Wednesday, December 31, 2008

2008 Retrospective

As the last minutes of 2008 tick away, I'm thinking about what a grand year it's been. I launched my new book series (Who Lives Here?), travelled to China (see photos below) and had the enormous pleasure of meeting my lovely twin grandbabies, born two weeks ago. I'm so grateful for it all! 

Happy New Year, everyone!

Here I am in Shanghai, on the famous river walkway, called the Bund.

Here's me with the Big Guy, who kindly invited me along on his conference trip to China. This was a shopping day at the Old Town Bazaar, Shanghai's version of Granville Island.

Here I am with Betsey from Boston, another conference attendee. Behind us is a view of the Huangpu River and downtown Shanghai (known as Pudong).

This photo was snapped in a beautiful park in a serene area of Shanghai, known as the French Concession. People come to the park to practice Tai Chi, and spend time among the lovely greenery.

A busy Shanghai shopping street called Nanjing Lu, similar to Vancouver's own Robson Street. There were huge crowds the day we strolled it. It's not an experience for the faint of heart!

This is People's Square, a large open area where Shanghai locals congregate, and listen to music or sit on benches and eat their lunch. The Shanghai Museum and Art Museum are near.

We were amazed to see this bamboo scaffolding on many buildings. Apparently, bamboo is an incredibly strong material. It seemed ingenius!

China is a wonderful place, and although I only saw a small bit of Shanghai, my appetite has been whetted for all things Asia. I can hardly wait to return. Maybe in 2009! :-)

Happy New Year! Health and happiness to you all!

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