Art

Hi,

The Chiang Rai weekend weather was mostly clear.  The temps were down a bit and rain stayed away.  

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King.  I will probably hear from a bunch of you on this ‘Easy Monday’ tune:  “I’ve paid my dues, time after time.  I’ve done my sentence, but committed no crime.  And bad mistakes, I’ve made a few.  I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face, but I’ve come through.  And we mean to go on and on and on and on.  __ __ __ __, my friends, and we’ll keep on fighting till the end…..”  Hint:  Really?

October will be the final month of mourning for the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.  He will be cremated on the 26th of this month during a five day period.  Thais and others are encouraged to wear black (the rules on that had been relaxed).  From what we’ve been told, when people leave their homes they should have a solemn demeanor during this time.  The person who told us this said he could not do that.  Some decrees are not always seen as practical by the masses.  

This morning at Big C we noticed more people wearing black.  There were also more black garments on the racks in the clothing sections.  As for the mood, it seemed like always.  We got there early and had a easy time of finding things and moving on to our next stop.  As we were leaving Big C we saw our friend Nukoon, who was also leaving.  We had our usual fun banter and he took a selfie of the three of us.  Across the highway at Central Plaza Mall, we did our coffee thing and waited for the mall to open.  There were a lot of shoppers milling around before the place opened.  

 

At the sporting goods store I realized something:  interest/participation in various sports activities has grown in Chiang Rai.  When the mall first opened, the store had mostly football (soccer) gear.  Now there is a big swimwear department, cycling and climbing gear, and a section selling gym equipment.  Just another sign of a growing city. 

One of the bright spots of the day was when Gong was washing the van.  Neechanon and Natcha were out in the yard watching him and walking around.  Lisa and I were exercising Daku and at one point, Neechanon came out on the lawn.  That inspired Daku to run.  Whenever he approached her, he was very careful and would swerve to miss her.  Later, she decided to join Gong and help.  Today’s photo shows Neechanon giving Gong the bowl she picked up.

Tomorrow we’re meeting Cat at Shong Cafe.  She called this afternoon to tell us that her grandmother, who has been ill for a long time, passed.  The funeral will be in her village on Wednesday.  In the midst of all this, it’s mid-term week.  Driving back and forth, studying, taking tests and feeling feelings will make this a very intense week for her.

Have a Great Week.

                  Peace,

                            Danny

“Art enables us to find

ourselves and lose ourselves

at the same time.”

~Thomas Merton