Howdy! Welcome to The Bluelou Times! I've visited and lived in many interesting places in my young life. I've recorded many of my memories in letters I've sent to my friends. This web page archives several of those letters. This is a sample. My friends think I should be a writer. These memoirs are my first attempts at being that writer. If you like it, you can find many more just by clicking on the links to the left, right, or top of the page. You can also let me know by clicking the e-mail link below. Please Check Out My Sponsors (And Some Interesting Stuff Too..) You can click on some of the flag links above. In 1994, I'd sold or given away most of my worldly possessions in three weeks (truck, ATV, fridge, washer, ACs, etc.) and boarded on a plane from Atlanta to Frankfurt Germany thinking I'd made the dumbest mistake in all my life. The story of those three weeks is a tale of its' own. I decided that since I'd made my bed, I'd best sleep in it. I flew on to Istanbul and then to Ankara. I was fumbling with my luggage trying to explain to the customs agent that those were truly cooking spices. Who in their right mind would want to take drugs INTO Turkey? All the while, someone who could have easily bailed me out of this mess...was laughing at me and my traveling rummage sale. Hey, I deserved it! I'm still the world's worst traveler. This person was my then roommate and longtime buddy, Mike Veal (aka Mr. Wheel). It turned out to be the best thing I'd done and I don't regret a minute. Mike's still with my former company and we stay in touch. He's been a long reader of the Bluelou Times. Believe it or not, he's been to more places than I've traveled.

I added another flag at the header...but I'm getting ahead of myself. Uncle Sam approved my resumption of Embassy work. The day after this approval, and my future employer setting a mobilization date, I gave my two-week notice to my current employer. Nine minutes after I hit the send button on my email, I got a call from the two headhunters who recruited me. Fully intending to be professional about leaving, I wrote a detailed explanation for my departure, so the recruiters understood my thinking. No payment for salary or expenses came on time without asking. A few days prior, I received approval from the boss to work remotely at the location of my choice. Having seen too many red flags with this young company, I chose to move on with the new/old company. I fully expected to be working in the Bahamas and that wasn't going to happen in the foreseeable future. Was truly hoping my recent employer would have worked out. Though I wouldn't have been in the Bahamas, I could have lived out my career by working remotely...wherever that may be. The tax penalty for working domestically was substantial. They did ask me to run a report for them about two months after my departure so it wasn't total ill will. Part of the continued scavenger hunt included an FBI background investigation for a work visa. No, a police report from the Omaha police department, obtained as part of my Bahamas visa process, wasn't acceptable. Had a similar requirement for work in Kosovo. Not to be left out, I needed fingerprints from the county sheriff. My last set of fingerprints were from ink for my first clearance taken back in 1994...over three decades ago! I found the form online and sent it in second-day UPS with a money order from Wally's. After the recommended two-week processing period duration, I called and the FBI couldn't give me a verbal assessment over the phone...snail mail baby! The report simply stated there was no prior arrest data associated with my fingerprints. Found out after I submitted them, I could have done it electronically through the post office thus shaving at least a week in the waiting process. These same fingerprints were a requirement for my clearance update requiring a return trip to the sheriff's office. This was a simple process showing my ID and paying their fees. My first weeks in Brasilia were completing the paperwork returning to the company and updating the clearance. Renewing my clearance is something I didn't think would come after filling out the last clearance four years ago. Two years ago, I renewed my passport. I had photos taken at Walgreens who emailed me the pictures. I renewed my passport online. For my Brazilian visa, I sent my passport photo file along with a scanned copy of my passport. The response was that my passport photo didn't look like the photo I sent. Huh? I sent a recent selfie with the background changed to white. The girlfriend left the much-publicized European heat spell which included Tunisia and came to Omaha for a quick trip. It was warm in Omaha but still cooler compared to what she left. Tunis temps were in triple digits with no relief forecast. She said the high temps would mean we'd only see each other for a couple of hours a day, which made travel impractical. They were experiencing brown-outs, black-outs, and water outages. While she was in Omaha, the girlfriend and I saw a movie, shopped, and dined out at our favorite restaurants with family and friends. Her coming to Omaha meant my trip to Tunisia was delayed but not eliminated. She was convinced I was ducking my international travel. It wasn't intentional. Work demands and health maintenance took up the time where I could travel, making long trips impractical thus the change in companies. At least, I convinced her that my not coming to Tunis wasn't intentional. I planned a week-long trip and I was ready to go. After postponing the trip, I found I had time to do whatever. Instead of flying to Omaha from the next post, I elected to bump up doctor exams doing them in my newfound spare time. The first stop was the dentist who was unable to find proof of dental insurance under my COBRA plan. I found documentation the next day, but the help I envisioned wasn't as much as I'd anticipated. My tooth needed crowning and the dermatologist prescribed medications for athlete's foot. Boy, if that's all the doctors found, I'm in decent shape. My girlfriend was upset with me because I told her something else about my career plans previously than what they currently are. She was hoping that by working remotely with the previous employer, some of that time could have been spent working in Tunisia. Frankly, the job hunt was evolving so quickly, it was hard for me to keep the situation straight. Keeping friends and family up to date with my current employment scenario wasn't possible. For my last assignment, Michele said she'd know where I was going when she saw the taillights of my car. Similarly, she'd know where I was going when I headed to the airport. In the last update, I wrote that I gave my girlfriend a new pair of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to pass on to her nephew. I had no idea what they were when I chose them over a Home Depot gift certificate as part of my internet service provider subscription. I knew if it had Ray-Ban in the name, it would be cool. I avoid giving technology access to my personal data...if that's possible. It's on a need to know basis. They stayed in their original box unopened until she passed them on. She said Tunisia made smart glasses illegal. Speculating that it's the sneaky recording of unknowing participants. I've seen the slang term pervert glasses. The downfall is that you can record videos or stills without indication/consent of those being recorded. The optimist in me hoped it wouldn't come to that. She says her nephew only wears them indoors. The IRS wasn't done hitting me up for taxes...a late tax penalty zapped me. Spent a lot of time at the gym and riding around the lake often seeing the bald eagles that live in the trees. Two days before I was scheduled to fly, the boss called adding Brazil to my travel itinerary. I'd need a visa for Brazil. I'd hang there until the Port of Spain visa was approved. Suddenly, I had two more weeks to run errands and hang out until the travel orders came through. I'm happy to add more countries to my travel portfolio. I haven't been to South America so that's my newest continent...North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia...got one more...doubtful I'll make seven. As I say...Never say never. Every time I use the word never, I have a diet on a five-letter word. I do say things are highly unlikely. The hardest part about travel, my biggest pain, is simply getting to the airport. I'm waiting for my next airline ticket...but need my Trinidad work visa application first...patience... I've been through so many starts and stops this year, it boggles the imagination. I was on my fourth iteration of packing/unpacking/repacking since leaving Kansas...hurry up and wait...just get me to the airport!

I confess, it's a rush for me to visit a new country, experience a new culture, write, photo, and share my experience with the BLT readers. It's what makes travel pains worthwhile. Can't help but wonder if I'm going to all this effort for myself. I don't track user traffic for this web site. I hope someone else reads and enjoys my writing but if not, I still enjoy the effort in creating it. I know that one day, I'll be done traveling but I'll have this multimedia travelogue as a reminder.

Selling the Honda was a step in the departure process. I checked out a couple of websites. I needed a car while in Omaha. With my go/no go travel scenario, it was sell/no sell. Tried one car buying/selling firm where we couldn't work out the right delivery schedule. If I wanted to drop the car off at the buyers' location, I needed to drive two hours to Des Moines with no indication about a return ride. I tried another service who was more flexible and offered significantly more money. The second firm even inquired whether I needed a ride home after I sold the car.

Suddenly, my Facebook feed got flooded with car buyers and sellers. Though both parties deny it, if you Google about something, I find it gets carried over to the Facebook feed.

When I went to sell the vehicle, they offered me even more money than originally offered. Now, I'm recouping money previously paid but not used like insurance, etc... With the first firm, I would have owed money to settle the final payment (i.e. under water) where I made money with the second offeror.

I really liked the Honda HRV, especially the all-wheel drive and the Bluetooth connection to the music on my phone. It was a quality vehicle requiring little maintenance. I loved cruising down the road jamming to tunes I wanted to hear. The exterior was boring, but I'll take boring over a hot mess that's nothing but problems any day. I'm still a pick-up guy, but there aren't any pick-ups that interest me. Hopefully, after a few years, Honda or Toyota will make a Maverick-like truck. I've seen Renault, Dodge, and Chevy with a similar vehicle as the Ford Maverick in Brazil and Mexico. It's rumored that Toyota is following suit. I don't want/need a mid-size truck or a domestic vehicle. Any vehicle must be easy on gas, not hybrid or electric.

Like the fingerprints, I sold a late model pickup before I moved to Turkey in 1994. Once again, history repeats itself.

The FICO score went down twenty points by paying off the car loan.

Years ago, my mother noticed that my attitude changed when I would get near my travel date...it's putting together everything needed to go back to work...buying and ditching stuff, medical, and paperwork and... Girlfriend noticed it as well. Anxious...distracted...focused is probably more accurate! Was supposed to travel less than two days later. On the eve before my original departure, my dentist sent a text stating that the dentist needed to reschedule. I needed to sell my car that evening, put stuff in storage...blah! blah! blah! I just want to go to the airport...

My storage unit has been with me since I started this international circus back in 1994. I moved my stored stuff from Virginia to Omaha in 2003. I moved some of the contents to the landfill a couple of years ago, but it's largely intact. I pick up and drop off things as needed. As written before, it's my personal time capsule. I can't wait until I call it a day to go through the contents item by item. Well, it's stuffed to the roof right now!

Both locations, Brasilia and Port of Spain, are embassy projects. I don't expect to be at either location for very long. I'm thinking my job is more like a hired gun...going where I'm most needed for projects that need contractual help. Talked to the boss about that when he told me about the change of plans.

Returning to an old company means returning to work with a former JV partner, Enka, a large international company headquartered in Istanbul Turkey. Many of my office colleagues are Turks bringing back memories of not only Sierra Leone but Zafer, JV colleagues from Ankara Turkey, on TCER: Ankara, Tbilisi, Baku, Yerevan, and Almaty. I've been in touch with a few colleagues from past years. I anticipate more reunions.

It's been an interesting start to my new job. One of those colleagues from the past is a senior manager for the new company. We are using lessons learned from past practices to implement company-wide standardized procedures and reporting practices trying to selectively harvest a large amount of data into a simple, intelligible report yet having lots of data in a common location for analysis if needed.

Funny thing is...my old employer, recently contacted me about returning to work for them...tried to keep my response professional replying that I was under contract with my current employer. If they dumped me without warning before, they'd do it again! Perhaps they were doing me a favor. I haven't come to terms with it all yet. The folks working for the company remain my friends but not the company. Never say...

I'm blessed that I have a very much in demand skillset at my age. No kidding...I get three or four contacts a day from recruiters wanting to talk about working for their companies. Thinking of bidders war for my skillset! It's all those data centers driving demands for construction in general.

A Facebook friend and former colleague, who does the same work as I, mentioned he was looking for work closer to his home. With his consent, I started passing his contact information to the headhunters looking for candidates. He seemed overwhelmed.

Working in Omaha would have been wonderful! Unfortunately, the salaries are about 40-50k lower than the rest of the country.

Flew to Brasilia without incident. In O'Hare, I saw my first robotic wheelchair (i.e. no escort – not sure if you tip the robot or not). The O'Hare Subway folks gave me a hair extension attached to the bag of my beef wrap. I need a lot more hair!

There's a two-hour difference between Omaha and Brasilia. When the clocks move in the fall, the difference will be three hours.

Orlando just vaulted to the top of the worst airports in the world tying with Charles de Gaule in Paris. I flew through Orlando decades ago but this new and improved was a cluster f _ _ _! A shiny new airport doesn't compensate for an inefficient one.

I needed to find the international terminal where my flight wasn't even on the flight board. I started asking and Googling! I had to take a train, exit the train, walk a long distance, and board another train followed by a trip through airport security and then to the gate. The airport information was horrible. Flights in other terminals, like mine, weren't on the board. Trying to find a board where flights in other terminals took a lot of looking. There were signs pointing me to my terminal, but they didn't help much. I had no clue which terminal was mine. Thankfully, there were lots of information folks who were handy getting me to my gate. Who was the genius who created this mess?

While in final decent to Brasilia, I noted mostly medium-rise buildings. Brasilia is mostly a planned community. I'm staying in such a building.

My unit is a modern high-end three-bedroom apartment in a seven-story building. There are eight elevators with underground parking and a limited unmanned convenience kiosk for drinks, cookies, and chips. Electronic security controls access to my apartment and the building (face scan). It has a very limited gym but I do ride their stationary bike.

Each of the three bedrooms has a bathroom, and two more bathrooms. The master bathroom has a double shower. Unless it's a penthouse unit, balconies are just for the AC compressor.

Unfortunately, I've regressed to Nogales with no dishwasher. I haven't cooked much, just eggs and toast for breakfast, nor do I intend to, so it's not a big sacrifice. Pool is a roof level kiddie pool and a whirlpool. Stove and oven are gas. My Leavenworth apartment didn't have a washer/dryer but this unit has a washer. Tradeoffs...

Portuguese is the national language though I've gotten by with my limited Spanish and communications I've learned through over three decades of international travel.

It's mostly a cashless economy living on credit and debit cards. I haven't hit the ATM yet. I'm using my credit card for everything including Uber, which is very cheap in Brasilia. I'm still learning about Uber transport.

Before my groceries are scanned, the clerk wants to know if I'm using a credit or debit card. The grocery price is based on my answer. There is a government subsidized method of payment requiring the user to have a bank account through a Brazilian bank giving a discount. My US plastic gets a surcharge. In the latest rounds of tariffs, Trump hit Brazil with quid quo pro tariff. The grocery store dings me if I don't bring my own grocery bags as well.

Stopped at a stop light waiting for the light to change. A man walks through the lines of waiting cars hanging a bag of culinary goodies on the rear-view mirror complete with a QR code for payment. If you take them off the mirror, payment is expected. What? A modern-day money grab. The same perpetrator will collect the goods as the light changes if you don't remove the bag from the mirror.

My neighborhood is relatively new so there are few restaurants, and I get tired of pizza. I depend on e-delivery at the office or apartments. When you pay by plastic, there is no signature or space for tipping. Uber and the e-delivery apps ask for tipping but not the restaurants.

Uber Eats is a front for a local e-delivery. The actual Uber Eats app doesn't work in Brazil. You must use the Uber Ride App which is a front for a Brazilian e-delivery firm like Uber Eats. Clicking on the Uber food delivery and the language shifts to Portuguese and my ability to work in that language is almost non-existent. Your food is brought to you via motorcycle. There are two leading companies for food delivery. Each company has their own app which is in Portuguese so it can be challenging at times. Like Uber Eats, your app gives you a minute-by-minute food ETA and a four-digit security code to give to the driver. No code, no food.

Unfortunately, I have yet to master the e-food app. I ordered lunch to be delivered to the office. As the lunch arrived, I realized the delivery was at my apartment, not the office. Went back inside for a native Portuguese speaker to exchange texts with the driver. Driver wanted to switch over to WhatsApp...which I have but I get by with basic program functions. He sent me his location via WhatsApp. I responded in kind. Upon arrival, the driver asked where I was...he'd gone to the opposite side of the Embassy. It's not a small distance. Two local guards helped to get the driver to the right location. My bad! I tipped heavily where I generally don't tip delivery drivers at all.

I now get text reminders to order lunch or dinner from the two apps regularly, automatically... I'm trying to avoid getting into eating the same foods repeatedly.

Like the US, both BK and McNasty's have touch screen menus where you place your own order without a clerk if that's your flavor. McNasty's gives you the option of placing your order in English, a rarity from what I've observed around here.

There's a buffet near my apartment. You grab an electric card from the dispenser as you enter the restaurant, go pick out your food. Then your food is weighed and that's how you pay for your food as you exit the building.

There's a BBQ street food setup across the street from the office. I've eaten lunch there a handful of times...chicken, pork, beef with potatoes, rice, beans, and some sort of veggie salad for about three bucks. It's significantly cheaper and much quicker than e-delivery. You're so close to the BBQ that the smoke blows in your face.

Some American brands are here: Nestle, Kellogg's, Frito Lay, Outback, Bud, McDonald's, BK, KFC, Sam's Club, Dunkin' Donuts, Subway, Taco Bell, Ramada. Carrefour (A French Chain similar to a Walmart super store) represents the international business sector.

Haven't been to a movie but they have subtitles or are dubbed.

I'm drinking Coke Zero which is Diet Coke without caffeine. Without caffeine, my soft drink consumption has declined immensely since I arrived. Pepsi is available.

There's a Catholic church less than fifteen minutes from my apartment on foot. Masses are in Latin or the Maronite Rite. I've tried both, understanding neither. With the Mass script on my phone, I follow the Latin Rite easier than the Maronite so that's when I go. Yes, you can bypass the collection plate making an e-donation. The QR code instructions are in every pew.

Built recently, yet the church has no AC. During Mass, the Church is so full, the stifling humidity puts me to sleep. YouTube Sunday Mass is always an option. It's shorter and more efficient but God appreciates the effort. I tried an old trick learned in Tanzania: sitting by an open window. There's nothing like fresh air to fix a problem!

The Cathedral is quite eclectic. It's a mile from the office. Did a Saturday afternoon photo expedition with a few other photos you see here. They take plastic too!

I'm told the climate is six months of rain followed by six months of drought. It's near the end of winter/dry season now. A new one for me is dry weather warnings. I don't know why they have dry weather warnings.

Voltage was another surprise, 220. All my electronics are compatible.

No, haven't driven a car. I hitch with colleagues or Uber. Takes a bit to get confident to drive anywhere in any country. Compared to the US, cars are smaller, and lanes are proportionally smaller. Pulling up next to a bus, driving side by side sharing a four-lane road is scary. Speed is controlled by many speed bumps (sleeping policemen). Yes, they do have e-tickets.

With motorcycles darting in and out between cars driving side by side, it's unnerving even as a passenger. Witnessing how motorcycles travel, it's not a stretch of the imagination to understand how the e-delivery drivers beat the app ETA with my food.

Traffic is congested but not overly bad. We start work earlier than the morning rush hour but get the evening one.

Stop signs are more like yield signs. For most cars, the reaction to a stop sign is a rolling stop at best. Ditto for traffic circles. A vehicle outside the traffic circle must yield to all vehicles inside the circle. Most vehicles outside the circle don't even tap on the brakes upon encountering vehicles inside the circle.

The big three auto makers are here but cars aren't what are sold in the US. Ditto for the Japanese, German, and Korean auto makers. There's a huge auto import tariff. Like China, cars sold are low on options to minimize costs.

I've been preoccupied with my remaining medication quantities. Transitioning to the new company meant switching insurance policies. It was too soon for refills before I left for my new assignment under the old policy. I didn't have the information about the new insurance. I thought I'd have to ship my prescriptions to wherever I was. Not cheap! Not easy! Not to worry! My colleagues told me many of the prescription medications in the US are available over the counter without a prescription in Brazil. I don't think I'll try this as my Portuguese is non-existent as well as my knowledge of medications. My colleagues said the cost of prescription medicine is very cheap in Brazil. The staff doctor wrote my prescription when I showed her my two pill bottles. I was in and out of the local pharmacy in less than five minutes. The pills came in boxes instead of bottles, $3.26 for a thirty-day supply for two of my meds. Cheaper than any meal I've eaten here, I can't mail them inside the US at that cost! There weren't pharmacy labels with product instructions. Labels were in Portuguese. I kept the actual prescription instead of the pharmacy. I can get refills for up to six months with the same prescription. If I was a resident, I could have gotten them for free. I'm not a resident.

And now, a disclaimer from my sister, the pharmacist: "Just make sure to check your BP and cholesterol levels from time to time. If those meds are manufactured in a different country, they may not have the same standards that the US FDA places on our drug manufacturers."

Now, how do I apply the $3.26 against the deductible?

On the same day the US celebrated Labor Day, Brazil celebrated their independence from Portugal, Patriots Day. We took the day off. I worked on this web site taking photos and posting them along with grocery shopping. We're talking zzzz! Using Google, I learned how to program an Uber ride for multiple stops on the same ride. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

I'm starting to use Google Translator during personal exchanges. Was looking for a restaurant inside a shopping mall. I typed my query and handed it to the food court security guard. It wasn't in that mall. Progress! Google indicated it was in the mall next door and gave me directions. If I could only get Google translating for my food app...

As part of the Patriots Day celebration, there was an air show. I saw six jets flying in formation as I was leaving Church. I skipped the parades and other festivities.

Now it's election time in Brazil. Sounds like US politics if you simply change a few names.

When I hit a pause with my current employer, it'll probably be a full stop. It's hard getting motivated about going to work when I see my friends and family starting their retirements...It's the travel part that's the biggest pain. Never say...

With the extended time in Omaha, I'm piecing together my future.

Where...warm in the winter and cool in the summer...girlfriend's apartment in Tunis will be a good winter location. Will have a place in Omaha...have an apartment location in mind not far from where my folks lived...and possibly a third location where it doesn't snow...probably the Tucson/Green Valley AZ area.

To do...not all together sure but it'll include bicycles and gyms and... Will probably visit a few locations where my career has taken me around the world. Was hoping to hang out with friends I've known around the world, but my initial impression is they're reluctant to go out much. I find writing helps me express myself but if I stop travelling and working, there won't be much to write about.

I keep shuffling my streaming services...YouTubeTV is starting to offer ESPN+ which means I can watch WWE PLEs. Hulu was winding down and it got dumped. Hulu doesn't work through a VPN which is needed for streaming internationally. Still have Peacock which will be offered as part of YouTubeTV starting next year. Netflix offers Monday Night Raw in the US and all WWE televised and premium events everywhere outside the US. Hard to keep track...

To resume international video streaming, I resumed my VPN subscription. With my first VPN subscription, I couldn't watch live streamed programs of the big four local stations. I switched to another former VPN service hoping to allow me to watch the big four. That didn't materialize but I had one surprising benefit.

The purchase of the other VPN account had a couple of rejected charges from my credit card. When I was installing the second VPN, I bought some additional features in a second purchase. My credit card company saw the two bogus charges and froze the card. I've been LIVING off my credit card for Uber and food delivery. I needed to call the credit card folks to have them reinstate the card. LIKE NOW!!!!! Like my previous experience in Morocco, try living without money ANYWHERE! It's not easy or fun. You find out who your friends really are! Traveling internationally (like me in the UAE)? Twice the fun!

My cell phone stops working at the US border...period! Couldn't get the Google phone app to work internationally. The calls I could make were local but not the bank! I borrowed the boss's cell phone to call the bank to reinstate the card. I could buy pre-paid long-distance minutes but my other debit card required a two-part authentication text message to be sent to the old cell phone number that doesn't work. It was catch-22. I couldn't use the debit card without the confirmation, yet I couldn't get the confirmation. On a whim, I connected the new VPN and tried Google Voice through the browser. Voila! It worked on the laptop and, with a bit of tinkering, the cell. I can send and receive phone calls just like my old Skype number at no additional cost other than internet and VPN cost. I can live with that! Consulting Dr. Google, I now know how to retrieve voice mail messages left on the cell phone through a standard telephone. Let me know if you need my phone number.

To enable my new VPN features, I needed VPN support, an AI bot. The bot and I exhausted all the bot suggestions and it still wasn't working as advertised. I suggested an uninstall/reinstall. Bot wanted to try one more thing with no success. "How about uninstalling and reinstalling the software!" Why didn't I think of that? Shazaam!

I dumped the original VPN.

Was talking to the company who handles my retirement account. Because my cell phone doesn't work when I'm overseas, to change the number, they asked five trivia questions from my credit report. The tricky one was about the address I use, my sister's house. The one I really got lucky on was the date it was built. They wouldn't ask another question. I remember the approximate year was 1970 and I just had to name the range. I went 5 for 5!

Company was awarded the Mongolia project...brr!

Sitting in the Brasilia office on 9/11. The government comes into the office complaining about the noise. Usually, the government says we're not working fast enough. Now, they tell us to be quiet! Unfortunately, a byproduct of construction, is noise. It's hard to run a dozer or jackhammer and be silent. The embassy was having a 9/11 commemorative ceremony which needed a solemn atmosphere. Reminds me of the late Senator John McCain in Jakarta. We'd just received notice to proceed after a long shutdown. McCain complained about the construction noise interfering with his nap. Go figure!

For the curious, on 9/11, I was in Tunis, Tunisia. My story, different than most, is here.

Michele continued her personal tradition by doing a couple of segments of RAGBRAI...riding her bike across Iowa doing segments of fifty-five and one-hundred-twenty-five miles with temps nearing triple digits.

No, that's not Photoshop! Went bike riding and saw someone had something similar and was inspired by it! Michele and Alan retired about a week apart. They had a combined BBQ retirement dinner party at Michele's house. BLT sponsored the advertising! I had to skip the party as I was in Brasilia.

Years ago, I was a big reader. Since I found video streaming, if it wasn't work related or news oriented, I stopped reading books. I just can't find books of interest. My interests have changed but I've wanted to restart my reading. I prefer eBooks. I started downloading samples. If I like the book, I'll buy it. I'm reading my third book and more samples.

So far, 2026 hasn't been monumental, but it hasn't been boring. Stay tuned. Like the weather, my situation is going to change. You'll read about here at the BLT. You'll read about it here at the BLT.

At this pace, all I can do is warn you about the 2026 Best of the BLT!

PS: New post of old 1994 Turkey photos here