Briant and I left the kids at home to do homework and fun stuff like that so we could have a little date out exploring the city. ;) We walked to where Bri goes for his language training, about a 45 minute walk away, and enjoyed seeing some things along the way, ending with lunch and a long walk back home. It was a perfect weather, clear sky day, after a few weeks of off and on bad pollution, including a few days of 2000 aqi from dust storms in the Gobi Desert carried by winds to Beijing, and then days of recovery from the 2000 aqi. We're hoping those kinds of pollution days are far and few between while we live here!
We also enjoyed all the new signs of spring. I'm always amazed that nature continues to thrive here despite the pollution!
A wonderful park sat in the middle of our walk.
I am loving the growth of the willow trees again!
I love this park because couples come together to do ballroom dance together. Unabashed, confident, and carefree, everyone dances freely. Today I even witnessed a transgender woman dancing by herself, a rare sight here in China.
This guy was slapping his arms with white gloves. At Chaoyang Park as well, the locals will slap different parts of their bodies. My tai chi instructor explained that it helps with blood circulation and flow of chi. All of the older generation seems to know about this and they do what they can to improve their health.
This bike held together with tape is an unsurprising sight for the locals here. It's amazing how old some things, or are simple worn out, but are still ticking. The Chinese really live the idea of "Use it up, wear it up, make it do, or do without." :)
There aren't too many poor neighborhoods around us in our area, but we had to go through this to get to Bri's work. People hung out things to sell , and there was an outdoor hair cutter.
Getting a hair cut--why not, it was a beautiful day outside!
Bri took me to his favorite, nearby work restaurant. I can see why it's his favorite. The green beans, kungpao chicken, etc. were perfect. The only thing that wasn't as good was the eggplant that is usually more crispy he said.
His favorite fast food joint. Two burgers for 15 rmb, about $2.
Our first time trying this. These are strawberries, but they make them with hawthorn berries as well. They're covered in liquid sugar that hardens. So good!
I need to learn all of the names to the new and interesting musical instruments here in Beijing, so I'm not sure what this is, but I liked it and was impressed with this man who was appeared to be blind.
One of the "libraries" you can check books out from around the city.
Though it passes more quickly than I would like, I love spring!
One of the many little delivery vehicles that crowd the streets.
In the late afternoon, Bri and I took Savannah to Chaoyang Park and out to dinner at Solana for some two on one time.
The park was a popular destination! Apparently we weren't the only ones enjoying the clear skies and good air that day!
They sell kites in an area of the park where there's an open grass area, so of course we had to join in the fun!
We haven't flown a kite in a few years, so Savvy loved it and it brought back some memories of Utah and Virginia for her.
We loved the serene look of the lake and sun setting with the trees hanging over us, so we played with the panorama shot.
Conveniently, Chaoyang Park is right next door to the mall and the parking lot drops you off at one of the entrances to Solana Mall.
We found a nice restaurant and enjoyed the meal, especially Savannah and I that are gluten free (Savannah started going gluten free a few months ago with me), but we forgot to get pics until the dessert arrived. ;)
Bri and I had a wonderful day together, getting away from the apartment and to do list, and enjoyed our time with our wonderful Savvy. She's a joy to be with--we love both her sense of humor and sense of adventure and willingness to try new things. We are blessed to have her in our family and lives!
These days were hard. You couldn't see anything. No one went anywhere. We all stayed inside. I finally ordered all of us N99 masks so we can handle these bad days. We've had allergy symptoms/head colds a few times because of the pollution, so I'd like to prevent that from happening again if I can. 
So on this particular day of 31, Briant and I got outside and were thrilled to enjoy the blue sky and scenery!
The delivery guy with a gazillion packages that everyone orders from Taobao, Pinduoduo, JD, etc.
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