My wonderful partner! Not only does she tolerate my eccentricities (mostly?), but she even joins in from time to time. This was a very windy day, but wonderfully, mercifully cool. I loved it.
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| Old school canoe. I think they cut them out of palm trees. |
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| Remember what I was saying about letting Christmas linger? The quiet withdrawal is underway, but it's an imperceptibly gradual process. |
Did you ever go somewhere where you liked the place and the people right from the start? That's how I am with the area around Prasat Phanom Wan. I hope they like me as much as I like them because I have been hanging around there a lot. Why wouldn't I? Beautiful canals and fields with rice, lotus, and birds--lots and lots of birds. So much so that it is officially a Natural Agricultural Park.
If you happen to go out there (I won't be taking you unless you're in my inner circle), please respect country rules. Never, ever interfere with the farmers.
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| The "adventure bike" parked in front of the coffee shop after the adventure. 20230127 |
During the one to two weeks of nice weather in Thailand each year, one must be outside as much as possible. Having visited the area around Prasat Phanom Wan, I couldn't wait to get back. Plus, on the first trip, we missed เนินอรพม / Oraphim Hill, located east of the main temple complex.
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| 20230125 |
As a crowd-avoidance strategy, we laid low at the house on actual Lunar New Year's day, 20230122. Back over to Central Plaza mall today, where it was relatively calm. Are you ready to leap into this new year with renewed enthusiasm? Happy Year of the Rabbit to you and yours.
In the Sacramento area, lunar new year means you are starting to see the earliest trees pop open and show their flowers. That is well-deserved this year after the deluge. There may yet be more rain, but I hope you will enjoy a beautiful early spring. I can only imagine the abundance of green.
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| Bing Wallpaper came through with this mountain hare in Derbyshire, England. 20230123 |
On rare occasions, one actually learns something useful on the world-destroying Facebook website. In this case, I learned of Prasat Phanom Wan, which is not too far from the house. It is very well-maintained and in remarkably good condition considering that it was built in the 11th century.
Just down the road from this ancient remnant of the Khmer Empire is a very nice restaurant with tables arranged around a small lake. For whatever reason, the people in this area seem to be exceptionally nice. If I can figure out how to safely use the flyover over the railroad tracks, I'll be going back for a closer look.
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| The amateur archaeologist on site. |
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| Wat Phanom Wan, built right next to Prasat Phanom Wan. |
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| Yep. This is where coconuts come from. |
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| The nice restaurant nearby. 20230121 |
I'm pretty much diurnal these days, which means taking my sunset photos from my own yard, with the view obstructed by antennas, bright streetlights, and the like. I did, however, make it over to the clubhouse and swimming pool area the other evening.
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| 20230120 |
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| TOSHIBA HIGH LOOK DELUXE television |
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| Possibly Thai-made possible shortwave and AM radio |
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| SEIKO 21 DAY clock 20230120 |
There we were out in the fields on the Yamaha Exciter 155 that is seeing service as a dual sport motorcycle. I set O&D Restaurant as our destination, but as we kept riding, it occurred to me that we were in the vicinity of Jungle Jungle.
Can you believe that Google Maps actually got us there correctly? It was a rare navigational success. The food is good at Jungle Jungle. The ambiance is even better. What a lovely garden.
A jazz version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas really hit the spot. I think I quite like the extended Christmas season in Thailand. Why should a holiday have to suddenly end? Let it linger for a while until it quietly withdraws.
This was a fairly large moth that fell out of the evergreen tree. I thought maybe it was injured because it just laid there where it fell, but the next day it was gone from there, and I saw it flying around our yard.
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| 20230115 |
Lots of sunsets in the world, but only one home sweet home sunset. I mean, home could be a hovel, but it would still feel good to return to it after a trip, right?
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| 20230114 |
I guess it was my dream that the air wouldn't get bad until mid-January. I got back right at the end of the rainy season, and the air is...
