Taiwan adventures

 

We sure enjoyed following the trip with the stream of pictures posted by their teacher on WhatsApp. The photos came in early each morning, about the time they were getting settled for the night over there. 

Today (or is it tomorrow I get mixed up) their flight leaves Taipei about midnight, arriving in Seattle at 7 pm the same day. 

Then a long ride on the school bus over the snowy mountain passes to arrive in Twisp about 1 am. We're talking some tired and jet lagged kids. And no doubt cranky-- I don't envy the parents.

 

It rained yesterday and Elia just put a canopy over his power tools and kept going. Today he works on the arbor, railings and skirting. Check out this craftsmanship on the steps. Almost too nice! Now the fence looks horrible, but he offered to stain it for us. Wow.

The first day of spring

 

 

Although you would never guess from the cold and rainy weather today. But they're teasing us with the possibility of 70 degrees in Seattle next week. Be still my heart.

 

 

The deck is progressing and we really like the color of the composite boards. From the comfort of the warm house, we watched Elia yesterday, working steadily hour after hour with hardly a break. Being both a fast and careful builder is a rare thing. We got lucky.

He told John that he first learned carpentry in Romania working with his father, who made and repaired fine furniture. 

You can certainly see the attention to detail and skill in everything he does. 

 The new deck already christened with rain!

Looking strong

 

Speaking of strong, just one person built this yesterday. Step risers are tricky! And the day before, he did all the demolition himself.

As far as decks go, this isn't a big project, but we were expecting a crew. It doesn't matter, as long as the job gets done right. Our worker is Romanian and has a strong accent, but good enough English. He is obviously experienced and very anxious to please us.

Still, after detailed consultations with the company salesman and a written bid/contract, it does seem odd (and somewhat inconvenient) that we're having to explain the project from scratch as we go along. Anyway, so far so good, and we certainly can't fault his work. 

The footprint of the deck isn't larger, but those wonderful wide steps should really open things up. And instead of that boxed in look, we'll have open railings. One more dry day before heavy rain comes back. Let's see how much he gets done today.

Moving right along

 

A single hardworking guy deconstructed the entire deck yesterday.

And now, a big step down outside the back door!

Since we are creatures of habit taking out the trash, my little visual reminder to open with caution. 

Today they build the foundation. We're using a local company called Olympic Decks, and so far so good. Fingers crossed the construction goes as smoothy as the demolition.

Meanwhile, over in Taiwan. Goodness. Surf lessons in the South China Sea, paddle boarding lessons on a river, ebike rides on Liuqiu Island, also a popular adventure sport called river tracing. What a time.

 

Top of the morning to ya

 

Corned beef today? No? Well, good for you-- salty, fatty meat is not exactly health food. We have it once a year when it goes on sale for St. Patrick's Day. 

I bought a large brisket at Safeway (coupon, of course) to roast this afternoon with potatoes and carrots. 

I'm trying a NYT recipe that uses white wine instead of water or beer for the braise, and then finishes the top of the meat with a honey mustard glaze under the broiler. My mouth is watering.

Today is a big day. We finally say so long, farewell, auf wiedersehen good bye to the deck we've walked over for the last 45 years. It looks it, too.

 

Forests of moss and lichen growing on top of wood rot. Construction of the new deck should take about a week-- exciting. 

History lesson

 

I'm learning more about Taiwan (formerly Formosa) as the kids continue their 10-day tour of the island. The rugged interior is mountainous, with many peaks over 10,000 feet, giving the country both tropical and alpine climate zones. Most of the population lives along the coast.

Those trails the kids are hiking to hidden waterfalls have been used for centuries to move goods by backbreaking labor across the country. This northwest region is famous for mining, fishing, waterfalls, nature and hot springs. 

During the Japanese occupation, the local inhabitants along with POW's were forced into slavery in the gold mines and most died. This country has known terrible suffering. 

Formosa was eventually liberated by the allied forces, and after the Japanese surrender, it was placed under the People's Republic of China. Then a different war began for democracy and independence, which continues to this day (but that's another story.)

They are staying at a hot springs hotel, so I expect pictures of beautiful young people frolicking in the local mineral water. On this dreary day in Seattle, we will view that with some jealousy. This amazing experience for 15 and 16 years olds seems almost unimaginable to people our age. We took high school field trips to potato chip factories and the Colorado State Mental Hospital. Occasionally the Denver Museum of Natural History to marvel at the dioramas. 

Don't get me wrong, the experience is wonderful! But 99.9% of kids in the world can only dream of a trip like this with their friends. And such a long, long way from wintertime in the Methow Valley...