Slugging Johnson in the gut

Out the corner of my eye, I saw David Bonde, prim and proper with a new hair cut—a straight line across his forehead. He pranced over to the carpet a few feet from the other boys. He took out a brand spankin’ new football card carrying case that housed a gross of cards. A gross was something outstanding at this time in our lives. The only other time we’d ever heard of a gross of something, was firecrackers. And firecrackers are cool. Now, another gross had also made it into the cool category: a gross of football cards.

Wonderland in UK

“Wow, Papa, look at the parking lot!” This was Maxim walking out of the airport hotel on Saturday morning at 6:00 a.m. after 4 hours of sleep. Not to be outdone in the aura of wide-eyed fascination, Oskar looked around with a smile that split his face like a ripe watermelon falling off a truck—pure happiness. Nothing puts an experience in a better light than a child with no inhibitions who has it in his mind that things are cool.

The whole weekend was a trip through wonderland—and the kids had fun, too.

A special group of people

Think of a group of people. Now think of a group of people whose members it seems you will never come across or meet. For instance, I don't think I'll ever talk to a member of the Thai royal family, or the politburo of the Chinese Communist Party. I met someone who is in a group of people that I never thought I would meet tonight. I'm going to give you some clues and unfortunately, everyone will probably be able to figure it out.

albania--coldest place on earth

Albania—coldest and wettest country on the planet. The actual degrees are not so terrible; it's inside the houses where your bones are freezing. Understand that the builders and architects of the homes here must have been, and are, stubborn. They refuse to admit that they need to insulate their homes or have central heating. The walls are about a foot thick with solid concrete with an R value of negative 6.

Lake Ohrid and Greece

oskarmaxim.blogspot.com is a website that has some pictures from this trip.

It was like waking up faced with another day of work, but then realizing it was Saturday. Sure, I had brought my swimming suit, but that was just because I am stubborn and try to go swimming everywhere possible. I must admit that I was looking forward to the shower's hot water enveloping my numb extremities more than the swim. I had already seen that rather than the hand held shower head that we have in Tirana, the hotel on shore in Pogradeci had a shower curtain.

Two Donkeys and a Moped

Two Donkeys and a Moped

A bus with spare jet engines strapped to the top, another with a living room set of furniture, another with a live goat, mountains spiking skyward from the water’s edge, the boat heading directly into a wall of rock, a wedding party, and a dozen calves. Highlights from our 2-hour ferry ride in northern Albania last week.
We had left Tirana at 5:30 am for a three-hour drive to the ferry launch

maggots and chicken

The guy at the closest market totals up our purchases with a pencil and paper, the nearest restaurant is called, "The Chicken Shack," and right across the road nearest major road is a huge park that is stuffed with every manner of walker or jogger from the national soccer team to elderly ladies with canes walking around a track;