For my 9th birthday Melissa, Joy, my mom and theirs packed us up with the horses to go riding at my family's property on Eagle Island. After enjoying ridding for a while our moms went to visit a neighbor while we played in the field.
We found a creek running around the property, and discovered that there was a cement gate we could block with old boards, and sat happily watching the water spill over our homemade dame or playing in the pool created upstream.
The next day, in the middle of my homework, my mom called me over. Apparently she got a phone call from some neighbors downstream who were not getting any water from the irrigation canal. Little did I know that ancestral wars were fought over water rights for farming! *
This birthday, this 26th birthday, Melissa and I had no such youthful and innocent shenanigans up our sleeves. After a week long mini-tour of Thailand (Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Ko Tao) we spent my birthday in the ancient capital of Thailand, Ayutthaya. The capital was moved further south after the Burmen sacked Ayutthaya about 350 years ago (if my memory serves).
My favorite was this iconic Thai site, this limestone Buddha head that is now part of nature.
The novelty of elephants hasn't worn off for Melissa, although we were both charmed by their clever antics.
No words can express how wonderful it is to spend time with a friend who I have known literally as long as I can remember. In a place where everything is new, where I am new to everyone, a strong, happy and loving connection to my deepest roots is a great blessing. Thanks, Melissa, for sharing a little of my life in Thailand and adding such wonderful memories to those we already have.
* This story is subject to my 9 year old memory. Any corrections or modifications by parents involved would be taken into advisement.
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