Bronze Medal Ceremony

Unlike the Gold Medal Ceremony which was late at night and therefore a very small crowd, the Bronze Medal Ceremony was in front of a full stadium. The crowd was very appreciative of the athletes. "Go Wags!"

Gold Medal Match Point & Ceremony

Here it is ... USA! USA! USA!

You'll feel it when you hear our national anthem ...

Closing Ceremony

It's 4:50 on Thursday morning and I'm leaving for the airport. We spent our last night in Beijing at the National Stadium, The Bird's Nest, celebrating the Closing Ceremony. It was a spectacular display of pagentry, performance and fireworks. China really put on a wonderful show. Way to go David!

Summer Palace on the Lake & Our Palace

Today we visited the Summer Palace on the lake which was like a resort or retreat center for the dignitaries. Some of it has been restored and is really beautiful. The yellow in the pictures is actually solid gold. In it's day, it would have been a fantastic place of tranquillity. You can see that today it is filled with tourists and the hazy polluted air. The gardens all over the city are very nice. We found a man writing something on the sidewalk with water but couldn't find anyone to tell us what it said. It is really something to step into places so rich with history.

Also on the photo site (www.dropshots.com/cathycarson2000) are a couple of pictures of our hotel. We have done quite a bit of walking ... walking to the subway, walking through long subway halls, and standing on crowded subways and buses. We have also stood in many long lines because the security is tight and very slow in processing us. We will be leaving soon for the Closing Ceremony ... three hours before it begins even though we have reserved seating!

Night Market

With the tennis over, we were able to take David out for the evening and spent some time at the Night Market where we found special delicacies roasted on a stick ... like honeybee, starfish, seahorse, scorpion, sea urchin, ostrich, snake, crickets, silkworms, and beetles! Check out the pictures to see these foods. You might not believe it!

The Paralympic Village

The athlete's village is an amazing place where the athletes live and eat during their 3 weeks at the Paralympics. On Monday, David took us on a tour of the village. After passing through quite a bit of security, we were able to see where they raised all of the flags for each country and held special events for the athletes. We saw the beautiful grounds and were amazed at the size of the village and all of the amenities available to the athletes. There are game rooms for the athletes when they need a break from the competition and a large nice cafeteria with many different cultural foods. We were able to see the dormitory style living arrangements for the athletes and it was fun to see the country flags hanging outside their rooms. There was a big pool where the athletes could work out or just hang out and cool off. Finally, we saw where the USOC had offices in one of the dorms and thought it was fun to see that they had each US Medalist pictured on a wall for all to see. It was a great day together at the Paralympic Village. We met up with the rest of the group for a trip to the Night Market. Watch for the next report on that experience! Don't forget to view pictures of the Paralympic Village at www.dropshots.com/cathycarson2000 .

One Gold & One Bronze!

It's been a whirlwind few days here in Beijing. On Friday, David lost a singles match that moved him into the Bronze Medal match. He played a superb match on Saturday winning the Bronze Medal 6-2, 4-6, 6-1. It was a nailbiter! The Medal Ceremony for the Singles was today, Sunday, and although he was somewhat disappointed that he didn't get the Gold, he was pleased to represent the United States as the Quad Singles Bronze Medalist at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.

On Saturday evening, David and Nick won the Gold Medal Doubles Match - hooray for the USA! They played an excellent match against Israel winning 6-0, 4-6, 6-2. The Doubles medal ceremony was last night and the tears streamed down our faces as David & Nick retained their world standing as the #1 Doubles pair and the defending Gold Medalists from Athens. What a great day of tennis and American pride!

There is more tennis to watch but David is finished playing. He is the only US tennis player (able bodied or disabled) to leave Beijing with two medals. What an amazing feat. You won't believe how beautiful (and heavy!) his medals are! We have one last event - the Closing Ceremony on Wednesday night. It promises to be quite a celebration.

Tomorrow we get to visit the Paralympic Village where the athletes stay. We have heard it is really something and have been looking forward to seeing it and having David show us around. As always, be sure to view my updated photos at www.dropshots.com/cathycarson2000 . Between the eight of us on this trip, we must have about 1,000 pictures. I promise to pick the best for you to see when I return. Thank you for all your support!