Whenever we are on buying trips in northern China, we search out these wonderful elm and pine compound doors, which are usually sourced from Shanxi province and date back to the nineteenth century. They originally served as the security opening along a wall which circled a residential compound. Once these massive "gates" were opened, you would encounter a courtyard before reaching the residential structure.

Spring is finally here in western North Carolina! We are getting warmer, brighter days and with them, glimpses of gorgeous flowers and blooming trees. One of my favorite things to do, and for most of the folks who live around here, is hike, and there is no shortage of trails in this area. This is a picture of me at Craggy Gardens, which has trails that I visit quite often.

Last summer I was fortunate enough to spend a few days on an isolated beach in South Carolina. In the evenings, I would take a walk through the marshland’s barrier to the beach and one evening I noticed a plump frog sitting on the edge of the walkway. Almost mistaking the frog for a statue, I stopped to stare from a distance that did not alarm the frog. This frog was incredibly still. In fact, it looked to me as if it was doing nothing but sitting. After a few minutes of further, intense observation, I went on about my business. An hour later I returned, and the frog was still there. Same place, same position, same frog. I sidled a little closer to confirm that this was, in fact, a real frog. And, then, I realized something: this frog was waiting.