I got this figured out

We went to the employee appreciation day party at Lake Compounce this weekend. After a quick lunch, Matt and I went on Thunder Rapids. Another family joined us and their young daughter, who was not dressed to get soaking wet, was convinced that the she figured out the ride. Now you have to understand, this is basically a raft that travels freely down a man made river. There is no way that you are not going to get wet. If the white water doesn't get you, the water fall will. Needless to say, she got wet, I mean really wet, down to her underwear wet. And of course, Matthew and I were laughing our butts off. To me, this experience was a metaphor for life, just when you figure it out you get wet underwear. I guess that's okay as long as you have fun on the ride.

Taxson Family Visit

Just as we finished off the bathroom and I've resigned from my job, Marty, Irene and Zee showed up on our doorsteps. The last time we saw each other was a year ago in Aruba. We had a great time catching up on things and were sad that Andrea and Anne were not able to join us for this gathering. Irene, Andrea, Anne and I used to roam all over the streets of Shanghai together and it would have been great to have the four of us together again. We'll need to schedule another reunion at a different location so we can all be together, just like old times.

Irene and her family were just coming off the cruise from the Queen Mary 2 where they sailed from the UK and arrived into NY. They showed up like gypsies with all their luggage and we were pleased to have them here. We spent the first day over a grilled lunch and caught up on all the news. We took the kids down to the beach and then headed over to Greenwich to get some dinner and gelato. Matthew in particular knows good food and ice cream. He will not be deprived and was pleased to show his friend around.

The kids had a fascination with Times Square so off we went into the city. Most of the day was spent at places that the kids wanted to visit - Toys R Us, the M&M Store and the Hershey store. We managed to wander up to Central Park for a short stroll and ended the day with a fabulous Japanese ramen meal.

We headed up to Mystic Aquarium the next day. We had a chance to watch a show with the beluga whales and the kids had a chance to feed the cow nosed rays and were pretty involved with the touch tanks. It was really nice that they had a great time with one another. We spent their last day laying low since we were running out the door pretty early in the morning. Just as quickly as they arrived with their luggage, they disappeared to move onto their next venue. They are truly a family on the move. It was great to have a chance to catch up with Marty, Irene and Zee. We'll be making plans for our next reunion. Any suggestions for the next venue?

Done

Tony's been working on the final touches for the past few nights. The bathroom vanity was moved back after he installed our medicine cabinets. We cleaned up the master bedroom and have officially moved back in. The drawback, we weren't able to take showers in our newly renovated bath since the tiles haven't been sealed. Our friends will be arriving tomorrow so he had an incentive to finish up everything by this evening. I heard a sigh of relief when he put the last coat of sealant on the marble.

The bathroom is officially done. It is almost unreal that we've come this far and it is now actually complete. He has some minor items to finish up like light plates and touching up the paint. The fact that we can now take showers or jacuzzi baths is a real accomplishment. Tony described construction to a man is like labor to a woman. You go through all that work, you feel the pain and you just don't want to do it. You know there is an end but you just don't know when it will be. After the labor and the pain is long forgotten, you want to do it all over again. If he wants to do it again, I have a few more projects that need to be done. I'll let him have a recovery period and have him start all over again. Stay tuned.

So long, farewell

I am always a believer of things happening for a reason. In the midst of all the construction drama, I received a call from a former colleague from International Paper who asked if I would be interested in joining her company for a position. I said why not. I interviewed and was offered a job with NCR. I accepted and gave notice to my company. I spent the past two weeks finishing up projects, writing out memos and passing the torch to the designated recipient of my unfinished assignments.

Today was my last day. In my short tenure, I've made many friends. Many of whom I will miss interacting with on a daily basis. I will always remember the laughs and the tears that came along with the frustration that I would encounter. I know the noise level will go down substantially without me and there will definitely be a level of calm in place but I am truly looking forward to my new adventure at NCR.

Almost

Tony was chugging along with the bathroom renovations and then came to a screeching halt. We had experienced a tornado that came through the area. Driving rain, high winds and hail managed to knock out our power for two days. Luckily, the weather wasn't that hot and we were able to get by. It really sucked that it took two days before our power was restored. We had sustained some food loss but all in all, we did OK. Tony managed to pick up where he left off and was busy installing the lights. One problem, the light fixture had a cover that didn't totally hide the back plate for the wiring. Being the engineer that he is, he used the spare marble that we had and custom made a fitting to finish off the bathroom lighting fixture. It came out fabulous. It was the perfect finishing touch.

He was on a roll and had to finish off the border around the bathroom. The vent cover was hitting the marble so he went ahead and customized it. He was busy out in the garage cutting off a small amount at a time. I'm glad that he took the time to finish off the details. When he installed it, it looked fabulous. Matthew commented that the bathroom looks like the hotels that we've been to. I agree. The color of the bathroom, the details that he went into have been totally worth it. He's got to install the medicine cabinets and seal the tiles and then we'll be ready to really enjoy the bathroom. The goal is to get it done before our friends arrive next weekend.

Not quite there yet

I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. The shower door was installed today. After a week of it sitting in the garage, it was quite nice to come home today and find it installed. We'll have to wait for the silicone to cure but it is quite lovely to look at. The work is coming along when Tony has the time to work on it. I feel bad since he's doing the work after hours when he gets home from his day job. The punch list is getting smaller and I am sure he'll be really thrilled when this project is completely over. Looks like I'll have to find something else for him to do around the house. Any suggestions?

Progress

Tony returned to work and has been working on the renovations at night. He's pretty tired after a long day at the office but he's chugging along. We had a problem with the water pressure in the house the other night. A couple of days go by and we still couldn't figure out what the problem was. The other day, I look out in the yard and I find a whole flock of birds bathing in our backyard. Aw....how cute I say to myself. Then I realize there is a river running through the back yard. What the heck, it rained but it didn't rain that much. I go out to investigate and find out that there was a hole in my well hose. We had to shut down the water and the pump and vacate to a hotel. As a result, Tony lost a few days of construction work and was anxious to get started again. We returned to the house, the repairs were made to the well hose and Tony quickly picked up where he left off. The marble tiles went up fairly quickly and he even installed the bathroom floor by Saturday evening.


Happy days! We waited the mandatory 24 hours before he started to walk on it. He was biting on his nails since he was afraid he was going to hear the tiles crack like potato chips. Since it didn't crack, he started to grout the tiles. The grout was sponged on and we waited for it to cure. We returned home this evening and Tony proceeded to polish the haze off the tiles. I can't believe how beautiful the marble looks. We can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. All that's left is to install the toilet, install the bath and shower fixtures, hang the medicine cabinets (we hope they arrive this week), wire up the lights and the get bathtub enclosure installed. We can move the vanity back in and start the clean up of the master bedroom and bathroom. I am optimistic that the construction process will be completed by this weekend. This gives me ample time to clean up the master bedroom and move out of the guest room. We'll have the guest room ready by the time our friends arrive in early August for their visit with us.

Break Time

Tony has been trapped in the house for the past two weeks. He's been working really hard. He cleaned up and I decided it was time for a road trip. Matthew and I recently watched an episode on the Travel Channel about the birthplace of the original hamburger sandwich. It originated in a place called Louis' Lunch in 1900 and is located in New Haven. What the heck. Distance never stopped me from getting to food. We hopped in the car and drove up to New Haven to grab dinner.

Louis' Lunch is a very small establishment. There is one catch. You don't get any ketchup or fries with the burger. It is still made in the original equipment from 1895. The burger is grilled in an original cast iron grill and served between two slices of white toast. The only acceptable garnish is cheese, tomato and onion. Ask for ketchup and you will be thrown out of the establishment. We arrived and found people all over the place. You may get potato salad or dirty chips as your side. We ordered the burgers we wanted and found seats and waited patiently for our food. The burgers were good. So good that Tony and Matthew had seconds.

Walls are in

Tony's been busy putting finishing off the new walls. Everyday I return from work and I am amazed at how much he has accomplished. Today, the walls have been completely installed, spackled and sanded down. The amount of construction dust floating around the house is unreal. I can't go anywhere without finding a film of it in every room. I know that the house has to be completely sanitized at least twice before I can actually say that it's clean. I don't like construction but when you can actually see the progress, it's worth it. Tony will complete this and start installing the marble on the wall. He's going to have to cut out the marble to fit around the tub and shower fixtures. It's going to be interesting to see how that progresses along.

Tub Installation

Tony's cranking along. Not bad for a first time bathroom renovator. We worked on getting the plumbing done for the new tub. It's an air jet tub that allows the water to circulate and not harbor mold and mildew. Something that is quite important to me. I never liked the thought of water sitting dormant in a jacuzzi tub and having it blow back out the next time you turn it on.

Tony and I worked together to lift the tub into the house and had to install and reinstall the tub three times. The tub kept hitting a beam in the bathroom and Tony had to shave it down to get it to fit. The third time was the charm. I was happy that I didn't have to lift it anymore and he's now busy installing the rest of the hardware.

Problem

The new medicine cabinets are supposed to be recessed into the wall. Tony went ahead to start the preliminary work on carving out the size of the cabinets and found that there were way too many pipes, too many support beams for this to happen. That really sucks. The cabinets that we picked out are really nice and are supposed to look like a picture frame. In addition, I asked for more electrical sockets and that it doesn't look like I'll be getting as many as I'd like. I hate these little surprises that you encounter as you go along.

New floors are in

Tony's been working like a fiend. He stripped out all the marble off the floor, installed the new hardiback floor boards in anticipation of putting down the marble on the floor. I came home and found the floors completely stripped down and the new floor in place. Amazing.

Chugging Along

Home renovations never go the way you want it. We found this floor when we removed the tub. Tony groaned and knew what work was in store for him. He's on vacation to work on this renovation project. He's also got Matthew as his companion. Let me restate. He's got Matthew in the house...who helps...when he wants...but mostly spends time in front of XBox or the television.

He got Matthew to help rip out the rotted wood and help him replace it with the new wood. Not bad but there is a ton of work ahead. The floors have to be completely stripped down and then the new floors go in. Hopefully the sheetrock will be hung and we can install the new bathtub in by the weekend so Tony can start installing the marble tiles on the wall. I realize that this is a hard for a one man contractor but I am optimistic that he can get this project completed before he heads back to the office.

Bathroom Renovations

Ina's gone, time to get to work. The dumpster was delivered yesterday and we spent the day moving things around. Tony and I have moved out of the master bedroom and have taken residence in the guest room on the other side of the house. Amazing how much stuff can be stored in the bathroom cabinets.
We roped our friend Al into coming over to help us move the bathroom vanity and he stays to help with the removal of the debris. Tony starts to demolish the marble on the floor and the walls and starts to fill the tub with all the debris. May and the kids come by to see the demolition in progress and they get roped into helping out as well. I love child labor. Nothing like making the little kiddies work for their keep. You walk into this house during a demolition, you will be fed but you also have to work for your meal.

Several hours later, this is what the bathroom looked like. Completely stripped of the original marble, walls and cabinetry. I thought Tony was going to start crying. He has truly hit the point of no return. He can't leave it this way, he has got to go on. When we removed the bathtub, we found the flooring underneath to be completely rotted. How the original tub never fell through is an actual miracle. The flooring had completely disintegrated and it was only a matter of time before the tub would have actually fallen through. It was actually a godsend that we decided to embark on this project. OK- let me rephrase that. It was a godsend that I wanted this project done, he's not too thrilled with the damage that we actually found. He's going to spend the next couple of days removing the old floor and prep the new floor with cement hardiback board. Not to mention, he'll have to put up all new mold and mildew resistant sheetrock.

We'll keep you posted on the progress of the bathroom as we move along. Oh yeah, that is the royal we.....since he's the one that is doing all the work and I'm the one who is the job foreman.

Ina's Visit

We've rolled out the red carpet for our visitors. It started with Linda and now we have Ina for the weekend. For those who follow the blog, you know who Ina is. If you haven't read our past entries, Ina is Tony's colleague from Shanghai. They worked at ATC together and many times, we would spend our holidays together exploring the different parts of China. It's been two years since we've seen each other and she's here in the US for business. Meetings concluded, she hopped the Amtrak train down from Boston to spend the weekend with us before she had to return to China. Picking Ina up at the Stamford Train Station was pretty surreal.

Tony and Ina had a great reunion in our driveway. We spent some time catching up on the news from China and then we headed to Downtown Stamford to grab a bite to eat. During dinner, we spent the entire time reminiscing about our various trips in China. Of course, no meal is complete without a mandatory trip to Dairy Queen. We introduced Ina to the Blizzard when we were in Hangzhou, China. We could hardly finish the Blizzards but we had to for old times sake.

We stayed up to chit chat on the deck, fed the mosquitos and then worked our way to our respective rooms to get some sleep. I realized when I woke up at about 5:30 a.m. that the dumpster was going to be delivered. I was told that it would arrive anytime between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. I figured, it wasn't possible it would show up at 7, let alone early. Boy was I wrong. I heard the truck backing up the driveway at 6:40 a.m. A huge truck with a 12 yard dumpster, complete with a diesel running engine. Did I mention that the night was beautiful and the windows were open? Well, the dumpster was delivered right underneath Ina's window. Tony and I looked up and there she was looking out the window. So much for sleeping in.

Tony prepared a fabulous breakfast and we spent the last hours together chatting. Ina had to leave for her flight back to Shanghai. She promises to be back and we'll have the room ready and waiting again. I promise, no dumpster deliveries next time!

Linda's Visit

Linda is a friend of ours from China. Actually, she is a colleague who worked with Tony in Shanghai and we became friends. She's here in the US for business and has spent the week with Tony at work. We figured by today, she was going to be pretty sick of western food. It was time to bring out the big guns and take her to dim sum. Tony picked her up at her hotel and brought her down to our humble home. After catching up on the gossip in China, we took off to our favorite dim sum joint.

We showed up, took our table and proceeded to order a ton of food. Seriously in about 10 minutes, the table was covered...with filled dishes and empty plates. It doesn't take long for us to grab what we like and inhale it. Chewing is completely optional and Matthew was on the hunt for his favorite buns.

There was a silence at the table as we savored the delicious food and Linda was pretty happy to have a taste of Chinese food today. After dim sum, we waddled out of the place and proceeded to take her to the mall. She had some items to pick up and take back with her to China. This chick basically cleared out the Apple store. I just hope she doesn't get stopped by customs in China.

We dropped Linda back at her hotel and look forward to seeing her again when she comes back to visit.

Chinglish

There was an article in the New York Times about the prevalence of Chinglish in China. I was laughing very hard since it brought back memories of the ridiculous signs we came across while living there. Not to mention, the unique menu items that were offered for our dining pleasure. We would often find "crab ovaries", "tantalizing penis", "orgasm meat" and other food items that we were never that adventurous to try. Perusing through the menu often brought chuckles at the table. The locals could never understand what was wrong with the uncivilized foreigners. That would be us.

I've written about this subject before. Follow the link for my original entry.

Cha-Ching

Home ownership. Totally sucks. The American dream. You know which dream I am referring to. The one where everyone should own a home. We thought when we got married, that it was the right thing to do. We purchased our first home, moved in and Matthew was born. It was our condo on Hope Street. Not bad. We moved in, we got a new roof. We didn't have to shell out any cash for it. Hey, that was pretty cool. Living in a condo, all the exterior maintenance, landscaping, snow shoveling, taken care by the association. Wow. I loved the American dream.

Then we decided, "Hey, Matthew needs a yard." So, we sold the condo, purchased a free standing home. With that comes, the major responsibilities... such as, snow plowing, landscaping, exterior and interior maintenance. So, we were in the American dream for about 2.5 years and then we rented out our home. We moved to China, didn't have to worry about "maintenance", since we had landlords in China and we were OK. Come back to the US and we had a few projects to do. We undertook expanding the deck, changing the garage doors, a siding project and a major rock removal.

That seemed to snowball into the roof project, complete with new skylights (five to be exact) and a new water system. We just waved goodbye to the roofing crew that were crawling all over the rooftop of my house all week, like goats. They would arrive, pull things off, throw things over the side of the house, and put up all new roofing shingles. Watching them maneuver like little monkeys on the roof was pretty fascinating. While that was going on, we had to replace the water system for the house. We had two contractors hanging out at the house, simultaneously.

I don't want to think about the large sizable checks that I wrote out to the contractors. In addition, we had to put all new plantings for the front lawn and, did I mention that a tree fell the other day? The tree just decided to give and crack and is now laying in the side yard. Can't resuscitate it at all, so that means, I have to call the tree company and have them come and remove it. Can you hear the cha-ching? Like I said, home ownership sucks.

Mystic, Connecticut

Checked out of the hotel and we were looking for breakfast. We didn't want to eat at the hotel, we wanted to find a local diner. We found Norm's Diner in Groton, about 5 minutes from where we were staying. We pulled up and we were kind of skeptical. Looked like something from the 1950's in the bad part of town. It was packed so we figured, what the hell. Let's just go for it. So we did. The food was good, the place looked gritty but we survived. In fact, we liked it. We even picked up a souvenir t-shirt to commemorate our experience. The picture is of Matthew and our waitress. Believe me, she was a lot nicer than she looks.

We headed up to Mystic Aquarium after our bellies were full. The weather was pretty depressing today. Cold, rainy and gloomy. It was way too cold to be wandering around outside at the Seaport. So, why not go to an aquarium and watch the happy little fishes? It was great. Matthew got to participate in the touch tanks, I was watching the little fishes swimming and it was very zen like.


After we were done wandering around the aquarium, we decided to head over to Olde Mistick Village and visit some of the shops. While we were in La Bottega, a shop that carries Italian novelty items, Matthew spotted a sign that pretty much pays homage to the typical stereotype of the way Italians speak. So of course, we had to purchase it for him to hang on his door. No visit would be complete without a meal at a Zagat rated restaurant. We wandered over to Go Fish for some lunch. Matthew ordered the seafood pasta, Tony had a bowl of clam chowder and I had the oysters. We snacked on calamari and wandered out of there to get on the highway back home. At least, we didn't hit a major pile up on the expressway. The perfect ending to a great weekend.

State Award Winner

Hectic day today. The usual Saturday morning frenzy running around all over town for Matthew's activities. We arrived home just in time to pack up the car, close up the house, and head up to Mystic, Connecticut to get him to the Daughters of American Revolution State Award Ceremony Dinner. Of course, Murphy's law. You've got to be someplace, there is ALWAYS an accident on I-95. There was a 10 mile backup that caused major mayhem. I thought I would be smart and get off the highway and take Route 1 up. Yeah, no way. That was even worse. Hopped back onto the highway and just gritted my teeth all the way up. The trip shouldn't have taken more than 1.5 hours. It took us almost 3.5 hours to get there. We arrived just in time to get dressed and barrel out the door for the dinner reception.

We met up with the Stamford Regent for the Daughter's for American Revolution, Mr. Fox, Matthew's principal and the Stamford Chapter Member for the award dinner. It was an honor to be in attendance at the dinner since it was filled with lots of pomp and pageantry. We found out that Matthew beat out 43 other entries for the 7th grade category. That was pretty special. Matthew was getting nervous since he was supposed to read his speech to the whole entire room. There must have been about 250 people there. Due to the tight schedule, all the kids who were the first place winners got a reprieve. Matthew was so happy that he didn't have to get up and do his first public speech.

The evening ended with Matthew chatting with a representative of Sheldon's Horse. We learned that Sheldon's Horse is a re-established military and historical organization. The unit participates in a lot of ceremonial, educational, civic, and historical activities, mainly in the Northeast United States. We found out that Sheldon's Horse supports and participates in many historical programs on the American Revolution throughout the region. It was a pretty spectacular day for Matthew. One that I doubt he will ever forget.

State Winner

Got a call one afternoon around 3:15 from Principal Fox of Matthew's school. My first thought...."What the HELL did he do? I'm going to kill him and punish him when I get home." He immediately starts the call with "Nothing's wrong. All is fine. I need to tell you something." Me- "OK. What's up?" It's official. Matthew has won first place for 7th grade for the State of Connecticut in the Daughters of American Revolution Essay Contest on American History. That is quite an honor. All the teachers at school are all very excited. Matthew will have to attend the award ceremony in Mystic, Connecticut on April 24th. He will have to read his essay in front of a very large audience and get dressed up in a suit. Getting him to read the essay won't be the issue, prying him into the suit, shirt, tie and dress shoes, that will be a challenge. He'd rather stand up in front of the audience in sweat pants, t-shirt and sneakers. Combing his hair would be completely optional if it were up to him.

We're immensely proud of his achievement. As the winner for the State of Connecticut, his essay has now been submitted to the Regional Division and we will find out how he fares on that. If he wins that one, he will move onto the National level. Keep your fingers crossed that we'll take it all the way to Washington, D.C. for the National Award Ceremony.

Teenager

It's official. He is now a teenager. Complete with the eye-rolling attitude and infinite wisdom that comes with this rite of passage, I can't believe that he is now 13 years old. The voice is starting to change, the tapeworm has awoken and his feet are almost bigger than mine. I think by the end of the Summer, he'll be taller than me. What happened to my little bundle of joy that I brought home from the hospital at barely 5 pounds? He arrived prematurely, spent two weeks in the NICU and barely ate as a child. Tony and I used to worry about him not eating enough. Now, he eats us out of house and home. I don't understand where the food goes and I can't lift him anymore. To do so would probably cause a hernia. Yet, I remember all the moments growing up and wonder where the time has gone.

He entered this world with a companion. My cousin Dinah's son, Justin, was born on the same day. He arrived 12 hours earlier and together they have been celebrating their birthday's together. Today, was no different. Justin hosted a paint ball party and Matthew went along for the fun. It was nice to watch them share this rite of passage together and to know that they will always have one another to share milestones together.

Award Ceremony

Matthew received his award for first place on the American Essay contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The award ceremony was delayed by a week due to the snow storm we experienced the previous week. The Award Ceremony is often in the month of February which is American History Month. As first place winner, he had to read his entire essay to the audience. After reading his essay, he was presented his certificate and award medal from a representative from the Mayor of Stamford's office. Mr. Fox and Mr. O'Connor, the principal and a social studies teacher from his school, respectively, were present at the ceremony. Al and Dawn even drove down from Danbury to witness this momentous event.

Matthew's essay has been submitted to Hartford, Connecticut for the State competition. Keep your fingers crossed that he does well on that one!

First Place

I went to get the mail this morning and found a card addressed to Matthew. Hmmm. Probably a party invitation from one of his friends. I handed the card to him and he looked puzzled. I asked if it was one of his classmates. He said "Nope." OK. Thoughts running through my head. Who is writing to my child? Yes. I am overly protective. Can't help it.

I opened the letter to find it was sent by the Stamford Chapter- National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The letter was to notify Matthew that he has been awarded first place in the American History Essay Contest for Stamford. The American History Essay was a school project assigned early in the school year. Every seventh grader had to write an essay about the Transcontinental Railroad. He decided to write it from the prospective of a Chinese immigrant child, the same age as Matthew, who came to the U.S. to work on the tracks. He took his own experiences of living in Shanghai and incorporated it into the essay. We never heard back about the assignment. Out of sight, out of mind. That was, until today. He will be presented his award at the end of this month at the Colonial Tea Ceremony. Matthew's essay has been submitted to Hartford for the State Essay Contest. We hope that it will win the State Contest. Keep your fingers crossed for him!

So, here's the essay that won first place. Let us know what you think.

THE COMPLETION OF THE FIRST TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD
THE JOURNAL OF WANG LI

This journal has been translated from Chinese to English

September 1, 1868
My name is Wang Li and I am twelve years old. My family and I live in the village of Pudong in Shanghai. I have two sisters May, she’s the oldest, and Lin, my little sister, but I really don’t like them much. The two people that I care about the most are my mom and my dad. My dad’s name is Zhen Li. He is a farmer but the crops are very bad this year. He also makes little statues made of bamboo that my mother sells at the local market. My mom’s name is Fen Li. She is the nicest person in the village. She is also the best cook and the best negotiator at the market.

I love my family but we do not have a lot of money. I can hear my mom cry at night because she is worried that we will not have enough to eat. I just hope some good will come to my family. Maybe tomorrow we will be happy.

September 2, 1868
Today, two strange men came to the village. One was a foreigner named Charles Crocker and the other was a Chinese man named Chin Lin Sou. The foreign man spoke to us while the Chinese man translated. He told the whole village about a great railroad that he was building in the United States that was called the Central Pacific. He said there would be plenty of work for everyone and that we would all become rich. My dad and I decided that we would go to America and work on this great railroad. I am so excited about the adventure I will have. We would come back to China as rich men and my mother would never cry again.

September 15, 1868
We have been at sea for a long time. The conditions on the ship are terrible. My father and I sleep on the cold floor without a blanket. They make me work in the hot kitchen and my father works in the engine room. They give us very little to eat and I cry every night. I miss my family, even my sisters.

December 15, 1868
I have been in America for two weeks. They make me carry heavy loads to the railroad line. My fingers are blistered and dirty. My father hammers spikes into the tracks all day. We are both very tired. They feed us watery rice and I often go to bed hungry and we make very little money. Many people are sick or hurt and some are dying.

March 8, 1869
I am thirteen years old. My father and I have new jobs. We put explosives in the rocks to clear a path for the track. I am very good at my job because I am small and light and can fit into small places. Every time we light an explosive we have to run for cover. We make more money now because it is dangerous work but I am not scared. This is the best and most important job of all, now I feel like a man.

April 1, 1869
This is my worst day. One of the explosives went off accidentally when a man struck it with his mallet. My dad was next to him when it went off and he died. I have been crying and crying. I thought that if I wrote about what happened it would make me feel better but it makes me even sadder. I know I should be strong but it hurts me too much.

April 28, 1869
I worked very hard today. Mr. Crocker made us work from sunrise until sunset. My arms are so tired and I cannot raise them anymore. Mr. Tong told me we laid ten miles of track today. Many people were hurt and I am very tired now so I will go to sleep.

May 10, 1869
This morning I heard people laughing and cheering. I ask my friend Mr. Tong what was happening and he said, “Look outside the track is finished.” I stepped out of the tent and I saw two locomotives face to face where the track was connected. A man drove in the last spike made of gold into the track. Everyone was cheering. I stopped and looked up at the sky and said, “We did it dad! We finished!” I felt tears roll down my cheeks. I am going home!”

May 15, 1869
I do not have enough money to travel back to China. Mr. Tong told me that the Chinese immigrants made much less money and because I am very young, I was paid even less, and they won’t give me my father’s pay. I have decided to stay in America. I will go with Mr. Tong to a place called San Francisco. There is a Chinese community there; maybe I can find a job and make more money. I will have a new life in America. I am a man now. I have helped to build the great railroad and someday I will be a rich man. Maybe then I can go back to China to see my mother and sisters again.

Road Trip

Packed up the car and took off for the long weekend. Drove down to Washington, D.C. where May and the kids and Sandi and Nicholas were meeting with us. We had planned this trip for months in coordination of seeing the Terra Cotta exhibit that is currently at the National Geographic Museum. We decided to see if we could get clearance to visit the White House, National Treasury and other historical sites. After clearing security clearance, we were approved to tour the White House. I went ahead and planned a full day of sight seeing for Saturday. We started bright and early at the Washington Monument, moved onto the Capitol Hill, jockeyed over to The White House and ended the day at the National Archives. The kids were really tired when we finally sat down for dinner.

Of course, the next day, we were just as jammed packed. We met at the National Geographic Museum and saw the amazing Terra Cotta exhibit that is currently there. The exhibit was sold out for the weekend we came down for but somehow, May managed to score the tickets that we needed to gain entrance. I am not going to ask how she did it or how much it's going to cost. It's all part of the experience of being on this trip. We split up after the exhibit and headed over to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and to the Museum of American History. We managed to complete three museums in one day and were really tired. Tony, Matthew and I went over to Chinatown for dinner.

Last day and we were driving back up to Connecticut but wanted to hit some additional sights. We headed over to the Jefferson Memorial, Iwo Jima, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial and the National Cathedral. It was a jammed packed weekend full of running around. The kids had a great time and even learned a bit of history. We'll do this again sometime in the near future and will plan a longer stay next time so we can see the other sights that we didn't get to hit this trip.

Crash test

Think the old cars were better built then the new ones? You've heard it before from the old folks, "My 59 Chevy could split a car in half. They just don't make them like that anymore". Well, if you are one of these people, look at this video. Technology is truly a wonderful thing. (Sorry about the commercial at the beginning of the movie. It was embedded with the video.)