Out of Africa...

.....but wait, this is Colombia (not Columbia, wil!).

The sky, land, flowers, etc all remind me of the Africa I saw in various movies including "Out of Africa". It is beautiful and they knew I was coming. Lots of things! Too many to write about tonight!

I do feel right at home, the bamboo is just like the ones in my backyard on East State street--maybe a little bigger.

I have run into Dr Livingston who is educating me about everything as retired Profs do--see pics. (Also Juan Valdez, but that is another blog). We are eating all kinds of weird, but delicious fruit. Like the pic of chirimoya or "anon" which is in the pawpaw family--keeping with the Southeast Ohio "pawpaw thing".

They also already have a statue of me at one of the historic houses. I guess my impotence was even noted here! We traveled up to "coffee country" and had a great time, but boy am I tired tonight. I will have to give my opinion on that another time.

Tomorrow we are off to Medellin at 5:30 am via Avianca Air so no danger as usual--in fact, it seems quite safe here. However, I do plan on a minimum of baggage. More after some days!

From Cali, with love................

.........but no luggage!

It is about 5:30 here in Colombia and I seem to be the only one up! I slept well, but not long. The weather here is great. Hot and dry--very few bugs that I have seen.

We have been here 2 days now and American Airlines apparently has seen fit to drop our luggage someplace else! None of our 4 bags has arrived here (4 people w/o stuff!) and we are limping along. Fortunately, we are staying with Anne Walker's sister and husband, and 92 year old mother, so we do have a washer--no dryers here in this climate.

This place is like a foreign country! !! Everybody speaking Spanish and lots of people everywhere (about 2-3 million in this town). I am a small town boy, but it sure is interesting to see all the people--many of them poor; the traffic--assertive driving here, but not agressive; and the daylight--it gets dark shortly after 6 pm and is just now becoming morn at 6 am. No short or long days for these "near equator" people.

Yesterday we drove to one of the poorest sections of town where Anne Walkers family has been intrumental in setting up an elementary school for the poor children. They not only started the school in a church, but now have put up a building right smack in the poor neighborhood. (pictures at another time). The building has 8 classrooms and a large outdoor recreation area. The rooms are all 3 sided (away from the rainy side) and don't need to be enclosed in this weather--no heat or AC here! Anne's sister's husband is chairman of the school board--what a great endeavor!

We also went to a musee de oro and looked at the gold and other artifacts including the architecture in the "old city". I have no idea what is in store for us today--it's kinda refreshing to have "tour guides" and transportation so I really don't have to give it any thought!

However, I am thinking lots about my missing suitcase! Amazing how much second guessing one can do on what should have been in my backpack! ....or maybe even to do a carry-on with my suitcase on this long overseas trip! I do know that today I must be off looking for some fish oil and other supplements as per my integrative doctor.

Buenas Dias--it's morning now! Ciao, wil

Yahoo......

.....I have arthritis! Specifically, I have evidence of moderate osteoarthritis with loss of joint space and hypertrophic changes at the acetabulaum! (Ya got that?) I never thought I would be happy to have this! But since there was no mention of cancer, I am happy!!!! In fact so happy I celebrated by having lunch with a Princess in the royal manner.

Then one of the big weeks in Athens began: Boogie on the Bricks--Ohio brew week in town with lots (too many) craft beers ending with dancing on main (Court) street! Way too many beers for an old man with cancer and even problems with his acetabulum although I did take it easy. One of the highlights was my friend Barb presenting me with a "Chandler brick" a great gift for boogie week! Apparently this brick was made in the Oklahoma Territory. How sweet of her to think of me with this.

My friends, Chuck and Rosie, who I spent many months with in Asmara, Ethiopia (now Eritera), came down from Indiana for almost 4 days and it was great to have them here. The army was over 40 years ago and I don't remember much of it--but we had lots of fun. That reminds me,
do you know the difference between a fairy tale and a war story? A fairy tale begins with, "once upon a time" and a war story begins with, "no shit, this really happened!"

We showed them many parts of our wonderful area--lots of them we walked to and that is always fun. Last night we walked up to the dance night on the bricks and I demonstrated my picture taking skills--it would probably work better if my arms were longer! So...tomorrow is another chemo day in Columbus. Doctor says they only end when I do!

So, then what? Columbia.

No, not South Carolina (that governor is still in South America with his girlfriend, I think)! No Missouri either! Columbia, South America, we are leaving Wednesday and going with our great friends Tom and Anne for 13 days. No doubt I can render my thots on that area too!!

ciao for now! (I don't know any Spanish)

..."like a sharp stick in the eye!"

I have been asked (and am asking) lots of questions lately! On Wednesday it was back to Columbus--again. (There must be somewhere else to go sometimes!) This time it was for surgery to remove a cataract in my left eye.

How was it, you say? Very like a sharp stick in the eye!! It hurt, lots. Now some people say there was nothing to it, but maybe my operation hurt more cause he also shaped my eye less like a football and more like a basketball as it is supposed to be.

At least this doctor did it in public! Anne caught a few pics of the "always willing, wil" as a patient. It sure looks like an old man to me--but don't ya just love the sports analogies? Anyhow, two days later, the "foggy view" is almost gone and I really can see lots better.

OK, next question please, old timer. Well, for starters I would like to know why my hip is starting to hurt on a regular basis. Of course, my 'fraidy cat' answer is that the cancer has now moved on to my hip! Mark, my regular doc who has seen me thru this whole thing, sent me today to get an Xray (I must be setting off geiger counters by now) so we really know some answers. Results early next week.

I am still determined to beat this thing whatever I need to do. In fact, I had to pay $1000 toward fixing my eye, so I definitely need to hang around a while to "see" things--and get my money's worth.

I am pretty excited as there are lots of things to do in and around Athens these days. I am most excited that this is the start of "Brew Week" and not only will we be able to walk to the festivities--maybe even home again, but for the first time my old friends Chuck and Rosie are coming down from Indiana!

So, what's the big deal about that? Well, we spent almost two years together in the mid-sixties in Asmara, Ethiopia (now Eritera) in the Army Security Agency. Chuck was my sergant (trick chief) at our top secret intelligence site! ...and Rosie his fiancee who came all the way from Indiana as a young girl and married him! We had some really great times there protecting our country. It's true! The Russians never did invade us as they planned to! I'd tell you more but I would have to kill you! ("ASA all the way")

Well, it's Friday evening and us extroverts need to get moving as most people around here look forward to the start of the weekend and play time. Me too.