Random Shots Of Summer

After I dropped Sky off at the airport, I drove to the other side of Lantau Island to see a little fishing village called Tai O. It's relatively rural, with cattle running loose on the roads.

I got to Tai O around sunset. Todd and I visited the village once about twenty years ago. I also have a watercolor of the village painted by our late, great aunt, Kathleen Bruskin, when she was living in Hong Kong during the Vietnam War.

The village was pretty much closed up by the time I got there. But I walked through it on my way to a new hotel that Sky and I had read about.

Most of the villagers live in shanties built on stilts. If you look closely, there is a woman on her balcony fishing for dinner with a red fishing pole. I walked to the hotel, housed in an old police station, and had dinner there and then walked back and drove home. It was an interesting outing.

Meanwhile the cousins made their pilgrimage to Beach Haven. Mark and Sharon joined them this year as did Sarah and Pierce's significant others.

Pierce kept everyone entertained, as usual.

Everyone went biking at some point it seems. True and Sky, here.

Pierce and Jen, there.

Pete and Sarah and the gang.

I have been swimming almost every day in Hong Kong. I even went last Sunday, which must have been the most crowded beach day of the year. Hong Kong lifeguards are threatening to strike because so many mainlanders go to the beach on summer weekends.

I found the scene fun, rather than annoying, but spent most of my time out by the shark prevention net far from the madding crowd in any case. I've discovered that the water is clearest after a period of clear weather. It gets murky and more polluted after heavy rains. It has been beautiful the last few days.

Each time I'm out I see something interesting. Today, about a dozen silvery fish jumped at once out of the water just beyond the shark net, escaping a predator, I presume. Some days a charcoal grey Pacific reef heron walks along the floats of the shark net and pokes at little fish feeding off the algae that grows on the net. I have been able to swim to within a few feet of the bird on some days.

Today, a black kite - a hawk-like bird - swooped down to within ten feet of me.

After LBI, Anna took True to San Francisco to visit Berkeley. Here he is after visiting the school, eating a burrito at Chipotle, the new, popular Mexican restaurant chain - new to me at least.

True and Anna in San Francisco.

Me enjoying the last days on our balcony. I've seen some new birds recently - a red billed blue magpie, a pair of black drongos and the occasional Asian palm swift darting through the sky at dusk.

I have been dining at the club.

While in San Francisco, True and Anna ate at a seafood restaurant called Sotto Mare - Under the Sea - on Telegraph Hill.

They ordered Cioppino, a hearty seafood stew that was created in San Francisco in the late 1800s by Genovese fisherman who would chop up whatever they caught and stew it on their boats. Cioppino apparently means 'chopped,' in the dialect spoken by Genovese fishermen.

Anna and True didn't leave much behind.

True flew off to Hong Kong, while Anna stayed behind for a much needed break.

He and I went out for breakfast this morning, the morning after he arrived.