Peace

Hi,
Congratulations to those of you who remembered the weekend song. Today's the day to sing it loud. Lane wrote:
"Manic Monday" (1986) was the first hit single by pop group the Bangles. It was written by Prince in 1984 and recorded as a duet for the Apollonia 6 album, but the song was eventually pulled. Two years later, as he was attempting to "court" lead singer Susanna Hoffs, Prince (under pseudonym Christopher) offered the song to The Bangles, who recorded their version. The song reached #2 in both the UK and US record charts, coincidentally behind Prince's own song " Kiss", which reached #1 in the US. Now you know. Today's song is from my favorite year for music. Hmm, from verse one:
"In and out my life, you come and you go, leaving just your picture behind, and I’ve kissed it a thousand times..." Hint: They were at the their game at the time, motoring up the charts.
Today was 'Dirt Day' at the new homestead. Supat spent the day helping to manage the trucks and the tractors. Actually, there was a young woman who was in charge of the trucks that rolled in, over and over, dumping a surprising amount of beautiful red dirt all over the place. There was a bit of a dispute early in the day when two mooban leaders claimed they were due a commission on the dirt because it came from their village. We left it for the dirt woman to settle the dispute. I arrived around 2:30 and couldn't believe the progress that had been made. The two tractors were going back and forth, spreading the dirt as each truck dumped their load. At the end of the day, they'll drive a water truck around and soak the dirt, let it settle over night and do it again tomorrow. I'll post some pictures on Flickr.
Yesterday the well was created in order to provide the water needed for the various stages of building. The whole thing is a bit mind boggling, to say the least.
Things are done differently here, as if you didn't know by now. Not only are houses built differently, there's a cultural divide that must be dealt with. We've been told by many people, that there's the way you plan it, and the Thai way. One has to be careful not to give 'free reign' in most situations. We met an American woman who's been in LOS for four years. She told us her experiences with building and renovation and cautioned us to supervise everything. Message received.
We're going down to Chiang Mai again, on Wednesday. Once again, we'll ride the V.I.P. bus and stay one night. This time we have the name of a driver with a car, who speaks a bit of English. That should make things a little more pleasant. I've been told to check out a housing development in town that has some great ideas to draw on. Even though we pretty much know what we want, how it's done can make a big difference. We're looking to have a Thai Style house, with western touches. Hmm.
The trip back to the States is getting closer and we're getting excited about seeing family and friends. Our 'room' at Jeff and Anna's is complete and, according to C-Bass, is pretty cool. That tells me we're going to like it.
Have a Wonderful Week. (notice I didn't say 'cool')

Peace,
Danny

"Peace is possible.
Each moment that one individual chooses peace inside,
the whole of humanity moves forward.
We each have the ability and responsibility
to become peacemakers in our daily lives."
~John Morton

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics