A Touch of China
Stories Carved in Antique Camphor and Teak Wood 

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I've always had an appreciation for all things Chinese and Asian . . . heck, even my wife was made in China. I guess it started with my dad's tales of Hong Kong, which he shared when he returned from serving on the RCN ship, HMCS Prince Robert in WWII. He brought back many souvenirs: carved ornaments, vases, field glasses, swords, silks, photos, etc. Of special interest were the photos of the Chinese musical entertainment troupes that entertained the ship's crew while docked at Kowloon. 

Chinese restaurants with their exotic food and culture were a mainstay on the prairies where I was raised and some of my classmates were Chinese. In fact, Sue-On's brother, Kenny, and I became friends and classmates after he immigrated from Hong Kong. 

After Sue-On and I were married she shared much of her Asian heritage and prepared amazing exotic dishes. We often ate Chinese on the road and we even introduced Asian touches into our costumes and music. Our music has taken us across North America, England, Europe and the Far East. It is not surprising then, that we amassed quite a collection of Asian music, art, ornaments, food and furniture from these travels. 

Our homes are filled with a fascinating mix of books, videos, plants, music and instruments against a backdrop of influences from our Scottish/English and Chinese cultures -- much of which we have brought home from our music tours. We are especially proud of our collection of unusual musical instruments and carved wooden furniture pieces which we have found in Asia. We've shared photos of these hand-carved treasures on our main Website and in our photo archive.

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Excerpt from our Hillman 50-Year Musical Odyssey
www.hillmanweb.com/book
Gig Notes Ch. 3
www.hillmanweb.com/book/gigs/03.html