Welcome
To My Blog
Postscript: In December, 2010 I hung up my Driver's cap for good. The road had taken its' toll. I was no longer willing to drive 180 days a year, regardless of the money and the ability to work when I wanted. I had seen America. I was tired of being gone from home for 9 months a year. I needed a rest. In 2011 I sold my truck and trailer and was unemployed for the year. However, I wasn't inactive. I traveled overseas to Asia and South America for several months. In the fall I enrolled in an online course to to become certified in Oracle, the world's preeminent database. I want to go back to work sometime in the near future as a software developer or administrator. Even though I programmed for 20+ years, my skills are dated. Fortunately, I have a little flexibility as to my future.
RollingOkie OKC, Jan 1, 2012
"114 Countries"
I've Visited
Albania
Andorra
Antigua
Argentina
Aruba
Austria
Bahamas
Bali
Barbados
Belgium
Belize
Bermuda
Bonaire
Borneo
Bosnia
Botswana
Bulgaria
Canada
Cambodia
Cayman Islands
China
Colombia
Costa Rica
Crete
Croatia
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
England
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Guernsey
Herzegovina
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
India
Ireland (Eire)
Ireland (Ulster)
Isle of Man
Italy
Java
Japan
Jordan
Jersey
Kenya
Kosovo
Laos
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Malawi
Malaysia
Martinique
Mexico
Montenegro
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Netherlands
Nicaragua
Norway
Panama
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Rhodes
Saba
San Marino
Sarawak
Scotland
Serbia
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
Spain
Srpska
Sumatra
Sweden
Switzerland
Tanzania
Thailand
Tortola
Turkey (Asia)
Turkey (Eur)
Turks & Caicos Islands
United States
Vatican City
Vietnam
UAE (Emirates)
U.S.A.
U.S. Virgin Islands
Wales
Zimbabwe
Turbaned Posted: January 30, 2011
They were a bunch of old guys, sitting around in the morning smoking and drinking. Sounds like my kinda' guys. I was out walking around with my friend Ricardo, who was snapping their picture. They seemed to like having their picture taken so I snapped a few as well. I think this is the morning coffee shop ritual for these boys.
Ugh, Excuse Me Posted: January 25, 2011
I mean, I'm walking down the street when I hear something behind me and turn around to see that I'm being rapidly overtaken by an elephant. For people like me, who aren't accustomed to watching an elephant heading for their backside, this can be a little unnerving. This isn't something that happens to me on an everyday basis in India, but it has happened previously. This time, however, I must be getting a little more acclimated, because I had the wherewithal to pull out my camera and get a shot if rambling merrily onward. My questions to the driver would be simple. How do you start it? How do you stop it? How do you turn it?
Homeless in Jaipur Posted: January 25, 2011
You'll see it in all the big cities in India. They are homeless people living on the street in a little nook somewhere. They may have a lean-to or a makeshift house made out of sticks and cardboard. Who knows how creative people can be? They exist. Usually with a few naked to half-naked kids making merry. Small children don't understand poverty, but neither do I. I see people living like this and I wonder about the reasons for the situation. I think there's a streak of sociologist in me.
Taj Day 2 Posted: January 21, 2011
I don't know about you, but I like this picture. This is my second trip to the Taj. I went once by myself. I then went on a guided tour. It was a little pricey to go both days, but what the heck, I'm a big-spender. Tickets to Taj cost foreigners about $17 a day. They cost Indians less than 50 cents. I'm not sure how the Indian government justifies this, but I guess they don't have to, do they?
Feed Me - Agra Posted: January 21, 2011
This, I can never get used to. This picture is one that is all-too-common in India. Here, you can see a big heap of trash and some animals. Most of the time there are no Indians in the picture. I'm really not sure what this guy is doing. When I take a picture of some guy in a garbage dump, I try not to linger. Animals in garbage dumps is not uncommon in India. However, to put the whole thing in some perspective for my western friends, it is important to understand a couple of things. First, in India, the lives of animals are much the same as the lives of humans. That's why the vast, vast majority of Hindus are vegetarians. Second, it is important to support our animal friends by giving them the refuse that we don't want, especially cows, which are, for Hindus, sacred. It's something like having a pet, but on a higher social order. All animals are our friends (pets) and we should help them. Best way to help them? Feed them our garbage. It's like feeding Fido under the table when dad wasn't watching. At this point, however, the whole thing starts getting a little murky as the results of the logic are piles and piles of garbage everywhere and loose animals feeding in them. But, if the Indians don't have a problem with it, why should I? It's their country, isn't it?
Raj Ghat Posted: January 21, 2011
This is where Mahatma Ghandi was cremated after he was assassinated in 1948. In the Hindu culture, cremation is the normal way to deal with a person's body after they expire. The area around the site has been turned into a large park. I'm not sure what happened to his ashes. Someone told me that they were scattered from an airplane across the country of India. That sounds appropriate.
Welcome To India Posted: January 21, 2011
These are the immigration lines in New Delhi, India. Were they long? This is just one. They were incredibly long. I almost thought that there were some union organizers from the U.S. who had come to India and were working with the Indian Immigration Officer's Union in an attempt to raise union membership by slowing down the work so that the government will hire more people. Sorta' like they do in the United States. Luckily, they opened up another line to the right of me and I jumped at the chance, getting to be the third person in line. Two little Jewish ladies from New York in track shoes beat me to it. I remember waiting with our driver outside of the gate for someone else going to the hotel that the driver was supposed to pick up off the same flight. The next day I met the guy for which the driver had been waiting at the hotel and he said it took him more than an hour to get through immigration.
Guilty Posted: September 9, 2009
Our cat Buttons and the mess she likes to make. All the time.
Sign - Monteverde, Costa Rica Posted: February 28, 2009
It was wet, wet, wet.
Chicken in Restaurant - Copan, Honduras Posted: February 17, 2009
There weren't just stray dogs wandering all around the place. There were lots of other animals as well. Here, we were in a nice restaurant, having a meal and what do we spot? A chicken. Walking through like it owned the place.