Hands

Hi,

The daytime temperatures in Culver City and surrounding areas seem to be rising.  They say the nights are also warming but I’m still not buying it.  

The ‘Easy Monday’ song is really easy.  The second ‘holiday’ must have been the reason some of you didn’t respond (555).  I did get a few correct answers.  Maybe this will help:  “I just can’t get over losing you, and so if I seem broken and blue.  __ __ __, __ __ __.  Foolish pride, that’s all that I have left so let me hide the tears and the sadness you gave me when you said goodbye.  __ __ __, __ __ __, __ __ __.”  Hint:  The singer of this song said a little prayer, asked for directions, and vowed to never fall in love again.  

I basically spent the whole day at ‘home’.  It was ‘Rose Day’.  We started with the parade in the morning, and I watched the Rose Bowl football game in the afternoon.  I didn’t realize that U.S.C. was playing until they announced it during the parade.  I’ve been a big fan since I can remember.  By the time it was over, the day was gone.  

A few days ago I was all excited about the government deciding to put a stop to the burning.  More information was published and apparently it applies to forest areas.  The fastest way to illegally clear a plot of land for planting is to set it on fire.  This happens in the forests and jungle areas.  This basically means that the local burning will probably continue.  Oh well.

Lisa and Anna went shopping yesterday and she told me about a couple of places we have to visit.  I haven’t seen the Playa Vista development, so that will be on the list of things to do in our ‘spare time’.  We do a lot of running while we’re here, but we’re slowly taking time for ourselves.  It seems really important lately.  

Today’s photo was taken Sunday night while we were with the Valley Cousins.  The ‘Fruit Basket’ is mostly fruit, but there were also brownies thrown in for good measure.  It’s a very creative presentation.

There are 9 days remaining on this ‘Winter Visit’.  This is our 19th trip since we moved to Thailand.  Each trip involves 8 airplanes (including the trip to Northern Calif.) and about 10 hours of sitting in airports.  I thought you might like a bit of travel trivia.

Have a Happy Tuesday.

                 Peace,

                           Danny

“As you grow older, you will discover

that you have two hands.  One for helping

yourself, the other for helping others.”

~Audrey Hepburn

Change

Hi,

Belated Happy New Year.  Today is parade day in case you didn’t know.  This is not the kind of weather that encourages spending the night on the Rose Parade route in Pasadena.  I get cold just thinking about it.

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “Baby It’s You” by The Shirelles.  ‘Easy Monday’ is next, and I’m sure you remember this:  “If you see me walking down the street and I start to cry, each time we meet.  __ __ __, __ __ __.  Make believe that you don’t see the tears, just let me grieve in private ‘cause each time I see you I break down and cry.  __ __ __ (don’t stop), __ __ __ (don’t stop)…”  Clue:  One foot in front of the other.  

As usual, the weekend was busy.  We returned to Thai Boom for lunch with our friends Mark and Erica, and then had afternoon coffee at Dinah’s with a special friend.  I first met Alonzo at Pepperdine in 1961.  We reconnected in ’71 and I visited his art gallery on a regular basis.  We lost touch until the age of Facebook.  He’s an artist and was responsible for several murals on the Harbor Freeway during the 1984 Olympics.  One of his pieces is being restored and he’s in L.A. to supervise the work.  We had a lot to talk about and I don’t think we finished.  

In the evening I had a speaking engagement and then we came home for a quiet New Years Eve.  The weird thing was, the channel we were on to see the ball drop totally missed that critical moment (555) when the ball actually got to the bottom.  Oh well, I’m pretty sure it really is 2017.

We got a message from Natcha, in Thailand, telling us that the whole little family spent New Years Eve with Daku in Cat’s room so he wouldn’t be afraid during the fireworks.  Daku is a lucky dog.

Today’s photo was taken at the San Jose Airport.  It’s an information robot.  She knows where everything is and can help you find your way around the airport.  Maybe next time I’ll test it out.

Sunday we went to a party where we saw a lot of friends that we’ve known for a long time.  It was good to see so many people at one gathering.  

We wrapped up the weekend with a gathering of the Valley Cousins and the New Hampshire Cousins.  Since it was a holiday, the traffic to the valley was light and we got to Valley Village without complications.  Nowell and Jennifer were hosting and Ellen, Carrie and Gary from New Hampshire, as well Chaz and Ashley made it quite a group.  The icing on the cake was seeing the matriarch, Sharon.  She’s 86 and going strong.  We had some good talks.   

 

Have a Great Week.

                   Peace,

                             Danny

“You must be the change you wish

to see in the world.”

~Mahatma Gandhi

Friday Funnies

Hi,

I don’t know how the weather turned out in the L.A. area today.  When we left for the airport this morning it was cold.  When we arrived at Mineta Airport in San Jose it was even colder.  The night time in Palo Alto was the coldest.  

The ‘Zany Day’ song was “How Come My Dog Don’t Bark When You Come ‘Round?”, as sung by Prince Partridge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCULQwdYZeU  It was covered by Dr. John with great success, but this is the original hit.  For 'Old School Friday’, here’s an easy one:  “Sha la la la la, it’s not the way you smile, that touch my heart.  Sha la la la la, it’s not the way you kiss that tears me apart.  Uh, oh, many, many, many night go by, I sit alone at home and I cry over you.  What can I do?  Can’t help myself, ‘cause __ __ __.”  Hint:  It’s by a ‘Girl Group’ from the 60s, and she’s telling ‘him’ that he’s the one.

Flying on Southwest Airlines feels like a step backwards after our EVA experiences.  For starters, lining up like cattle before boarding the plane is annoying.  Listening to corny jokes and dealing with grouchy attitudes of the flight attendants is not what we pay for.  Rant over.

We just read that anti-burning laws are going to be strictly enforced in Chiang Rai from mid February to mid April. If this really happens, it would mean that we could stop hiding from the outside world.  Annual escapes to southern beaches wouldn’t be necessary, and children could play outside.  As some of you know, this has been a great concern of ours for years.  It still won’t stop the daily trash burning that goes on all year, but it’s a start.  

The Cousin lunch could have gone on longer than it did.  It was pointed out that I made a mistake in yesterday’s post when I said the gathering on Wednesday was my maternal grandmother’s family.  It was my paternal side of the family.  Cousins Eunice and Trudye read this message every day and had lots of questions on many topics.  As is  usually the case, there was plenty of laughter and lots of love.

Dinner at the Trellis was inside this time, instead of the beautiful roof-top with the grape vines.  It was way too cold.  Some of the crew remembered us from previous visits.  The food is always good at The Trellis, even when I was on my restricted diet.  The owner came to the table and immediately started talking about me and the potatoes I’d order.  He always takes good care of Joe and it’s really sweet.  Karen Jo shared photos of her grand-kids and we marveled at the passage of time (555).  This morning we’ll have our breakfast with Joe.  

Today’s photo is from The Wanderer.  I am fascinated by this tree and how a branch is wrapped around the trunk.  

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd.   Time for the ‘Funnies’.

                Peace,

                          Danny

Peace

Hi

The daytime temps are climbing, but the nights are still very chilly.  Tomorrow we fly north to a colder climate.  

No one has guessed the ‘Zany Day’ song so there’s still time to be first on the block with the right answer.

“I got the baddest dog, he’ll bite anybody.  He bit my brother, took a chunk out of my ol’ sweet li’l mother.  He bit the mailman, he sees him every day; he takes one look at you, he wanna jump and play.  Now I ain’t got a clue as to what you puttin’ down, but __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __?”  Clue:  The absence of barking is involved.

Today we went to a family gathering of cousins from my maternal grandmother’s side.  We hadn’t seen some of them for over 30 years.  After a lot of catching up on our lives, we started recalling the stories we remembered from the past.  The stories about the history of the family, going all the way back to the plantation where the ‘line’ began.  It was a day to remember.

Denny and Sheila flew in from Colorado and after the party, we went to dinner together in Redondo Beach.  It was good for the four of us to have some time to talk about how we’re doing with the grieving process.  We got some new insights and also had some good laughs.  

This morning we fly to the San Jose airport, drive to San Leandro for the traditional Cousins lunch, then drive to Palo Alto for dinner with Lisa’s Dad Joe and her step-sister Karen Jo.  Friday morning we’ll have breakfast with Joe and spend time in his studio.  He has more new art to share with us and that’s always a treat.

Today’s photo was taken at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).  

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

                   Peace,

                             Danny

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace.

One must believe in it.  And it isn’t enough

to believe in it.  One must work at it.”

~Eleanor Roosevelt

Anxiety

Hi,

Could it be that it’s actually warming up?  There was actually a bit of a warm breeze last night.  Hmm.

The ‘Easy Monday’ song was “Fixing A Hole” by The Beatles.  Moving on to our ‘Zany Day’ tune, who remembers this?

“Now you say you ain’t never met my wife, you ain’t never seen her befo’.  ‘Say you ain’t been hangin’ roun’ my crib; well here’s somethin’ I wanna know.  I wanna know what in the worl’ is goin’ down, __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __?”

Hint: There is an animal involved in the title.  

Tuesday turned out to be a very productive day.  The misadventures of Monday have been corrected and all is well.  It began in the morning with the most thorough eye exam I’ve ever had.  I learned a lot about my eyes and now I’m waiting for a new set of ‘super’ contacts.  

It was a ‘work day’ at EVA Airlines and we got upgraded to Business class for the 14 hour trip across the Pacific.  Nothing like being able to stretch out and actually sleep.  Not to mention the extra pampering (555).

We had our first lunch at Thai Boom and it was great.  Woody and Suni gave us a warm welcome.  Sharing a meal with our friend Linda is always a treat.  She has been our car rental connection since the beginning of this adventure.  There was a lot of catching up to do.  Kids, the baby (Neetchanon), dogs and family were all topics of conversation.  

I haven’t been taking many photos on this trip, so far.  Today’s photo was taken in 2007, before we started building our house.  This is the land before the dirt filled it in.  That’s me on the left, way out there.

Last night we had Italian food at a restaurant that is part of a chain.  It brought back memories of dining at the Pasadena location with my mom.  We were joined by August and our friends Ray and Eiko. We usually meet them for coffee and it was nice to sit down and have a dinner with them. 

It’s going to be a Wacky Wednesday.

                 Peace,

                           Danny

“Anxiety is the hand maiden

of creativity.”

~T.S. Elliot

Nature

Hi,

Coping with the weather becomes a relative thing.  I am slowly adjusting to the cold that is colder than where this journey began.  The mind helps by reminding me that it’s colder somewhere else, and those who are in it are surviving.  Probably complaining, but still doing life.  

The ‘Easy Monday’ slipped by most of you.  I’m sure you’ll remember if you hum along to these lines:  “I’m painting my room in a colorful way, and when my mind is wandering, there I will go, ooh ooh ooh ah ah… I'm taking the time for a number of things that weren’t important yesterday, and still I go, ooh ooh ooh ah ah….”  Clue:  Repairs are in order.

This morning was about misadventure.  The ‘road trip’ to El Segundo, just south of the airport, was for a visit to EVA Airlines offices for an upgrade on the trip back to Thailand.  The offices were closed.  A drive back to Culver City, and what we still call the ‘Fox Hills Mall’, was to be for the purpose of an eye exam.  The crowds were already beginning to gather.  The earliest appointment wouldn’t be until 3:40pm.  We went home, then went to lunch at Emerald Thai, and a reunion with our dear friend Nid.  When we returned to the mall, the place was a mad house, traffic on top of traffic.  Inside, my name was not on the schedule.  What?

Someone asked me if I missed home.  Of course I do.  That’s why it’s home.  After over nine years I’ve become comfortable with the pace of life in Chiang Rai.  I’ve become fond of the simplicity, the little surprises that seem to come after all these years, the smiles at the vegetable market, the greetings at The Wanderer, and the relatively warm ‘cold season’.  Yes, I miss all of that, but I also cherish the relationships that still exist on this side of the ocean.  It is people that bring us back, in spite of the lengthy flight, the Jet Lag, the mind-boggling traffic and the little doses of culture shock.  

Today’s photo was sent by Natcha.  Here are two reasons I really miss ‘home’.

Our appointment book is starting to look like a schedule instead of blank pages.  Time to do what we came to do (555).  I guess we won’t be walking along the shore of the Pacific and feeling the sand between our toes on this trip.  I’ve never been a fan of cold sand.  Instead, we’ll sample some of the new additions to the landscape that is the west side.  

Have a Happy Tuesday.

             Peace,

                       Danny

“Nature never breaks

her own laws.”

~Leonardo da Vinci

Live

Hi,

I will dispense with the weather for the week with one word:  Cold.  Today there were occasional clouds, but mostly sunshine.  To put things in perspective, the daytime temps here in Culver City are the same as the night time in Chiang Rai.  By the way, Mr. Lag is here and he doesn’t mind the cold at all.

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “Merry Christmas Baby” by Charles Brown.  For ‘Easy Monday’ I think you remember this one:  “I’m __ __ __ where the rain gets in and stops my mind from wandering where it will go.”

Hint:  Another gem from those lads from across the pond.  

When we arrived at LAX, the streets were wet and it was sprinkling lightly.  By the time we arrived at the Hertz rental lot, it was pouring rain.  Our car was on the far side of the lot and I had to walk through the rain to get to it.  Fortunately, it was an uncomplicated proposition to start the car. When we got to the house, it was still raining hard.  Hmm, welcome to California.

After doing a little research, we discovered that the mall opened early on Christmas eve, so we were able to get our new SIM cards for our phones.  These numbers will be good for the 3 weeks that we’re here.  The new plan is better for us, but means a new number every time we come to town.  

Danny’s number is:  (323) 274-9873     Lisa’s number is:  (323) 286-1945

Anna, C-Bass and August made an Italian seafood stew for dinner and it was delicious.  Sunday morning we had our traditional ‘brunch’ of turkey bacon, cinnamon rolls and coffee, followed by the opening of the gifts.  It was a fun time.  We’ve been doing this since the boys were tiny little guys and it never gets old.  They grow up, but they're still ‘The Boys’.  Tonight we had hand-made pasta that took August 5 hours to create, with sauce by Anna.  Another fantastic feast.  We’ve certainly been eating well since we got here.  

We’ve been getting lots of message from home and that feels good too.  Natcha has been sending photos and updates to let us know that everything is good at the house.  Today’s photo shows Gop (Natcha’s nephew) and Daku playing in the front yard as Natcha and Neetchanon look on. 

Have a Great Week.

                Peace,

                          Danny

“We all have to live together,

so we might as well live together

happily.”

~The Dalai Lama