Our first place to explore in Alaska was the Alaska Native Heritage Center. There was a loop trail around a pond where there were examples of different tribal homes. Inside of each was someone representing the people who would have lived there and explaining there lifestyle.... read more

Meet Haibao (Hi-bow -rhymes with cow). We have been seeing him just about everywhere we go - statues, signs, flags, banners, plush toys, keychains, etc for sale - he has definitely overrun the Shanghai area of China! Plus, every time we look out our front window towards Ace, he's on the billboard we see! We've seen him from one inch high to probably ten feet high! We read online that their was a stir when he was first introduced because someone said they copied him from Gumby. The Expo will run from May 1 thru Oct 31 of 2010. The following is quoted from the official Expo page : The Name -- Hai Bao The name of the mascot of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is Hai Bao, which means the treasure of the sea. The ... read more

Thanks to all of you who sent me birthday wishes - early, late or on time! It does get confusing sometimes trying to remember the time difference! My actual birthday was a pretty plain day - Sammy took Leah and I to the grocery store, but Jim had a customer in from Germany, so he didn't come home for lunch or dinner! We saw him for about half an hour before he left to go out to dinner. After returning from dinner, he had a conference call to the US, so Leah and I watched a Scooby-Doo movie we had bought - which I couldn't even stay awake through! Friday night we celebrated my birthday. Horton picked us all up, then dropped Jim and I off for dinner and took Leah to his house to play ... read more

June 1st is International Children's Day. Although the info I found online says that it is recognized in the USA, I have never heard of any type of celebration where I've lived - has anyone else? The people here were surprised to hear that we didn't really celebrate Children's Day in the USA, they thought it was a big, worldwide celebration! It seems to be a very big day here in China. Leah and I were invited to join in the celebration at a local elementary school in Nanqiao. I don't know the name of the school where we were, but it is over 200 years old, and supposedly the best in Nanqiao. The school was made up of a number of different buildings, a smaller courtyard area and a large open area, all kind of ... read more

After reading about the attractions in Shanghai, I asked Leah what she wanted to do most and she chose the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, so that's where we headed to first on Friday. It was the nicest aquarium I've ever been to, but the one in Kentucky, just across from Cinncinnati is close to it. There were many unusual creatures that I won't be able to name in the pictures, but there were also many familiar exhibits. The exhibits were set up in sections according to world zones: China, South America, Australia, Africa, Southeast Asia, Cold water, Polar, Sea & Shore and Deep Oceans. There were seals and penguins in large exhibits and what we all enjoyed most were the tunnels, especially the one with the sharks, sea turtles and rays. There was even a tunnel around ... read more