Busy,Busy ,Busy

I know that it has been some time since I have posted here. I have been teaching part time at the local International school. They were short some teachers this year and asked me to fill in for the 7th grade English class. I have been having a lot of fun but..... It has taken much of my free time. When I start to add pictures again I will send out a notice. That way you wont be checking when there is nothing. Thanks for following our journey. It is one I am glad not to have missed.

a.m.

5:00 in the morning view from Spring Rock (The new name of the site). I wish you could all join me for a cup of coffee and the sunrise.

Just sitting

Tianjin snapshots

The Eye of Tianjin

This Ferris wheel has been built in our city and it is supposed to be the tallest in the world. I think they count from the water. Being on a bridge gives it a few more yards.

Olympics

We went to the Swedish vs. Chinese Women's soccer match. Sweden lost but we had a good time!

Learning to trust.

Trust. A five letter word. It is not a long word, nor is it a hard word to say. Trust as a verb though can be very difficult. Can you climb a wall? How about if we ask you to do it blind folded? Would you trust the people holding you? Would you trust yourself? This group also had to listen to their partner guide them up the wall and trust another pair of eyes other than their own. Trust. Can you do it?

Jacobs ladder

Working in a group is not usually easy but it can be rewarding and you can accomplish so much if you work together. The kids from Sichuan needed to accomplish a goal, and they needed to do it together. One person can not climb this ladder by themselves. It is our hope that back home they remember that three cords are stronger than one and that they work together to rebuild their lives.

Team mates

David Ren is the new Director of Spring Rock. The site is no longer called "the site" but Spring Rock. Ric is now turning from building to training and David is proving to be a fast learner and a lover of Adventure Education. We are excited to have him, his wife and son Solomon as part of the team. He has lived in Beijing for the last years but now calls Spring Rock his home.

Summer Help

Eric got a lesson in weed eating this summer. He had a lot of fun even thought the weed whacker was a little big for his size.
Eric had a hard time leaving America at the end of vacation because we had heard the two of his friends would not be returning to China this year. We now have learned that there are two new boys coming into his class. He has gotten together with one and they have already hit it off. PTL.

First climb

The climbing wall is up and running! At this point this is the last big project at the site and now we will be finishing up some of the smaller projects. It looks great and I can't wait to try and climb it. The last time I climbed was a long time ago and even though it feels familiar I think my body may reject what my mind tries to tell it to do. I will try it on a day when no one is around. :)

Just another day at work.

After 4 years of driving around China not much takes us by surprise, but this man working on the electricity wires caught our friends attention. I have no idea what he is trying to fix but he sure is determined. He is lucky to have friends on the ground to catch him if he falls.

New addition to the family

We now have a new family member. We are so excited to have Coda in our lives. He brings so much joy and love to our used to be family of 5.
Any dog owner out there will know what I'm talking about . :)

What a smile!

Backyard B.B.Q

Small pieces of roasted lamb on a stick (chuar) is very popular in China. This is Eric's favorite street food. Our friends and co-workers ,Colin and Toni Quincey, are moving back to Canada, and we have spent the last week being invited to eat at friends houses. At Zhou's house we had Chuar to start off the meal. Yum!

summer fun

Now that the kids are out of school we are based at the site. Soccer is a popular sport all over the world, and you don't have to speak the same language to play. These boys come over in their free time and hang out with B.J. and Eric. We had to tell them that 6:30 am during summer vacation is a little to early to play soccer. We like to sleep in.