Steven Pulling the Sword from the Anvil at Disneyland June 2005
Whether it's with King Arthur's sword Excalibur or Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber, Steven is always fighting evil in the universe (note the lightsaber on his belt). You can sleep well at night knowing Master Steven is standing as a guardian of truth and light protecting the Republic.
Steven has remarkably little fear of heights and loves climbing just about any rock bigger than himself. I think he got this trait from his Aunt Raquel who took him rock climbing almost before he could walk. Asilomar is one of his favorite places because of the afore-mentioned love of climbing and because Steven never met a body of water he didn't want to be in. Asilomar is therefore the best of both worlds--big rocks and big body of water.
Climbing the rocks at Asilomar Beach as the tide rolls in June 2005
Wading in the Little Miami River at Clifton Gorge, Ohio June 2004
Like I said above, Steven never met a body of water he didn't want to be in. In this case, it's the Little Miami River in Clifton Gorge at a place called the Blue Hole. No matter how many times Michelle or I told him to stay out of the river, we only had to turn around for three seconds and Steven would be knee deep in it looking for cool rocks or "dinosaur bones." We finally gave up and just took it for granted that every time we visited Clifton Gorge we should have a towel with us back at the car.
Joe and Renee Oka brought their family up to visit us for a day from their home in Cincinnatti. Joe is an accomplished climber and brought his gear to give the kids a chance to do some rock climbing at John Bryan State Park just 20 miles East of Dayton. This is Steven about halfway up the wall while Joe was on belay and I took the picture.
Rock climbing at John Bryan State Park, Ohio Summer 2004
P-51 Mustang at Dayton Airshow with dad in July 2003
Steven and I went to what may very well have been the best air show of the century--the 2003 Dayton Centennial of Flight Air Show. All three North American military aerobatic (USAF Thunderbirds, USN Blue Angels, and RCAF Snow Birds) teams were on hand to perform each day of the show. Steven is having a zen moment in front of one of one of the dozens of WWII warbirds I dragged him to see (in this case a beautiful P-51 Mustang). What a great day this was.
What you see here is quintessential Steven. Relaxing in Dad's reading chair, making his way through a huge book. I never met any kid who was as prolific a reader as Steven. By the age of eight, he'd already read every Harry Potter book, half of the Chronicles of Narnia, and hundreds of other books--many of them also hundreds of pages long. He prefers fantasy and science fiction. Not only does he read them, but he also writes his own, complete with illustrations. All this literary proclivity and a sharp-dresser too...
Favorite pastime, at home, June 2005
Steven after successfully haggling down the price of his first real sword, Xiangyang Market Shanghai, January 2006
You already know from above captions how much Steven loves swords. Here he is with Michelle after they successfully haggled down the price of the one he wanted at Xiangyang market. Steven's real victory on this occasion wasn't the price he paid, it was the permission granted by his mom to buy a real sword. I'm still not too sure about the whole deal. Admittedly, he handles it carefully and has since been allowed to buy two more "just in case somebody tries to rob us," he says.
Steven's got a newly discovered talent of taking very nice pictures. This is his first time experimenting with Michelle's video camera as we took our Huangpu River cruise. Critics hailed the resulting film as, "Edgy, moody, and super-intelligent" "The feel good movie of the year" and "Two thumbs way, way up!" We're eagerly waiting for the sequel (already in development) which is scheduled to be released next Saturday. Oscar anyone?
Steven developing his talent as a budding videographer, Huangpu River cruise, February 2006
Long-suffering Steven posing with his new friend, Shanghai, February 2006
Steven and Sabrina have had a pretty tough time going out on the streets here. Why? Because they get stared at, patted on the head, grabbed, and even kissed. Western adults are pretty common here, but western kids are still pretty rare. Every time we go out, people comment how beautiful the kids are and they are often asked to pose for photos. This time, Steven was accosted by a grandmotherly lady from Chengdu who was here sight-seeing with her grandson during the New Year holiday. She really wanted her grandson and Steven to pose together for a picture. Neither her grandson nor Steven were very pleased with the whole idea.
The Huangpu River is beautiful. It's also a key transportation route for cargo shipping and has been called the "Mother of Shanghai" because of its importance to the city. It has one final distinction in our family--the first body of water Steven doesn't want to jump in. The water is filthy and there is trash floating in it everywhere. This is Steven, sorrowfully wishing he could wade in the water, with the beautiful buildings of the historic Bund in the background. One can recognize these buildings from the movie Empire of the Sun.
Steven with the historic Bund in the background, February 2006
