An afternoon at the beach

 Some friends introduced us to a new favorite beach. The kids had a blast playing with their kids. They went down some sand dunes and explored some tide pools. It was beautiful.

Afternoon at the river

 We went to the Winchuck River this afternoon. We have been there before and it's always so beautiful! We are so blessed to live in a place with such beautiful scenery...and the beach and the redwoods close by too! We've had a bit of sunshine lately so we've been trying to soak it up. We found a small frog and lots of water spiders who glide on the top of the water. Yesterday we met up with some other families to go to a lighthouse. Sadly, the lighthouse was closed but we could walk around it and there were lots of tide pools to explore. The kids had so much fun and it was all the better with their friends there too!

Here and There

It's started to rain, not too much for now though. The kids have been trying to get out to play with friends this weekend in between the rain. I started putting some of the books I wrote on Etsy for PDF downloads. If you're interested in taking a look at them, they are all $3.50; look for LearningThruStories. Here are some of the PDF downloads you can find there: 

Birds of Asia

A cat who's interested in birds to learn about them travels through a few countries in Asia and keeps a journal of the birds he comes across. He writes about 36 different birds that he comes across. Included are drawings of each of the birds and a list of resources for further reading. This book is meant to introduce children at the elementary school age to birds of Asia through stories about these birds. Included are the magpie, the tree sparrow, the Indian paradise flycatcher, the red crowned crane, the hoopoe, the grebe, and many other birds.

Animals of Asia for Kids

Follow a veterinarian (fictional) who travels throughout Asia to visit friends, help out in zoos, and learn about some of Asia’s fascinating and unique animals. Sadly, the majority of the animals in this book are endangered. It’s a great opportunity for children and families to learn about some of these great animals. Included are 24 animals, drawings of the animals, and maps of where they live in Asia.

Storybook of China 

This book goes through China’s history by telling stories as it goes through the dynasties. It’s called “Storybook of China’s History” because it’s a book of stories. The most famous rulers, inventors, and people of China’s history are mentioned. Although older kids might enjoy it, it’s especially meant for the primary grades as an introduction of China’s history. Each chapter is short (one page) with a full page illustration so it’s meant to be read one chapter at a time, in short lessons. It’s my hope that this book inspires children to want to read more about Chinese history. 

Kublai Khan’s Gardener

Kublai Khan is one of history’s most famous kings. He had a huge palace built in Beijing, built the city walls, had a forest of trees on one of the hills, and did lots of other building projects. Sadly, the majority of his building projects aren’t around today. This story is about the head gardener who was in charge of the forest of trees on one of the hills. Kublai Khan had trees from all over brought over and this man had to make sure that they all did well. It was a hard job and this gardener had to travel sometimes to pick up new trees. By reading this book, you’ll not only see how life was like in China during this time period, but also learn a little about a variety of trees.

An Introduction to Birds in America for Kids

This is a story about a grandfather who writes a book for his grandchildren to introduce them to some of his favorite birds of America. He was a truck driver for many years and had been to most of the continental states (although he also includes a few birds from Alaska and Hawaii). Included are 22 birds that he describes to his grandchildren to try and get them interested in bird watching. This is not a bird watcher’s guide or spotter’s guide- it’s meant to encourage kids to learn about birds. It’s geared for primary school age kids. 

Animals of South America for Kids

Follow Pedro (a fictional character) as he learns about 15 different animals and tries to choose one to write his report about. As he talks about each animal, he gives clues so you can try and figure out which animal he chooses. His school report is included at the end. Some animals that are talked about are: parrots, the black-footed booby, alpacas, Galapagos tortoises, sloths, and the Amazon river dolphin.

Birds of Africa For Kids

Follow a hoopoe bird as he travels to visit his cousin to see the birds in South Africa and then as his cousin visits him to see the birds in the middle part of Africa. Later he goes to Egypt and his cousin goes to Madagascar to see the birds that live there. Included are stories about 20 birds that live in Africa including the ostrich, the grey crowned crane, the go-away bird, the African penguin, the flamingo, the shoebill, and many more. There’s also a resource section at the back. 

Big Lessons From Animals 

This book tells stories of animals who have learned some of the lessons from Proverbs. Each story is based on a proverb from the Bible. Jeremiah the Rabbit learns about working with others to pull out a big carrot. Suzy the Spider tests out how strong her web is and Bob the Beetles builds his house in the wrong place. There are over 25 short stories with illustrations. 

North American Animals for Kids

Follow Samantha (fictional character), a young girl who has to write a report about a North American animal for school. She looks at 15 different animals. As you read about these 15 animals, look for clues and try to guess which animal she decides to write her report on. At the end of the book is her animal report, a poem about North American animals, and a list of books for further reading. 

Low tide at the beach

 The last few days it's been minus tides (super low tide) so we've been able to go to the beaches. We saw starfish, and lots of other cool things. It's supposed to rain this weekend so we're trying to get out and enjoy the good weather before the rain. 

Kids in Ancient China (Part 7): The Big Parade

I haven't posted one of the stories of kids in Ancient China. There are 10 stories altogether. The last story was long as was posted in a few parts. The next one will also be posted in a few parts. On rainy days in teh fall and winter I hope to re-work some of my Chinese biography books. I want to make the drawings better and re-work them so they read better.  Meanwhile, here's story #7.

The Big Parade

Oh, hello there! I didn’t know you were watching me. I’m getting ready  for a big parade. They say that Xuanzang came back, after all of these years. What did you say? “Who’s Zuanzang?” Oh, you don’t know him? Everyone in town is talking about him. By the way, this town is called Chang’an (later I’m told it was renamed Xi’an). It’s the capital of our country, China, and one of the largest cities in the world at the moment. Well, that’s what they say anyway. It is a huge city. From where we live (which is close to Qujiang Lake in the Southeast part of the town), we would have to walk a good three hours or more to get from our part of town to the very  North part of town. 

Right now everyone in town is talking about Xuanzang and are getting ready for a big parade about him. Many shops have special food or special things they are making to remember this day. My favorite steamed bun place at the market is making a new kind of steamed bun and naming it “Xuanzang” for the special day. I like it- it has nuts and raisins and sugar inside. Usually steamed buns have meat, sweet bean paste, veggies, or eggs and veggies. This one is completely different and my favorite so far! They started selling them yesterday and I hope they keep selling them after the parade is over tomorrow. 

My dad has a special tea shop and he’s trying to make a blend of teas to sell, especially for tomorrow. This afternoon I’m going to his tea shop to help try some of his teas. I don’t usually get to do this, but when I do, it’s one of my favorite things. I get to hang out with my dad and drink one of my favorite drinks: tea. 

The Emperor, Emperor Taizong (from the Tang Dynasty), wants to have a big party because it’s such a big thing that Xuanzang has come back to town. Xuanzang left this city sixteen years ago! That  was before I was even born! When he left, he had to quietly sneak out of the city because the emperor (the same emperor that’s welcoming him back now) didn’t want anyone to leave the country. At the time China and another country were fighting. However, Xuanzang was determined to go and so he went. It took him three years to get to Turpan [which I’m told that if you took a train from Xi’an to Turpan nowadays, it might take you a day or two but then it took him three years because he had to walk most of the way!]. 

Whenever I hear people talking about all of his travels, it excites me because he had some close calls and lots of adventure. A few times he was almost stopped by robbers and bad guys, but somehow he made it through. He kept going West, around the desert and up into and over the mountains. I’m told that these mountains are beautiful with beautiful lakes and that it can  get really cold at night there. Along the way, Xuanzang stayed in Buddhist monasteries where he could and he tried to meet with and learn from as many Buddhist monks as he could. Before he went on this big trip of a lifetime, Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk. He moved to Chang’an to study languages and learn more about Buddhism. He had a dream that he was supposed to go West to India to learn more about Buddhism. 

After many years he finally made it to India. I’ve been told that India has a lot of Buddhist monasteries and people who teach about it. Xuanzang talked with many of the Buddhist teachers and tried to get as many scrolls as he could of Buddhist writings. Many of them he brought back with him and spent the rest of his life translating them. His trip back from India was probably shorter  because he took a different route. There’s a big desert out West (the Tamalakhan Desert) and people usually either go up and around it or down and around it. It’s too big and hard to go through it. On the way to India I”m told that he went up and around it over some mountains and on the way back he went down and around it.

Now he’s finally back and the Emperor wants to have a big party to welcome him back. It’s more of a parade than a party because they’re closing some of the big streets of the city so that Xuanzang, the Emperor himself, and some other famous people can walk  through while everyone shouts and claps at them. I know where I’m going to be: my dad’s tea shop. I’m actually going to try and climb to the to part of the roof so I can have a good view, if my dad lets me. 

Epilogue:

Xuanzang (602-664) was as Buddhist monk who was famous for his trip to India and back. He brought with him many Buddhist teachings on scrolls that he spent the rest of his life translating into the common Chinese language of the day. In 646 he also wrote a book for the Emperor about his travels and the countries and people that live out West and in India (“Great Tang Records on the Western Regions” 大唐西城配）. Actually, a big tower called the Big Goose Pagoda in Xi’an was made in 652 AD to hold all of the scrolls that Xuanzang brought back and wrote. It’s part of a Buddhist temple there. Today, you can see the Big Goose Pagoda and there are statues of Xuanzang in quite a few of the cities he traveled to. 

Chinese Magazine (Fall 2025)

There's a new edition of the Chinese/English magazine I've been putting together: Keep Learning Chinese in America. You can find it on www.lulu.com. Look for "Keep Learning Chinese in America" and it shoudl come up; it's $10 printed. Here's the description: 

 This is our third issue of the year: Fall 2025. This magazine is meant to help families who are learning or trying to keep up their Chinese while they live in America. In this issue we’ll learn continue learning about ancient Chinese history, a famous Chinese poem about listening to music, and finish a famous story (Cao Chong weighs an elephant, part 1). There are also several Chinese characters to learn, a story entirely in Chinese characters, and an interview about someone who lived in Gansu, China. The animal we’re talking about this time is squirrels and the food we’re looking at is potatoes and eggs and tomatoes. 

Trip to San Fransisco

 We went on a short trip to the San Fransisco Bay Area, where I grew up. We were there to meet up with family and do a memorial service for my great aunt, who passed away back in January. On the way back we took a day trip to San Fransisco and saw Alcatraz. The kids LOVED it! We also visited a lighthouse on the way there.