I know it’s hard to tell  kids who can’t see, about something they’ve never experienced.  BUT YOU DID IT. They  still tell me they don’t really understand how — or why — you go outside and actually PLAY in it, but I think that’s because winter here (now) is 80 degrees or higher,  don’t you?

Today, I thought I’d tell you about 2 trips we’ve taken  (if you click the photos, I think you can make them bigger) —

                          THIS WEEK WE WENT TO THE COUNTRY, TO A RICE FARM.

In fact these students go out to the country nearly every week – to learn where rice (and sometimes other fruits and vegetables) comes from, and how it is harvested.

When the mold is removed, the rice is compact and moist, then hosed down again, really well. before being covered with sheets of straw and plastic. It will sit that way in the fields for awhile, so it can produce the rice you eat…and Northern Thailand loves: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack (on a stick: Sticky Rice), dessert…

We packed it really well.

We made about 50 trips with stacks of damp rice. It was just like wet straw!

After the rice was packed, students – and teachers! Got to stomp on it.

We placed layer after layer in the mold.

This mold is used to pack the rice, which was harvested in September.

After working in the morning, we made lunch —

🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘

LAST WEEK WE WENT TO AN EXHIBIT AT CHIANG MAI UNIVERSITY. IT WAS LIKE OUR STATE FAIR, ONLY WITH DIFFERENT FOOD AND NOT SO MANY ANIMALS.

As you know, the kids can’t see, so this is how they figure out what pumpkins are like: how they’re shaped, and where they come from

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Hi, Kids — 

Mary, I know you’re back home, and Cronin kids, I think you didn’t have school on Wednesday (Finn, you called it: -40 with the wind chill). BRRR I wonder what you did  all day?

Maybe tonight or tomorrow you will have time to look at pictures From a few weeks ago, from  Beijing. As you know,  I was with Uncle Roy and Auntie Elizabeth. There are even videos  for you, Gus, Kieran, and Mary…

Elizabeth toted  my very heavy bags from the airport…

One day I visited a huge palace, with many buildings, and many rooms in those buildings. It is right in the center of Beijing.  Can you guess why this huge palace, many palaces, actually, which is about 600 years old, is known as THE FORBIDDEN CITY?

Inside The Forbidden City. This looks like a very old picture doesn’t it? I took it in December 2014!

I also made a very quick visit to TIANANMEN SQUARE (ask mom & dad) —

CHAIRMAN MAO

One evening we went to see many things, starting with the Chinese National Stadium, called The BIRDSNEST.  Nearby, is this tower. If I’d taken a video, you could see that the changing colors make the lights look as if they are moving.

That night we also visited a huge place called The Water Cube. It was built for swimming competition at the 2008 Olympics. Elizabeth took this video for you:

Inside the Water Cube is a long water path, covered with glass — can you see what WE saw as we walked along the path?We went to see a performance of Beijing Opera in the Water Cube. This introduction by the director gives you an idea of why the singers sound strange to our ears:

…and here are a few seconds of the opera. Ceci and Finn, can you read the words on the red sign? That might help understand what is going on here. Beijing Opera is what is called “stylized,” and what I call “complicated.” I’ve known some who just call it HARD on the EARS. What do YOU think?

One morning,  Roy took me out to a great bakery on”Lucky Street,” near their apartment. Best bakery and cafe in Beijing?

He and Auntie Elizabeth think so! Mary, tell your mommy and daddy that it is a German bakery, and I think they’d like it, too.

STAY WARM!

Love,

Eebie

Hi, Ceci, Finn, Gus, and Kieran!

This week in Italy there is a big auto race. Well, when it started in 1927, it was a race. These days, it is more like a car show, driving  from the city of Rome to the city of Brescia…and back again. By the end, the cars have gone nearly 2 thousand miles!

Of course, we wanted to see all the cars, especially the really old ones, called “Vintage” cars. We decided to go to the laundromat because we knew the  cars would be driving down that street!

In this photo, I am hurrying out of  the laundromat with my camera.  I was afraid I would miss  the cars! Can you see the “1000 Miglia” flag falling out of my purse?

Many others wanted to see the cars, too. Several people waited with us on the street. 

A  big crowd waited in Siena’s main piazza, called The Campo.  It’s where the great bareback horserace takes place on July 2.

 I’ll tell you more about that race another time, but NOW FOR THE “MILLE MIGLIA”  — 

First, we saw about 75  Italian, German, and British cars that looked like ones some people drive today.

Some of the cars looked the ones in “Cars”

I think Dad, Uncle Matt, and both Uncle Toms would like some of these,  don’t you?

This green Porsche was the first of the Vintage cars to arrive.

It was the most fun I’ve ever had doing laundry!