Oasis in the City - Yuyuan Gardens Shanghai

The famous classical Chinese garden, Yu or Yuyuan Gardens, provides an oasis in the middle of old Shanghai and worth a visit. Its relatively small scale (5 acres) means a visitor can leisurely take in the property in a couple of hours.

I visited early Sunday morning - with my flight back to the USA scheduled to depart around 3pm, I arrived just as the visitor gates opened. This allowed me to spend a few hours exploring the grounds. In the early hours, the gardens are less crowded which I prefer. The grounds provide a calm respite from the bustling streets and the outdoor shopping mall (Yuyuan Tourist Mart) that surrounds this tourist attraction. Yes, the gardens rate highly on the list of top things to do in Shanghai, second only to a visit to The Bund, so it will be crowded.

Some of the photos I took while taking in the various rooms, structures and areas.


I didn't find much in terms of actively blooming plants - the blue hydrangea being the exception.


Where one can enjoy the serenity of the garden while being sheltered from the bright sun.


The Dragon Protects the garden entrance


The long bridge to the pavilion


The turtle sunbathing by the koi pond

This last photo shows the same bridge to the pavilion, but from a different perspective where you can see more visitors in the garden. As the day progresses, the crowds grow.


I have seen night photos of the illuminated pavilions and that would be a nice time to visit too.

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July 2019 Free Desktop Calendar - Alaskan Fireweed

We traveled to Alaska last summer with my parents and all my sisters' families to celebrate my father's 80th birthday. The fireweed that grows wild throughout Alaska gives the rugged landscape a pop of color and has become the most recognizable plant in the state. The blooms up the plant's stalk indicate how much longer summer will last - by the time the showy pink flowers reach the pinnacle, fall is right around the bend.



(We visited in August - still some summer left according to this plant)


To download the July calendar, click on this link from Box.com
Link --> July 2019 - Alaskan Fireweed

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Shanghai Nights Along the Bund

If you have limited time or a long layover in Shanghai, a visit to the Bund is highly recommended.

As I noted in my previous blog post, I traveled to Inner Mongolia in China for work. I chose to connect through Shanghai (vs Beijing) to take advantage of a visit to that city. I last visited China in 2006 and spent a day and a half in Beijing, so Shanghai would be a new experience for me.

Due to my work schedule and available flights out of Wuhai, I had a very short turnaround in Shanghai - about 17 hours - not ideal, but more usable time than the 12 hours I had on my inbound flight, especially since I was no longer jet lagged.

I arrived back into Hongqiao airport around 5:30pm, got a taxi and was checked into my hotel around 7pm. I decided to head out to the famous Waitan waterfront, commonly referred to as The Bund. As evening had already descended, I knew the night skyline against the water's edge would be a great place for photos and people watching. Full disclosure - I was tired and hungry from my travels, and considered eating in the hotel restaurant and going to bed. I'm glad I pushed those thoughts away.

I grabbed a taxi from the line of cars in front of the hotel. I sensed my driver's disappointment that I only wanted to go 5K down the street to one of the most crowded areas. I think the cabbies feel pinched by the shorter rides and would prefer to take their charges out to Pudong airport. Or maybe more people use the Uber equivalent (DiDi) for these casual rides. Regardless, my driver dropped me off at edge of the crowds on the south, forcing me to walk a bit, but I didn't mind.

I found the stairs up to the river's promenade and knew I had made the right decision to get into the cab - the view of the sparkling modern skyline across the river to the west took my breath away.


The distinctive and modern blue Oriental Pearl tower anchors the view, punctuated by constantly changing designs displayed on the other skyscrapers from the electronic lightshow. As a contrast, the buildings on the east side of the river were uniformly lit to enhance their traditional European architecture and design.


The promenade undulated with the crowds taking in the sites; lots of selfie action along the river made for great people watching.


I had to partake in the selfie taking....


I performed a search for places to eat and google recommended an Asian fusion restaurant close by. However, I didn't realize the restaurant would be located in one of the neoclassical buildings that look so bank-government-ish, so I wandered around the side streets of Huangpu district, along with a gazillion other tourists. I finally found my way back to the riverside, and found the restaurant, Hakkasan, located right in Building 18 on the Bund.

While the restaurant features tables with a view of the Bund skyline, without a reservation, I opted for the kitchen view over a seat at the bar.

Truthfully, I find this sort of table view to be more interesting and unique, as I watched the bevy of activity in and out of the kitchen

I chose the Crispy Duck salad. I love Peking duck and this dish offered up a great combination of greens and the duck I craved.


You can't visit a port city without sampling the seafood. The sea bass did not disappoint


Finally, a view of the building's staircase.


I thoroughly enjoyed my meal in this upscale and contemporary setting, perfect to close out my evening in Shanghai.

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Travel To Inner Mongolia - Wuhai China

In May, I was given the opportunity to travel to China for work. I traveled there as a member of an audit team to verify the completeness of new manufacturing plant construction. My expertise lies in automation systems, so my audit focused on the installation of instrumentation devices, the electrical wiring, and validation of safety instrumented systems.

This new facility is located near the city of Wuhai, in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. From the upper mountain ranges, one can see the desert, the valleys and the Yellow River. In 2013, as a part of The Haibowan Water Conservancy Project of the Yellow River, a water control dam was constructed resulting in the creation of the large, artificial Lake Wuhai. The hotel used by visiting employees sits along the lake and offers easy access to the walking path and other recreational areas around Lake Wuhai.


the tall buildings of Wuhai city in the distance at sunrise


The Wave Pavillion along the banks of Lake Wuhai. The East Mountains can be seen in the distance. Atop the East Mountain, a Genghis Khan monument is under construction.


on a particularly calm and peaceful morning on Lake Wuhai


Fishermen hanging out every morning along Lake Wuhai

After the audit, our team plus members of the start up team visited the Genghis Monument atop the Eastern mountains. We first stopped at the lower level - the gate to the road was closed, so we thought this was as far as we could go. At this scenic lookout, colorful Mongolian scarves or "khatags" adorned the perimeter.


To our surprise, we were granted access all the way up to the top of the monument. This entails taking a tram to the summit.

Our team at the foot of the Genghis Khan Monument.


While atop the mountain, a dust storm blew through, but we took shelter and it quickly passed. Afterwards, the blue skies and sun reappeared. In the distance, bits of the Yellow River / Lake Wuhai.

I also spent a little time in ShangHai - more photos from my 18 hours to come!

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Illinois Marathon 2019

Last weekend, runners took to our local streets in the 11th running of the Illinois Marathon.

Since its inaugural events in 2009, I've run the following Illinois Marathon races - 2 Half Marathons, 3 Full Marathons (including my First Full Marathon), 1 5Ks, 1 Relay Marathon and now I can add the last race - the 10K. I've participated 8 out of the 11 years. One year (2012), I was recovering from ACL replacement surgery, so no running that year. I recall avoiding the race events one year (then regretting it), and two years ago I was out of town attending to family business. I am so very thankful for what the Illinois Marathon has done for our community - people come together to train, to run, to volunteer, to cheer and encourage; to achieve goals, to push physical and mental limits and to discover more about themselves in the process.
I doubt I would have endeavored to run a full marathon had it not been for this local race.

Through this event, I connected with other local runners and in the process, expanded my circle of friends. I can always find a person to slog through numerous miles, in good conditions and bad, in the wee morning hours, in the rain, snow, cold, heat and humidity. Crazy begets crazy!

I even managed to rub this crazy running habit off on my family. Last year, we teamed up and completed the 4 person marathon relay. This year, my daughter trained for and completed her first half marathon! I am so proud of her! She signed up for the local training program my Run Club executes, managed to get to the Saturday 8am group runs (not easy for a 21 year old college student) and met her goal of finishing her first Half Marathon. In contrast, I didn't run my first half marathon until I was in my 40's!







I ran the 10K with two of my dear Book Club friends, one who is a beginner runner. I helped Nancy train for this, her first 10K race. She trained using a walk-run couch to 10K program but ran the entire race. I had a blast accompanying her the entire 6.2 miles

Our group - pre race. One of my friend's 9 year old, Nancy's husband, me, Heather and Nancy.

During the course of our training, we developed a running mantra - "For the Fellowship" and I was the running group's Coach - you can see those elements in our race bibs, along with Nancy's husband's encouragement for her race.

I spotted a course photographer at mile 5, so posed for this shot:


Our Finish line photos were crappy, but we managed to finish strong, holding our hand together in the air in victory. I hope Nancy and Heather continue to run through the summer. We will meet up in late July at our Lake retreat and I already have plans for us to run together.

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May 2019 Free Desktop Calendar Download- Thailand Boats at Sunset

Another photo of boats from last year's trip to Thailand - this time at sunset.




To download the May calendar, click on this link from Box.com
Link --> May 2019 - Thailand Boats at Sunset

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April 2019 Free Desktop Calendar Download - St Francis Xavier Church

My son attends St Louis University and the St. Francis Xavier church sits prominently as a cornerstone on campus.



Its serene beauty provides shelter and calm to those who visit.
My husband actually took the photo with his iPhone - I think he did a great job!

To download the April calendar, click on this link from Box.com
Link --> April 2019 - St Francis Xavier Church

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