Choice

Hi,

We’ve been living in 100+ temps for the last few days and it’s not stopping soon.  They say ‘101F, feels like 110’ and stuff like that.  

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “The Book of Love” by The Monotones  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIfuNPbBaaA   Now we move on to ‘Easy Monday’.  “Hot town, __ __ __ __, back of my neck getting dirty and gritty.  Been down, isn’t it a pity, doesn’t seem to be a shadow in the city.  All around, people looking half dead, walking on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head.”  Hint: The weather had me singing this song all day.  Hmm.

Saturday was another hot day but we had a brief, heavy rain in the early evening.  We got all dressed up and went to Rai Mae Fah Luang Park for the special event.  It turns out it was the 20th anniversary of the death of the Princess Mother (The mother of The King).  When we arrived, our host spotted us and threw his arms up and shouted ‘Oh, how beautiful’.  He was so pleased that we came in Lanna attire.  Most of the guests wore some kind of traditional outfit and it was a sight to see.  There were a lot of familiar faces, even some whose names we remembered (555).  The evening began with a ceremony and tribute gifts for the members of the Board of Directors.  The park has many activities and events centering around the preservation of Lanna culture.  At the end, a monk gave a blessing to the audience by walking down the center aisle sprinkling water.  As he began, so did the rain.  

Inside the main gallery we were meeting and greeting, checking out the exhibit when suddenly the lights went out.  People just turned on the flashlights on their phones and it all continued.  The next phase of the evening was a buffet dinner with musical entertainment.  Most of the food was pork-based so we didn’t eat much.  We had a good time talking with our friend Chalit and his girlfriend Sin.  There was a small ensemble from Chiang Mai consisting of piano, cello, violin, various flutes and two vocalists.  They were very good.  There was also a dance performance by a couple who did what I’d call a blend of Lanna/Contemporary, accompanied by a solo Thai instrument.  There must have been 100+ guests and we were part of a handful of expats.  It was a memorable experience.

Sunday morning, when we went out with Daku, he dashed over to a tree just as a bird flew out.  I thought that was what had attracted him but on further inspection I discovered a little owl that was stuck.  It was out of Daku’s reach.  Lisa held him while I cut a piece of twine that was wrapped around his leg, and then he flew off.  We had never seen an owl here so it was a big treat.  That’s the photo for today.  His face is in the shadow of the tree.

Have a Great Week.

                    Peace,

                              Danny

“Choosing to live your life by your own choice is 

the greatest freedom you will ever have.”

~Shad Helmstetter