BON VOYAGE

 As promised below, my sister hosted a Bon Voyage luncheon for me at Manual's in Green Valley on November 29th.  See the attached picture,  Jack and Carol Claton, Jack and Eileen Mundy, Charles and Mimi Trangsrud, and, of course, yours truly.  Conspicious in their absence were Charles and Carlen Goehring.

MAX, THE DOG

 Mr friends Kathy and Wade wanted to know what happened to Max since I had the quad bypass, and I'm now leaving the country for four months.

Max, my 80 lb Bernese Mountain Dog, was so big and ready to play, that I couldn't handle him after my surgery.  Before going to the hospital, I had checked him in with my groomer in Green Valley, who takes him home with her.  When I found that I was going to be in for six days instead of one, I called her, and she extended his stay until I got out.

I had rescued Max from a rescue league about a year ago.  One of the conditions is that if you can't keep him for any reason, you have to return him to them.  So I called them, and they were very nice about it.  My friend Jack picked him up from the groomer, and took him straight to the rescue league, so I didn't even see him after dropping him off at the groomer.

I checked later, and Maureen at the Rescue League said that they had placed him almost immediately with a new home, and that he now has a doggy friend, and an acre of running room.
So, at least, I don't have to worry about Max, nor feel guilty about abandoning him.

Horrible Picture

 Wow.  Those self pictures suck!!  I'll post one taken some three months and 22lbs later, but I have to master the camera first.  Speaking of pictures, my lovely younger sister, Mimi, is hosting a bon voyage luncheon for me this Wednesday at Manual's Mexican Restaurant in Green Valley.  If I get some good pictures, I'll put some here.

THANKSGIVING

 I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving, as did I; spent with friends Jack and Carol Claton who prepared the turkey and hosted the event. Also there were Charles & Carlen Goehring.  Notably missing was friend TJ, who has moved to the wilds of Nebraska.

It's a beautiful Sunday morning in Green Valley; and while I have about a hundred things yet to do to get ready for my trip,  wanted to get this started BEFORE I leave.

The reason for the urgency (if anything I ever do is urgent)  is that I will be leaving on a four month trip beginning December 2, 2006, and ending on or about April 1, 2007.

I hope to keep this as a journal of my travels, and, with luck, post some pictures.

Let me hear from you as to whether you like what you see or not, so I'll know if I have an audience, or whether I'm tilting at windmills (read pissing in the wind).

We'll let the fun begin a week from today, at which time, I should be in place in Panama City.