Thung Yai 3

THE ISAAN - Life in a Thai-Lao Village: Thung Yai 3

Opa 2

Part 2 of "RENE DIETS, WWII Prisoner of War"...

Opa 1

Das and Senyo's grandfather on their mother's side was Rene Diets of Ojai, California.

Rene and wife Mary, 2015

In 2010 and 2011, Das interviewed Opa ("grandfather") while I shot some video. The audio is low, so you'll need to boost it up a bit to hear accurately. This is the first of several:

Thung Yai 2

Part 2 of 4 videos I put together of video footage and stills:

Yep, that's my wife Thiphawan in the foreground...

Osric

OSRIC MIREU GAULT-WILLIAMS has arrived!

June 5, 2012, 9:14pm PST

Thung Yai 1

As many of you know,  this past April I was honored to accompany a Kamattan Buddhist pilgrimage into one of the most remote parts of Thailand, Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary. I will be sharing excerpts of my writings about the trip at:  http://the-isaan.blogspot.com/, but in the meantime, here's a sneak preview of some of the footage:

Boon Pakwet

In our village, the big party prior to this year's Thai New Year (Somkran) was Boon Pakwet. Here are some scenes from the two day party that included prayers for a bountiful rice harvest, money trees presented to us from neighboring villages, and a good deal of alcohol:

I wrote a bit about Boon Pakwet at:  http://the-isaan.blogspot.com/2012/05/boon-pakwet.html

Fishing The Klong

My first month retired in Thailand (March 2012), I joined the guys out at the klong. Here's some footage:

Osric's Coming!

Osric Mireu Gault-Williams is scheduled to arrive on or around June 11, 2012:

ISAAN, March 2012

Random scenes from my first month retired in Thailand:

"Life In A Thai-Lao Village"

I am now writing about my retirement in Northeast Thailand at:

http://the-isaan.blogspot.com/

Da Boyz

Da Boyz... from Thanksgiving, in Ojai, 2011:

Bann Noen Soong Pleui

I have made my transition to Thailand. Here's a map of our village and properties:


View Noen Soong Pleui, Thailand in a larger map

With Family in The Fort

My trip to visit Family in Florida exceeded my expectations. Here are some shots taken by Dad in Fort Myers, February 2012:

2011 / 2554 Remembered

When combined, 2010 and 2011 were just really GREAT years for my immediate family. Here are a few images I consider my "best of":

Das, final year as Santa Barbara City Councilman, 2010

Das won election to the California State Assembly right after Senyo and Diana were married, Fall 2010:

When Das was sworn in, Thip and I visited with my cousin Barry and his wife Joyce:

Meanwhile, Kulthida (Ray) was attending college in Bangkok:




When the new year rolled around, Das and Jonnie got hitched:

My adopted parents continued on in great form and my sister Ann was even caught in a classic shot with Dad (retired Methodist minister E.S. Gault):

Unfortunately, mid-year, Thip's parents both took a turn for the worse, necessitating her returning to Thailand to help take care of them. At the same time, she was able to move into our "new" home in The Village:

Das ended his first year as a State Assemblyman with many wins. The best one was getting his Old Man Malc out surfing on a regular basis!

Das fighting "The Privatization Beast" in defense of Public Libraries

As the year ended, I retired from the University of California and had time to contemplate my year and a half as a hardcore multi-player Gamer... It's been so much fun!

And now I am making preparations for leaving my home of 15 years to move in with Das and Jonnie in their home in Santa Barbara... and spend the majority of my time in Thailand with Thip.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU ALL! We hope this year has been as good for you as it has been for us ... and that this next year is even better!