Not ready to say Good Bye

We are moving in about 10 days. I think about this city that we live in and regret all the complaining I did the past two years- there are so many things I'm going to miss.

I'm really going to miss the raw, un-westernized Chinese countryside.

I took a long, two hour walk the other day to make sure I have snap shots of the common sights in Boone.

Old women spending their retirement making shoes.

The many many temples scattered around the city.

Men smoking while playing their wailing Chinese instruments.

We have finally found a few fun fishing holes- here is Scott fishing at White Donkey Lake.

These houses below are hundreds of years old. When you walk by you can see lots of people inside drinking tea or playing card games on tiny wooden chairs.

This is also a very old house but with an updated door that locks.

This is a carved stone dragon on top of a temple (it has lights strung up on it that they turn on at night). Also, look at that blue, blue sky. I realize now "clean" our mountain air is after traveling to so many other cities that are grey with smoke and pollution and dust.

I tried to strike up a conversation with this sweet old woman about the beads she was holding. After explaining that she used these to pray to Buddha, she posed so I could take a picture.

I always complain about how dirty the open air market is. But after visiting other cities, I realize that these are becoming fewer and fewer with modernization and grocery stores. I feel blessed to have lived here for two years and to have experienced a fading Chinese custom. On the left is brown sugar; on the right is white rock sugar.

I'm looking forward to more western conveniences- especially with a baby on the way- but will miss all these back-woods sights.