Lan Su Chinese Garden

Chris took a "mental health" day today, and Annie came downstairs because her mother was at work. Chris called us and suggested that we come for lunch. Before we went, we took a bike ride over to the Edgefield area. We biked up and down several short hills in the nearby neighborhoods.

The blackberries are definitely ripening. I picked several to taste, but they seemed more sweet and mild than most blackberries we've tasted before. Nonetheless, I'm planning to pick some soon, but that will require long pants and a snagproof long sleeve shirt to protect from the wicked thorns.

We got to the duplex in time to make grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. Shawn was working on her homework and planning to do a friend's hair later, so the rest of us drove downtown to visit the Lan Su Chinese Garden.

It occupies a full city block, which has been walled and transformed into an oasis of peace in the midst of the noisy city. It includes a lake with lilypads and Annie's favorites: lots of koi, including some rather large and exotic ones.

The garden also includes a teahouse, operated by Tao of Tea, serves an extensive variety of authentic Chinese teas and small snacks.

The teas that Chris and I ordered came in small teapots and were served in tiny cups. Ken's was served in a "gaiwan," a teacup with a domed lid. With proper adjustment of the lid, it is possible to sip the tea without also sipping the tea leaves. Annie had mango nectar.

Our small coconut tarts were served on a leaf (which at first glance I took to be some kind of paper.

After the garden, we walked to Powell's, where Annie quickly picked out three books. Then we drove to New Seasons to pick up some groceries.

When we returned to the duplex, Shawn was coloring her friend Mary's hair, using aluminum foil to separate the sections.

After a dinner of salads and leftover enchiladas, we watched "Let Me Down Easy"--actually only the first half because it was late and I was falling asleep. Anna Deavere Smith is a multi-talented and entertaining playwright and actor. We all laughed a lot as we watched her recreate people she had interviewed.

We dropped Annie's bike off at Clever Cycles for repair of the broken front brake. It won't be ready until August 15 because their service department is very busy.

Annie is doing much better. She limped a bit today, but mainly because the bandages on her knee constricted movement. She says her knee is not painful.

Here's the list of interviews in Let Me Down Easy:

James H. Cone, author, reverend, and professor, Union Theological Seminary, NYC
Elizabeth Streb, choreographer, Streb Dance Company, NYC
Brent Williams, rodeo bull rider, Idaho
Lance Armstrong, Tour de France Victor
Sally Jenkins, sports columnist, The Washington Post
Michael Bentt, world champion heavyweight boxer
Hazel Merritt, patient, Yale-New Haven Hospital
Lauren Hutton, supermodel
Ruth Katz, patient, Yale-New Haven Hospital
Kiersta Kurtz-Burke, physician, Charity Hospital, New Orleans
Dr. Phillip A. Pizzo, dean, Stanford University School of Medicine
Susan Youens, Musicologist, University of Notre Dame
Eduardo Bruera, palliative care M.D., Anderson Cancer Center
Ann Richards, former governor, Texas
Lorraine Coleman, retired teacher, Anna Deavere Smith’s aunt
Joel Siegel, ABC movie critic
Peter Gomes, reverend, Memorial Church, Harvard University
Trudy Howell, director, Chance Orphanage, Johannesburg
Matthieu Ricard, Buddhist monk, author, French translator for the Dalai Lama