New Hong Nam !!!

Hong Nam is Thai for bathroom. We have completed our remodel here in the Thai countryside. After toughing it out for a half a year, living like a Khon Thai, we decided on a better way... I found out that my decades-long dream of a 3-speed toilet is now a reality and worked the math to discover it is actually better than throwing buckets full of water down a gravity-flow toilet. Duh... Nice to have a sink and hot water, too!

Image #1: Shot taken Fall of 2011, when Thip first moved in and got help from her brother Pawt in cleaning the place up... bathroom on left, closet/washing room right (where Pawt is) and kitchen further right (out of frame). Living room in foreground:

Images Following: The Makeover

So, Cuz Barry: if you guys make it to Thailand, you have no excuse NOT to visit us! Your throne awaits you!

Osric and Grandpa Malc

I had an amazing 5 minutes with my grandson recently. We were on a Skype call and it took him a while to focus in on the computer screen. He's probably seen TV or similar, but... this image talked back to him! He'd make a noise and I'd repeat it as close as I could get and this went on for about 5 minutes where I really felt we connected. Amazing, as he is in Paso Robles, California and I'm out in the Northeastern Thailand countryside...

His mom Diana caught the scene...

Thung Yai 4-6 + 1

The remainder of my travelog, pictures and video of the trek we took into Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Santuary, April 2012 is now complete and posted:

#4: http://the-isaan.blogspot.com/2012/07/thung-yai-4.html

#5: http://the-isaan.blogspot.com/2012/07/thung-yai-5.html

#6: http://the-isaan.blogspot.com/2012/07/thung-yai-6.html

Bonus music/video: http://the-isaan.blogspot.com/2012/08/thung-yai-music.html