THE BAND PLAYED FOR CAROLE.

If you are going to have a birthday party as an adult, you expect to enjoy it. The band, dedicated their music to Carole Gordon, whose birthday was being celebrated.


I don't know who they are, which didn't affect my enjoyment of their music. I heard guest, Alan Test, say, "Oh, that's Lightening Boy."  Lightening Boy moved quickly and I never did get his picture.


Carole got up and danced-and the night was hers.


These two singers and players are personal friends of Carole's.


They each wrote a song about their experiences in Viet Nam and sang them. The man on the left wrote and dedicated a poem to her.


The fellow doing sound and lighting reminded me of Rumbledore from Harry Potter.


 Carole was a teacher at Michelson Elementary School when we moved to Murphys 37 years ago. As our kids grew up, we were both involved in AFS (American Field Service.)  My exchange student, Linda, from Indonesia and her exchange student, Phillip, from South Africa, were good friends during their year together in Murphys.  AFS is a bonding experience, much like a family. Jim and Alisha Riggs were at the party, too. Jim had a student from Ethiopia before my family got involved in AFS.


Of course, the party wasn't only about the band. Selections of wine, beer and water.  The hors d'oeuvres were fabulous, followed by a full dinner of ribs, chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes and green beans.


I missed taking a picture of this birthday cake before it got cut.


But, I did get a picture of one of the chocolate cakes. All came from our local bakery in Murphys. Needless to say, I went home stuffed and smiling with pleasure.


Where is that Lightening Boy?

SNAKE DINNER, VIETNAMESE STYLE

Back packing around the world isn't for sissies as Bob Gambol can tell you. He had so many interesting experiences he is rich in memories, some of which I will share with you. He wanted to travel in Viet Nam to close that chapter of his life. Here he describes a memorable meal he had in 1995.
“In Viet Nam, prostitutes take cabs back and forth across the border but they have to have 4 people in a cab. So I got a ride with three gals right up to the border village at the Port of Entry. The U.S. Consulate is situated across the land border. I was told I had to leave and enter at the same place. So I stayed in the village and walked to a jungle compound and got a room in a cement block building with a cot. These guys were sitting under a tree and it was hot and humid and I had a beer with them. I asked, what’s for supper? They got a kid to come over. He ran into the jungle with a knife and came back with a big old snake. He went into the kitchen and skinned that thing, filleted it and we ate it with vegetables and rice. It was a great meal." Bob can be reached at bobgambol@yahoo.com

YUMA AGRICULTURE

Yuma is an agriculture area. We see vast fields of lettuce, kale, cabbages and alfalfa plus orchards of citrus and dates. Packing houses with iconic names like Dole and US Packing Company are evident about the area.
Sheep in herds of undulating wool are visible in the background as the individual sheep cruise the fence lines and seem less sensitive to traffic.
We drove out to the edge of town, crossed the Colorado River that put us in California for a couple hours as we visited Bob Gambol and man who lived and worked in Las Vegas at one point in his life. He claimed that people, when they found out his name, advised him that it was a lucky name and he should put a lot of money out there. He wisely didn't. Some of those quirky superstitious gamblers did. Much to their chagrin.
Bob Gambol is a WIN, a rambler like Jim, and an interesting individual who back-packed 128 different countries over a period of six years. He avoided the most traveled spots, such as Europe. He chose instead, the off beat, small towns, communist countries and revisted Viet Nam where he spent two years at war.
The wandering culture of the RV world is an interesting phenomena that I have yet to explore fully and to understand.
But, I'm working on it.
Chaio