Good Sunday to you all! This photo is from earlier this summer, and our friend here doesn't know how lucky he is to live in Iowa, not China. He could be Peking Duck tonight if he lived where we are going.

Things are in a frenzy around our household, at least for me. Tom is all packed, suitcase by the back door, and I haven't begun packing. I have gotten the outside of our house ready for a month of neglect - at least I think I have. By outside, I mean my plants and my garden, which are quickly eroding while we are HERE. This erosion is caused by deer, racoons (one dumped out one of my planters this morning), slugs, bugs and Japanese beetles (a big invasion again this year).

But, I won't be worrying after tomorrow. I will be worrying about which movies are showing on the long (almost 16 hours) flight to Hong Kong.

More later, from "over there",

Carol