Santa Lucia to Cotton Candy

Oh, my goodness.  I just checked my blog and Santa Lucia 
popped up!!! Am I really that far behind?

 It is now mid-February, Santa Lucia needs to move down the blog line so that I can share something more current.
So I will start with.....
Tucking Christmas decorations away, we left for China 

to visit our family who recently relocated to Shanghai.
A thousand photos later, amazing experiences, time with grandchildren, and experiencing this gigantic country could fill a book.
But for now let's start easy:

How about food!!!

Does Cotton Candy count?

Observation: If you look closely at this photo you will notice how heavily/warmly people are dressed.  We just happened to be in Shanghai when the cold had dropped to an all time low!!!  Additionally you might observe that despite the colorful display, the background is murky and gray.  Shanghai is second in pollution world wide.  Maybe that is why RED is such a prominent and joyful color and POPS against the gray.

This particular day, we double-triple-bundled up and rode an hour to visit an outdoor park.
Popping out of the car, we first encountered this smiling lady with her colorful cart. 
She was very busy spinning cotton candy.  What? Here?  China?  Winter? 
 Wow this is pretty cool!!

She was super happy to see a tribe of five eager kids, plus adults head her way.  No Mandarin needed.  Just point and smile, hold out some coins for her to choose from, and a balloon of cotton candy lands in your hands and all over one's face. 

Yes, the lady was very generous with her Cotton Candy.

Lulu was the happiest three year old within ten miles.  She made the most of her sticky-licky treat.

Pretending to be a Chinese doll, no brothers were going to get her "stuff."

Cramming it in Lulu style.  

Now this is joy in the simple things.

A peek inside the park, where another lovely lady is joyfully practicing her dance steps. 
More to come, if you love photo-peeking at fantastic destinations.

 For now, farewell Santa Lucia, and hello to new adventures.

Love is the Beauty of the Soul
St. Augustine