Wat Ban Den near Chiang Mai, Thailand holds a massive reclining Buddha with a striking smile. My attention kept coming back to the red lips even in all the gold and decorative tile work.
To me it looks like a smile of contentment.
Thank you WordPress for the nudge today.
Rusty, a 3-year-old male Irish Terrier marking his Denmark territory. Waypoints on our walking routes, it you will. I keep telling him he’s been there and that it’s his pee but he has so much energy he doesn’t mind being thorough.
Yup, I took a picture of his ‘waypoint’.
I can’t blame him though, I like going back to a favorite spot too. I only ran him out of pee once. He has what seems to be a 5 gallon tank. He will mark 75 waypoints on a 30 minute walk.
Now I haven’t been marking territory quite like Rusty but I have placed a few waypoints of my own. Mostly because I don’t have the memory I used to. In fact, I can’t remember ever having a good memory. My wife, as some of you know, can remember what the weather was like on a certain day 17 years ago.
Denmark was a black and white landscape that occasionally showed purple and violet. I am grateful for the hospitality of the new friends we met there. (Thanks Ib, Anne, and all the Denmark family)
Anyway, where was I? Oh crap… Yes, I’ve marked major waypoints on this map link Gurr World Map Waypoints showing where we have been. More stops to come! The map is interactive so you can zoom in and around. We started our trip going west from Portland.
I’ll keep blogging. Be sure to follow along.
In my family we believe my wife’s mother is checking in on us when a beautiful sunset presents itself. My wife will say in the softest voice, “Grandma Nancy is checking in. Take a look boys.“.
Nancy battled pancreatic cancer. She passed in 2001 and has checked in with spectacular beauty as we travel the world.
I think we can extend the ‘sunset’ time frame to include an extremely early sunrise.
Tomorrow, April 1st, is her birthday and along with Easter and April Fools Day (Not to mention Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit) there is a lot going on. 4.1
I told my wife years ago that we should celebrate each year and call it “For One”. We will celebrate For One in the French country side this year by remembering her and telling/listening to stories.
I want people who knew her to chime in with ideas of what Nancy would like her day to look like, sound like, and taste like. What did she enjoy? What would your ‘For One’ look like?
As a Chef Instructor and a turkey hunter I am very used to the early rise. In last week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge/ Favorite Place I posted a number of good rises taken from one location. I’ll still post a few rises for this week’s WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge Rise/set but I’ll try to focus on the sets.
Ok, one more…
Through the palms
And this…
I do love chasing daylight and I’ll pull the boys out of bed at stupid early O’clock and look that rath right in the face to catch a good rise.
It never occurred to me that I would take a photo of the solar eclipse projected on the shadow of my brimmed hat. The midday sunset blew my mind.
Another wonderful WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge to jump start the mental typewriter.
High Camp” with “Turkey Ridge” just below it. Both face the same sunrise.
I don’t play favorites to the seasons. I love them all. 3 degrees below zero F, raining like a cow pissin’ on a flat rock, crispy fall or dry as a popcorn fart.
I’m a champion for the be here and now mindset. Folks also tell me that I have an amazing amount of patience.
That said, I can find interest in almost any location but I often find myself wanting to return to past places or activities.
This WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge is a doozy. I have challenged myself to choose only one.
Driving in the a rig that will never quit, looking for critters.
72 Scout II currently resting my parent’s back yard eagerly awaiting my return.
Danish pheasants seem more relaxed (hygge) and A little less camera-shy.
Connections this week between the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge and finding oneself in Odense, Denmark leads to a story-teller.
World famous Hans Christian Andersen.
The Ugly Duckling was written by H.C. Andersen
The Emperor’s New Clothes translated to Hindi
An impressive career as a writer mostly known for fairy tales.
Thanks for the prompt.
Coffee, Powerlines and other Stimuli:
Up for a cup? Always. I’m ALWAYS up for a cup of joe. I’ll have it in all forms. Hot, cold, was hot, mocha, latte, just a shot, whatever it is… yes please, I’m a junkie.
Traveling and on a lean budget leads to a lot of instant coffee. At times you only have a kettle and a 7-11. I’ve dug old espresso makers out of the back of cupboards and brought them back to life. I need my fix…
I have searched for a good instant blend and maybe I have just gotten used to them rather than think they are good. “Acceptable” is common.
But when the price is right I find the local joe.
Bali and other places seem to put what I call weasel coffee (Luwak in Bali) on a high pedestal. Like lobster of the seafood category, This coffee is harvested after passing through a mongoose, roasted and priced accordingly. 
Yes, you can taste the difference between male and female brew. Enough of that crap. Let’s talk about Vietnam.
Vietnam offered, and I couldn’t turn down, cà phê sữa nong. Slow pour over espresso with condensed milk. Small but powerful.
Just yesterday I had a beautiful Coffee Coa in Denmark. A shot of espresso and a piece of chocolate melted into it. Hygge in a cup. There is no photographic evidence of the actual cup but this one came close. It’s a cappuccino in a red cafe with candles on every table. Lovely and 25 Krone.
Ok enough coffee. What is up with the electricians in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand? Is there a contest I’m missing?
There are lines laying on the ground and hanging low across sidewalks in Da Nang begging the question, “It that hot?”. I didn’t stick around to find out.
Code? What Code? I’m not an electrician but I do know this wouldn’t fly in my neighborhood.
Other stimuli: Pull tab Beers.
A chicken egg washed up on the beach of Cambodia. Weathered yet still intact except for being hollow. It was out-of-place and appears to be somewhat space like. Reminds me of those earth pics from space at night showing the city lights.
I’m pretty excited about this challenge. My family has been traveling around the world for 6 months. I’m hoping these challenges get me back on the writing horse.
I seem stuck. Maybe it’s the culture and climate change that came with being in SE Asia for 4 months then finding yourself in Denmark taking care of a farmhouse in the snow.
Thanks WordPress for the prompt.
WordPress weekly photo challenge
She seems blue.
Bo Sang Umbrella Festival outside Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Better late than not at all. This is my first entry to the photo challenge prompt.
A photo challenge from WordPress WP Photo Challenge. Trying to spur some sort of writing flow.
Degrees of Kelvin 