Eli and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Before we entered the Vietnam Veteran’s memorial, I read the kids the riot act, explained to them what it was, said it was like visiting a church or synagogue, or graveyard and that they had to be quiet an respectful. We walked in and they…

Pictures from the Trip — DC

I have lots of pictures from our trip to DC, but oddly not enough of our kids with the Moy children. This was the only stop on our 2,000-mile-plus journey that did not involve visiting family. It was about reconnecting with our friends Kathy…

Pics from the Trip — Bolivar

We were supposed to have five days in the country but it rained and rained and rained some more. think Noah. So we headed into the city (Pittsburgh) after two and a half days or so. Still got some soul nourishing in.Jacob, Michael and Dixie…

Pics from the trip — Kennywood

We snagged nephew Michael Langwald from Michigan and kept him for a fun week. These pictures are from the legendary amusement park Kennywood. I did not take enough pictures in Pittsburgh, which is looking as lovely as ever.

Last week’s column

How Cash Cools Tempers In Chinese Traffic Mishaps August 17, 2007 Ever since I got my Chinese driver's license, I worried about getting in an accident. The packed roads and erratic driving made me fear for my and my family's safety. But…

Last column

THE EXPAT LIFEBy ALAN PAUL Bargaining in BeijingIs a Full-Contact SportAugust 3, 2007Some people love shopping in Beijing's markets, huge, multi-floor buildings filled with stalls selling everything from counterfeit Western name brands to custom-made…

NBC.com stories now live

The first two are up, here and here,Some of the pictures are pretty funny. I'm happy with how the stories read.

back in the US of A

And all is well.Jacob to me the other day: "Dad, America rocks." I'll get some pictures up soon. Been great seeing so many people.

Eli’s bed

Chinese mattresses can be pretty unbelievable. They are often pretty thin pieces of foam stapled onto plywood and when you lie on them it feels like you are lying on… thin pieces of foam stapled to plywood. Eli has been sleeping on one of…