Mimmo Bonanni

Cute glitchy Kola 😺

West Walk with Wes 😀🚶‍♂️. https://www.instagram.com/p/CLutfY_nEij/?igshid=1krfgjmmgcyqq

Bookstore browse

Such a great Borges quote, & true 😀. "I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library."

ICPSR Workshop Summer 2018

Walk to school, first day fall 2018

Goofy morning walk to school pic

Wish you were here #monumentvalleygame

Summer 🏊

Picture poster procession #movieposter (at Harkin's Theater)

#millave nite scene (at Harkins Valley Arts)

Luvin' my new Chuck All Star IIs

Rocco's homage to Back to the Future

Paula, Ralph and I spent the morning at Wangjiang Park, a bamboo forest in the heart of Chengdu.  We went on a lovely walk and Ralph gave us tips on what to see for our trip to Xi’an and Beijing.  In the afternoon, Paula and I had lunch with several SCU librarians, including Liu Liu and Zhang Chen, and Dr. Ma (Library Director), and Chen Minghui (Secretary).  It was a delightful farewell, but I was sad to say goodbye to all of the wonderful folks I have met here at Sichuan University Libraries. The past four weeks truly was an amazing experience, and I will miss everyone.  I look forward to extending the same hospitality to the Sichuan exchange librarian when he or she comes to ASU next year.  

SCU Librarian Lai Wei took us to see the Grand Buddha just outside the city of Leshan.  It was a little bit of a hike but it was well worth it.  The sheer size of the Buddha is awe inspiring. There were thousands of tourists, so it was a challenge to get a picture worthy spot, but we did it.  Paula and I noticed that many tourists position their hands in their photos so it looks like they are touching the Buddhas face. We then took a trail to a fishing village where we ate lunch, and watched other folks choose live fish to eat! We ate rice noodles and a dessert made from gelatin soybean with brown sugar. After lunch, we walked over a bridge to a Buddhist temple, it was very colorful with many flowers in the courtyard.  It was a lovely day, and we both enjoyed spending time and chatting with Lai Wei.

Librarian’s Wu Tingzhao and Zhang Chen took Paula and I to the Dujiangyan Water Conservancy.  It’s an engineering marvel built 3,000 years ago by Li Bing, governor of Sichuan, and his son.  The conservancy is a system of canals and dikes that divert 9 rivers to prevent flooding in Chengdu and also irrigate local farms in the Chengdu valley.  Paula and I also saw our first Taoist temple dedicated to Li Bing.  The temple architecture was mesmerizing with a beautiful tiled roof, and it included many symbols throughout like fish for prosperity, and bats for happiness. Both Wu and Zhang did an amazing job on explaining the project, and it’s history.  At the end of the day, we had lunch by the river, and saw street vendors selling all manner of items like flowers, and maps.  It was a great day, and a fun excursion.