Happiness

Hi,
Today was Boot's birthday. Lisa made a card and we left gifts for her on her table. This evening we went out to dinner. More about that later.
"I wanna be your brother I wanna be your mother and your sister, too. There ain’t no other..." Hint: The first four words of the first line are in the title. Just so you know, Paul got it, so it's possible.
The big project for today was getting new tires. Last evening we noticed a low tire, the product of a slow leak. Rather than just fix an old tire, I did the adult thing and got new ones all around. Supat told me the best place to go and had me call him when I got there so he could talk to the owner. It was a different experience from buying tires in the U.S. There's always the smell of old tires when you sit around waiting. And that's if there's a place to sit around. Instead of tire funk, the sweet smell of incense floated about. When they began working on the truck I watched from a distance, in 'the resting area'. I noticed that before they put the new tires on, the operator thoroughly cleaned the inside of the wheel, where the tire seats against the rim. Interesting. Then a woman came by with a tray of ice-water. That never happened before. A little later, the owner came over and asked me if I'd like them to put nitrogen mixture in the tires instead of air. Hmm. It keeps the tires cooler. They use it on airliners and F1 cars. That's all I needed to hear. Fill'em up. Then it was on to my free tire alignment. What? After I paid I was given a gift. A Lao pillow and a calendar. Yes, a totally unique experience. It took a while, but it was worth it.
I spent part of my waiting time exploring an area next to the tire store. I don't care where you live, there's always a place on a street that you travel on, where you say 'I wonder what's over there'. Well, this was one of those places, so I went to see. It was a giant market place for fresh fruits and vegetables. It was mid-day and farmers were driving in and dropping off big bundles of produce. It was fascinating to watch the routine. A few people were shopping but it was mostly vendors setting things up. We're going to go over one day with Boot and see if things are really fresh and what the prices are like.
So, we took Boot to dinner. She directed us to a spot called Moo Mai that was wonderful. It used to be a very large Lana (northern) style house that was converted into an experience. As we walked into the yard there was a playground for kids. To the right, there were several small open tents, each with a table for four by candle light. We strolled in and Boot picked a spot that turned out to be right in front of a small stage. Very friendly, attentive staff and a decor that had my eyes constantly discovering something new. It was fun. Normally, when you order a drink you get a bottle's worth. Boot and I had Cokes and our server kept coming over and topping off our glasses. Lisa had a Tang Mo Pun (watermelon shake) and soda water. We ordered a fish dish and shrimp plate. Just as dinner arrived a young man started setting up for a set on the small stage. He played acoustic guitar and sang and was very entertaining. On some of the songs, Boot would explain what he was singing about. That made a big difference. On a few tunes he used a drum machine and was very adept at managing it and the guitar. After his set, as we were leaving, I went up and spoke to him. I just wanted to thank him for his set. I hope to get together with Berm in the future.
It's time for Happy Tuesday. You haven't gotten to the quote yet, but know that I have a bunch of butterflies all over me.

Peace,
Danny

"Happiness is like a butterfly.
The more you chase it, the more it will elude you.
But if you turn your attention to other things,
it comes softly and sits on your shoulder."
~Unknown


Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

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