Writing about the trip to China led me to re-reading parts of my journal from that trip. In Shanghai, we visited a "Children's Palace". I thought this was where the young emperors were kept, but it turns out to be the name for a state-subsidized extra curricular study program on weekends. We were entertained by teenagers singing Peking Opera, and one painful first-year violin recital.

We also looked at lots of student art and purchased a set of 4-season paintings on translucent silk. I was surprised that they got home intact. The box they came in was less intact, but took the bullet and saved the artwork.

In Qing Dao, we bought a couple bamboo on rice-paper wall hangings.

I'd totally forgotten buying these, but I remembered finding them recently.

I've been looking for some art to go in the family room.

These wall hangings, each flanked by two of the seasonal pictures fill the space nicely, and hold memories of Carol and my trip to China.

Of course, nothing is quite as simple as it sounds. I only had three hangers for the four small pieces. I've been using Wallbiter picture hangers. They are non-obtrusive and have a vicious tooth to sink into the wall. Being a bit of a nerd, I'd like to maintain a consistency.

So I trooped to my nearest hardware store and discovered they didn't carry this brand.

Instead, they had some decorative brass hangers that I decided would be even better. They don't match anything else in the house, but the ornate brass goes better with the ink on silk.

Back home, I discovered that the hooks on the new hangers are wider than the hanging loop on the pictures. I can sort of jam the loops over the hooks, but the art hangs at a fifty-three degree angle.

Not exactly aesthetically pleasing.

My shop boasts a nice little bench-top grinding wheel, and a few minutes later the hangers had narrow hooks that matched the narrow loops. The sides of the hooks are steel, instead of brass, but that doesn't show.