Change

Hi,

Yes, it’s still very hot.  Over 100 today and hotter tomorrow.  The low tonight is supposed to be 75.  

The ‘Easy Monday’ song was “Little Red Corvette” by Prince.  Here comes that ‘Zany Day’ song again.  This one is from across the pond.  You may remember:  “I live in an apartment on the ninety-ninth floor of my block.  And I sit at home looking out the window, imagining the world has stopped.  Then in flies a guy who’s all dressed up like a Union Jack, and says I’ve won five pounds if I have his kind of detergent pack.  I say, ‘Hey, you __ __ __ __ __, Hey, you __ __ __ __ __.  Hey, you __ __ __ __ __.  Don’t hang around ‘cause twos a crowd…”  Clue:  Someone wants to be left alone.  

This morning we voted.  Actually, we faxed our ballot to the States.  The whole process was rather painless with the help of our friend Stephan and the staff at Le Meridien Hotel.  While they fed the pages into the machine, we had coffee in the little air/con coffee shop and chatted with Stephen.  He has become a triathlete and has competed in numerous events all over Thailand and in other countries.  We got to hear stories of training and some of his recent races.  We were surprised to learn how big the sport has become in Thailand, and how big bike riding is in Chiang Rai.  When he trains early in the morning, he rides on the access road that we drove on last week.  He sees hundreds of riders out on that road getting a morning ride before work.  There is a sports center in Bangkok where he will do a triathlon training weekend.  Over 1,000 people will participate in this training session.  That’s serious commitment. 

We hid from the heat for most of the day.  There was a special event downtown in honor of the Princess’ birthday and Art Bridge had a small exhibition.  Lisa has a piece in the exhibit so we went to the ‘Prison Park’, as it’s called, to participate.  The park is on the site of what used to be the Chiang Rai Prison.  A portion of the wall still stands, as is the custom in some cities.  The new prison is now located out-of-town.  At 5:30pm it’s just past the hottest time of day, so the whole thing was a little overwhelming.  We didn’t realize it was a whole community ‘thing’, with a giant stage, lots of booths with crafts and food, and dignitaries.  We saw lots of artist friends, took photos with people, and managed to duck out just as the ceremony part was starting.  Had it been cooler, we might have stayed, but we were melting.

Today’s photo was taken at the event this evening.  The man is weaving a chicken cage, like the ones on the right.  It’s a very portable device that keeps the birds contained, anywhere in the yard.  

There is a new artist group that has spun off from Art Bridge.  It is a Women’s Art Collective and Lisa became a member.  Apparently this is the first time something like this has been done in Thailand.  We’re very excited about it.  The art world has historically been run and controlled by men.  That is about to change.  More will be revealed.

It feels like a Wacky Wednesday.

                 Peace,

                           Danny

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change.

I am changing the things I cannot accept.”

~Dr. Angela Davis