Stan got a baseball cap, direct from The Great Wall; Kathleen got a beautiful string of natural pearls (you can tell they're real, they're irregular), and then there was the tin of authentic Chinese tea and the wrapped candies, including chocolates from that ancient Chinese chocolatier, Cadbury and Co. Laurie bargained for all of it, paying cash on the spot. Says she got a lot of her Christmas shopping done as well. And why not? Most of our Christmas gifts are made in China anyway.
She flew American from Chicago, non-stop across the North Pole, it took 15 hours. Brutal.
We enjoyed hearing her observations and not once during lunch did she mention eating anything in China that still had its head on it.
Her accommodations were top notch, she said, and she always felt safe and welcomed.
We'll flip through her trip photos at another time, perhaps during a break at the upcoming poker night at St. Paul Katie's.
Readers will remember Laurie as a long-time family friend and frequent dog-sitter. Birdie missed out on today's visit.
