"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."   - Henry David Thoreau

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Notes on a Turkish Train Pass #4

     Hello, friends. It is Tuesday morning, the 28th of January in Tarsus, Turkey. Finally, we've had a few days of good rain. We'd been having the same warmer, drought-like conditions here in Mersin Province as you folks back in California have been having. People here have been pretty worried. This is an agricultural area, and the lack of rain was starting to pose real problems for the farmers and has had everyone concerned about the water supply for the upcoming summer. Let's hope it continues and that big storms start hitting California too.
     We're at the semester break. Two weeks off. Christine got back last Wednesday night, and tomorrow morning we're off to Roma for nine days! But that's just one little part of the good things in our lives. The best is that on Christmas Eve, Jacqueline and Brandon brought young William Michael Lucero into the world. What a fantastic Christmas present. And what a perfect day for him to arrive. For the rest of all of our lives, Christmas will be so much happier and more meaningful. I'll show you some pictures of the young prince in a few minutes. Allison just started her first semester as a Chico State Wildcat. Perfect mascot for the school that Allie attends, don't you think? Now there's one more wildcat on campus.
     Before I get to the latest notes on the old Turkish train pass, I'd like to give a few shout outs to some special readers out there: