Do

Hi,

Today is the day we leave sunny, rainy, cold Southern California.  Actually, don’t fly out until late at night, but the process of leaving begins much earlier.

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “In the Rain” by The Dramatics.  I guess we need an ‘Easy Monday’ tune to start this week.  “You ask me if there’ll come a time when I grow tired of you.  __ __ __, __ __ __.  You wonder if this heart of mine will lose it’s desire for you.  __ __ __, __ __ __.”  Hint:  This 1967 declaration of love was recorded by a six-man group known for their lush vocals.  

As I write this, it’s late Sunday night and we’ve basically packed our bags already.  We wanted to see if everything would fit in the two bags we brought with us.  Yea, it worked.  There was a remote possibility that another small bag might be needed.  

Our weekend had a nice balance of hanging out and scheduled coffees and meals.  Sunday morning we continued one of our traditions when Lisa and my mother gave me a Recovery cake.  Lunch at Emerald Thai and then back to Altadena.  

While we’ve been here in the U.S., things have been going on in Thailand.  One of Lisa’s friends sent her a photo of her ‘big’ elephant, taken at the flower show.  Today’s photo, taken by Cat, shows ‘Ellie’, as we call her, leading a parade of Art Bridge elephants on a walk by the river.  

Our journey home begins around 7pm, when we say goodbye to our ‘Family’ (Jeff, Anna, C-Bass and August).  Then we head to the rental car center.  From there we will take the courtesy bus to LAX.  After we check in at EVA Airlines, we get to stand in a long line to go through the TSA screening process.  So much fun, taking off shoes, removing the laptops from their bags, etc.  Then it’s off to the EVA lounge to wait for the announcement of our flight.  Even after doing this for so many years, there is still an air of excitement about the whole process.  We will arrive in Bangkok on Wednesday morning, Thai time, which is actually Tuesday L.A. time.  We get to Chiang Rai in the evening around 7pm.  I’ll be writing to you from somewhere out there (555).

Have a Great Week.

               Peace,

                         Danny

“The difference between what we do

and what we are capable of doing

would suffice to solve most of the world’s 

problems.”

~Mahatma Gandhi

Friday Funnies

Hi,

It was great having a day without rain.  With all the time spent ‘out and about’, doing it dry was very cool.  The word is that Chiang Rai weather will be in the mid 80s during the day and mid to low 50s overnight.  I can handle that just fine.

The ‘Zany Day’ song was Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven”.  For our ‘Old School Friday’ song we’re going back to 1970, which is rather old school for a lot of you.  “I wanna go outside __ __ __.  It may sound crazy but I wanna __ __ __.  ‘Cause I, I think I’m gonna cry, and I, I don’t want you to see my cry.  I wanna go outside __ __ __.  It may sound crazy, but I wanna go outside __ __ __.”  Hint:  That’s the chorus to a song about a man who wants to hide the tears with the water from the sky.  

Last night I felt like a kid from the country, walking down the street looking up at the sky.  There were so many flying machines up there.  In Chiang Rai there are a couple of evening flights and they don’t fly over our house, and I’m grateful for that.  There is one helicopter that flies over on rare occasions and mostly during the day.  It took a minute to look past the planes and appreciate the stars that were visible.

Thursday was what we call ‘Marina Day’.  The day when we visit with some of the people that Lisa worked with.  There were three ‘coffees’ and a lunch.  On our way we noticed that a nursery we used to buy plants from is gone.  The site is a vacant lot.  Another familiar corner is now the home of a large apartment house.  Oh, the changes.  

In the meanwhile, back at the ranch department, Natcha’s sister has been working at the house, learning the ropes.  She will take over most of the everyday duties when the baby arrives, which is supposed to be next month. It will be challenging because she speaks no English, though Natcha will be close by if we need help translating.  

Today’s photo is another one from the flower show.  An ocean of tulips.

I have purchased gas three times since we’ve been here.  The prices were all very different, with the most expensive being on Robertson Bl. in West Hollywood.  That was no surprise.  Altadena came in second, and for some strange reason the cheapest gas was right outside Marina del Rey.  Hmm.  The prize for the best name for a gas station goes to ‘Fuel Depot’.  Still not used to pumping my own gas.  Thailand has spoiled me on that one.  Last week we approached the math necessary to compare the price of gas in both countries.  Here’s the dilemma:  In Thailand we use Baht per Liter.  In the U.S. it’s Dollar per Gallon.  Lisa was working it out without paper and pencil, saying what we needed to know and then she paused and said, “And then you do something.”  We had a good laugh and let the whole thing go.  If you care to take a stab at it, go for it.

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd.   On to the ‘Funnies’.

             Peace,

                       Danny

Humility

Hi,

Wednesday was clearly the big ‘rain day’ of the storm.  We had the ‘pleasure’ of being out in it.  It really wasn’t so bad.  We had lots of good luck finding close parking to all of our stops, and Anna provided a nice big umbrella.  Let it rain.

A few of you knew the ‘Zany Day’ song right away.  Here’s the second verse of this outstanding taste of early R&R.

“You know my temperature’s rising and the jukebox’s blows a fuse.  My heart’s beating rhythm and my soul keeps singing the blues.  __ __ __ and tell Tchaikovsky the news.”  Clue: The second part of R&R is in the title, and the name of a famous composer is also there.

It’s not unusual, when in Thailand, to click on a video story and get a message that the content is not available in our region.  Imagine our surprise when that message while in L.A.  The story was from Australia (555).  I guess they didn’t want us to see it.

Another thing that is unusual in Chiang Rai is to see fire trucks racing to an emergency.  We do see ambulances (vans with lights and sirens) on emergency calls.  Because of the design of our ‘small town’, there is no room to pull over and let them pass.  There is not much to be done about this, and it will surely become a bigger issue as the population increases.  Hmm, what to do? 

Yesterday we had lunch with our former doctor.  He was planning a trip to South East Asia and wanted to know about Thailand.  When he wrote, he thought we were in Thailand.  It was a treat for all of us to be able to sit down and talk after so many years.

We made our third trip to Dinah’s and had coffee with our cousin Wendy.  One thing we talked about was the importance of keeping in touch with the remaining cousins of our generation.  

Today’s photo was taken by Cat at the annual flower show.  This is a pretty clever presentation.  I call it ‘Pouring Flowers’.

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

                Peace,

                          Danny 

“Humility is not thinking less of yourself,

but thinking of yourself less.”

~Unknown

Choose

Hi,

Listening to the radio in the car this morning, I was wishing we had a weather and traffic report in Thailand.  You look at the sky, judge the wind, and take a chance on the traffic. 

The ‘Easy Monday’ song was “We’ve Only Just Begun” by The Carpenters.  Time for a ‘Zany Day’ song.  

“Well gonna write a little letter, gonna mail it to my local D.J.  It’s a rocking little record I want my jockey to play.  

__ __ __ I gotta hear it again today.”  Hint:  This is classic from the master of R&R.  He’s sure this will stir a classical master.

The first day of the big storm series created a lot of problems in Southern California.  It’s amazing how much damage can be caused by a steady rain.  We’re used to those dramatic, monsoonal events that blow sideways for about an hour and then leave.  I don’t know which is worse.  Either way, you get wet and stuff gets broken.

There are parts of this big city that look completely different from one year ago.  When things happen, like rebuilding or remodeling, the work seems to be done quick.  Driving on Sawtelle north of Olympic, I was blown away by the change in ‘the look’ of some of the buildings.  It was quite impressive.  If you haven’t seen it yet, the Peterson Automotive Museum at Wilshire and Fairfax is a dramatic sight at night when it’s all lit up, although I miss the racing car hanging off the side of the building.

Today’s photo was taken on Monday, looking out on Santa Monica Bay.  It was a perfect day to observe the ocean and the coastline, but way too cool for a stroll on the beach.  

It’s time for Wacky Wednesday.

                  Peace,

                            Danny

“We can choose to see life as a series of

trials and tribulations, or we can choose to 

see life as an accumulation of treasures.

~Unknown

Go

Hi,

Sorry this is so late.

Monday in the states and we have one week left.  The rain never appeared, so we’re waiting for the big storm that’s supposed to last all week.  By the looks of the sky, it may be late.  I know rain is needed, but I won’t be disappointed if it waits until next week (555).

The ‘Easy Monday’ song came easy for a lot of you.  “Before the risin’ sun, we fly.  So many roads to choose, we’ll start out walkin’ and learn to run.  And yes, __ __ __."  Hint:  Original hit by a brother/sister team.

Today’s photo was taken in the parking garage of an unnamed business.  The ‘Out of Order’ sign isn’t much of a confidence builder.

The last time we were here we decided we’d take a day and see some sights.  Well, the schedule’s a little tight for that, but we did get in a little detour.  We drove west on Wilshire Bl. to the end and parked.  Walking along the Pacific Palisades bluff, looking out on the Pacific ocean was a real treat.  I’ll share pics tomorrow.

Imagine our surprise when we entered the ‘Fox Hills Mall’ parking lot and discovered that there were a lot of cars there.  I thought it would be nearly empty on the first day after the holiday break.  I guess ‘malling’ is a universal past time.  We were on a hunt for some kind of footwear to protect us in the big rain that was forecast.  We came up empty, but had a delicious lunch.  

There are many attractions in a city like Los Angeles and we usually don’t get to see many of them.  This evening we went to the L.A. Museum of Contemporary Art for dinner with Valley Cousins Jennifer and Nowell.  We got there early and visited the gift shop.  It’s been a long time since we were there and it was interesting.  Not much we could buy besides pencils (555).  Our dinner was good and the company was great.  Lots of catching up and ‘life sharing’.  When we finally left the restaurant we went over to see The Rock.  It was dark, but we still got to see how big it is.  The jury is still out on that one.  Next trip we’re going to try and see more galleries.

Have a Happy Tuesday.

            Peace,

                      Danny

“Don’t stay where you are tolerated.

Go where you are celebrated.”

~Unknown

What

Hi,

The ground outside is wet, which is a clear indicator that it rained a little bit.  The forecast and the sky say it’s going to rain today and storm tomorrow.  On the bright side, it’s not quite as cold.  

The ‘Old School Friday’ tune was, of course, “My Girl” by The Temptations.  Here’s the first ‘Easy Monday’ of 2016:  “__ __ __ __ to live, white lace and promises.  A kiss for luck and we’re on our way. (__ __ __ __)  Before the risin’ sun, we fly.  So many roads to choose.  We start out walkin’ and learn to run.  And yes, __ __ __.”  Hint:  An obvious love song that could also be about starting a new year, project, or adventure.  

For the first time in many years, I missed seeing the whole Rose Parade, and totally missed the Rose Bowl football game.  Things change.  We had a great visit with my mom, and that was the focus of the day.  As we left Altadena we did see the ‘stealth’ bomber flying across town.  I guess it had made a ‘fly over’ for the start of the football game.  Not to start any controversy, but what do the two have in common? 

Today’s photo was taken on New Years Day at the Baja Market in Pasadena.  Who has a cactus recipe? 

Before leaving the San Gabriel Valley, we stopped in Alhambra, where we had a warm visit with our friend Debby.  We got a chance to meet her youngest grandson and put a toy together (following instructions).  

Sunday evening we were having dinner with some of the Valley Cousins and I had a revelation.  We basically live in the country, on the edge of town.  When we come to the States, we are in a neighborhood, in the city.  In Thailand, when we go into town, there is a distinct line we cross that takes us to our ‘turf’.  The Kok river is our buffer between country and city.  

I can’t wait to see the completion of the train to the beach.  We keep seeing tracks, stations and signs of something coming.  Will you ride the train to the west when it’s finished?

Venturing out on this almost rainy day will be interesting.  We’ve had the luxury of reduced traffic until now.  It is a time for patience.  

Have a Great Week.

             Peace,

                       Danny

“You might not know what  you lost

before it’s gone.

On the other hand, you might not know what you’re missing

until it arrives.”

~Unknown

Happy 'New Year' Funnies

Hi,

Welcome to the New Years Day edition of ‘Adventures In Thailand’.  This will be short and sweet.

The ‘Zany Day’ song was “Sympathy For The Devil” by The Rolling Stones.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkXIYgsvO0c  Please remember, it’s just a song.  So, let’s start 2016 with an easy ‘Old School Friday’ tune:

“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day.  When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May.  I guess you’d say what can make me feel this way?  __ __, talkin’ ‘bout __ __.”  Hint:  Male singer’s friend makes everything right.  So easy.

Yesterday we had one of those ‘Only in L.A.’ moments.  With the morning chill still in the air, a small two-seater sports car pulled into a parking lot, the top was down and the driver was wearing her black fur coat.  What?  

Today’s photo was taken by Blue on New Years Day, Thai time.  The Big Brown House on the first day of the 2016.

The weather in that photo reached somewhere in the low 80s.  Oh, that sounds so good.  

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd.  May the new year bring all the things you 'need', and a few of your 'wants’.  May you be prosperous and drama free, and be awakened by the Blue Bird of Happiness.  (555)  Time for a ‘Funny’.

              Peace,

                        Danny