OK - FIRST I must say, up front:  I LOVE THE WEATHER!!!

If you have read this blog at all, you must know this about me - sun, snow, wind and rain, I love it all!

So here we are in Shanghai finally getting some of that vaunted rain!!  I had even gone about leaving my umbrella (YU SAN) at home!!!  That is something that most long time Shanghai residents never do (though remember we live in the country of China - a new very cheap umbrella "pops" out EVERY TIME IT RAINS!!!  The vendors are everywhere (almost too many)!!!).

For example, last night Judy forgot hers up on the 7th floor.  So she just popped back into the lobby and asked the receptionist for one - no problem, he pulled out a very nice large umbrella for her and she returned it after Tai Ji!

This is Shanghai - lots of rain.  Supposed to be kind of like Florida maybe.  Houston maybe?!  We had two cyclones last fall, if you weren't with me back then.  Both were quite amazing and a bit hairy, to say the least.  However, we mostly acted as if things were "RELATIVELY" normal.  Shanghai is a bit around the corner, if you will.  The cyclones tend to come up from the south, mostly and often around the Taiwan area, so through Zhejiang province before hitting Shanghai.  Therefore, we are a bit more protected even though we are RIGHT ON THE OCEAN - although it is still called the Sea.  The East China Sea, to be exact, as the Ryukyu islands do separate us, kind of, from the Philippine Sea, which is kind of separated from the Pacific ocean.

Anyway, the rain fell, as I mentioned last night, in buckets and we had a HUGE thunderstrike.  One could even hear it over the Chinese honking, fireworks and talking (a JOKE!).  Yes, things are loud here - the Chinese are aural, no doubt.  They EXPECT you to honk if you are in their way - or they just want to come through.  Doesn't always mean you let them either!!  Laughing!

So today I am off in a wonderful, blustery day - one of those Whinny the Pooh, blustery days.