Arrived Safely

Hi all,
After 30 plus air and airport hours and around 9500 miles and four flights, I am in Xining. Char and a driver were there to pick me up on a lovely, sunny 70 degree day. Amazingly, my checked luggage made it in good shape and at the same time as I did. On July 6th from Nashville, through Detroit and Tokyo to Beijing is more than I ever want to fly again. I had a few hours of sleep in an airport hotel (after a well needed shower and teeth brushing) before my final 3 1/2 hours to Xining.
I am adjusting to the time change. I managed to stay up until 9 p.m. on my second night and didn't wake until 4:30 this morning.
Today we are going sight seeing at a large inland salt lake called Qinghai lake. You can see it quite easily on a map of China, up there in the north central part of the country. Char and I spent a few days there in '95 and went up into the nomad regions from there. I will post pictures after our day trip today.

We have been in touch a couple of times a day with our kids who are staying with Char's sister and her family in Nashville (an extra couple thousand miles of flying on the fourth of July to get there.) Kieran is going into kindergarten this year and Braeden is just about 1 1/2 y.o. They will have a house full of cousins to play with for 2 to 3 weeks before they head up to Char's folks' house in the Cleveland area.
So far the kids report having a great time. There are 7 year old twin girls and 10 and 12 y.o. boys living next door. Noah has made fast friends with the boys already and the girls are having fun with the twins. I am getting reports of catching fireflies, playing kickball and swimming until dark, bouncing in the inflatable bouncy house and slipping on the slip and slide that the girls got for their birthday.
Char and I are very relieved that the kids are having fun.

Picture #1: Noah bought his sisters water guns for their birthday.
#2: Anna and Rosa's new bouncy house
#3 and 4: Slip and slide
#5: Anna and Rosa, the other twins--Kate and Meg, Kieran and (behind him) Alex age 4.

Cain