6 Weeks in AZ

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Oh, where does the time go? Not so long ago I was writing about Shanghai, then I fell off the blogging planet, and now I'm back. After Shanghai I took a 6 week trip to Arizona's mountains to visit my parents. The majority of my days were pretty normal days, no matter where you are in the world, no matter who you are. So I didn't see much point in writing about it. Most of my time was spent on the following activities:

Sleeping
Eating
Cooking and baking
Reading novels
Studying Chinese
Watching my fill of TV crime dramas

Not to say that those aren't valuable uses of my time (like eating Mexican food every chance I got) but they're not exactly blog material. But there were two significant points of interest on my trip, and I will write about those:
1. I learned how to make pottery
2. I saw my aunt and uncle for the first time in six years

Up the road from my parents' house lives the sweetest, most patient, award-winning potter who ever lived. She lives with her wonderfully kind, tea-making husband, and my new favorite four-legged niece. Behind her home is a little studio where I spent many delightful hours each week. Every year in Prescott there is a charity event for the food shelf. Bowls are made by local potters and soup is served by local chefs, and all the proceeds from the event (which is all of the money, since all the bowls and soup are donated) go to the food shelf. My task for the summer was to help my new potting friend make bowls. Mind you, I haven't touched clay since 7th grade art class. And the last time I made a bowl it was a pinched pot in 3rd grade art class. I painted it green and it's still on my dad's bookshelf.

The sweet potter shared her passion and turned me from a woman with no artistic ability into a fledgling but optimistic potter. She taught me to hand build bowls, use the potter's wheel, and how to glaze. My first piece that turned out on the wheel was supposed to be a bowl, but it didn't want to be, so we turned it into a pitcher. We also did that with the second and third "bowls". By the end of our time together, I'd managed to make a nice number of hand-built bowls for charity, a nice pitcher collection, a tea cup, and a matching wheel-made bowl and pasta plate. Right before I returned to China I had a little "private pottery showing" for my parents, and we set it up and made it look fancy by draping fabric and hanging up an elephant wall hanging I purchased in India a few years ago. It looked spectacular.

We always knew when it was a bit after four and our tea was coming because my new favorite niece would bark to let us know someone had emerged from the house with tea and scones. This, of course, meant break time, and we'd sit out in lounge chairs, taking in the view, my niece lounging at our feet, chasing wildlife, or digging in the yard.

We can safely say I'm already looking forward to next year.

The last time I saw my aunt and uncle was 2005. I was still living in my first apartment in the city and they stopped by on their tour of the midwest. This time they were taking a tour of the southwest and were kind enough to time things so they would visit when I happened to be in the country.

This trip, they visited us for four days. My aunt had been wonderful enough to bring us some homemade cookies, too. Some of which seem to have made it into my luggage and all the way to China. We mostly talked and caught up, including an evening out for Mexican food. We did take a trip up to Flagstaff to watch AZ Cardinals football practice. (Don't worry, true to form, I took a book with me.) I enjoyed the scenery (mountains) and the lunch was delicious. I'm certainly glad I got to see them again and I'm already looking forward to seeing them again... hopefully in fewer than six years.

That was my visit to the US in short. I spent time with my family (the most important reason to go!), dined with family friends, and I relaxed and tried new things. Now, it's back to the three T's of my life in China: teaching, traveling, and tea.

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Comments

[Sally Arner]

What a great letter
I really loved this letter especially. And I know you were a great help and spirit lifter for your mom and dad. The pottery making looked so fun. And it was nice seeing you all. We had hoped to see you on this trip but Ron is working lots at Dillard's covering vacation time for others. Not so next year and we will meet you then. My mom's cousins went to see the great wall of China also. So that really interested me. You are doing such a great job of writing and I race to read your blog each time. Keep on keeping on. Sally

[Jarl Kubat]

It's a Dry Heat!
I hope you enjoyed Arizona. We have had a hot muggy monsoon season and our heat has extended way into the fall (this is unusual). I am originally from Minnesota. The sunsets in Arizona are a to die for, a romantics dream! We miss the seasons of Minnesota but, we do enjoy the Arizona winters. I hope you have an opportunity to come back during our winter months. Jarl kubat Arizona Retirement Communities