Nicki Chen's Blog, page 35

Fort Casey: Protecting Our West Coast

 The day after Thanksgiving, my daughter, sister, niece and nephew and I packed our bags, piled into a couple of cars, and headed north on Highway 99. We’d hoped to avoid the Black Friday shoppers, but even after the turnoff … Continue reading →

Pearl Harbor Wasn’t the Only Target on Dec. 7, 1941

  For most of my life, I thought the only country the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941, was my own, the United States of America. In my defense, the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was an enormous event for … Continue reading →

A Technical Glitch to “Christmas Shopping Made Easy”

I’m sorry to the subscribers to my blog. When I hit subscribe today for my post, “Christmas Shopping Made Easy,” WordPress sent you something else. This is what I meant to have sent: Christmas Shopping Made Easy This year I … Continue reading →

Christmas Shopping Made Easy

Christmas Shopping Made Easy This year I finished my Christmas shopping early. Hurray! I’m so proud of myself. Most years I’m late—rushing around when the stores are too crowded and the best things are gone. Then I have to stand … Continue reading →

Your Friendly Neighborhood Trees

  I love trees—the shade trees in the park, the tall, narrow trees that line the streets downtown, the ginkgo in a pot on my patio, the evergreens covering the nearby hills and climbing the distant mountains, the rows of … Continue reading →

The Way It Oughta Be on Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving song. Every holiday has its songs. When I was a kid, we learned just one Thanksgiving song in school. Here’s the first verse. You can listen to the whole song on YouTube. Over the river and through the … Continue reading →

Want to Slow Down Time?

How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn! How did it get so late so soon? –Dr. Seuss Old photos. When my … Continue reading →

What myhongkonghusband Thinks of Tiger Tail Soup

Today I’m delighted that the very popular, smart, and funny author of myhongkonghusband has posted a review of Tiger Tail Soup on her blog. “L,” who describes herself as a “third culture wife,” is a Polish girl married to a … Continue reading →

My Friend, Gretchen, Loves to Read.

  Every time I see her, Gretchen is reading a new “wonderful” book and carrying another one in her oversized handbag. I’m not sure when she reads them all, probably late at night. She’s too gregarious and fun-loving to spend … Continue reading →

Batik: Saving and Resisting Color

Thinking in reverse. Years ago, when I did Chinese brush painting, the process was straight forward. I applied ink and color directly to rice paper. Anything I didn’t touch just stayed white. Then I took up batik painting, and I … Continue reading →