Well again, I am again late and starting my 2015 Blog in August. Last year it was July.

I

finished last year going on leave to Thailand for Christmas and New Years. Tay was very happy that I was home for the Holiday Season. I got home on Christmas Eve day. We headed out to some of the local shops in Pattaya and even though it is Thailand there was lots of Holiday Cheer to go around. In Thailand it does not take much of an excuse to have a party.

I stayed around the house for the first couple of days. Then Tay and I headed off to Bangkok for New

Years Eve. Tay went to one of her favorite temples and I spent the evening with my friend Pichet and some of his family and friends at the Narai hotel. It was an early night for most of us and I headed back to the room at 12:30 am and off to dream land.

Tay and I then went shopping in Bangkok before returning to Pattaya. We bought a house in February of 2014 and have had plans to make some additions. We finally got around to putting in a reserve

water tank and water softener. We live next to the water department but that is no guarantee that there is a supply. We installed a 1500 liter tank and a pump. The idea is to use the city water until there is an outage and then use the tank supply. It is common practice in Thailand to have a water tank and pump.

We then came back to Bangkok as one of my and Pichet’s classmates from Switzerland was in town. I met up with my friend Chris and met his wife Sue

Ann and off to dinner with Pichet at one of the restaurants that he knows about for a fine meal and catching up about the past 40 years - but who is counting?

Then it was back to work in Saudi Arabia for the next 10 weeks. Work is work and other than being behind schedule all was normal. As of April I have completed one year on this project and have been extended to March of 2016. There might be more

but in the contract world there is no guarantee. A typical day is - up at 05:00, off to work at 05:30. We arrive about 06:00 and work to 17:00 with an hour for lunch so it is a 10 hour day 6 days a week. After returning back to the compound, it is gym time then dinner and some TV or web surfing before bed. Friday is the Sunday and a day off for me. Friday is usually up around 06:00 and a little local shopping then lunch, dinner and TV then bed time. Not very exciting. I minimize my risk exposure as much

as possible. They drive like fools over here and of course there is the political aspect. I feel safe but don’t see any reason to make myself any more of a target then necessary. There is pretty good Internet connectivity here so I get to video chat with Tay several times a day.

By now it is late April and time for my next leave back to Thailand. This time instead of a Boeing 777 they were flying an Airbus A380. The one thing

that I do for myself with some many flights is to fly business class. The business class on the A380 is quite nice as all seats are aisle seats.

I arrived back in Pattaya and again just relaxed around the house. We go out several times a week for a message. After 10 weeks at work the message is always a fine treat,

As is typical Tay and I went to Bangkok for some shopping. Tay likes shoes and hand bags. Of course no trip to Bangkok is complete without a visit and a meal with Pichet.

Now it is mid April and time to return work. So off I go back to the LOS - Land of Sand. By now it is starting to heat up a little bit but not

too uncomfortable. Nothing special and the 10 weeks go by one by one. Once I have 5 weeks left I start to count. The best counting is when I can count the remaining days on 1 hand. As selfies seem to be the ‘in thing’ here is me in my work gear.

It is late June and time for the next trip to the LOS - Land of Smiles - Thailand. On the Boeing 777 with the airline that I fly there is no first class. Now that they have started using the airbus A380 there

is a first class. I requested an upgrade and - WINNER - got a first class seat. 8 seats in first class and only 2 passengers. Very good service and lots of room. The seat was comfortable but I sure wish that they could figure out how to install a La-Z-Boy recliner. The toilet is very spacious and for those so inclined - a great place for the ‘mile-high-club’.

I arrived back in Pattaya and to a house that is being expanded. Tay finally got the builder that

she was after to come over and do our expansion. We are closing off the back of the house and putting in the Thai kitchen. As part of the addition we are going to gain an wrap around upstairs balcony. Once this is completed we will go over to the other side of the house and put in a bonus room downstairs as well as an additional bed and bath upstairs. I am hoping that the kitchen portion will be completed before I return in late September. I also expect that the basic  foundation and posts will

be completed for the other side of the house. The material of choice for cost and availability is concrete. The challenge is to get things square as the original build was not squared up 100%. In Thailand - you must watch the work as it is done and make the corrections before the pour as it is concrete.

Mid-July and it is time to return to work. It sure is HOT now. Some days it is 54C (130F) at 09:00. This makes for very extreme conditions and prevention of heat stroke is a must. My next leave is late September. It should start to cool down mid-September. It will still be hot then but not as extreme. When I return in mid-October it should be pretty nice working outside.

Update Update Update

Well I returned to work and the summer of 2015 was certainly brutal with regards to the temperature. There were a number of days over 50C (122F). It made for some very miserable working conditions with the high humidity..

Tay continued to push the work on the house. Things are never done as quickly as you think they should be. The original time frame was for about 8 weeks. This started in the latter part of June and when I arrived back for my next leave in late September thing were not completed. Oh well.

So we moved along and kept a cool head. Getting mad in Thailand is not really a good option.

As this is done with concrete, you order doors and windows after the openings are finished. It would be a bummer to order and find out the final dimensions are wrong - oppss!!!!! Anyhow, I returned to work in mid-October and it was still HOT - very miserable. Finally in mid-November the heat started to break. The heat broke and the temperature dropped to a chilly 6 C (43F) and then the wind chill on top of that.

Finally

in Late November things look like they are going to be completed on the kitchen portion of the addition. There is still the bonus room (Mike’s Man Cave) and extra bed/bath upstairs. This is the wrap around balcony upstairs. Waiting to lay the tile. The next photo is the new kitchen space

I have been told that I am in the budget at work until the end of August 2016 - this is good.

I am off for Christmas and New Years again. I will be off to the airport on December 23rd and arriving back to the house the next day. Tay is patiently waiting. There is nothing like the smell of your own brewed coffee and sitting in the La-Z-Boy. I need a break. I am looking forward to lots of foot massages during my time off.

So, stay tuned for the 2016 Blog - Tay and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Be safe and enjoy the Christmas - New Years Celebration’s.

Stay Tuned for more adventures in 2016.

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