Faces in the Crowd

I don't think I mentioned it in any of my previous posts, but I did get my dog "fix" while in New Orleans. Panda (on the left above)and Buckley were soon trained to start getting excited at the word "walk," more excited with the rustle of the plastic poop bags, and then would sit patiently on command at the door until I got their leashes on. Buckley slept on the floor beside the couch I slept on, while Panda would often sleep on the couch on my feet. I think the couch was hers before I showed up, and she wanted to make it plain that she would share, but it was still hers.

It takes all kinds, including a Flamingo head at the Jazz Fest. Complete with her own dancing pool!
A typical Ben pose.
Crystal is a real sweetheart.
Here's Colin, a friend from Seattle who flew down for the first weekend of the Jazz Fest.
An anonymous freelance dancer who loved showing off for the camera.


I've been home a couple of days now, and have emanaged to catch up on my mail, pay my bills, do my laundry, and catch up on three of the five Sopranos episodes I missed while I was gone. Comcast On Demand is a wonderful thing!

I haven't managed to make it down to my boat yet, but I think I will check it out tomorrow. The folks from Hatton Marine (a local Yanmar dealer) went down to the boat while I was gone and pronounced everything was OK. No one has been able to tell me why the shaft seal failed in the first place, so it will be something that will be nagging at me in the back of my mind for a long time. I'm going to try and rig up a water flow indicator of some sort so that I can check the flow periodically.

While in Montana on the way back, I decided, once again, to quit smoking. Over the last three or four years, I've quit for periods ranging from a few days to almost six months on a couple of occasions. Last year when I quit for almost six months, I thought I had it licked, but one morning, an inner voice told me I was going to buy a pack that day, and I did. Anyway, once again, my self-loathing and fear of death have reached a critical mass, and I've decided to live the rest of my life tobacco-free. Smoking really is a filthy disgusting habit that has no redeeming social value. It's too bad I like it so much. I'll keep you posted on my progress.