I went to Elliot Brack's funeral yesterday. He was a friend. And he was quite a character. He was one of the first people I met outside of work when I moved to Georgia. He was sort of a variation of the main character of Tom Wolfe's "A Man In Full". I used to say that Elliott and I had a 50-50 relationship. He told me what to do and I did it -50-50. He was a fixture at my church and involved me in all sorts of things. Including the organization of our "Civic Breakfast" where we invited leaders from the community for information and opinions of community. It goes on and on. He will be missed. https://www.crowellbrothers.com/obituaries/Elliott-Earl-Brack?obId=48440319
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I am back from 8 days in Brazil, both in the North and the South. I had many "peak experiences" during this time. I spent three days in Petrolina which is on the border of Northern States of Pernambucu and Bahia. It is a semi-arid area on the San Fransisco River. The river is damned at this location creating a reservoir only second in size to the "3 gorges project in China". The area reminds me in climate to southern California. The irrigation and the sun makes a great place for citrus and the like. We went to a Gal Costa concert, a river boat ride and lots of other fun activities in a short amount of time. Goat meat (bode) is a specialty in the area and source of local attention. The domestic flight into Petrolini had such a hard landing we bounced enough to warrant a go around. That happens in my little planes as we are learning, it is uncommon with a large commercial jet, for sure. We all lived and the fire equipment stayed at the station.
I was very proud of myself when I was at the immigration desk, when I entered Brazil. The immigration officer asked if I spoke Portuguese (in Portuguese, of course), I said yes (oh crap!) and he asked me a number of questions where I answered without missing a beat all in Portuguese, finally wishing each other a good day. That small event made me feel very good. The formal Portuguese lessons are worth the effort and expense.
I participated in a Undergraduate Business Administration class at the Federal University of the San Fransisco Valley (UNIVASF - Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco). Great fun, great education, great enrichment.
The statue is the Gaucho, a source of pride and an archetype in the South. This statue is an icon of Southern Brazil. I was given 4 days to decide whether my Futebol team is the Gremio or Internacional, serious business. I have two days left to decide.
All of these pics are from Northern Brazil except the last one. You just don't return from trips like this without change.
Edward Lear I The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea In a beautiful pea green boat, They took some honey, and plenty of money, Wrapped up in a five pound note. The Owl looked up to the stars above, And sang to a small guitar, 'O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love, What a beautiful Pussy you are, You are, You are! What a beautiful Pussy you are!' II Pussy said to the Owl, 'You elegant fowl! How charmingly sweet you sing! O let us be married! too long we have tarried: But what shall we do for a ring?' They sailed away, for a year and a day, To the land where the Bong-tree grows And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood With a ring at the end of his nose, His nose, His nose, With a ring at the end of his nose. III 'Dear pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling Your ring?' Said the Piggy, 'I will.' So they took it away, and were married next day By the Turkey who li...
We have had a dry spring weather-wise this year. But now Mother Nature is making up for it. There was flooding on what we call "The Connector" in Atlanta. The connector is both I 75 and I 85 running through downtown. Needless to say it is a very large artery. The forecast looks like it will be rain for about 10 days. Here is a rare picture with at least a piece of each car in the current fleet. It is too many vehicles. It takes too much attention for all the care and feeding. The Humvee goes on display today. Maybe an interested party will buy. Jewel the Turkish Angora enjoying nature
Things are surreal. You know, in a dreamlike state. There are lots of new experiences, faces, stories, places and things. It energizes me. I am in Kansas for part of next week. I always wanted to go to Kansas so I can better understand, "You're not in Kansas anymore." Although, I doubt the trip will help on that dimension. Interestingly enough, I have never been to Kansas, one of the very few states I have left to visit. I am working on my travel schedule. It is tough to plan with the European holidays; actually is is OK to plan, but difficult to get things done. OK. I am an American, admitted. I am sure my friends will convert me given the opportunity. It is considerably hotter in NY state than it is in Georgia the last few days. The heat followed me North and did not return with me down to Atlanta. I am semi-moved in to my apartment. Everything went like clockwork, deliveries, etc. That definitely added to the surreal aspect. I am still in a hotel, as my command ...
The big news. Probably bigger than I can comprehend right now. We have a new family member, Ian Daniel McMullen . He was born May 11, 2006 at 9:11 PM ET. He weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and is doing very well. He is the son of Becky and Douglas McMullen of Vestal NY. Click pic for video
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