Power

Hi.
Today was supposed to be the day our ship would come in. Turns out that not much 'official' was happening today because it's an holiday. Today is Chulalongkorn (or King Rama V) Day. He was born in 1853 and died in 1905. He was the grandfather of the present King. He is responsible for major changes in the Thai way of life and is loved and revered as the father of modern Thailand. He ended slavery, instituted governmental agencies to take care of the needs of the people. He traveled all over the country making sure that the changes took place and that people were treated properly. He also managed to play the role of diplomat and fend off formal occupation by several countries. He did concede some land to France, but kept Thailand free. Many Thais have a picture of him in their homes.
I guess some of you were too busy watching the fire news to read your mail. A few of you knew the song. Maybe these lyrics, that finish out the first verse, will help you out. "But I was young and didn't understand, but now I'm a grown up man. I know girls are made for kissing, never knew what I was missing. Now my life is not the same, my whole world has been rearranged. I went from __ __ __ Oh yes I did __ __ __"
Speaking of fires, we've been trying to keep up, but there's just too many. I'm imagining that it must be all smokey in the non-fire areas, ashes everywhere. pretty bad. It's really sad to think that some of the fires this year, were intentional. My Cousin Morris (Conley Jr.) lives in San Diego Country Estates (near Romona). I sent him a message to see what was happening and got a reply from his dad, who didn't know about my message. Morris' wife and son had left, but as a fire fighter, he chose to stay and protect his house and his neighborhood. His boss approved his decision. My hat's off to all of the folks out there on the line, the city and county fire fighters as well as the inmates who are trained to fight brush fires. I know Cousin Albert's out there somewhere.
Today we found out where to buy popcorn. We had gone to what we call the 'kitchen store', to get another cabinet for the kitchen house. This place is actually a sheet-metal fabrication company that makes and sells tables for burners, storage, and even makes snazzy push-carts that we see on the street with food cooking on them. Whew. There's a young woman there who speaks pretty good English and she gave us the tip.
I'm getting real close to posting the first installment of "Thai Life on Two Wheels". I've been taking pics of, well, motorbikes and all that happens with them. You've seen a few, but stay tuned. You ain't seen nothin' yet.
It's Time for Tacky Tuesday!

Peace,
Danny

"Too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind
word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of
caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
~Leo Buscaglia

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

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