Lee took himself to the ER Saturday morning to plead for better cough medicine than we had at home. It turns out he has pneumonia. After an IV dose of antibiotics, a handful of other medications and an appointment for a follow-up visit in a few days, he came home and started the long road to recovery.

He didn't really want me hanging around watching him rest (or at least that's what I heard him say), so I ditched him for the rest of the day and headed to Taoyuan with some friends to see the official Taiwan Lantern Festival. One city on the island is designated as the official site and this year it was a couple of train stops south of Taipei, about one and a half hours north of here on the high speed rail.

There was something like 60 acres of open space (a huge parking lot when it's not being used for the lantern festival) that was filled with fanciful paper and nylon lanterns. Think Christmas decorations that people have in their yards that you fill with air, like a bounce house. These are that shape and size but made of wire structures covered with colorful fabric - paper, or cloth - and lit from inside with lightbulbs. The shapes were everything from traditional Buddhas and Chinese zodiacs to Minions and superheroes. Not to mention the ubiquitous paper lanterns.

One of my favorites - the unexpected Picasso

There were Minions everywhere!

Jen and Linda, traveling companions extraordinaire.