Beach Bums

We sat down one night and counted how many Tuesdays we had left, (That's my day off besides Sunday.) It hurt to think that we only had a few and we had to make the most of them. Being one of those Tuesdays we rose early to make the most of it. We headed over to a place called Cyberport which is on the west side of the island and caught an early showing of Batman. (It was a bit disturbing, but Bravo! to the five minute Hong Kong scene. Cassie and I actually saw them getting ready to film one night.) After that we headed to Sek O beach which is on the east side of the island completely opposite of where we were in the morning. The sun was nice, the water was cold, and the people were truly entertaining. I wish you could see the front of this guy who is wearing the snazzy hat on the beach. We bumped into him in the water. He was swimming with his hat on strapped around his nose and gasping for air like the hat might just do him in. We just smiled and splashed around hoping he would keep paddling by. When I saw him again on the beach I couldn't resist, but to snap a pic...Classic! Sadly we don't have a picture of the best thing we swam into. Picture this... an old woman, nigh unto death, wearing a swimsuit straight from the roaring twenties jumps in the water with her bright blue swim cap, black tire tube snugly fit around her waist and a smile that would make the angriest person crack a grin. She was so happy to splash in that water. She swam around for perhaps an hour before we saw her finally get out, that smile was still on her face. It's people like that, that help us know it is the simple things in life that make us happy.

Faces of Food!

Besides working with great people one of the fun things about my job here in Hong Kong is the occasional dinners. It's at these dinners that Cassie has really been submerged into the culture. She has tried whole oysters, fish skin, sushi, cow stomach and even cow tongue. (Don't worry. She has been very conservative since pregnancy.) Tonight was Shanghai cuisine.... We both love Chinese food, and Shanghai knows how to do it. As a missionary in Hong Kong I was trained in the technique of eating a whole fish that had been steamed, deep fried, or dried and seasoned. Eating a whole fish is somewhat of an art, and if you know how to handle the little Flounder you can find the best meat. Take a look at the first picture. Anything missing? Well obviously all the meat is gone, but did you see his EYE! No you didn't, because in picture two I am holding it in my chopstick which is prepared to enter my mouth. (Note to readers: you can only suck the juice off the eye. The rest is hard like a marble.) mmmm, Tasty. You also might notice, referring back to picture one that the tail is missing. That's because Koon, picture three, is feasting on the fancy fin. (Koon owns the center where I work. Great guy.) So from head to tail this fish was fantastic! (Cassie was sad, because she didn't get to eat any. Mercury in fish, yadda yadda...Doctor's orders.) Needless to say we had a great time. Keep it fresh!

One more month...and a bit on Dog Poop.

Today is "The one month left in Hong Kong" day. It really is a bittersweet feeling. We Love Hong Kong! We will miss our friends here, but we are excited to see our family soon, and get this kicking little girl on the outside so we can play with her...On a lighter note,... There is a phenomenon, unexplainable to me that is landing on a sidewalk near you... that's right my friends, Dog Poop! Picture this...its early morning, the sun is shining and people are bustling off to work. The sidewalks are packed with people rushing left and right. Then comes Mr. Casual. He is strolling along at a nice pace, newspaper tucked under his arm, and man's best friend leading on the leash. Seems like Mr. Casual has it easy, dressed in his sweats and Spiderman t-shirt, not having to rush to work with the rest of us. Suddenly Fido can't take it anymore, he is rounding out his spot and is ready to lay down the law on the sidewalk. This is Hong Kong folks, if there is grass, you can't walk on it, Mr. Cas has no other choice. That is when the morning read turns into first class clean up. I hope he had read that page. It seriously is like a game. The dog gives little warning before the owner must position themselves just right so they can get a good placement before droppage. Then comes the scoop, fold, toss. You better land it the first time because it is a crappy job to have to scrape it off the cement. It's kind of is disgusting when you think about it, let alone see it everyday. But don't worry friends,...I'm coming home and people there just leave it on the sidewalk for me to step in. Bless there little hearts.

Live from HK!

This is for the grandmas who keep asking to see "the belly"

As if we don't post enough scenery here is a beautiful sunset I caught while messing around with the camera.

I've been checking out others blogs lately and have realized what makes a great blog...yeah updating it. It's that simple my friends. In our desire to have a nice blog (especially since we are trying to get our families to check it out more.) we are going to try to update each week to keep you coming back for more. Because who can really have enough of Hong Kong? We can't! Today was "Turnover Day." That isn't the official name, but it is a holiday to celebrate the British handing over Hong Kong to China. (For those who might not be as brushed up on their world history, Hong Kong was a British Colony until 1997.) That is why I have a sweet British accent now and I walk around in my trousers, taking out the rubbish and troubling myself with a brilliant spot of tea. I don't think I'll ever get to the point of calling diapers, "nappies" and my stroller a "pram,"... sorry my cute little baby. One final thing... I am really struggling not having a name for this baby. Cassie has passed the "it" stage and is consistently using "she." I simply refer to her as "baby." I suppose I believe in the "you can't name your baby until you see it," theory, but if my baby came out looking like a Gertrude I would probably stick to one of the two we have narrowed down. To protect against name thieves they will not be mentioned here. "What's in a name?".... Well pretty much everything Bill.