countryside

Here you will find sights like these right across the street from one another.  Little shacks across from high rises. 

Leaving Wuxi

Vegetable gardens is mostly what you will see between Wuxi and Jiangyin

bike trip to Jiangyin

Jiangyin is 40 km north of Wuxi.  It took us about 4 hours.  It's pretty cool taking bike trips in China. One minute you  are in a city packed with people, bicycles, cars, pollution and the next you are in the middle of the country. 

We will be headed to Jiangyin for the next two days!  See you when we get back. 

Mark's handmade pannier

persimmons are in season!

Amish White Bread

Amish White Bread

2 cups warm water
2/3 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup veggie oil
6 cups bread flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and stir in yeast.  Allow to proof until yeast resembles foam.

Mix salt and oil into the yeast.  Mix in flour one cup at a time.  Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.  Place in a well oiled bowl.  Cover with a damp cloth.  Allow to rise until doubled (about 1 hour)

Punch dough down.  Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half.  Shape into loaves and place into two well oiled bread pans.  Allow to rise 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30 mins.

Great BLT bread!!

downtown Hangzhou

This is a photo from our hostel looking out at Hangzhou city center.

Chinese National Holiday

Bus station.  Jiaxing, China.  This is one of the busiest times to travel in China.  

Hangzhou is known for its tea and also its tea olives.  We happened to visit when all the tea olives were in bloom.  Have you ever seen an orange one?  I don't remember ever seeing an orange tea olive in Charleston.  

Because of typhoons in the Philippines, the weather was like this the three days we were in Hangzhou.  It was really cool to see the landscape in this weather especially the misty creeks.

Family

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After leaving Hangzhou, we took a bus (a very busy bus!) to Jiaxing where we met Patrick and Lauralyn, my uncle and aunt.  I had not seen them in 10 years so, it was really nice to catch up.  This will be their fourth year teaching in China!  We heard all about their experiences over a cup of tea and some delicious walnut squares.  It was really cool to get someone else's perspective on teaching.  Their town of 5 million is a little smaller than ours;)  and surprisingly feels like a small country town.  They seem to know everyone in the town.  It was a great break and now we are geared up for teaching again.

persimmons

Getting ready to plant camellias.  This garden was at the foot of a mountain in an area called "the nine creeks."  

Fall

Hangzhou

We just returned from a trip to Hangzhou, the tea growing region of China.  This photo was taken at about 6 a.m. after camping at the top of this mountain.  It was a cool, misty fall morning.  We managed to pack up and head out before the workers got there.