Hello My Friends,

I know that the Tsunami in Southeast Asia on December 26 deeply saddened everyone. As for me, I was in a Singapore hospital recovering from food poisoning that I picked up a few days earlier in Calcutta, India. When the walls of the hospital began to shake, I didn't know what had happened until I turned on the television. To my horror, Phuket Island in Thailand and many of my favorite surrounding islands were devastated. I will always be reminded of its beauty and uniqueness captured in the photographs of my past visits. What comes to mind are the colorful long tailed boats, the crystal clear water, and James Bond Island looming at the distance. I am hopeful that the faith and resilience of the people will restore its splendor as a tribute to those who lost their lives.

As we continue to live our lives fully, a new adventure unfolds.. Now I'd like to tell you about my most recent trip - an exquisite journey to a paradise called Guilin, in southern China. This is a magical land where green mountains filled with bamboo rise dramatically from the calm and clear waters of the Lijiang River. Ferrymen and people fishing with birds called cormorants ply these waters like they have for thousands of years. I followed a woman I called the Birdlady, as she and her cormorants fished from a sleek bamboo raft. I was struck by her calmness and sense of purpose. Like the ferrymen, the rhythm of the river was part of her body and soul. She was a stark contrast to the hectic and sometimes detached life that catches me off guard.

To get up close and personal, I rented a bicycle and pedaled to a Yangshuo Village to capture with my lens the simplicity of the people's lives and the nature that nurtures them. At one farmer's house, I ordered a bowl of chicken and vegetable soup, but then changed my mind about eating the chicken when I remember the problem with bird flu. The farmer was upset when I only ate the vegetables and not the meat. I guess it was time for me to become a vegetarian-at least for that meal.

As spring approaches, I am getting ready for my upcoming shows in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. See and encounter this paradise called Guilin. If you're anywhere near Coconut Groove, Florida in Feb. 19 - 21, catch a glimpse of the new additions.

Stay warm,