Right

Hi,

The rain finally came to Chiang Rai.  Well, part of it, for a little bit.  Sunday morning there was a 20 minute downpour that was intense, and then it was gone.  It rained on our side of the river, but across the bridge it was dry.  In some areas it actually hailed.  Hmm, amazing weather.

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “Roxanne” by The Police, from their first LP.  Here comes ‘Easy Monday’.

“When Whipoorwills call, and ev’ning is nigh, I hurry to __ __ __.  I turn to the right, I see a little white light, that leads me to __ __ __.”  Hint: There is a color involved.  The singer was sometimes called ‘The Fat Man’.

Saturday morning we went to Starbuck’s for coffee and entered the mall when it opened.  That’s the best time, especially when you want to handle business.  Lisa paid her phone bill and then we went to Top’s for eggs.  Malls are a constant work in progress.  Something is always changing or being changed.  Some businesses are simple, just turn on the lights and present product.  Others are more involved, as in dusting shelves, cleaning screens, and moving signs into doorways.  Walking through the place on Saturday I started to wonder about how various workers perceived themselves in their jobs.  The range was everything from very ‘engaged and necessary', to 'as long as they pay me I’ll do what they ask’.  

Sunday was a big day at The Big Brown House.  Tatt, who spent his last year of high school with us, arrived to spend a couple of days visiting.  It’s a 13 hour bus ride from his parents home in Rayong, south of Bangkok.  He brought us a box containing eggs from their family farm.  There were different eggs from different chickens, meaning different sizes.  Tatt always brings something when he visits.  We hadn’t seen him for a long time, so there was much to catch up on.  He has done his stint as a monk, been a soldier, and now has a job in marine biology, the field he studied at the University.  We went to Sawadee Restaurant in The Night Bazaar for dinner.  One of the perks of Tatt coming to stay with us is his love for dogs.  He and Jai Dee became instant best friends and Tatt helped with some of the puppy duties.  They went for walks, played with toys, and gave us a few breaks.  

This morning, at The Wanderer, Mercy the Husky came over to our table and hung out.  Kwan came over and called Mercy to go with her, but Mercy made it clear that she wanted to stay with us.  She went behind Lisa’s chair and peaked out at Kwan, like she was hiding.  Very touching.

This evening, Cat came over and we all went to dinner at Sabroso.  Tatt had never had Mexican food so it was an easy decision on where to eat.  Cat could explain things to him in Thai and it made it smoother than if we tried to explain the food.  Cat and Tatt hung out with Blue one year when we were in the States.  The two of them got Blue into a ‘smart phone’ and they went on several adventures together.  Our dinner tonight was lots of fun.  When we came back to the house, we talked about many things and then Cat showed us one of the songs she has to ‘sign’ with fellow students as part of a final exam tomorrow.  As a group, they have to ‘sign’ a Thai song that’s on Youtube.  Even without knowing the lyrics, it was quite beautiful.  Tatt will leave tomorrow on the 10am bus to Bangkok.  

This morning we took Jai Dee to the vet to check on a few things.  He now weighs 10.6 kilos (23.36 lbs).  When he came to us one month ago, he weighed around 6 kilos.  His face is changing, losing that little puppy look.  He is taller too.  So tall that he can take things off of tables if we’re not careful.  He can now stand on his hind legs and get a close look at the TV.  We learned that he has a new sports interest:  Snooker.  The photo below says it all.

Jai Dee has also been cleared by the vet to go visiting.  Now he can begin his training in the social graces (555).  He’ll meet Mercy and visit the woods at The Wanderer, and travel around town and see the sights.  He loves to stick his head in the wind when he's riding.  Let the fun begin.

Have a Great Week.

                                Peace,

                                          Danny

“People have the right to call 

themselves whatever they like.

That doesn’t bother me.  It’s other

people doing the calling that bothers me.”

~Octavia E. Butler