Our expanding family

MouseQuest 2009

2009-08-06T15:20:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos from Zoe's and Scott's road trip around California. We spent 8 days meeting up with old and new friends, plus Zoe's Uncle Jay, and seeing the local sights and biota. As always, if you'd like to download a picture, just double-click on it and it will open in a separate window.

We started the trip with two nights of rodent trapping in the Lassics area of the Six Rivers National Forest. Scott has been helping for a few years with a live-trapping study of the rodents in the area where the rare endemic Lassics lupine occurs. Here are a couple photos of Zoe in our camp. She appears to be channeling Lon Chaney or doing her best impression of a bat-faced girl, I'm not sure which.

Here's Zoe on the trail to the project site. It's a beautiful 15- or 20 minute walk from the trail head out to a saddle between Mt. Lassic (aka Signal Peak) and another, unnamed peak.

And here's Zoe at the processing station with a few of the first night's captures in their Sherman live traps. The rodents are waiting to be measured, weighed, and have their species, sex, and reproductive status determined, before being released.

This was one of Zoe's favorite rodents, a brush mouse (Peromyscus boyleii).

Another short walk from the processing station brought us to the top of Mt. Lassic. Zoe is perched on the top of the monument used by the early surveyors in northern California for their mapping project.

The view behind us is to the southwest. On a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean from Mt. Lassic.

Another shot from the portion of the trail in dense shrub/chaparral vegetation.

Zoe discovered the fascinating art of theatrical make-up on the second night in camp. After industriously generating charcoal dust to apply to her face, and rubbing wood chips into her hair, we dubbed her 'Sasquatch' which seemed to please her.

Here she is in a more civilized mood at Crepeville, which is a restaurant in Davis. We got a late start this morning from Yuba City, where we had stayed one night while visiting some folks conducting bat research in the Sutter Buttes. I didn't get any pictures that night, but it's a beautiful area. The group caught quite a few bats, but we didn't get back to the hotel until almost 3 a.m. This started us on a late-to-bed, late-to-rise cycle.

After spending an evening with Uncle Jay in Palo Alto (sorry, no pictures again), we drove to Chimineas Ranch in eastern San Luis Obispo county for a bat workshop sponsored by The Wildlife Society. Zoe and I mostly relaxed during the day while the participants attended lectures, then went out two evening to catch bats. Unfortunately, only a few bats were netted. Here are a few shots from the capture locations.

Participants with rabies vaccinations (and who therefore were allowed to handle bats) were given blue tape for easy identification. My friend and colleague from TWS, Cynthia Perrine, also gave us nicknames to go with the tape. I guess if the shoe fits...

Poorwills were common in the area and were bycatch in the bat nets a couple times.

Here's instructor Dr. Joe Szewczak demonstrating various handling techniques for bats. It may look like he's holding the bat very tightly, but his grip is actually quite gentle.

A few shots of the ranch house compound. Here's the pool at Chimineas Ranch. The ranch house is very comfortable, to say the least!

Zoe and I pitched our tent under a shady tree on the lawn. Just about the most luxurious camping I've ever done.

Here's Shannon, Cynthia Perrine's daughter, on the second night of netting. Kids were given token blue tape, but did NOT handle bats!

A couple blurry shots at dusk of the netting site near the Cuyamas River.

Here's a picture of us looking at a tiny pipistrelle, Parastrellus hesperus (photo by Dave Johnston).

This is instructor Dr. Dave Johnston holding a very large pallid bat.

After the workshop, Zoe and I drove to the city of San Luis Obispo and then up the coast on Highway 1. I had hoped to show her the beautiful central California coast, but she ended up sleeping most of the way. I woke her up to tour Hearst Castle, but I think she would have preferred to nap. I don't recall ever stopping here, but when I talked to Jay the next evening, he said he thought our family had visited when we were children. I'll let Grandma and Grandpa settle the question. Hard to take indoor photos without flash, so here's a smattering of photos, not necessarily of the most interesting subjects.

The famous Neptune (outdoor) pool, with the smoke plume of a wildfire in the background.

If she couldn't nap, Zoe would have liked to go swimming...

I personally found the interior of Hearst Castle interesting, but gloomy. The grounds and vistas, on the other hand, were inspiring!

The Roman (indoor) pool and the end of the tour.

We spent that night in Carmel, then on to San Jose and Palo Alto the next day. Zoe and I visited Raging Waters and pedaled a paddle boat in Cunningham reservoir before visiting with Jay another night. We drove home to Sue and Willow the next day. All in all, a very pleasant, diverse, and interesting vacation!

Spring 2009

2009-05-17T21:25:00.001-07:00

WInter 2009

2009-05-17T21:17:00.001-07:00

2008-11-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

Our Last Days in Guangzhou

2008-06-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry, running out of time to write, so here's just a big batch of pictures from our last days in Guangzhou.

Visit to SWI

2008-06-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

Here are photos from the Jiang Cheng District Social Welfare Institute, including shots of the crib and room where Guan-Guan spent the first 13 months of her life. The Director showed us around the facility, which is quite clean and orderly. The caretakers, including the head caretaker shown holding Guan-Guan, seemed to be genuinely interested in the children. All greeted Guan-Guan happily.

Yang Jiang City

2008-06-26T18:23:00.001-07:00

Here are several photos of our drive into the city where we assume Guan-Guan was born. Yang Jiang has about 1 million residents (we think) and includes both rural areas and industrial and residential areas and is centered on the Moyang Jiang (river). There also is a thriving coastal and fishing industry.

Pearl River Cruise

2008-06-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

This batch of pictures is from an evening cruise on the Pearl River that we took several days ago. The Guangzhou skyline is highly electronic and animated these days. We've read that it now outshines the Hong Kong lights.

More Guangzhou photos

2008-06-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a set of pictures from the past week; this includes a couple more from our appointment to pick up Guan-Guan, plus photos from a visit a couple days later to the Clan Chen Temple and Academy. There are also some from the visit to the orphanage, a couple photos from the pool at the White Swan, and some recent meals. The food here is quite spectacular!

with love,

Scott, Sue, Zoe, and Guan-Guan

More Beijing photos

2008-06-22T05:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos from our time in Beijing; these show our hotel and our guides and some of the interesting places we visited in the few days we were there.

with love from all of us

Beijing is so last week

2008-06-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

Here are a few photos from our travel to and arrival in Beijing; not so many because it's a little tricky using the hotel business centre, and we're having some trouble with the iPod and our temporary email account.

Otherwise things are still going fine. We're headed to Yang Jiang tomorrow to visit Mei-Mei's orphanage. Looks like the weather and water will cooperate.

More pictures soon (probably)!

with love from all of us

Now We Are Four!

2008-06-19T00:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some first photos of our new daughter and sister, Willow Guan Sniado Osborn. We are
thrilled to finally welcome her into our family. We have been very busy with paperwork,
appointments, and touring the local sights in Guangzhou, but looking forward to sharing more photos and stories on our blog in the next few days. Please check back from time to time.

with love,

Scott, Sue, Zoe, and Guan-Guan

Carry on, carry on!

2008-06-11T01:22:00.000-07:00

We leave in two days and our bags are packed! We decided to go strictly carry-on after too many trips with too much luggage. We found paring our baggage down to the bare essentials took time and discipline (two items generally in short supply around here), but we think it will be well worth it. Luckily Zoe's and Guan's clothes are small, so there's room in Zoe's bag for both, plus an assortment of baby care items.

We can't believe the long wait to meet our second daughter is almost over! We'll try to send emails and post to the blog once we reach Guangzhou on the 16th. Thanks for all the good wishes we've received from our friends and family as we embark on this adventure!

with love,

Scott, Sue, and Zoe

Another New Member of the Family!

2008-05-22T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well, here's another exciting event in our lives as we count down the days until we meet Guan. We have a new lamb, the first one born on our farm! Not sure yet if it's a boy or girl, but the little guy is very frisky and happy-looking. We expect another lamb or two before we leave.

Sue and I have been pretty busy making travel plans, filling out paperwork, and working with our liaison to arrange all the official appointments when we're in China. Our current plan is to leave home on June 12, spend two days in Beijing, then fly to Guanzhou to pick up Guan. We'd have a little over a week in Guanzhou, possibly with a visit to Yang Jiang and Guan's orphanage, then a day in Hong Kong before flying home on the 29th.

Lots to do before we go! Have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

Scott

Happy Birthday, Mei-Mei (Little Sister)!

2008-05-10T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today is Guan's first birthday! We miss being with her on this special day but look forward to celebrating many birthdays with her in the years ahead. Sue, Zoe, and I decided to celebrate with a cake and a candle even though Guan isn't home with us yet. We each made a wish for Guan as we blew out the candle.

We're also thinking of Guan's birth mother and the incredibly difficult thing she did a year ago in giving up her newborn daughter. We hope this anniversary brings her hope that her daughter has a good life.

Here's a picture of Guan and the orphanage assistant director taken yesterday by Penny, a friend we met through the Jiang Cheng SWI Yahoo group. Penny is currently in China adopting her daughter, who also was at the Jiang Cheng SWI. She visited the orphanage and kindly took pictures of the kids who recently have been referred for adoption.

And here are photos of two other girls. We think the first may have also been referred this month. The second is Jiang Cheng Cai, a two-and-a-half year old who is still in the orphanage. Director Tan of the Jiang Cheng SWI is holding these girls. All three kids were reportedly on their way to naptime when this photo op was arranged. They definitely look like me when I'm overdue for my nap!

Many thanks for the many good wishes and love you have sent our way! And our love to all of you in return.

Scott

Thank you all for your love and support

2008-05-07T22:08:00.001-07:00

First, thank you to everyone who has emailed, commented and sent their love. It is so overwhelmingly amazing. We really appreciate it!

I found our photo page we submitted with our adoption application (2.5 years ago!!), so I thought I would post it for those of you who don't know us.. Here we are 2.5 years ago...

Zoe is about 1.5 years old in this picture. She is now 4. But this is what we looked like when we logged our application into China...

And this is what we look like now:

We had a care package sent to Guan today for her birthday. It includes a cake, a pillow with a picture of us, a photo album, and a disposable camera for the nannies to take some pictures for us. The stuff is all sent from within China, so she should have it by next week..

Thanks again for all your support!

Sue

Referral Photos and Maps- WE HAVE A DAUGHTER!

2008-05-05T19:40:00.000-07:00

(you can click on picture to make it bigger)

Sue and I picked up our referral packet today. It included a form indicating our acceptance of Jiang Cheng Guan (also known as Mei-Mei!) as our adopted daughter, medical and developmental history, and the circumstances of her discovery on May 11, 2007. It also included three pictures of Guan, which we think were taken at the end of March. Sue and I quickly signed the paperwork and sent it on its way back to China and have been staring at the pictures ever since. It all seems so sudden, now that two-and-a-half years have gone by!

Guan is in Guangdong province (fuschia-colored area on map of China) on China's south coast. She is in the Jiang Cheng district of Yang Jiang city (yellow area on map of Guangdong), which is about a 3-hour drive from the provincial capital, Guanzhou (Canton). Sue has been in touch with another family who plans to visit Guan's orphanage in a few days, so with any luck we may get some current pictures of Guan when they return!

Thanks for all the kind wishes over the past few days. We feel very lucky and honored to be given a beautiful daughter and sister for our very own!

Here are a couple of pictures of the Orphanage where Guan is currently living.

Thank you for welcoming our new sister into our family and community!!

We are truly blessed...

2008-05-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

We have a daughter....

We got the call Friday @ around 2PM.

Her name is Jiang Cheng Guan. She was found on May 11, 2007 at the back gate of the YangJieng City #2 Middle School. She was wearing a flowery infant shirt and wrapped in a red towel. At almost a year old she weighs 18 lbs. We don't have much more info than this now. Monday (tomorrow) we will go to the adoption agency and see the whole packet from China, including her picture. We will post immediately...

Her Orphange is the JiangCheng Social Wefare Institute in Guangdong Province. She is in the southern part of China (where they speak Cantonese) and is very close to the South China Sea.

The YangJiang Middle School gate where Guan was found.