Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Shortcuts

Hi,
Well, it's Wednesday evening. We just got back from a 'night on the town'. We went to the Wiang Inn, had a questionable dinner and listened to Freddie play and sing. We were the only ones in the room. During his break, he sat with us and we had a nice visit. While he was hanging out, more and more hotel guests arrived. He's coming over for lunch on Saturday.
And speaking of singing, a bunch of you missed a chance to sing "Cowboys To Girls" over the last few days. The Intruders had a big hit with that one in the early 70s. Here's an easy one, a ballad from '78 that you should get:
"Don't go changing to try and please me, You never let me down before, mmmm. Don't imagine you're too familiar, And I don't see you anymore..." Hint: This piano man had many hits, a bit of a chameleon, but that's the way he was.
We spent the afternoon riding around with Pat. We saw some beautiful property, but I think it's a little too far from town. Then we saw some land in town, but the price was way too high. The right spot with the right price is out there waiting for us to arrive. It will happen. In the course of our travels, we saw some pretty amazing sights. One thing Pat showed us was a development that being built by a group from Holland. Really nice houses with moats around them and, get this, draw bridges. I couldn't resist taking a few pics of this. I'll post them today.
So far, everyone we know who lives in the various fire areas is alright for the moment. Lots of SD family had to evacuate. Thankfully, we're getting updates from other family members so it's not as unsettling as it could be.
Not much else to tell you today. Life goes on in Chiang Rai. Oh, just remembered something. Yesterday we heard the familiar sound of loudspeakers. Usually, they're on top of a pickup truck and the cruise through the neighborhood making political announcement (election coming) or advertising something. The voice we heard yesterday was stationary. It went on for quite a while. We asked Boot what it was about and she told us that two people in the village had died. She thinks they were older people, and the voice was the Phu Yai Ban (my spelling), or village leader. It was like a tribute to them. Today we heard the sound of music coming down the street. It sounded live. It was a funeral procession, which consisted of a truck carrying a large casket with loved ones riding and walking around it, plus a truck with about 10 musicians playing traditional instruments. It was a very touching sight.
Now I'm really done. For you, it's time for Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,
Danny

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."
~Beverly Sills


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