Tree hugger

 This creative remodeler in Vietnam couldn't bear to cut down the tree. Photo by Hai.

They’re off!

 Heading to the old country, this time for two-month visit. The globe-trotting couple, that I like to think of as my kids, departed LA today for a country that has totally changed from its war-torn years. Thanks to their citizens' short memories and hard work, Hai finds a new culture emerging that is vastly different from the one he left, but still uniquely his home roots. Owing to its many changes, they’re more comfortable visiting there now and will enjoy relatives and the many new sights. Among many other things, Hai is a biologist and an accomplished, self-taught photographer. He will busy himself capturing floral still life, while Xuan focuses on active social life. She is taking a break from her thriving nail salon in California.

Of course, they’ll monitor everything expertly on-line.