Monday, April 30, 2007

On Wednesday we moved from the castle to a B& B down by the bay. I misquoted the cost of the castle: it was $259 a night not $330. We found out when we checked out. Still it was a bad experience. When the B&B owner picked us up at the hotel, she asked about our stay. We told her we were disappointed and she said they had a terrible reputation and that there was no resident manager. Apparently he manages another one of their hotels and rarely shows up at the castle. Anyway, our B&B was delightful and right on the bus line. After putting our luggage there we headed to town and revisited Design Yard, the beautiful arts and crafts gallery then went on a one-hour tour of Dublin Castle that was built on the foundation of the original castle built in the 1100’s. The building is still used for important meetings and dinners by heads of state and the like. Afterwards we had a good lunch nearby. Being starved for a good film, we went to the Dublin Film Center and saw Other People’s Lives, an excellent German film.

We came back to the B&B and went to the great award winning Pakistani restaurant where we had eaten our first night in Dublin. After much deliberation, we ended up ordering the exact same dishes that we had enjoyed a week earlier. Yum. Back to the B&B that was just a few blocks away and off to bed we went. Up at 5:00 to catch our plane. We flew to London, short layover and a breakfast, then on to Chicago, a short layover then to Boston where David met us and drove us to Portland ME. From start to finish we traveled 23.5 hours and slept for 30 minutes between Chicago and Boston. We quickly fell into bed and today we are moving slowly. The kids are in school and David and Anne are at work so we can rest in between laundry and computer time.

It must be 70 degrees at least here today. We walked to a nearby café for lunch and didn’t even need our sweaters. Maine has had their coldest April this year but something changed while we were here. It is sunny and gorgeous! Lucky us. We took an hour-long nap after lunch and feel almost back to normal after our marathon no sleep trip.

Tuesday April 24th
Time flies. Yesterday we had a great day hanging out with our grandkids Jacob (5) and Tess (2.5). In the morning we planted some shrubs we had purchased on Sunday and in the afternoon we took them to a fire station to see the big trucks. Jacob is crazy about cars and trucks so we thought is would be a fun surprise outing. He got very shy when we got there. But a fireman came sliding down the fireman’s pole from upstairs and that was way cool. He gave both kids a fire chief hat and a sticker badge. Jacob would only go in the cab of the fire truck after Ron went in and Jacob sat on Ron’s lap. Then we ran a few errands and came home. The kids had a special event at their school so we walked them to school and we came back since Anne was to attend the event after work and she brought them home. Anne’s mom came over to baby sit and we took David and Anne out to eat dinner at a neat place in the downtown area.

The weather continues to be unbelievably beautiful: sunny, warm days. We have been getting up every morning and walking for 45 minutes. Today we were very bad. We stopped by a bakery on the way home for a cup of coffee and you had to walk right by the pastry case to order your coffee. Well heck, who can refuse a warm, whole-wheat sticky bun smothered in pecans??? Not me for sure. So we walked and gained two pounds from the so-called breakfast we ate at the bakery. We took a trip to the dump to recycle all the yard debris we collected when we raked the yard this weekend. We can’t stay inside in this weather. The week before we arrived Portland had a big windstorm with 65 mph gusts and many trees and limbs came tumbling down. Many in the city were without power for three days including David and Anne. They didn’t lose any trees but the yard was a mess. After yard work on Sunday we went to the mall and had family portraits done. Would you believe that the last time I had a professional photograph taken was my high school yearbook photo in 1963!!!!!!!!!! Yikes, I am older than dirt. Then we went to Pat Parker’s house for dinner. Anne’s mom is a retired college professor and Anne’s dad still teaches in Japan but plans to retire in a year. They had just completed an addition to their already lovely home that sits on a hill overlooking a bay. Living on water is a very special experience.

After the dump run we came home, cleaned up and Ron took me downtown to Anne’s hair salon. God grief, the haircut was 50% more than what I pay in Vancouver. Do I live in a vacuum or what??? Well it feels good to have my hair trimmed.

Today we take David to catch a plane to Cambridge where he will be meeting on a work project and we head out in the morning to drive to Providence RI where we will hook up with Ron’s sister Sandi. We will turn our rental car in and she will drive us to her home in Kingston where we will stay until Friday when we head to VA to see Mark, Rachel and Avi, their son who is almost eight months old.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Did I mention that there are lots of palm trees in Dublin? It was a big surprise to see them here. We have been touring around the countryside and have been able to see quite a bit in the short time we are here. Ireland is best described as “tidy”. The homes and yards are quite tidy. Most homes are multiple dwelling units, the most common being what we would call duplexes or townhouses. Often they are two stories with both units facing the street. The yard is divided by a hedge four to six feet high, giving each unit privacy.

While Ron was in meetings on Saturday and Sunday I took two different country tours along the coast-one to the north and one to the south. In addition to seeing the beautiful Irish countryside I saw Malahide Castle the first day. It was built in the 1100’s and the same family resided there for 800 years. It was sold in 1976 when the owner died unexpectedly while traveling abroad. On the second day we went to Powercourt Gardens, the finest in Ireland, both for their design and their dramatic setting at the foot of the Sugarloaf Mountains. The house and grounds were commissioned in 1730s. The gardens fell into disrepair but in 1840 were restored to their original plan. New gates, urns, statues and ornamental gardens were added in 1858-75. The building was gutted by fire in 1974 but the ground floor and ballroom have been restored. About six of the partners went out there together and had delightful weather in which to roam around the gardens. My only regret was our limited time. There were numerous ponds with fountains, waterways throughout, beautiful statuary and enormous terraces.

We are staying at Clontarf Castle Hotel built in 1172 originally and it was demolished and rebuilt in 1837. It became the Clontarf Castle Hotel in 1998. It is a 4 star hotel and cost $330 a night for the cheap rooms. It has the poorest service we have ever encountered. For starters I had to bring our luggage in (it took four trips to the waiting car) because the desk clerk pointed to the concierge when I asked for assistance. He however was fully engaged with guests who needed help planning their day. After waiting five minutes I gave up and did it myself. There was no other staff in sight. At breakfast it took 25 minutes to being our order while those seated after us were served before us. This morning we were never given menus so Ron went back to the desk and picked some up. No one ever came by to take an order. The coffee that was served was undrinkable so I sent it back and asked for more. Today they told our friends they couldn’t serve scrambled eggs or omelets because the chef wasn’t here but they could order poached or fried eggs?????????????? I can’t imagine how you can fry an egg but not know how to scramble an egg….not my idea of four star.

On Tuesday ICMA took us on a tour to a Navan where the City Manager gave a brief overview of their economic development plan and then treated us to a tour of Newgrange (where we had gone last Friday, not knowing this was on the agenda) and to the Hill of Tara, a site of mythic importance and the political and spiritual center of Celtic Ireland and the seat of the high kings until the 11th century. We have been quite surprised at the quality of food that is served at the tourist spots like Newgrange and Powercourt. Not the usual junk food we have at such spots in the US but rather fine dining or something close to fine dining.

We ended the day with a banquet at Ye Olde Abbey Tavern in Howth, a small fishing village. We had a fabulous meal and ended with Irish dancing and music. It was a perfect ending to an absolutely delightful trip. We have Wednesday free to see whatever we missed and grab an early plane on Thursday to London, Chicago, and Boston where our son David will meet us and take us to Portland ME.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

On Monday evening our family had a farewell dinner for us. Tui said she never cooks but she prepared a feast for us. We had chicken soup with egg bean cake (a form of tofu) red curry, fried dried squid (we have not yet acquired a taste for dried seafood that is so popular in Asia), barbequed chicken, fresh stir-fried veggies (peapods, baby corn, carrots), spicy hot mango relish, steamed rice and fresh watermelon and Asian pears for dessert. Tui, Timm, Pa Cha-Onn, Noi and Ai joined us for the festive occasion. As we finished the meal, Tui asked what we would do for the rest of the evening. I said, “First we want to thank our family for all they had done for us. We have a gift of each one of you.” We gave baby gifts to Ai who is due in three months, an orchid for Pa Cha-Onn, a gift of dollars for Noi, a tablecloth and money for Timm and Tum for the use of their car and for taking us tree shopping.

We then went back to the house and started to wrap things up there. In a short time, Tui and Timm were at the door, saying we had given Timm way too much money. We explained how invaluable having the car had been. There is so much we were able to accomplish because we had the car. Everything from going shopping, picking up take out meals, shopping for household items, and on and on. I begged her to take the money and saying it was a small amount to us. I ended my plea by saying, ‘Khun Nattawan (her aunt) had suggested this amount”, assuming that Nattawan has the final say in the family. Thanks Nattawan for your suggestion! Timm then accepted the money.

Neither of us slept that well, probably a little anxious before yet another trip. Always so many details to track and god knows, we’re OLD so remembering those details is a trip in and of itself!! So we gave up about 4:45 and got up and finished covering the furniture with sheets. We do this to save having to dust everything. Tui comes down from Bangkok on the weekends to take care of Pa Cha-Onn and comes to our house and cleans it! She has enough to do so we cover almost all the furniture with cheap sheets we bought in SL to save her some time and labor. We had breakfast, cleaned out the refrigerator, took scraps to the compost, unplugged appliances and pulled together dirty linens for Tui to take to the laundry. Jeap showed up promptly at 7:00. We got out at the big house to say goodbye ad everyone was there: Ai, Tui, Pa Cha-On and Noi. It was very sweet. Pa Cha-Onn who doesn’t speak English said in a very proud voice, “Goodbye” then grinned a beautiful smile. What a blessing this family is to us. Thank you Nattawan!!

So two hours to the airport with almost no traffic. I drifted off for part of the trip. The new Bangkok airport is HUGE and gorgeous. We were struck by how quickly we got through all the lines, including the plane loading. We had a full plane and the woman who sat next to me liked to lift the chair arm so she to have a bit more space that was non-existent. For some reason it didn’t bother me. I liked how casual she was and as she sort of moved into my space and was physically leaning into me, she looked over and said, “Okay?” I said sure. The trip was 12 hours and although it seems short compared to our 26-hour trips to SL, I was weary before we arrived in London. The ibuprofen didn’t offer relief. We arrived in London around 6:30 pm (12:30 am body time) and went to our B&B near the airport. The room was one of the tiniest ever. My favorite was the “bathroom”. From a construction standpoint it was fascinating. It was basically an upright rectangular box that was retrofitted into the existing space. So from a user standpoint, you stepped up into the room. Hence it was easy to install the plumbing underneath without having to do a lot of infrastructure work. There was a toilet, small sink and perhaps the smallest shower ever. It was 18 inches wide and about 30 inches long. I laughed. I was looking forward to a long soaking bath to ease my weary bones but decided to fall into bed as it looked like a shower would be more work than fun. Again we didn’t sleep well. We are off our body clock by six hours and basically went to bed about 3:00 a.m. body time. Again we gave up around 4:45 London time and showered. It was refreshing. We never even opened our suitcases as the room was so tiny and we were so tired that we put on yesterday’s clothes, fixed a cup of tea. Ron worked on the computer and I started reading the Ireland tour book. At 6:00 we left for the airport. We arrived in Dublin and it was 57 degrees and the sun was shining. They have had eight days of sunshine, which is unheard of this time of year. I checked on the Internet and it is due to rain on Sunday so between now and then we will rejoice with the sun.

We had a delightful, talkative cab driver take us to the B&B where we are staying until Sunday when we move into the castle where we are staying for three nights. It costs more than three times the B&B, which is why we aren’t staying there for the entire time. Ron’s ICMA meeting is being held there.

After getting unpacked we headed to town, catching a city bus just down the street from our house. We are quite close to the ocean and got to see lots of shore birds at low tide. Tomorrow we will get up to exercise and walk down by the water. Once we got to town we were starving so ducked into the first restaurant we saw, a Cuban cocktail bar, complete with photos of Hemingway, Spencer Tracy and Fidel as a young man. I had delicious steamed mussels and Ron had fish and chips. Off we went on a walking tour of the area north of the Liffey River that runs through town. We were amazed at how much we got to see in a relatively short time. We went to the Customs House (1791) ,Moore St market with fresh produce and flowers, general post office (1818), St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral (1825) Around 4:30 we stopped for a espresso drink and a pear tart before heading home to put our very tired feet up. At a little after 7:00 we headed down the street to a Pakistani restaurant. It turned out that the restaurant has won numerous awards including Best Ethnic Restaurant in Ireland for 2007! Oh my goodness the food was incredible. We had a vegetable jalfrazi and a chicken dish with incredible spices and coconut cream. Rice and paratha completed the meal. We almost licked our plates it was so good.

We will retire early, as we are quite tired after two sleepless nights and a bit of jet lag. We were taken aback at how small Dublin appears. I had expected a metropolis with skyscrapers but never saw anything over five stories today and most buildings are two stories. We discovered that Dublin and the county have a total population of 1.1 million, much smaller than I had thought it would be. Bangkok by contrast is 14 million in population.

Thursday

We bought tickets for a tour in Dublin. We boarded a bus that makes 24 stops and you can get off and on throughout the day, choosing which sites you want to explore in depth. We saw impressionist paintings at the National Gallery, spent a long time at the Guinness Storehouse where we learned about how Guinness stout is made. You should know we stood in a long line to buy tickets for the self guided tour and paid senior rates of 19 euros. The storehouse is huge, seven stories and you visit each floor to learn about the history of 250 years of making brew. The facility is on 66 acres of land in the heart of Dublin that Arthur Guinness got 45 pounds per year lease for 9000 years! That’s what we call thinking ahead!! No pun intended. It is the largest brewery in the world. At one point they made 1000 oak casks a week to store the brew. The place was packed. We ate lunch in one of their many restaurants and it was delicious. Ron had a so-called complimentary pint (if you pay 9.50 euros to get in how can it be called complimentary???) Then he used my chit to get a second one at lunch. He never got pass drinking the first half of the second pint but it made for a very relaxed afternoon. Next we visited the National Museum where we saw an exhibit of contemporary ceramic artists, the history of clothes and Irish furniture. After the tour we wandered through what is known as Temple Bar (a bar is a riverside path). It is filled with cute shops and quaint restaurants. We had an espresso and came home.

We had another glorious day weather wise. It was chilly in the morning but all we needed was a sweater today. The sun was out the entire day. The flowering trees are in blossom, the tulips are blooming and birds are singing. At last we are experiencing spring. I should mention that we are so far north that it was still light at 8:30 last night. What a treat! That’s it from the land of redheads and rosy cheeks.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

4-3-07
It was so hot today we couldn’t get the house cooled down with both ACs going. Bummer. I am sweating as I write this in our bedroom with the AC on. When I was at the IC (internet café) I checked the temperature here today and it was 86 but with humidity factor it feels like 99 according to Weather.com. It is supposed to be in the low 90’s the rest of our time here so with humidity factor I reckon it will be hot, damn hot!
Ron worked all day on his proposal. He sent it off late this afternoon. Around 1:00 o’clock, the window blinds crew showed up. We ordered wooden blinds for the bedroom. They goofed on measuring two windows. Ron had suggested that the blinds be hung above the windows so the inside screens can be opened in order to open the windows and clear the blinds when raised but below the arch that is above the window so you could see the arch. When the man came to measure, he didn’t take into account the thickness of the slats so the blinds ended up being about 15cm short. It is what we call an ‘oh shit’ and I would imagine he said something similar in Thai when he saw what had happened. So one set got hung and two went back to the shop for adjustments.
Ron and I walk to the Internet café (IC) that is about three blocks from the house. There are twelve computers in the shop and usually it is filled with kids 12 years old and younger playing games. The bad news is they are playing violent games with soldiers, who have assault rifles, grenades, bayonets and handguns. Oy, if their mothers only knew the research on the effects on kids watching violence their little hinnies wouldn’t be in there. Some kids play a game with dancers. Yesterday I saw a game that at first looked like a pastoral scene with green grass and cute little animals. Then a pony-tailed girl comes onto the screen with some kind of stick weapon and beats the living daylights out of the cute little animals. Lovely. So far I have only observed three games but the place is packed every time we go. Today there were no computers available when I went in the late afternoon. The other awful part of this place is the noise. Bullets flying, grenades exploding and dance musical at a crescendo. Jeez when did I get so damn OLD? I am going to try and go at 9:00 a.m. when kids are hopefully in school and the place will be quieter. We went early today and had quiet until about 9:30 when two guys came in on motorcycles. The other funny thing that happens here is people take off their sandals outside shops and homes usually. But at the IC they take them off right as they step into the doorway so you have to watch your step as you walk in or you will stumble over a myriad of sandals.
One of the truly great pleasures of being in the tropics is the fruit. Tonight we had fresh mangoes off the trees on the property, rambutans, mangosteens (eat your heart out Larry) and another fruit whose name we don’t know but it looks like a small mango but has a different flavor. It was a feast!
After dinner we drove to an area of town we aren’t familiar with, it is a main commercial area that Jeap showed us on Saturday. We thought by walking around we could discover more of what is here such a dry cleaners, barber shops, etc. It was hotter than at the house due to the heat radiating off the asphalt and concrete from the heat of the day but we enjoyed exploring and will go back again to explore more streets. We did find a good size grocery store that is much closer than the Big C, which is way out of town. It has many of the staples we use but no produce. There are very few people who look like the Bergmans. I have seen one white person in Phetchaburi and he looked like a burned out hippie from the 60’s. I on the other hand am an aging hippie but not burned out! HA!
4-4-07
Out dirt was delivered this morning. Unfortunately the truck could not get to the house because earlier in the year Noi have put a carport roof over the drive near the front of the property and neither our moving van nor the dump truck can fit under it. Bummer. They will have to haul the dirt by hand from a very long way up the drive. The dirt quality here is quite different from home. At home you can get any mix you want with compost, sand, etc. There is even a grade called landscape grade. Not so here. We paid for a better quality dirt and got something that looks like clods of clay with roots, twigs, and god only know what else is in it. Such is life in the tropics. We will buy some compost in bags at the nursery to amend the soil. The bad news is we can’t bring compost or any plants to the back of the property until the drive way is cleared of the dirt and that may take awhile. One step forward, two steps back. A good lesson in patience for Americans who are so use to ‘having it my way’.
This afternoon we went looking for trees at a couple of nurseries. We are hoping to find some good shade trees. We didn’t find any that were suitable but we found a charming garden bench. It looks antique and will sit against the front of the house looking out at the river. The nursery offered to deliver it and we suggested Saturday hoping that by then the driveway will be cleared of the big pile of dirt. Things move slowly sometimes so we shall see.
We then went for a foot massage and thoroughly enjoyed it. That is the other wonderful thing about Thailand that I forgot to emphasize: massage. Thai body massage is usually 90-120 minutes and costs $10-$14. It is a clothed massage on a mattress that is on a raised platform. It is a very physical massage where you are manipulated or moved into various postures. The foot massage often goes way beyond the foot and includes the leg up to or above the knee. Sometimes, like today our arms, shoulders and head were massaged also. Pretty darn wonderful. Ron says we are sluts for massage!
Our fruit snack tonight was the best watermelon imaginable. Yum. That’s it from the land of tropical fruits, beautiful women and 99 degree hot weather.

Sunday, April 1, 2007

Sunday
Yesterday we had just gotten out of bed and were moving around in the kitchen to start breakfast. We looked out the window and Jeap (chicken), the man we had hired to bring us from the airport to Phetchaburi and his wife Gop (frog) were approaching. Jeap told us Thai had nicknames after animals. They are neighbors and had brought us a traditional Thai breakfast: a salad of lettuce, cukes, tomatoes, corn, shredded cabbage and chicken and hum bao. Can you believe it? This is a prime example of the Thai people and their generous hospitality. He wanted to let us know that he was free on Saturday if we needed anything. We decided it would be good to have him take us around Phetchaburi to locate resources such a good hardware stores, restaurants, barber shops, etc. He speaks excellent English and was most helpful. We wanted to go for a Thai massage later in the day and Jeap told us about motorcycle taxis so he arranged for our pick up and introduced us to the lead guy who speaks very little English.
Ron spent about half a day working on his proposal. I think I mentioned that he got a job writing a proposal for ICMA while we are here. I went to the Internet café to pay bills. Everyday we stop by Khun bah Cha-Onn to say hello. She had gone to Bangkok on Friday for a checkup after her hip replacement surgery. We have been using her daughter, Timm’s car this week. Timm came by in the morning to return the money we had left for her to pay for the use of the car. She was on her way to Bangkok for the weekend with her husband Tum and would be taking the car. We are totally spoiled by ‘our family’ here. They bring us food; let us use their car, made sure I started using their UV umbrella instead of my rain umbrella and on and on it goes. We feel like royalty here and find it difficult to find ways to repay their kindnesses.
Promptly at 4:30 our two motorcycle taxis arrived at the front gate and away we went to the massage at the hotel in town, about a seven-miinute trip. Drivers in Thailand take liberties that we would be arrested for in the US. Motorcycle drivers are slightly worse at taking these liberties than auto drivers. So if access to the correct side of a street is blocked, rather than going the long way around to get access, they just drive the wrong way on the one-way side of the road until they can get access! So we had yet another adventure. It brought back memories of when I was twenty and was hitch hiking across Europe and Northern Africa. I caught a ride across Sicily on the back of a Vespa! Oy, youth….
The massage was fabulous although painful. But then I have never had a therapeutic massage that wasn’t painful but my masseuse had thumbs of steel and I couldn’t communicate to her to lighten up so just endured. The after effect was great. Our massage cost about $8.00 each for 90 minutes, not including tip. Ron is concerned that we aren’t taking full advantage so I am sure we will be going back to the Royal Diamond Hotel for more massages before we head out on the 10th. Since we had miscalculated our time for pick up with our cabbies, we decided to have a cold drink at the hotel bar then decided to grab dinner. Bad mistake. I ordered ‘crispy spicy catfish’ and got slimy spicy catfish. We ate the sauce over our rice and ate Ron’s veggie dish. Last time we dine at the Royal Diamond. It was our first bad Thai meal so we can’t complain given how many times we have eaten Thai food.
After dinner our cabbies appeared and off we went to home. A little later we went to the Internet café, about three blocks away, catching up on email then came home and off the bed. I had an email from Nattawan saying that when she was here, she turned on the two bedroom air conditioners and opened the bedroom doors in order to cool the entire house. I am trying it today, as the living area is unbearable during the day. It is a good place for a sweat if you are in the mood.
Today we were awake but not yet up and we heard a tapping at the door. There was Timm’s daughter Pear, about 13 years old I would guess and she had our breakfast in hand. Unbelievable! It was the same breakfast as yesterday and so good. Everyone seems to worry that we won’t have enough to eat. We can’t keep up with the food that comes our way. Today we need to work on eating the food that we have in the refrigerator or else!!
Yesterday I spied rambutan at a fruit stand. We were on the motorcycles at the time but soon I want to get some for the family here and for ourselves. I can’t believe my luck that they are in season while we are here.. They are one of my favorite tropical fruits after mangoes that are also in season right now. Only thing I am missing is mangosteens. Thinking of you Larry Brown.
What do I do while Ron is on the computer writing? All of our clothes are hand washed, dried outside and ironed by yours truly. When we did yard work, I sent our shorts and t-shirts to the laundry but usually we don’t wear t-shirts due to the heat. They are too heavy and we have a wardrobe from SL of very lightweight cotton shirts. In the tropics you need to dust and sweep daily and mop frequently so that keeps me of the street and out of trouble. I ‘prepare’ our food and wash up afterwards. Notice I didn’t say cook our food. We are buying take out and it has worked out just fine. So I make rice in the rice cooker or cook noodles to serve the various Thai dishes on. Our rate of consumption of food has decreased due to the heat. I finally started to drop some of the pounds I gained in SL. We ate in AC almost the entire time we were there so the heat didn’t deter my eating. Bummer!
A knock at the door and there is Nit who has been working in our yard to clear more debris with two packets of coconut ice cream. Almost all food is packaged in little plastic bags that hold about 8 ounces and sealed with a red rubber band. Mine had toasted cashews and fresh corn sprinkled on top and Ron had nuts and we’re not sure but maybe sweet potato on top. Yum! He also gave us four mangos off the tree. Ready to eat. IS this paradise or what??
I forgot to mention that there are four dogs here. One poodle and three other small dogs. Every night one family member makes the dogs’ food with a base of rice and I’m not sure what else. Not quite like America where we buy it off the shelf and now of course we have about a gabillion choices: the hallmark of our abundance and excess. Let’s see there is food for puppies, senior dogs, dogs on a diet. Well you get the picture.
We got ants. I don’t think you can live in the tropics without them. So I had to put cereal in Tupperware then put the Tupperware inside a large zip lock bag.. Otherwise these industrious critters find their way into the cereal. I’d sure like to understand their communication system and we could all learn something from their cooperative attitudes. Ron had bought some crackers that were in a sealed bag, not yet opened and they chewed right through the packaging to get at those crackers. The hole was tiny and on the corner so I opened the package hoping to save the crackers, thinking maybe they were just eating the first cracker or two but no way, they were working the whole tray of crackers.
When we were out and about on Saturday with Jeap, we passed a place that had the neatest garden benches. We stopped to see how much they were. It turns out they were made from the wooden hubs and wheels of old bullock carts and were not for sale. It was someone’s collection that was being displayed. Bummer. They would have looked so good in our garden.
The property here has several old ceramic pots and Noi cleaned up three of them so we can use them in the garden. They are the ones that are two tones of brown with a dragon design Many of you have seen these in the US I’m sure although they are made in this part of the world. We are hoping to have dirt delivered this week and if so we can order a few trees and other plants to get the garden project really rolling.

That's it from lovely Thailand, the land of beautiful women.