Morning Playgroup

I came across this scene of grandmothers on their stools and toddlers gathered together on the sidewalk this morning as I rode my bike. :-)

Shanghai Laundry

I've posted laundry pictures before, but when my friend Jacqueline forwarded this one that she took to me, I couldn't resist posting it. Somehow the carefully hung red lace panties hanging right out on the street for all to see... it's just so not American culture that it makes me smile. Laundry hangs everywhere on city streets in Shanghai, but this red lace wins the prize, I think!

Seen on the Street

Another interesting load on a bike cart... yesterday we saw a man with a full sized couch. It was not fastened on in any way, but merely balancing on the cart. I wonder how hard it is to pedal along with a sofa balanced behind you? Surely one must be careful when turning corners, that it doesn't tip off.

Faces on the Street

All of the following pictures I have taken on the streets right outside our apartment complex in the last day or two.

The plant guys... they are outside one of the entrances to our complex most days... they sell both cut flowers and large house plants. We've purchased both from them. Two of the large house plants are no longer with us, but the other two seem to be hanging on okay. The cut flowers are inexpensive and such a treat to have around the house.
Just a nap.

Selling DVDs... usually about 5 yuan a piece (60 cents).
One man loading what appeared to be bags of flour onto another man's head and shoulders to carry up to a little shop. The man carrying managed three bags at a time.
This man was cutting small tiles in half for a construction project amidst a pile of rubble on the sidewalk.

One of the many pedal cart riders carrying an impossibly large load.
Cooking at a tiny stand.
Two sets of women on the street... very common for them to walk arm in arm.

Cleaning some type of greens in a tub of water.