China 1- The Great Wall, Olymipic Village

It snowed the day I arrived in China. Rob had already been there for a week operating; the team--Dr. Buckmiller and my Dr. Glade--repaired 20 cleft lips/palates 1 facial tumor. They all stayed to tour China and I met up with them. What great and amazing people they all are.

The Great Wall was beautiful, cold, and awesome in its scope.
Located in northern China, the Great Wall was built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century. The majority of the existing wall was built during the Ming Dynasty (15th Century).


From Wikipedia: "The Great Wall stretches along an arc that roughly delineates the southern edge of Inner Mongolia. The most comprehensive archaeological survey, using advanced technologies, has recently concluded that the entire Great Wall, with all of its branches, stretches for 8,851.8 km (5,500.3 mi). This is made up of 6,259.6 km (3,889.5 mi) of sections of actual wall, 359.7 km (223.5 mi) of trenches and 2,232.5 km (1,387.2 mi) of natural defensive barriers such as hills and rivers." Wow.



We were able to hike a long section of the Wall. It's easy to see why it's a Wonder of the World.
Olympic Village in Beijing:
The tower where the torch burned:
The Watercube, where Michael Phelps won his eight Olympic golds:
The Bird's Nest (my personal favorite):
And the track where Deena Kastor ran (inside the Bird's Nest):

Morrocan Chicken&Wild Rice Soup

So this post is not about China. But this is a good recipe.

Cinnamon and curry add a distinct and delicious zing to this savory winter soup.
Prep/Hands-on time: 15-20 mins. Cooking time: 60- 70 mins.

3 onions, cut into large pieces
3 Tbsp butter
3Tbsp flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp curry powder (Madras curry is best, but use whatever you have)
1/2 tsp celery seed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt, or to taste
5 tsp chicken bullion, or to taste (or sub chicken broth for the water)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups mixed wild brown rices
1 parsnip, cut into fine pieces
7 cups water (I had to add quite alot extra to keep from burning-- keep an eye on it)
1 large sweet potato, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lb chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup chopped celery, including the leaves at the top of the stalk

In a large soup pot, saute the onions and butter over medium heat about 5 minutes. Add the flour and spices, saute for about 2 minutes until the flour is just beginning to brown and the spices are aromatic. Add the canned tomatoes, water, bullion, rices and parsnip. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionaly. Add the sweet potato, chicken and celery. Continue simmering until rice is soft and chicken is cooked through. Serve with a crusty bread.

Home from China

Sorry for the lack of excitement on the blog lately. We are home from China, and I'll post as soon as the travel-haze clears from my brain a bit.

And we had a great time.

Skeletor and a Serving Wench

Dr. Glade in the News

Oklahoma City doctor hopes to offer new smiles | NewsOK.com

Fun With GMa Barb

My mom has been in Oklahoma with us this week. Here's just a few pictures of all the wild carousing and partying we've been doing with TJ and the old lady.

Hi Dad!

One more post for today, because the other one had no pictures: