Photos: Autumn Umbrella Lydia

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Lydia is turning her umbrella, which is something that she learned to do from Melody Xie's Chinese language and dance class from practicing the umbrella dance.

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Lydia is dancing among the leaves with her umbrella.

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Lydia is happily demonstrating that she can hold the umbrella to her mom, who took this series of Lydia pictures.

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Umbrella girl Lydia

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures on October 24, 2009 at Canyon Park Business Park in Bothell, Washington.

Photos: Autumn Family

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Family picture # 1

Note: Mark Putnam, one of Grandma Florence Crane's son-in-laws who is married to Carolyn (the youngest of her three children), created a lovely, 12-minute slide show of Grandma Florence's life today at her memorial service at Shoreline Community Church. The occasion reminded us of the importance of family pictures. (October is national family picture month for professional portrait photographers.)

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Family picture # 2

Note: Beginning with our trip to Moab, Utah about a month ago, Lydia started to place her head next to her mom's head or her dad's head so that the heads would touch.

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Family picture # 3

Photo note: A tripod and a camera with a self-timer feature (which is very common these days even in ultra-compact and compact digital point-and-shoot cameras) along with some patience (so that several pictures can be taken) are the necessary equipment for making good family pictures.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 24, 2009 at Canyon Park Business Park in Bothell, Washington.

Photos: Autumn Colors

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Crimson carpet

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Nature's floor covering

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Canopy of color

Note: Each photographer brings his or her own perspective when making an image. SiowFong took this image, which shows a landscape of leaves and branches, while I was concentrating my attention on the leaves on the ground (e.g. the second image).

Note: All of these pictures were taken at Canyon Park Business Park in Bothell, Washington.

Photos: Autumn with Mommie

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Mom and Lydia are underneath a tree undergoing its annual metamorphosis each fall.

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Lydia is using a Pocket Wizard Plus II radio transmitter to take this mommy and me picture.

Note: Although the late afternoon was mostly cloudy, the sun would peek through the clouds occasionally as it did in this picture.

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Lydia and her mom are under a canopy of trees.

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Lydia is using her green umbrella to cover SiowFong.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 24, 2009 at Canyon Park Business Park in Bothell, Washington.

Photos: Autumn Foliage

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Lydia is strolling in a sea of golden leaves.

Note: After returning from Grandma Florence Crane's memorial service and after taking her afternoon nap, Lydia had this outdoor autumn experience near our home.

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Using her umbrella as a walking stick, Lydia is moving through a carpet of red leaves.

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The words "fun", "delight", and "excitement" describe Lydia's experience this afternoon.

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Lydia wields her umbrella like a sword.

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Umbrella girl

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 24, 2009 at Canyon Park Business Park in Bothell, Washington.

Leaving a Legacy

"From generation to generation we will recount your praise." (Psalm 79:13)

With a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes, Grandma Florence Crane often said, "I'm so glad that my three children (Beverly, Steve, and Carolyn) know and love the Lord."

Grandma's Florence's words remind me of a story told by Ravi Zacharias in his recent book, There Is A Plan:

'Some time ago, I attended a Bible study session with some sports professionals. The speaker that morning challenged the players to leave a legacy they could be proud of. He began by asking them how many knew the name of their great-grandfather. A few hands went up. Then he asked how many of them knew where their great-grandfather was buried. Most of the hands stayed down. With each more specific question, fewer hand went up.

He then made his point. 'Each one of us is just three to four generations away from extinction.' Silence gripped the room. How sobering to think that, just a few generations down the family tree, no one would even know I had ever existed! Then the speaker challenged these men about the legacy they would leave behind. One after another, the players responded.

But then one said, 'Really, I don't care wheterh or not my great-great grandson or great-great granddaughter knows that I played ball professionally. It really doesn't matter that much. I just want them to know the God I served and loved.'" (Ravi Zacharias. There Is A Plan. Zondervan: 2009. pages 33-35)

Grandma Florence not only knew and loved the Lord but also understood her primary calling as a parent, which was to teach her children about Jesus and to live an authentic Christian life so that her children could see and experience what that was like.

Photo: Grandma Florence's Memorial Service

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"I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead yet shall he live. And whosoever livith and believeth in me shall next die." (John 11:25-26)

Believest thou this?

Two weeks after she died, Grandma Florence's memorial service was held at Shoreline Community Church, her home church, at 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 24, 2009. Among the people who attended the service were members of her immediate and extended family, friends, her caregivers, and us.

During the service, both SiowFong, I, and a number of others were moved to tears during portions of it, particularly during the time when people were sharing about who Florence was and what she meant to them.

Fighting through some tears as she emphasized her love for Florence, her sister recounted a special memory that had occurred many years ago. Florence's sister said that they had spoken with Harry Truman, one of the former US presidents, when they met him at Mount St. Helens. Mr. Truman, who was not a Christian, believed that when he died, he could enter heaven based on his deeds, and during their conversation with him, they shared with him that the only way to go to heaven was through surrendering one's life to Jesus Christ and trusting in Him because of Jesus' death on the cross and Jesus' resurrection.

We shall miss Grandma Florence dearly -- her smile, her company, her hugs, and her cheerful attitude. Until Lydia began attending the Sunday school class for three and four year olds in August, she saw Grandma Florence nearly every week at church since 2007. During that time period, Lydia grew close to Grandma Florence, who frequently commented, "What a beautiful little girl you have! She's a cutie!" and who hugged Lydia every time she saw her.

Photos: With Daddy All Suited Up

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Dad and Lydia

Note: Because dad is wearing a suit for Grandma Florence Crane's memorial service later this morning at Shoreline Community Church, SiowFong asked that he and Lydia take some father and daughter portraits, especially since many more mother-daughter photos have been taken over the years compared to father-daughter photos.

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A closer view of dad and daughter with a few subtle modifications

Note: Lydia loves wearing dresses, which is a new development this year, and she gets excited whenever her mom gives her such an opportunity. Her father, however, has not worn a suit in many years.

Photo note: Even a slight change in a person's orientation, such as a tilt of a head, the rotation of the body, or the extent of a smile, can change how a portrait feels when someone looks at it.

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Father and daughter in a cheek to cheek pose

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures on October 24, 2009 in the upper landing area of our home.

Photos: Lydia, October Portraits

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Lydia is "all smiles"as she poses for her mom, who took all of these pictures.

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Attired in her purple dress, her white stockings with pink and purple polka dots, and her black dress shoes, Lydia is getting ready to attend Grandma Florence's memorial service at Shoreline Community Church.

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SiowFong calls this Lydia's "Gabrielle expression" since Lydia learned it from Gabrielle, her good friend at their day care.

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A Lydia close up

Photo note: "Three to four years -- this is my all-time favorite age. Three-year olds are old enough to communicate verbally and are usually willing and excited to participate. They are full of energy and generally like to make people happy, yet they still have a toddler look with chubby cheeks, tiny teeth, and pudgy hands. This makes it an excellent time to create a timeless portrait. . .

We encourage our clients to bring things that are special to the toddler. At this age, children are just starting to use their imagination. Watching them get excited. . .makes the job even more fun." (Sandy Puc. Children's Portrait Photography. Amherst Media: 2008. pages 97, 98)

Note: SiowFong took all of these pictures on October 24, 2009 in the upper landing area of our home.

Photos: House, October 22, 2009

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Roman and Manual, two Hispanic framers who have been working for BCB Framing for the last three years, are framing the subfloor for the first floor.

Note: The process is as follows: first, using his caulking gun, Manual applies construction adhesive to the top of the floor joists; second, Manual and Roman line up and place a piece of 3/4 inch plywood on the joists; and finally, Roman nails the plywood to the joists using his pneumatic nail gun.

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Roman employs his pneumatic nail gun to nail down the plywood subfloor.

Building note: "It may take 20,000 to 30,000 nails just to sheath an average house. Add to that the nails needed for framing, roofing, and shingling, and you can begin to imagine the number of hammer strokes required. Pneumatic nailers, commonly called nail guns, can reduce those strokes to a small fraction.

Control of the workpiece is the other big advantage of these nailers -- with a hammer and nail, you need one hand for each. A pneumatic nailer delivers the nails, giving you a free hand to hold a stud or top plate in place. The nail goes in quickly without requiring hammer blows that cause the wood to 'drift.'. .

These nailers are powered by air hoses running to a compressor and calibrated by a pressure adjustment on the nailer." (Michael Litchfield. Renovation. Taunton Press: 2005. pagees 45-46)

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8D ring shank vinyl coated gun nails that are 2 and 3/8 inches long and 0.12 inches in diameter

Building notes: Along with the construction adhesive, this product will ensure that the plywood subfloor is firmly attached to the floor joists in the crawl space. The fact that the nails are shaped with a ring shank means that the nails "resist movement and popping, therefore making them ideal for decks and siding because changes in wood moisture can reduce the friction between wood fibers and straight shanks. . .Generally, length should be about three times the thickness of the piece being nailed down [e.g. 3/4 inch plywood needs a nail 2 and 1/4 inches long]." (Ibid, pages 57, 58)

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Manual is using a hammer to nail down some plywood.

Note: I was fortunate to see workers at the job site tonight. Usually by the time I reach the site after work, the construction workers have finished their jobs for the day and are gone.

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Dusk at the job site (5:48 PM)

Note: Sunset is 6:09 PM tonight.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 22, 2009 at the site of our future home.

Photos: House, October 21, 2009

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Wearing her galoshes, Lydia is treating these long pieces of lumber as if she is a gymnast and they are balance beams.

Note: After Lydia's Mandarin language and dance class ends each week at the Melody Institute, we stop at the job site to see and to document the progress on our future home. With the imminent start of daylight savings time at the end of this month, which means even earlier sunset times during the late fall and winter seasons, however, we may have to change the time of these trips such that we visit before the Chinese class starts.

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Lydia is walking on beams that are made of engineered lumber.

Building notes: Most of the framing of the home is done with standard lumber, "lumber sawn from logs in the traditional manner. . .whereas engineered lumber is often an amalgam of peeled, shredded, or reassembled wood pieces and strong adhesives. . .

Like any natural product, standard lumber is quirky. It has knots, holes, and splits. And it twists, cups, and shrinks. As mature old-growth timber was replaced by smaller, inferior trees, lumber quality became less reliable. . .

In response, the lumber industry combined wood fiber and strong glues to create engineered lumber, including I-joists, engineered beams, plywood, and particleboard. Engineered lumber spans greater distances and carriers heavier loads than standard lumber of comparable dimensions. In addition, engineered lumber won't shrink and remains straight, stable, strong and -- above all -- predictable.

Still engineered lumber has two main drawbacks: It's heavy, so dense that it must often be predrilled, and it costs considerably more than sawn lumber." (Michael Litchfield. Renovation. Taunton Press: 2005. pages, 47, 50)

"

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On the left elevation (east side of our home), this protrusion represents the place where our fireplace will be in the family room.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 21, 2009 at the site of our future home.

Photos: Melody, Snack Time

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Sitting besides Ching Ching (Keisha), Lydia is trying to peel off a piece of her string cheese.

Note: At the end of each class, which lasts about an hour and a half, the children have snack time. Parents take turns bringing snacks to the class. Common items include apple slices, berries, crackers, fruit juices, grapes, mandarin oranges, puffed corn, and string cheese. When it is our turn to bring the snacks, we usually bring fruit juice or chocolate milk, cheese (Baby Bells or string cheese), grapes, and / or grape tomatoes.

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Lydia eagerly drinks apple juice.

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Lydia is tasting the string cheese before she eats it.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 14, 2009 at the Melody Institute in Seattle, Washington.

Photos: Melody, Umbrella Dance

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One prominent aspect of the umbrella dance is the variety of colors and patterns which are seen among the different umbrellas.

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In the first round of the umbrella dance, the children are doing different things with their umbrellas.

Note: Melody Xie, their instructor, usually asks the children to practice a specific dance two, three, or even four times during a class to help them learn the dance better.

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The dancers

(left to right): Margo, Keisha (Ching Ching), a girl whose name I do not recall since she normally attends the Saturday class, Yang Yang, Lydia, Avery, Hannah, and Adelaide (Addy)

Note: In Lydia's class, the children represent a diversity of ages and ethnicities. For example, Ching Ching is 6 years of age, and Hannah is 3 years of age. Although most of the girls are Chinese, two Caucasian girls, Avery and Margo, joined Lydia's class last month. With respect to the Chinese girls, many have been adopted from China through a number of different adoption agencies.

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The girls are spinning their umbrellas.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 14, 2009 at the Melody Institute in Seattle, Washington.

Photos: Melody, Ribbon Dance

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Lydia is learning the actions involved in the Chinese ribbon dance.

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During a portion of this dance, the participants form a circle, come together with their ribbons held high, and then move apart with their ribbons held low.

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Lydia's favorite traditional Chinese dance is the umbrella dance, but this one is probably a close second.

Note: "The art of Chinese dance marks its origins around the 4th millennium BC. A study of ceramic artifacts with dramatized dancing figures foretells that people of the Neolithic Yangshao culture had choreographed group dances. After the establishment of the Music Bureau during the Han Dynasty in the year 206 BC, continues efforts were made to develop the folk songs and dances in the country. During those days each regional group of China has its own folk dance forms. The Miao also known as Hmong people of southwestern China developed a lively form of submissive, singing and rival dances. The inhabitant of Taiwan created handholding line dances as part of a harvest ritual. Folk dances showcase the lifestyles and customs of a people, though there are numerous folk dances, every dance is a precious and an ingenious part of China's rich cultural heritage.Traditional Chinese Dance includes the stalwart Lion Dance with drum music, the spirited Ribbon Dance with long Silk Ribbons fabricating calligraphic designs in the air; as well as the exquisite Fan Dance mesmerized by spectators all over the world. The Art of Chinese Dance convoy the hue, extravagance and splendor of the Chinese culture all over the world." (source: http://china.tourism-asia.net/chinese-dance.html)

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 14, 2009 at the Melody Institute in Seattle, Washington.

Photos: Melody, Handkerchief Dance

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As Chinese folk music plays in the background, Lydia is preparing to throw her orange handkerchief into the air.

Note: Although Lydia started to attend Melody's class in September 2008, she had evidenced little interest in learning the Chinese folk dances until just a few week ago. In fact, the only two Chinese folk dances that Lydia would occasionally do were the flower dance and the umbrella dance. She absolutely refused to join her peers in the handkerchief dance.

Recently however, her attitude towards Chinese folk dances has dramatically changed, and Melody, her teacher, is elated by Lydia's change of heart. SiowFong and I are likewise surprised, and we credit her new experiences at the Mommy and Me classes through Pacific Northwest Ballet's school as giving her the confidence and interest in particpating in the various Chinese folk dances in Melody's class.

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She is trying to catch her handkerchief.


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After the music stops, Lydia demonstrates her excitement about doing the handkerchief dance.

Note: All of these pictures were taken on October 14, 2009 at the Melody Institute in Seattle, Washington.

Photos: Melody Institute

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The children are trying to touch the bubbles that Melody Xie, the owner and instructor for the Melody Institute, just made. Melody uses the bubbles game to teach the children various words, in Chinese, and this is one method that the children really enjoy.

Note: Lydia has been attending Melody's class for a year, and she enjoys this Wednesday afternoon experience after awakening from her nap.

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Melody is instructing the children about the different sounds in Mandarin. She divided the class into two teams, and after she says a particular sound in Mandarin, a child from each team uses a white board marker to circle an answer on the white board.

Note: "The Melody Institute, Inc. offers Chinese dance, language, and art classes in the Seattle area to students of all ages. The Melody Dance Group is part of the Institute. The Group has been performing Chinese folk, traditional, modern, and ethnic dances around the Pacific Northwest for over 11 years. Our goal is to foster and spread a knowledge and understanding of Chinese language and culture." (source: http://melodyinstitute.org/)

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The children are mimicking Melody as she teaches them about moving different parts of their bodies.

Note: All of these photos were taken on October 14, 2009 at the Melody Institute in Seattle, Washington.