As most of you know, my Dad passed away on March 30 this year in the same home he and his brother Ben were raised.

Penny and I flew home to be with our Mom and Kip on March 31st.

At his request, there was no service, but since tomorrow is Memorial Day in the States, I thought it w... Read More

Well, in the end, this colonoscopy went very well. I had two polyps removed, but otherwise, everything was just fine. Doc says I need to go back in five years for another “look see”.

This scoping was SO much better than my previous one, I thought I’d share a bit of my experiences with you, you lucky readers you!

(And once again, fair ... Read More

Did I mention I was hungry? I keep thinking I’ll just jump up and get a… oh, no you don’t, NO FOOD. NO DRINK (except clear NON ALCOHOLIC liquids)…

Here’s the problem I have with clear liquids. Apple Juice, cranberry juice, lemonade and the like - I just don’t like them. A sip or two is all I can handle. Black coffee? What... Read More

Okay - we’ve gone too far. There’s no turning back. 1 ½ ounce of Fleet Phospho-Soda - which is an intense sodium solution, “disguised” (ha!) with lemon flavoring - mixed with 8 ounces of water. The water has the effect of lengthening the swallowing time of this vile concoction. But, here’s the good part. You get to follow that up immedi... Read More

I had my last solid food at 7 this morning. Nothing unusual - banana, HIGH fiber cereal, yogurt. But it was the last, for a while.

I had my last alcoholic beverage of choice about 10 last night. Sigh.

But, or should I say “butt”, it’s that magic wonderful time of my life, again, for the dreaded colonoscopy. Friday, May 26, 7:30 A.M. ... Read More

Warning This story contains adult situations, violence, strong language and an event that will make males wince with sympathetic pain.

One day, as I was scraping a camel in preparation for its entrance to the oven, Abdullah told me to hand my adz to Fayed, my partner, and come with him to see Lord Tariz. Stunned... Read More

I was called to help on Friday, this is the time of the year when Graduation parties are flying high and weddings are all coming up so the labor is required to pull things together. Then I cooked for the soup kitchen on Saturday, we turned out a really nice chicken enchilada meal complete with pasole and refrieds! So Sunday rolls and the weather is great what to do?... Read More

Well, it’s story time again. Here’s one I wrote a while ago. Its an homage to some of my favorite old hollywood movies - those over the top epics set in the middle east. The Thief of Baghdad, The Seven Voyages of Sinbad, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and of course, Lawrence of Arabia. Like the original Lawrence , this story is o... Read More

Ok.. some of these pictures from Pompeii are a little Graphic. A lot of the bodies recovered from the site have been preserved in ash and the detail is amazing. This event happend at night time so a lot of people were sleeping hence the poses of the bodies. The little children were really sad to see but amazing how preserved they are!

Since these photos are rea... Read More

Well I think I have finally recovered got caught up at work and I can finish my blog for my Italy trip.

I left off at the Sunday night after the day in Rome. We had dinner that night at the same restaurant as on Friday night. Little did I know this was going to be our home for the week along with the Gelato shop.

Monday 0400-Friday 1500 hours

We... Read More