PLAYING WITH CHILDREN

After taking the kids to Columbia to pan for non-existent gold, I took them to see the biggest nugget in the United States, this 44 pound gold nugget at Kautz Winery in Murphys.  I’ve been there many times with out-of-town visitors but not with young kids. They were impressed,  but more impressed with the sensitivity of an assay scale where they could put a single penny on the scale and watch it re-balance.

They liked the life-like sculpture of a California black bear, a critter they are familiar with. Bears are common in Alaska and to their culture, which is Inupiat. When the kids recently moved to Colorado, some of their new found friends didn’t know what an Eskimo was. And the kids are still unfamiliar with some fruits, as in:  “I thought cherries were red?”   They were eating St. Anne’s. And an apricot, they were unsure if it was a small,  un-fuzzy peach or a plum. Nome, where they lived,  is very isolated. Their mother is always amazed by the plethora of flowers in California, and Kautz’s Winery is a treat for the eyes with lavish gardens.

Our next stop was Stories And Stones, a store in Angels Camp that carries huge geodes, jewelry, bones, arrowheads and  all manner of gem stones and shells from around the world. They also have a skeleton of a grizzly bear. Stories and Stones is a wonderful, educational place to take children. Their small allowance goes a long way. They can  pick out pretty polished stones for twenty-five cents, or fifty cents and up,  and get a bag with a tag of their little treasures. Alyssa and Amanda chose mood rings and a couple of small gem stones. Angelo, chose magnetic rocks, an arrowhead, and shells. Selection is so much fun here.

Part of the day was spent working puzzles, learning Mexican Train Dominoes and playing cards. At age five, Angelo needed some help with the puzzle. They spent most of the afternoon playing in Murphys Creek and listening to the music in the park. Kids instantly make friends with other kids.

They compete to help out with table-setting and emptying the dishwasher. I told them they did a perfect job and they hammed it up for a  picture. I look at the paltry pictures I took and think to myself, how many opportunities  do I have to take cute kid pictures?  Kids are such hams and I’ve not taken many  of them as we go about our day. But, maybe that’s  a good thing. After all, it isn’t about pictures, it is about enjoying their visit. (Note:  kids move FAST.)

STONE DRUM RESTAURANT

We leave Jiliang on the bus. Scenic villages, cows, horses, yaks and donkeys over-laden, hauling goods on the road.  Many children hanging drying baskets of  corn or grain outside. Terraced gardens and fields follow the river. We look back at the snow capped Himalayan peak marveling at its beauty and that we were there.

We stop at Stone Drum Town, a Naxi village for lunch at the Stone Drum restaurant. In the courtyard are many tables filled with Naxi people.

Except, none of them are eating lunch. They are playing majong, dice, dominoes, or cards as though it is a holiday.

The faces are animated and noticeably, none are young. Vicki claims this is very unusual and asks around. She learns that a government official is due in the village and will speak to the elders today. They are waiting for him while we lunch.

The eating area was separated from the courtyard by a curtain of chili peppers.

I managed to get two  pictures of the open-air restaurant kitchen, the cooking area…

And the pantry. I didn’t see a refrigerator, but they must have one. This is an inland village and the only place we ate that didn’t have fish on the menu. Service here is more casual than city restaurants and the foods simpler but still delicious.

It was a photo bonanza for us, the magnificent faces, the interplay at the tables, the rapt concentration on their games.

I saw two men smoking an opium pipe.

They were very attentive when their speaker arrived. What is he saying, I asked Vicki. “Oh, just  lot of government propaganda. We all laughed. Same as home!

We had fifteen minutes to walk around and stretch our legs before getting back on the bus. Wanning tried to talk with this bent over little man. She speaks Chinese but couldn’t understand the language  even with the help of another Chinese  fellow.

Again, the Naxi were not the least bit shy about having their pictures taken and indicated to me they wanted to see the results; obviously familiar with digital cameras.

This fellow wanted to sell me a stool he had made.  I could only take a picture.

After we loaded into the bus, this woman was seeking to sell trinkets through the windows. Vicki called her a beggar and told us it is very unusual to find a beggar in a remote village like this one. Vicki didn’t want us to buy from her and the bus drove off before any transactions could be made. We are headed for the airport to take us to Kunming.  More tomorrow.

LUNCH WITH A COUPLE OF STREET WALKERS

My cousin Terri Cardoza and I had lunch with a couple of self described "streetwalkers"-retired. "It's our claim to fame," said Elaine Koopman, left, of her partnership in crime with Millie Freitas. These two streetwalkers are 80 and 90 years old, respectively. The street walking happened during their twenties when the two best friends served in Soroptomists together and needed new blood for their group. They took to the street, knocking on doors, and managed to recruit 55 new members. Their reputation was established. Hmmm! Fame lives longer than 15 minutes in some circles.
Elaine flits around the house like a young girl. Millie beats Terri and I, and sundry others, at cards and dominoes with regularity. These two babes don't let any moss grow between their toes or ears.
Oh, that I can maintain such a sense of fun when I'm in my eighties and nineties.