The Air Force has been good to the family. There have been some sacrifices along the way, but in the end I look back at the last nine years with tremendous satisfaction and look forward to the future with great anticipation.
Plus, Michelle really digs the uniform...
While I was too old to fly for the Air Force, I wasn't too old to start flying ultralights in Ohio. Nothing like flying low and slow over the countryside. No better way to watch the world go by...
Flying an Ultralight Over Ohio Countryside Fall 2003
After Running the Columbus Marathon October 2004
I've got a long list of things to do in life and this was one of the biggest challenges on the list--the marathon. With comraderie and motivation from a couple of running warriors (BW and NR) I was able to cross this off the list.
Canoeing the Little Miami Summer 2003
Ohio was just a terrific place to live--one of the things we loved most was canoeing on the local rivers. This was a beautiful day on the Little Miami River shortly after returning from OIF in July 2003.
One of the other great things about living in Ohio was that it's so close to everything in the Eastern part of the country. D.C. is only an eight hour drive. Niagara Falls is six, New York is ten and a half, and Chicago is about five. This was one of the cool places we visited--Gettysburg PA. If you read only one book about the Civil War it must be Michael Shaara's Killer Angels. The kids and I are standing where the 20th Maine made their heroic stand.
Standing Where Col Chamberlain Fought at Gettysburg April 2004
With Marcos and Steven at Disneyland May 2005
We had an absolutely wonderful time with Marcos, Sheena, Hannah and Garrett for two days of fun at Disneyland. We got some great pictures of the cousins together that are worth gold.
Michelle and I went kayaking on Monterey Bay the first Friday in July and had a blast. Marine life we saw includedsea otters, seals, and sea lions. The NOAA maritime sanctuary volunteers were out in kayaks also and it was fun to park next to them in the kelp beds as they explained more about Monterey's ocean habitat. We plan to take the kids with us next time. The folks who helped outfit us at Monterey Bay Kayaks were terrific.
Steve and Michelle Kayaking on Monterey Bay July 2005
On the Great Wall at Sima Tai, September 2005
This was just one of the amazing places I got to see during my language immersion trip to Beijing last Fall. I can't fathom the effort and ingenuity required to build something this massive in places as inaccessible as here at Sima Tai. Sima Tai is increasingly popular because it's a terrific place to check out the Great Wall in it's unreconstructed and less commercialized state. Ironically, me telling you on this website that it's a great place to visit to avoid crowds is ultimately contributing to it becoming more crowded. Go figure...
This was the day we went to get our Chinese visas at the consulate in San Francisco so Michelle and I could make our house-hunting trip to Shanghai. If you're willing to pay extra for same-day service, you can submit your application to the consulate in the morning and pick up your visa in the afternoon. That's what we did and then we took the Bay cruise around Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate while we waited. Really fun day.
With Steven and Sabrina Cruising on San Francisco Bay, November 2005
Steve and Michelle at Marcos' Backyard Firepit, January 2006
Almost every evening while we were at Marcos and Sheena's house in Tucson, Steven would ask if he could please build a fire in the firepit Marcos had built behind his new house. It became a really fun thing to do. Steven would light and tend the fire, while the rest of us sat around it and talked and told stories. This was Michelle and I on one of those evenings at the firepit. Just a good picture reminding me of a good time with Michelle and the family.
The Shanghai Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) Train is the fastest train in the world and the only Maglev train in commercial operation. The Maglev runs from near the Lujiazui Central Business District to Pudong International Airport. The journey in a cab takes about an hour (depending on traffic), but the Maglev does it in 8 minutes. Each car has a speedometer indicating the current speed of the train--it tops out at 430 kmh as you can see here in the picture. Smooth ride too. I'll attach a video clip in the photo album pages.
On the Shanghai Maglev Train, February 2006
With my Fudan classmates, teachers, and other friends at our apartment, March 2006
Studying Chinese at Fudan has been a big challenge. I somehow ended up in the J-level class (the highest level Chinese class offered at Fudan), but I think I should probably be three or four classes below this one. Fortunately, I've got great teachers who are patient with me and friendly classmates who make class really enjoyable. The people in this photo are most of my classmates, our two teachers (Liu Laoshi and Zhu Laoshi), and some other friends from school. It's quite an international group--the U.S., Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Serbia, Switzerland, Sweden, Phillippines, and of course China are all represented.
