Monday morning

Monday morning: Pretty lazy day so far. Woke up around fifteen after nine and hopped in the shower. The showers over here, or at least mine, seems to know that you want to get wet and does all that it can to spite you by defying physics and dodging you with every drop that it squeaks out. You know the shower head that I am talking about. Those that share a physiology with a tornado in that if you stand directly in the middle of it you will get not one drop of water on you. Then you try to pick the side with the most concentrated stream and it moves to the other side or you find that it was just an optical illusion and you are somehow now caught in this crazy mist in which you can’t breathe but, you still feel like you are just sweating. So I managed through my shower to head down to the Emmasdale Market for a doughnut. Now, we have all heard great things about these doughnuts but, dead gum it if every time I go down there they are either not ready yet (at 10:00AM) or they decided not to make any that day. Today was, unfortunately, no exception. They were just getting the oven started. I just grabbed a coke instead and started back for the flat. When I got back I found the power down. No worries though as just about everything that I have over here other than the wireless internet router is battery powered. So I am here sitting on my open porch enjoying the gorgeous day with a little breeze that makes it feel a bit more like my College Station home. Katy and Kahler just joined me and we are waiting for a cab to take us to Manda Hill where we will get out shopping done for the week. Looking forward to lunch with Mike and Lyndie. They are about as South Texas as you can be. It's wonderful.

I suppose if the greatest hardship I have to deal with is the warm shower I should be very thankful.

Lunch with Mike and Lyndie was delicious. Mike grilled the beef fillet (the 't' is not silent when they say it over here and it sounds crazy) on his GAS GRILL. The cut of beef is really good, it's basically the back strap. Potato Salad, beef, green beans, sweet tea, rolls, and banana nut cake made lunch a nirvanic experience. Then Mike brought to the table to excellent outdoors-man style his Remington Mod. 700 375 H&H, Lyndie's 30-06 Mauser, and a Browning Hi-Power 9mm. I told him if he wanted to make certain the pistol was sighted in I would volunteer a few hours to making sure. They are amazing people that I get not be more grateful for. They took us home after lunch where we waited to be picked up by Dr. Martha Conkling.

We got to Martha's where she gave us a Coke and we all stood in the kitchen watching her make Lasagna! It was delightful talking with someone who knows much more than I do about the project's history and under-workings. In retrospect, it might have been the most delectable Monday I have ever experienced.

The weekend was just perfectly refreshing albeit a bit busy. The week is much more manageable when you have such marvelous options for the weekend. Got talk to the folks and super friends with my good buddy Mr. Skype. I will likely post very soon a bit more comprehensive understanding of the work that I am here to do. Thank you all for keeping in such great touch while I am here. It makes the times that might otherwise be rough, a breeze, so thanks.

All is well!