"Let’s go!" With his easel, watercolor, paintbrushes and a couple of clear hardboard paper, Woojin excitedly called to everybody. He has to paint "something" for an art contest in school and he thought "The Yeon Pond" near our place would be a perfect subject for his work. He chose the perfect spot when we arrived at the place.
The Yeon Pond is just outside the Hwa-Seong Fortress. The landscape has been there since the 1590’s. With a very old watchtower behind the pond, it stands as a model for bringing history ~~ alive and vibrant ~~into the 21st century.
(that bench between those beauiful weeping willows reminds me of my dad. he used to sit and hang out there in the morning.)
While Woojin was working on his piece, several groups of tourists stormed the place. Some of them were professional photographers from Japan and most were visitors from other countries who came here to explore the country’s incomparable history.
The tour was over…I thought. Surprisingly though, their guide led them to the store around the corner. What is special about this tiny urban store? It isn’t a picture of urban perfection. Well, I know it’s surrounded by a placid pond, a burbling stream where young boys and girls can play in the summer and..and ..what else? Searching for answers to my questions, I went inside the store to purchase bottles of drinks for Woojin and Yuna. Inside, the scene is even quainter: an assortment of wines and liquors (mind you.. they’re displayed with sophistication), a basket of colorful shoelaces and bands, the latest copy of Cosmopolitan and lots of special stuff for sale. The place provides one-stop-shopping for people looking to pick up just about anything ~~ dried and fresh fruits, snacks and cookies, refreshing traditional Korean drinks, disposable underwear and even scurrilous gossip! And the most important thing … the owner is so amicable … I heard he even tells his visitors where to go or not to go. I should say it’s also an information booth 
Well, the store’s atmosphere is close and intimate, yet not confining. I smiled… it definitely responds to its customers’ needs. Now, I know why………
Went back to see Woojin’s progress in his work. It took me just twenty minutes to spy on the store but then his sketch is almost finished. A little help from me…then we finally took off.
Here’s my little boy’s craft:
(I made some changes in the title. MJ, my dear friend…suggested a couple of good titles. She’s right! Why didn’t I even think about my little boy’s work Thanks, MJ!
Wow, what a talented little artist ! Nice artwork.
June 17, 2007 @ 2:29 pmAng ganda naman ng place, it looks serenely beautiful.
i come from a small city here in alabama and once in a while, you’ll find little stores like this one you have described in your blog. i love going into one of them. the storekeeper is always nicer, the place cleaner and for my little shopping it is very convenient where i can do my one-stop shopping.
June 21, 2007 @ 7:37 amRichelle, You have a very talented boy!!! he’s gifted! Yu-na looks bubbly and “kikay” posing for pictures beside his consentrating “Opa”… :)) and they two look very lovely together, each on their own, busy with their art works.
June 21, 2007 @ 10:18 amthe store sounds very friendly and interesting to visit…it’ll be a place worth spending a beautiful sunny day with kids; just looking at your pics. made me think you all had a good time together!!!
I can’t help but notice the trees in the pictures, the one with the long ,swaying branches– they look like “YANAGI Tree” that they also have here in Japan….
Another lovely post, richelle!!! i think an alternate headline for this piece could be, “My Talented Little Boy” or “My Budding Artist.”:)… because Woojin really is, richelle!! what a great work of art he came up with!! i can already tell that if he continues to paint diligently, as many chances as he gets (and with the kind support of his good parents), he could actually become a pro-painter someday! you must be very proud of him; i would be! and as for your little girl, yuna- she is as cute as a button, richelle!! (that’s a popular saying in this west virginia hills, meaning ‘absolutely cute and adorable’)i like the pix of her laying on her belly and drawing her own picture while her brother is seriously working on his. for sure this will be a picture that will make them both smile (and you, too) when they get older and they look and see how cute they were - two little artists working on their drawing/painting once upon a time by yeon pond:) talking about yeon pond- what a beautiful, tranquil-looking place, richelle!!! i love the quaint pagoda on top of the little hill and those lush, green trees standing like sentinels beside the cool water. i’m thrilled for you and your family, that you all had another great outing together!! also like your observation of why the tiny urban store around the corner was part of the tour. that just goes to show that smiles and a friendly attitude go a long, long way when it comes to attracting and satisfying customers. great job spying on that one:) you remind me of nancy drew, richelle:) way to go for another interesting post, richelle … rich with pictures and, as always, offering your readers something worthwhile to think about …
June 23, 2007 @ 1:15 pmThank you guys for these wonderful comments. Would that we could all drop everything and go sightseeing around this lovely place. We could spend a day and enjoy the beauty of Hwaseong Fortress. You guys will definitely love the wall built by King Jung Jo during the Chosun Dynasty. Those pagodas were actually guard houses(watchtowers). You can see the whole downtown Suwon from each pagoda. MJ, I actually took photos of two brown and gold ducklings in the pond. However, I didn’t get the angles right. They don’t look that lovely
Mench, those trees are weeping willows. You can just veg under them even on a very hot day. When you get this chance of coming to Korea, promise to tour you and Yuuki
About the store around the corner, I frequently visit the place now. I just purchased 200 grams of fresh cherries and a copy of Korean Herald this morning. The owner is really nice. He even offered me a warm cup of tea. Annette is right! It’s time-saving and more practical going to small town stores than spending hours in those BIG-box commercial places.
Gina…the place is majestic and especially grand. Everything in here is an eye-filling sight.
Extra..extra..my little Yuna never really likes to be hedged in. She loves doing what Woojin loves to do. Actually, my son prepared her art materials that morning. It’s always fun having her around
June 24, 2007 @ 8:54 amAnyway, thank you for dropping by. Hope you can come to Korea….
Im on the go, got my laptop back but in a few days I may as well bring this back to my girls.
What a lovely place to indulge with your family. Beautiful, clean, peaceful, quite, we ought to spend more quality time in this kind of place on earth. Its nice of you to show what and where incase we feel like going.
We have store like that here too, especially in my white monkeys township. Its one store has its all. A 30 minute drive away, thats near? Ohhhhhh my white monkey’s house is in the country side, too far from civilization.
He loves living and feeding his deers, I dont’.
With your guidance and support your son will be more encouraged do what he love most as he grows older.
July 24, 2007 @ 11:40 amFantastic work for one so young .. a great talent..
August 18, 2007 @ 1:39 pmThanks, Nick! Do you remember this place? Sure you do! You went strolling here with Judy during your visit in 2002. The place is more captivating now. Hope you could visit us again:)
August 18, 2007 @ 2:00 pmOh, I’m sorry Nick. I thought you were the other Nick. He’s a close friend who came here in 2002. Well, thanks for dropping by. Hope you can come and visit Korea.
August 19, 2007 @ 7:36 am