Judy has an assembly today. The 5th graders are performing. They have a great performance! Judy has said several times what an unusual group they are. The girls enjoy the singing and dancing, of course. The boys in the group also enjoy it, and she’s been having a blast working with them.
I go out for a bike ride, not really sure where I’ll go. When I get on, I realize I have a really low bike tire. It’s been low before, so I’m going to have to get it fixed. First I ride over to the nearby corner bike tech and get my tire aired up. Then, I ride over to a “Giant” bike shop. The bike I have is a “Giant”, and I’ve had several small issues I want them to check out. My brakes have been spongy, so they adjust them, “no charge.” Then I have them replace the rear tube. It costs $5, including labor, and takes 20 minutes.
I just missed a great picture of the little motorized bike cart. There were 9 workers on it, headed to their next landscaping job. That’s a water hose hanging off the back.
While they’re working on the tire, I walk over to nearby Sanyuanli Market, and buy some nuts. Judy’s been craving peanuts, so I stocked up on regular peanuts, and also some “hot” peanuts she really likes. As I’m leaving the market, I have to stop off in the bakery. It smelled too good, so I added some fresh bread to my bag. This market has everything, fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, bread, noodles, and even imports. It’s a series of small independent vendors, and some are pretty aggressive with the sales pitch.
One of the meat vendor shops in Sanyuanli. I think the long thing on the right is an oxtail.
With my bike, and my nuts and bread, I start back toward the apartment. I haven’t played table tennis lately. I’m carrying my equipment, just in case I had the time and the desire, so I adjust course and head over to the table tennis club. When I arrive it’s around 2:30 pm, and a really slow time. There are about 20 players scattered around. I walk in, find my usual area, get my stuff out, and wait for an opponent. A guy walks in, sets up his net, and sits down, waiting, but he seems to be waiting for someone. After about 20 minutes, the old guy who manages the club (and has sorta befriended me) walks by, sees us, and motions to the guy sitting next to me that I can play. He offers to play and we get started. We played almost 2 hours, and I’m worn out when I finally decide to leave. My game and reflexes are definitely better.
After the bike ride home, I shower and wait for Judy to get home. She gets in around 6:00, and we head over to Bluche for the Friday night social. No one is at Bluche. We walk across the plaza, and find the BISS group at BKOB, a similar restaurant. They have a better patio area, and we enjoy the remainder of the evening visiting with old and new faculty.