Go Tigers!

Saturday, September 10, 2011
1:00 pm

Yesterday was a whirlwind.  Lynn decided that for breakfast she'd like to eat some shrimp curry I'd made the other night.  She said it was very good. She likes strong, spicy flavors.  But she also likes mild ones; cream cheese on a blueberry muffin.  Later we dashed off to have lunch with my father in the Clemson Downs dining room. Lots of Dad's friends came by our table to wish him Happy Birthday and to meet Eric and Lynn. Lynn got her first earful of the mellow accents of elderly native Southerners.  She managed very well and won them over with her natural charm and good manners (she and Eric stood up every time one of the old folks approached). She tried her first Hush Puppy, but they'd been out of the fryer too long and had turned into little rocks, so thumbs down on those. The baked chicken and sweet potato were better.  After lunch we took Dad to the Clemson University ice cream shop where we each got two scoops (the nice girls who work there gave Dad whipped cream on top of his because it was his B'day) and sat outside in this gorgeous weather we're having.

Lynn then presented Dad with her gifts: a soft winter scarf made of silk and wool, and something he'll be able to enjoy now, a bag of dried mangoes.  He loves dried fruit and went crazy for the ones Eric brought on his last trip home, so this made Dad's eyes brighten considerably.  

Then we dropped Dad back at his apartment and drove 20 minutes to the town of Easley where Eric was picking up a rental car.  The kids also went to an AT&T store so Lynn could buy a sim card for her cell phone and Eric set up a plan for his American phone.

Later we all met up at home before heading out for dinner at a Mexican restaurant. There are many international restaurants in the large city where E & L live and Lynn is an adventurous eater. She ordered a ceviche dish and a chicken burrito.  Portions in the States are always too large, so some of it came home in a To Go box. Lynn drinks a lot of hot tea, black with no sugar or milk. We figured out that if she orders unsweetened "ice tea" without the ice, and asks the server to pour it in a mug and heat it in the microwave, it works just fine. 

Harry and I are just charmed by Lynn.  She is so natural and poised, and not a bit shy about asking us to explain anything and everything.  Over our Mexican meals she wanted Harry to explain exactly what he teaches in his classes.  All about automobile control systems, ride comfort, stability, tire behavior, etc.....things I still couldn't explain to anybody.  She was very interested.  This from a young woman who studied music in college! 

She told us a story about something that happened when she took Eric to her family home (3 hours by bus from Guangzhou where E & L live) for a week during Chinese New Year. She has lots of aunts and uncles and cousins. At the home of one uncle, the man sternly inquired of Eric if he was prepared to take good care of Lynn for her whole life.  You know, the good old "What are your intentions?" grilling of the young man. Lynn said Eric said, "My parents have been married for 44 years and they are my idols."  A pretty diplomatic reply, don't you think?  Not totally committal, but leaning in the right direction. Now, I don't know if he really meant that, but apparently it did the trick.  Uncle nodded and made a pleasing grunt of approval.

Before we all hit the sack, we sat at the dining room table with the calendar and a list of possible activities during their visit.  Then everybody bid each other goodnight.

Today is very special: Lynn's first American sporting event, a Clemson home football game. She had bought a cute orange outfit in China and Eric had taught her a popular Clemson cheer, so she's all set. They just left a little while ago to tailgate with Eric's good friends, the Whitleys.  The Whitleys are faithful Clemson fans and have a great location under a tree for the pre and post game festivities. I can't wait to hear Lynn's impressions of the spectacle. 

Today's lessons in use of American appliances:  the cord must be plugged in with the two different prongs in the correct holes of the electrical outlet.  The iron can be used with our without water (steam).  It's best to boil water in the microwave using a Pyrex measuring cup rather than in the mug you intend to drink out of. Some of our old mugs get too hot to handle.  The joys of a garbage disposal!  Look, the egg shells and peach skins can go right down the drain.  A Thermos bottle (the real one with a glass interior) is handy for keeping tea hot while tailgating, but will have to be left in the car during the game (no food or beverages can be taken into the gigantic stadium:  83,000 seats).  The dishwasher: yes, the water comes up from a tube in the bottom that rises up and sprays everything.  It can also dry the dishes.  Maybe tomorrow we'll get to the electric can opener. Or the clothes washer and dryer.  E & L have a small, front loading washer, but nobody has a dryer in China. And wait 'til we use my bread maker and upright mixer!  It's so much fun having a girl around the house.

Quiet reigns in the house now. Harry's running errands.  Later this afternoon he and I will have our (postponed) Date Night: a light dinner out and a movie while the kids "do the town" (Clemson) after the game. Tomorrow E & L will go with me to church. That'll be another "first" for Lynn.  And at 4:00 there's a community-wide gathering on the CU campus to remember 9/11.  Harry will join us for that.

I took a couple of pics of the kids just before they left for the game, but I don't know how to post them, so I'll have to wait until Eric can help me tonight or tomorrow.

Harry and I feel SO BLESSED!  We have everything that matters in life.