Walls

Hi,
Life is never dull around here. Today we did several new things. Can you say that, almost every day? Supat came over with some samples of roof tiles and paint. He also brought the ingredients for making his Pikanet amulets. They are molded out of a clay mixture, pressed into a silicone mold, air-dried and then fired in a kiln. After that they are painted in various combinations, some based on birthday and some on power. Pikanet is to Thai folklore what Ganesh is to Indian. I'll post some pics later, of him showing us how he makes them.
I just knew I'd get mail about the song. Hmm, just a few of you remember this gem, from 1960. Weren't born? Google. "But don't forget who's taking you home, and in whose arms you're gonna be, so darlin', __ __ __ __ __ __, mmmm" Hint: Maybe the melody will drift through your mind.
This evening, Supat came over and took us to the property. He'd been telling us how he had a balloon he wanted up to send up, while saying a few words about the land and asking for good luck. Boot followed us on her bike and we set off for a night-time adventure. It turned out he had ten balloons, plus ten long strings of fireworks. It was Loy Kratong all over again. Only this time it was extra large. The devices he brought were much larger than the ones we sent into the air by the river. They had cloth rings, which he soaked in kerosene and then attached to the bottom of the balloon. Then he tied the string of fireworks to the frame. The fireworks consisted of firecrackers and something like a Roman candle, that spewed sparks. Over and over, we'd light the ring, watch it fill up with hot air, light the fuse and let go. The wind was low, so they went straight up and drifted over the river. That's when the firecrackers started popping and sparks fell to earth. Later in the flight, more sparks would stream down. At several times, we could see the glow of five at a time, miles up in the night sky. It's an experience we will never forget. Especially considering we were doing it on our very own land. Hmm, could this get any better?
After the balloons were all gone, we went to the NB, in short sleeves (5). Boot met us there on her bike and we had fun shopping together. It's the first time we'd done that. We can tell that Boot is missing us already, doing extra things around the house, coming early, hanging out more. It's cool, 'cause we'll miss her too.
Oh, Blue wrote to tell us that Ming got accepted to Stanford, with a full scholarship for his freshman year. Congrats to Ming and his very proud parents. Blue also wrote with the name of the lizard. "The phonetic pronunciation of the "large lizard" is "Tuk-g-a-a-ah". The name is the same as the strange sound it makes. "Tuk-G-a-a-ah, Tuk-G-a-a-ah!"
You don't want to hear that alone, outside. Freaky.
Well, it's time for a Happy Tuesday.

Peace,
Danny

PS There's a bunch of new pics over at the Flickr site


"Love is the light that dissolves all walls between souls, families and nations."
~Paramahansa Yogananda


Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics