Today we drove into T'aichung (Taijhong) 台中 to see Steve's new apartment, and to go swimming in the complex's pool. Several of Steve's co-workers, plus one of his students, were also there to share in the fun and, in true Taiwanese fashion, to have a barbecue.
While in Taichung, I took this picture of Japanese being used on a sign:
The photo is of a Japanese restaurant 日本料理 by the name of "Marukin", written in hiragana まるきん. In kanji, "marukin" would look like this 丸金, and means something like "circular gold", hence the symbol of the character 金 inside a circle at the far left side of the sign. Jim Breen's WWWJDIC Server, however, defines 丸金 as a name that is read as "Marukane". The Chinese below まるきん is of the name of the establishment's chef, Chiang (Jiang) 江. The large Chinese characters on top announce that set meals can be had starting from NT120 (￥420 or $3.60).
The view of the swimming pool from the front patio of Steve's apartment. Once everything was set up poolside, Steve demonstrated the local barbecuing technique of using a blowtorch to get things started, rather than lighter fluid and long matches.
Amber had a great time trying out her new water wings. Afterwards, she and Steve's daughter Zoey shared a tender moment.
I spent some of my time in the water floating on my back and trying to imagine I was at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. Meanwhile, Amber was wearing her mother's shirt, which when combined with the red camera case she was holding, gave her the appearance of a minister giving a sermon. It was Sunday, after all.
I haven't seen much of Steve this summer, though with poses like this one, maybe that isn't such a bad thing. Nevertheless, everyone had a good time. Hopefully all of us can meet up again soon for a swim before the weather starts to cool down.
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