Day 289 - Fish Market

Thought of the day: My parents have a large, enclosed yard and the girls often spend hours there playing with each other.  They run around, play games and water the plants.  The backyard borders a creek but it's completely fenced in.  It's connected to the courtyard in the middle of the house which is also very safe.  In Boulder, our backyard abuts the open space with no fence in between.  That gives an open feeling to the yard but it can also be unnerving because of the real threats from mountain lions, black bears and coyotes that are not uncommon where we live. The girls can't play in our yard unsupervised but they can do it here. The peace of mind and extra freedom that a safe backyard can bring to a family like ours is immeasurable. I will surely miss that when I get back.

Photo of the day:

Palo Alto's Fish Market.  It seems to be a local favorite and lots of older people frequent this restaurant. We were there for dinner tonight.  Unfortunately it was not enough for Lila to run around in the yard all day long - she had some extra energy to burn off in the restaurant and raised a few eyebrows there.  Luckily, most people were very nice to her and smiled at her - perhaps she reminded them of their equally energetic grandkids.

Day 242 - Green

Thought of the day: Manicured lawns don't seem to be very popular in Switzerland. Most of the homes we visited have small yards that blend into the natural environment, complete with pots of flowers, berry bushes, fruit trees, vegetable gardens and the like. Families with kids often have trampolines, tree swings, and sometimes even a zip line installed in the yard. It's also not uncommon for people to keep bunnies and chickens there. For Jasmine and Lila, it's always fascinating to explore and play in a yard. Actually, writing this reminds me of my dad's yard which is taking shape in a very similar fashion - flower pots, fruit trees, vegetable gardens, bunnies, and more importantly, the general feeling of being one with the nature. Despite the outward differences, there may be more similarities between the Chinese and Swiss cultures running deep within than one would imagine.

Photo of the day:

Jasmine playing with a friend's boy in a farmland abutting their house. We spent a fun afternoon with his family and everybody got a delicious fill of the berries, vegetables and fruits grown in their yard. In the background of the photo is Niederweningen.