Costly Goof

This is what I get for rushing into something without taking time to consider what I am doing. We have an opportunity to go to Singapore in April. To make a long story short, my very first time to SG, and I arrive very late one night; get to spend one full day and another night, then leave very early the "third" day. What a waste! I'd change it, but there is a $20 per ticket change fee and then the weekend rates on the airline are almost twice as high as the Monday rate. I really blew it.

At least I'll get to see my good friend, Randy. That makes it OK.

Dog Bottles

Bottles to scare away the dogs.

In the page link above, I blogged about Thai people putting out bottles to scare away dogs to keep them from urinating on their curbs. Here is a pic of some of the bottles.

Foreign cars

I saw a car today that looked a lot like this one. It's color was about like this. I hadn't seen a car like this in a LONG TIME. It kind of surprised me, being here in Thailand.

I saw it as I was filling up with gas for my Toytota truck. (Filling up is kind of a mis-nomer, as they ran out of gas while they were filling my tank. I ended up 3/4ths full.) Anyway, the first thought that struck me was "wow, there is an American car". I then thought "gee, I guess it is considered a foreign import here". Then I went on to think "well, all of the cars here are foreign imports" as Thailand doesn't have any "home grown" car companies. I have heard that Toyota, Honda, and Mitsubishi have assemply plants here, but they are still considered "imports". I suppose that a Thai person in the USA couldn't just glance up and say, "wow, there is a Thai car". Kinda sad, really.

By the way, the car pictured is a 1968 Buick Wildcat. I did a Google image search until I found one that looks close. I don't really know if it was actually that model or not.

Happy Birthday, Meme!

My grandmother and me
Christmas 1968 or 69, Sapulpa, OK

Yesterday, my mother's mother celebrated her 89th birthday. She is a wonderful person and has been a HUGE influence in my life. I got to speak with her today, which was still her birthday in OK. Her phone line had been knocked out by a storm last night and it took me forever to get someone who had a cell phone who was with her. But, when she answered, she said, "I knew my Ricky would get through!". I really love my Meme.

UN-eventful trip home!

I had a blissfully uneventful trip back to Chiang Mai! PTL! There was only one time where things could have gotten bad. A Nestle water delivery truck pulled right in front of me without looking while changing lanes. I did some fancy maneuvering (and honking) and averted an accident. Those following me where amazed that we didn't wreck. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable trip. I got upgraded to a deluxe room at the Rama Gardens Hotel in Bangkok, as a "thank you" for booking so many rooms there. It was pure luxury, except for the notoriously hard Asian beds. Very Swanky!

Anyway, I am glad to be back home with the girls. Sally fixed pork chops and applesauce (with mashed potatoes and gravy) for dinner last night. Yep, it is good to be home.

Perhaps I'll post some more Pattaya pictures later.

Things that really matter

You begin to think about the things that really matter when you hear about folks with REAL problems. Yesterday, I heard that one of my friends went out to a national park here in Thailand to celebrate Chinese New Year's with the whole family. They went to have a picnic at a waterfall. Their son, John, slipped and fell. Evidently, it was quite a fall because he ended up under water for several minutes. His father jumped down to try and save him and was hurt in the process. The father administered CPR but John never regained conciousness. The word this morning was that he was in a coma with brain swelling and internal injuries.

John died this afternoon. He was nine years old and had been in the same class as my daughter. We have known their family for 7 years.

Please pray for this family as they deal with the loss of a child. May God preserve them, keep them, and comfort them.

More Fireworks.

More fireworks.

Fireworks on the beach tonight! We had a nice "Fourth of July" BBQ. Good food, good fun.

Me and Sally at the Beach BBQ tonight.

Costly repair

I was supposed to get my truck last Friday. Instead, I got a phone call that said that they had found more damage. I couldn't adequately understand exactly what they said was wrong. They kept saying CAM, but I just don't see how it could be. Anyway, they said the repair bill was now up to 51,000 baht or about $1250. Ouch! I am supposed to get it sometime by the end of this week, maybe...