Taipei Story House

The Taipei Story House, formerly known as the Yuanshan Mansion, was built in 1913 and now it's a historic house in the Zhongshan District of Taipei Taiwan. This is the only English style home in Taipei and is now a museum on the grounds of the Taipei Expo Park where the world famous Floral Show is held every year. What really got my attention was of course it's European architecture in a city where the main influence is the Japanese architecture. Japan ruled Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, their influence is seen all throughout the country, not only in the culture but also in culinary offerings. Taiwan is a wonderful country to visit, the people are warm and friendly and the food is excellent! 

Taipei Taiwan Rush Hour 2

Every time I'm in China or Taiwan, I am amazed at all the motorcycles and scooters. Of course you wonder how the heck do they put so many on what is already crowded narrow streets. Then you remember most of the cars are very small too, so it's prolly safer than in the USA with suck larger vehicles your sharing the road with. Traffic congestion isn't caused by people, but the sheer numbers of vehicles at one time at a given point in the road. Dan Rather once said; "Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic." But, in Asia traffic is a part of their daily lives. You must be patient and forgiving in order to keep your sanity. If you travel to one of the many beautiful Asian countries, be ready for the equivalent of a human frogger video game. While trying to cross the street, you would be the frog!

Trying to Focus

There are times when I feel like all is right, I'm clicking on all cylinders and I can do no wrong. Other times I feel like I'm a little out of sync or out of focus. This happens in sports all the time. One day your golf game is really pretty good and others you seem to be a little behind, off just a pinch, or completely crappy! We can't always control every little aspect of our life and maybe we weren't meant to micro manage our day down to the last detail? I believe you do need a balance between managing what you can control and learning to handle what you can't control.  In the end a lot has to do with your mind set, and how you decide to approach your day, or your next golf shot. Can you learn and then forget what you did wrong? Can you march forward to your next challenge without self destructing what's in front of you, because you can't let go of your previous mistake? The hardest thing in life isn't life it's self, but being able learn from the past, and then move forward with a better understanding of how to handle the future. One of the toughest things is learning how to forgive yourself or others. Forgiveness is the only way to have true peace in your life. Without peace you can't move forward, so you can achieve the success God has planned for your life. You free your mind, then you will see your future clearly and in complete focus.

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Lakeside in China

While in Shanghai China we discovered these three beautiful cities; Wuxi, Huzhou, and Suzhou. This is important because this enormous 869 sq mile water mass called; Lake Tai, Lake Taihu or Great Lake borders all three cities. It's the third largest freshwater lake in the country. The average depth is only 6'6" and has over 90 islands in this beautiful lake. We actually spent days in these cities before I realized it was the same lake I was taking pictures of. Different perspectives and different cities. That's what really got my attention and now I know that our perspective in our lens is also influenced by our lack of knowledge. I will never look at these images the same. My knowledge has increased, which has now influenced my memory of my experience at this lake.

Pick Your Place

When I decide where to go and relax I have many options; I can go to California and visit the coast, I can go to Austin Texas and enjoy the river, I can stay in Dallas and chill on a lake, or I can find one particular harbour and sit by the dock in the bay and watch time fade away (yes, I just worked in a song titles by Jimmy Buffett and Otis Redding). Truly my choice will always be to find a bay or beach and melt into the surroundings and forget who I am and who I'm supposed to be, if not for months, then days will have to do. Something happens when I'm in and around the ocean. Maybe it's my connection with nature, God, or maybe I'm just a beach junkie? I would hope it would be because of a more spiritual connection, or maybe because I am a water sign "Pisces". Now, if you believe in the zodiac thing, as a Pisces, I am supposed to enjoy; escaping from reality, sleeping, romance, swimming, and spiritual themes. That's all pretty true! I did grow up in San Diego California where the ocean and boats were a major part of my upbringing. So, I say we blame my parents for being fortunate enough to plant us in one of the most beautiful cities in the world as our background for the influential time in our life. Remember, when ever in doubt blame you parents, childhood, siblings, and the bad luck you had from birth. So, I'm gonna "Thank" my parents for this bad luck I had at birth to have a loving family and the awesome Pacific Ocean as my personal playground for the best years a kid could ever ask for.

Happy New Year!

Another year in the books and what do you have to show for it? Did you accomplish what you planned, did you become a better person, did you achieve anything different this year? Or did you just do the same thing you have always done, nothing but survive? There were times in my life when surviving was all I could handle, to make it trough each day was a challenge, I didn't have the will power to do anything special. The one thing I did have was faith, and even though that faith was tested daily, I found the strength to put one foot in front of the other and make it through another day. Somehow I believed that if I could just keep on keeping on, I could and would make it through this season of challenges. A season I hoped would not repeat it's self. Everyone goes through different seasons in life, we find ways to make it through the tough times , and see brighter days. The brightest times of our life comes through the darkest times. Usually we are helped out of the darkness by a friend, loved one, or a stranger who comes into our life during that season just to help us along our way. In the up coming year let's make this the year we become that light in some one's life who may only need us to help them out of their darkness, even if it's only for a season. Blessings and best wishes in the New Year!

Festive Sombrero!

Sombrero is Spanish for hats, but you knew that. Many early Texan cowboys adopted the Spanish and Mexican sombrero, also worn by mariachi musicians. Whatever the name, whomever wears it, and wherever they came from the sombrero has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Southern California and living in Arizona and Texas this hat has always been around. The sombrero is festive, fun, and functional. Every time I travel and come across this hat it reminds me of my past travels through Mexico and South America and all the fun I've had.

I enjoy the little shops on the main streets and ports of call. When you arrive you see sombrero's on carts, in stores, and of course my favorite of all, the street vendor with hats stacked to the sky going tourist to tourist selling his hats. I guess it's my longing for a simpler time, a time when we weren't a slave to our cell phones and obsessed with being connected 24/7. I like not being connected while I travel. Not so concerned with how many "Likes" my last post received. I like just being in the moment and watching local towns people going about their daily lives, doing business the old fashioned way, face to face, and a deal is concluded with a pleasant thank you and a hand shake. The saddest part of traveling is this simpler way of life will one day be gone as the world becomes more and more connected. To me the entire world walking around with a hand held device stuck in their face isn't necessarily something I'm looking forward too. As the world turns and we advance at the speed of light, I plan on slowing down as much as possible. I will continue to see new places, experience new things, and stop to really see the beauty in God's creation without being connected through electronics's but connected through people, face to face.