[28604] in linux-announce channel archive
Portable Air Cooler for Nightstands, Desktops, & More
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Super Portable AirCooler)
Thu Sep 2 13:06:33 2021
Date: Thu, 2 Sep 2021 12:52:56 -0400
From: "Super Portable AirCooler" <super_portable_aircooler@volunteerstudyabroad.com>
To: <linuxch-announce.discuss@charon.mit.edu>
------=_Part_67_238174469.1630601276219
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
** 1/2 OFF Portable Air Coolers **
----------------------------------
Worlds #1 Portable Air Cooler! Create your own personal microclimate. In the heart of summer, anyone can benefit from CoolAir. Whether you're an office worker who's tired of the airless box in which you have to work, or you're a mother with children who won't take a nap in their stifling hot bedroom, AirCool is for you. For children, this device is even more popular as it also features a nightlight that changes color for ultimate effect.
BOGO & Half-Off Today Only
View Air Coolers -> http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/4496W239UW5E8I6y10v4f3dV8d9H40Khbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47AQ2o9nn7JT1BX0I6iUsvl@/brake-McCallum
Adjust your messaging settings here http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/e034W2395L86Yq10G4f31L8d9G40uhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47nQ2o9nn5H1V0Z5PAlsv/reassured-penetrable or reach out to Openheimer and Pascal Communication Labs at 5426 Cloverly Ave, Temple, 91780.
------=_Part_67_238174469.1630601276219
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<html>
<head>=20
<title></title>=20
</head>=20
<body>
<h4 style=3D"text-align: center;"><em>Enjoy Waived Shipping Fee's And Lab=
or Day Discounts!</em></h4>=20
<table role=3D"presentation" border=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=
=3D"0" align=3D"center" aria-hidden=3D"true">=20
<tbody>=20
<tr>=20
<td valign=3D"top">=20
<table role=3D"presentation" border=3D"0" width=3D"750" cellspacing=
=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" align=3D"center" aria-hidden=3D"true">=20
<tbody>=20
<tr>=20
<td>=20
<table style=3D"width: 500px; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;" =
role=3D"presentation" border=3D"0" width=3D"500" cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadd=
ing=3D"0" align=3D"center" aria-hidden=3D"true">=20
<tbody>=20
<tr>=20
<td align=3D"center">=20
<div style=3D"padding: 25px;">
<a href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/11f6I23jS95SH8B610f4f2fN8d9l40shbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47JQ2o9nn5t1y0X5tAksv/minuscule-discredited"><img style=3D"width: auto; max-width:=
95px;" src=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/F895zN2395H7gFa11U4f3bVS8d9g40rhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47QQ2o9nn5b1Ul05SlXsv/expendable-resistantly" /></a>
</div>=20
<div>
<a href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/11f6I23jS95SH8B610f4f2fN8d9l40shbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47JQ2o9nn5t1y0X5tAksv/minuscule-discredited" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"noopener"><i=
mg style=3D"width: 100%;" src=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/playhouse-puffing/7385G2_395HQ7Ca12vQ4fi3ck8d9h40Nhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47fQ2o9nn6Hn1Y0N6zlJsvM" /></a>
</div> <h1>Worlds #1 Portable Air Cooler!</h1> <h1><span styl=
e=3D"font-size: 14px;">Create your own personal microclimate.</span></h1> <=
p>In the heart of summer, anyone can benefit from CoolAir. Whether you're a=
n office worker who's tired of the airless box in which you have to work, o=
r you're a mother with children who won't take a nap in their stifling hot =
bedroom, AirCool is for you. <a href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/4c15i2l395O86HG10s4f3fj8d9_40Ehbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47XQ2o9nn6Y1vup05LL1sv/Byronism-Alastair">For children, this=
device is even more popular as it also features a nightlight that changes =
color for ultimate effect.</a></p>=20
<div>=20
<div style=3D"padding: 10px 18px; background-color: #eb6820;=
display: inline-block; border-radius: 4px;">
<a style=3D"font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; color=
: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/11f6I23jS95SH8B610f4f2fN8d9l40shbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47JQ2o9nn5t1y0X5tAksv/minuscule-discredited">Take 50% OFF and FREE SHIPPING</a>
</div>=20
</div> </td>=20
</tr>=20
</tbody>=20
</table> </td>=20
</tr>=20
</tbody>=20
</table>=20
<table role=3D"presentation" border=3D"0" width=3D"750" cellspacing=
=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"20" align=3D"center" aria-hidden=3D"true">=20
<tbody>=20
<tr>=20
<td> </td>=20
</tr>=20
<tr>=20
<td> </td>=20
</tr>=20
<tr>=20
<td style=3D"font-size: 14px; color: #383838;" align=3D"center"> <=
p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p>&nb=
sp;</p> <p> </p> <p>Click or mail <a style=3D"color: #383838;" href=3D=
"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/rouses-sawmill/eb85X23U95Bw86t11j4Jf31z8d9x40Jhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47RQ2o9nn7z1tnv0Q5akMsv" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"noopener">Anderson Vault Data Transfe=
r</a> to set preferences.<br /> 1444 N 91st Street. Scottsdale, AZ. 85260-7=
036.</p> <p class=3D"Text__BaseText-mmkwcw-0 dRMzTN"> </p> <p class=3D=
"Text__BaseText-mmkwcw-0 dRMzTN"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">According =
to the latest numbers from the state's health department, 53.9% of Miami-Da=
de County's population eligible for a vaccine has received at least one sho=
t and 35.3% are fully vaccinated. Broward is 41% through at least one shot =
and 33.7% complete. In Monroe, those percentages are at 52.6% and 35%, resp=
ectively.</span></p> <p class=3D"Text__BaseText-mmkwcw-0 dRMzTN"><span styl=
e=3D"color: #ffffff;">In the meantime, with South Florida at a high level o=
f community transmission, with variants in the mix and hospitalizations up,=
infectious disease expert Dr. Bindu Mayi offers a reminder that mask compl=
iance remains critical.</span></p> <p class=3D"Text__BaseText-mmkwcw-0 dRMz=
TN"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">?Your best bet is to continue to engage=
in prevention measures, which is wearing a mask, which is keeping a certai=
n physical distance and good hand hygiene,? said Mayi, of Nova Southeastern=
University.</span></p> <p class=3D"Text__BaseText-mmkwcw-0 dRMzTN"><span s=
tyle=3D"color: #ffffff;"><strong>ALSO SEE:</strong> <a style=3D"color:=
#ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/5935Y2y395pZ8U612Pm4f3F2W8d9U40Qhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47rQ2o9nn6Jh1jz05E@sAv/OHare-tarry" target=3D"_blank" rel=3D"noopener">CDC says =
many Americans can now go outside without a mask</a></span></p> <p class=3D=
"Text__BaseText-mmkwcw-0 dRMzTN"> </p> </td>=20
</tr>=20
</tbody>=20
</table> </td>=20
</tr>=20
</tbody>=20
</table>=20
<p> </p>=20
<p> </p>=20
<p> </p>=20
<p> </p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-center"> </p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-center"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><strong>NEVE=
R</strong></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
;The sun on the calm water and laid back conversation float nowhere. Need t=
o go nowhere. Content with itself, it spreads with ease like a thick layer =
of syrup over pancakes making them savory and sweet.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Kayaking up under cascading walls of water vines, I arrive at a long=
abandoned beaver lodge so overgrown that only a practiced eye could discer=
n it. The growth is so impenetrable and the stream path so narrow that I'm =
unable to turn the kayak around, and begin to paddle backwards but am stymi=
ed by islands of knotted lily roots.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Water lily roots hump in black fists the size of hippo feet a mere i=
nch or two under the surface. I'm beached in the fertile black water.</span=
></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; As I scrunch myself forward, pumping my body to dislodge my boat, th=
e craft rocks ominously as it pushes undulating liquid up against the tangl=
ed green walls an arm's length away.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; The water level clearance in a kayak is negligible. As the ripples s=
wing me, they threaten to swamp the opening in which I sit below the water =
level. This low center of gravity is a boon on open water, but in these cro=
wded quarters, my unease swells.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
;With a last scooch a vacuuming slurp sounds as my boat is freed from the r=
oot mass?only to have a sheave of tall water weeds swipe across my face as =
the front tip of the boat surges forward. And, surprisingly?being stuck und=
er such an ordinary canopy of water weeds frees me.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; No longer am I in a populated mid-Michigan lake, mid-August, midday,=
but I'm ducking under trailing liana vines in a small Costa Rican stream t=
hat empties into the Atlantic, according to the ?boys' at Turtle Lodge wher=
e I'm staying. My brother Ken paddles along nearby. At forty-one and 250 po=
unds, he's twelve years younger and 150 pounds heavier than me. This is our=
first international trip together and he's proud to be with older, so-call=
ed-wiser sister.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; The lodge boys gave us explicit directions for our little excursion:=
?Just stay on the main river for about a half an hour, then turn right. Th=
at little stream will take you through a small pond and directly out into t=
he Atlantic. But stop before you enter the ocean. There is a terrific under=
current and you might drown. If you don't drown, the bull sharks will get y=
ou! Be careful! Follow our directions.?</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; This first half hour, the banks spill over with prolific ferns and m=
oss-dripping trees. When I gaze deeper into the thick jungle creepers, I no=
tice the banks have disappeared with the recent rains. In fact, the water s=
preads as far as the eye can reach, winding around half-submerged tree trun=
ks. The river itself is merely a deeper part of the unending watery surface=
</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Entranced, I pull into elfin alcoves of blue-green, take several pho=
tos and re-emerge with a glorious smile on my face. Date palms swarm with c=
olorful birds. Ken cruises on one hundred yards behind me.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; It's easy to find the ?smaller' stream off to the right. The water s=
peed has increased significantly so the current simply carries the kayak al=
ong. No longer is there a need to paddle, except to keep the kayak from tur=
ning sideways. As the speed increases, I become perturbed because I no long=
er have the chance to compose good photos. Those artistic angles take a ste=
ady boat and a free hand. The current's raw power rushes me away too quickl=
y.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Then it dawns on me.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; I look back. The entire river is funneling all the flood waters my w=
ay. When I see Ken making the turn into the stream I shout ?HELP! I'm getti=
ng carried away!?</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
;He looks up, sees my predicament, and TURNS BACK.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; <em>What the hell?</em>. He's stronger and quicker. I need his help =
to get me back up this, now racing river with no sides to it. Panic sets in=
He's just saving his own skin.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; I have been warned by the Turtle Lodge staff, ?Don't touch any of th=
e trees. Some of them have poisonous spines.? Nodding to myself in agreemen=
t, I nervously chew on my upper lip. The spiked trees are sighted often in =
the jungle around Turtle Lodge. ?Some trees harbor poison dart frogs that a=
re so small you won't notice. Others have bark that will make your skin itc=
h for days. And there are snakes with deadly venom.?</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; But I <em>have</em> to grab trees. If I paddle with all my=
strength upstream, I still continue downstream. The current is stronger th=
an I am<em>. How am I going to get back?</em> Weird, end of life thoug=
hts rush into my head faster than the river. <em>How could my brother =
abandon me? He's so much stronger and younger than I am. Will I ever be abl=
e to stop? If I drown I won't be able to say goodbye to my family and frien=
ds. Did I leave a will? </em>The power of the water brings me back wit=
h a jolt. I have neither time nor energy to waste.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
;I yell again. ?HELP! Don't leave me!? It's impossible to tear my eyes away=
from the rushing water, as I put all my muscles into pulling the paddle as=
hard as my aging can. The thick humidity, coupled with the taxing effort, =
makes sweat beads on my forehead which drip into my eyes. My vision blurs. =
I need a third hand to brush away the perspiration. I pant and can't catch =
my breath. ?HELP!? Again?louder this time.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; He won't hear me now, the white water crashes and splashes with a ro=
ar. I'm afraid. Fear threatens to engulf me before the ocean does.</span></=
p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; With a jolting thud, the kayak collides with a log jam.. Whew! I bre=
athe easier, throw my camera into a waterproof sling about my shoulder and =
neck so that it's secure. My movement tips the kayak and the kayak takes on=
a gallon of water. <em>OMG</em>. My body instinctually jer=
ks left to regain the center of balance. <em>Please, </em>pleadin=
g with any universal forces that will listen. <em>Don't let me die in =
this watery jungle. </em>I can't swallow. My throat constricts and goe=
s into survival mode.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Options are limited. Very. I CANNOT sink. Or take on more water. I w=
ill have no control since he boat will be too heavy. Desperate ridiculous s=
olutions swim through my brain.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; <em>Swim?</em> Naaaah.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Just float down to the ocean and get out on the beach before I go ou=
t? No way. With the size of this stream becoming so vast and rapid that I'l=
l not be able to stop. I can't even slow down now, which means I'll be caug=
ht in the undertow or eaten as a bull shark snack.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Grab the tree trunks, so close together? I could pull myself up agai=
nst the current...naaaah. They are festooned with death spikes and deadly a=
nimals.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><em> &=
nbsp; What else?</em> Nothing.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; I dig my paddle into the rush and head straight across the foaming r=
ibbon of rapids. Absolutely no way to make it straight across, of course, a=
nd shoot fifty feet further downstream. I'd taken that into account, and as=
the kayak slams into a trunk, I lasso my arms around it and simply gasp fo=
r breath. With a quick glance down into the bottom of the kayak, a half hea=
rtbeat of relief bubbles?no more water inside. A victory. Having nearly cap=
sized for momentary lapse, danger makes me shiver in the oppressive he=
at.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; For a couple minutes I stay precariously seated, arms embracing a ro=
ugh brick red trunk in the tiny Tupperware-like plastic boat. The paddle is=
firmly pressed between my body and the savior tree. The biggest part=
of my brain is so panicked and anxious I pee my shorts. <em>So what?<=
/em> It's only water dripping into water.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Another section of my brain kicks in?the survival mode.</span></p>=
=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Every time I grab a tree, I rest until my breathing returns to near =
normal, and then I pull myself upstream with the next tree identified as my=
goal. My heart pounds out a steady stream of adrenaline. Not wanting to cr=
oss the now raging river, I stay as far to the side as possible without get=
ting lost in the jungle. I'm scared as a rabbit who knows a wolf has =
spotted him.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Each five feet, in my struggle upstream, I assess =
my next move; carefully avoiding the scabby trees which will put my s=
kin on fire and those that are spined ready to stab me.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; The next tree up is a smaller sapling, nothing else is near enough t=
o help. Running water sloshes around every upright stalk or trunk, pulling =
it downstream. The force of the current swirls so powerfully, a flash thoug=
ht of global oceans hits me. Am I going to be a part of a disappeared shipw=
reck?</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
;Banishing that thought, I shove off the big tree I cling to, push back at =
its trunk from behind me with my paddle to get further up the current, and =
reach for the tree. As I sigh and pant, the sapling slowly, ever so slowly,=
releases its hold on the submerged bank where its roots should have ground=
ed it. Terrorized, I feel hot tears on my face.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; <em>What next? What?</em></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; I hold on anyway as it breaks loose. Another log rams into the=
front of my kayak and pushes me?right over to a vine dangling from a thick=
limb right down to the level of the water in front of me.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; I'm Tarzan! I've got it! Gripping the vine, I realize its upper sect=
ions are wrapped around an overhanging branch about twenty feet upstream. &=
nbsp;Pulling hard, I swing it and, yes, it propels me against the rapi=
ds. Another twenty feet.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; In vivid detail, I recall the description of every tree, many with l=
eaves as large as my body, and each vine that dangled on that hundred yards=
until I could haul myself to the main river.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; I'm still scared of everything having been been informed caimans, la=
rger than Everglades alligators, swim this river. Leopards can leap down fr=
om hidden above in the trees. And worst of all? Light is fading. </sp=
an></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
;Having turned from the raging ?small' river into the larger, swift, but do=
-able, river, I paddle in the middle. I'm more than glad to be able to make=
actual progress, though both exhaustion and fear ride along in the kayak. =
Alone is nerve racking. I begin to sing to console myself, even though I ca=
nnot carry a tune.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><em> &=
nbsp; Ninety nine bottles of beer on the wall. One of them just happen=
s to fall</em>...</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; No not that one. One more bottle of liquid in this river and I'm doo=
med<em>. I won't make it. I know I won't.</em></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Bam bam bambam. That's my heart. Thunking in my chest. Could it beat=
any louder?<em> Not possible.</em></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/42b4a2395e86gz11M4f33IT8d9I40Fhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47zQ2o9nn6H10YlG5j@psv/minuscule-discredited"> Until.</a></span></=
p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/42b4a2395e86gz11M4f33IT8d9I40Fhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47zQ2o9nn6H10YlG5j@psv/minuscule-discredited"> I hear a <em>l=
ion</em> roar! Noooooo!</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/42b4a2395e86gz11M4f33IT8d9I40Fhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47zQ2o9nn6H10YlG5j@psv/minuscule-discredited"> Now it's BAM BAM BA=
MBAMBAM! Could my heart beat louder than that lion's roar? Or would it burs=
t from my chest?</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/42b4a2395e86gz11M4f33IT8d9I40Fhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47zQ2o9nn6H10YlG5j@psv/minuscule-discredited"> I try to console my=
self that I am making progress. <em>Will the lion get me? It can't swi=
m can it?</em></a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/42b4a2395e86gz11M4f33IT8d9I40Fhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47zQ2o9nn6H10YlG5j@psv/minuscule-discredited"> The roar from the t=
rees is louder than the racing rapids. My eyes scan the trees. <em>Why=
am I looking up trees for a lion? Will it help if I see it? </em>Nooo=
o. I'm in a little bitty kayak in a perilous river without end. A little ol=
d-<em>ish</em> lady worn down by the mighty current and scared of ever=
ything.</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/42b4a2395e86gz11M4f33IT8d9I40Fhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47zQ2o9nn6H10YlG5j@psv/minuscule-discredited"> I stay in the=
dead center<em>?I didn't say the word ?dead', did I??</em> so that I'=
m as far from the impenetrable darkening foliage as possible. <em>Mayb=
e the lion won't be able to get this far. Maybe?</em> I calm myself?or=
try to, until a log moves in the shadow of what-would-be the shoreIt =
snakes sinuously. The log isn't a log at all!?or so my scared self thinks. =
I see a giant crocodile.</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/42b4a2395e86gz11M4f33IT8d9I40Fhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47zQ2o9nn6H10YlG5j@psv/minuscule-discredited"> I start babbling aloud: ?=
Don't paddle. Pretend you aren't alive. He won't want to eat you.? I windmi=
ll the paddle so fast, no king of the jungle could stop me.</a></span></p>=
=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Did I say king of the jungle? <em>A lion? Is it lurking in the =
shadows?</em> I can't make out anything? but I can hear the ?Roooar! &=
nbsp;And my heart: Bam Bam BamBamBam!</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; <em>What about that crocodile?</em> Pay attention, I remind mys=
elf. Pay attention to everything. I spin my head back to the crocodile, and=
?it's turned back into a log?DANG! All that fear over a log. Now if I could=
just figure out where that Roooar! Is coming from?</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; I'm beyond exhausted, but still fed with adrenaline. I'm out o=
f one danger, two dangers, but face...? <em>What?</em></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; A dark form the size of a house cat jumps from tree to tree. A=
monkey!</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Now, I know. Nothing more than a howler monkey with a voice so=
out of proportion to its size that the jungle reverberates from this small=
mammal. Its howl can be heard more than three miles, even through impenetr=
able forest.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Another fifteen minutes will bring me to the=
Turtle Lodge at the end of the offshoot of this river. Another fifteen min=
utes and a boa might swoop down and coil itself around me.</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/playhouse-puffing/7925I2T395kX8F612KA4f3A4S8d9J40yhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn7yOIP1C06l@svl0"> I'm making pr=
ogress. Aren't I? My inner voice yaps on jittering in terror.</a></span></p=
>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/playhouse-puffing/7925I2T395kX8F612KA4f3A4S8d9J40yhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn7yOIP1C06l@svl0"> Passing under a thi=
ck mass of tangled branches, a Y in the river appears along with a batch of=
slim tree trunks gathered together under what appears to be a roof-like st=
ructure.</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/playhouse-puffing/7925I2T395kX8F612KA4f3A4S8d9J40yhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn7yOIP1C06l@svl0"> And there it is?Tur=
tle Lodge!</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/playhouse-puffing/7925I2T395kX8F612KA4f3A4S8d9J40yhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn7yOIP1C06l@svl0"> As I pull up to the=
dock, several pairs of dark hands help me flop onto the wide deck, way too=
much like a half-dead fish out of water. Limp and spent.</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/playhouse-puffing/7925I2T395kX8F612KA4f3A4S8d9J40yhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn7yOIP1C06l@svl0"> Ken looks down at m=
e. ?I had to get back to get another boat to rescue you. We were going to s=
tart in a couple of minutes. I just had to convince them to start before it=
got too dark....?</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/playhouse-puffing/7925I2T395kX8F612KA4f3A4S8d9J40yhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn7yOIP1C06l@svl0"> Even if there was e=
nough breath in my lungs, I would not be able to answer such foolish words,=
such ungenerous thoughts. Until my chest stops heaving, I am silent.</a></=
span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/playhouse-puffing/7925I2T395kX8F612KA4f3A4S8d9J40yhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn7yOIP1C06l@svl0"> Then the broiling anger h=
its.</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/playhouse-puffing/7925I2T395kX8F612KA4f3A4S8d9J40yhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn7yOIP1C06l@svl0"> ?NEVER! Never do th=
at again. NEVER leave someone alone, especially a small woman in her sixtie=
s, in the jungle.?</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; Ken looks sheepish, abashed, then pleads innocence. ?I was about to.=
.?</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; With acid in my voice, I interrupt Ken's lame defense of his actions=
?I don't give a shit what you were about to do. NEVER leave someone, anyo=
ne, stranded in the jungle.?</span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">  =
; That night, as the story ricocheted around Turtle Lodge guests, enha=
nced as it passed from person to person, all I could do was to make Ken rep=
eat: never leave s<a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/4685p239J5tP8n612F4Df3x5Y8d9t40Khbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47OQ2o9nn5etL105clNsv">omeone s=
tranded alone. ..Never leave someone alone...never leave someone...never le=
ave...never...</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/4685p239J5tP8n612F4Df3x5Y8d9t40Khbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47OQ2o9nn5etL105clNsv"> Then I feel myself mental=
ly float back to my yellow kayak on Jehnson Lake, where civilization, famil=
y, corn on the cob and filet mignon await for dinner.</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/4685p239J5tP8n612F4Df3x5Y8d9t40Khbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47OQ2o9nn5etL105clNsv"> That's healing. Fam=
ily heals, even if today's adventure doesn't approach the intensity of my C=
osta Rican one, there is a resonance.</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/4685p239J5tP8n612F4Df3x5Y8d9t40Khbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47OQ2o9nn5etL105clNsv"> Post-dinner, the motor on=
the pontoon quits while my family is halfway across the lake. Not hesitati=
ng a moment, daughter Terra ties a thick rope around a life jacket so the r=
ope doesn't dig into her skin. She jumps in the water, swimming coach that =
she is, and tows the hundreds-of-pounds worth of boat diagonally across the=
lake.</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/4685p239J5tP8n612F4Df3x5Y8d9t40Khbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47OQ2o9nn5etL105clNsv"> Moving a full half-mile p=
er hour, we are halfway to the dock when we are rescued by another pontoon.=
</a></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D=
"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/4685p239J5tP8n612F4Df3x5Y8d9t40Khbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47OQ2o9nn5etL105clNsv"> The refrain plays i=
n my head...?Never leave someone stranded alone...never alone... never??</a=
></span></p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"> </p>=20
<p class=3D"ql-align-justify"> </p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">Chapter 1: <em>?At sunrise, the b=
lue sky paints herself with gold colors and joyfully dances to the music of=
a morning breeze.? -Debasish Mridha</em></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">?Get up Thomas you're missing the best=
part of the day.? </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">Thomas's eyes, groggy and full of slee=
p, wearily crack open in the darkness. The old man was accustomed to w=
aking early, seeing how he has been doing it his whole life, only this morn=
ing he heard Marianne's voice waking him. Swinging his long lanky legs=
over the edge of the bed, he rose, and stumbled his way into the kitchen t=
o make a pot of coffee. Starting the coffee brewing, he headed back to=
his bedroom and got dressed. He couldn't help but smile remembering the fi=
rst time Marianne tried a cup of his coffee. He warned her saying,</sp=
an></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">?Look ma'am, my cooking ain't what som=
e call edible, and I am afraid my coffee ain't much better.?</span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">Smiling, Marianne replied, ?I'd still =
like a cup if you could spare it.?</span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">?Yes ma'am of course, but I warn ya, i=
t'll make a horseshoe stand on edge.?</span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">He could tell, <a style=3D"color: #fff=
fff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/7ec6iDF2395X86kS11v4fz36_8d9K40Qhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47WQ2o9nn6YqS1B05X1sNv">by the uneasy look on her face, that she didn't u=
nderstand as she took a sip. Thomas had to control the urge to laugh, =
as her face turned every color of the rainbow before settling on green.&nbs=
p;For a moment, her face blended with the tall Johnson Grass swaying freely=
with the wind behind her.</a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/7ec6iDF2395X86kS11v4fz36_8d9K40Qhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47WQ2o9nn6YqS1B05X1sNv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/7ec6iDF2395X86kS11v4fz36_8d9K40Qhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47WQ2o9nn6YqS1B05X1sNv">?It's delicious? was all she could muster to say.</a></span></p>=
=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/7ec6iDF2395X86kS11v4fz36_8d9K40Qhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47WQ2o9nn6YqS1B05X1sNv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/reassured-penetrable/7ec6iDF2395X86kS11v4fz36_8d9K40Qhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47WQ2o9nn6YqS1B05X1sNv">His mind came back to him, as he ran back into the kitchen, when=
he realized that his coffee was overflowing the metal percolator in which =
he was brewing. Thomas filled his cup full of the dark, black liquid, =
shook out his boots and shoved them on. He grabbed his hat and walked outsi=
de. The sun would be coming up soon he told himself. He could feel the=
moisture in the air and could smell the dew that had settled on the grass =
around him. Walking down the familiarly warn path, on which his feet h=
ad trodden many times before, he settled in next to</a> Marianne with his b=
ack against a giant pecan tree, and slowly sipped his coffee.</span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">?You always liked Texas mornings didn'=
t you darling??</span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">As Thomas spoke, the sun snuck his hea=
d over the horizon behind a row of trees to the east. As if God himsel=
f was painting his masterpiece, the sky burned with vibrant colors turning =
the whole land shades of red, orange, and purple. The light crashing t=
hrough the clo<a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/minuscule-discredited/24c4U2395kZM8610P4f37r8d9T40thbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47fQ2o9nn7gt1MDq06MA@sjv">uds and tree=
s fell softly on the grass around the simple log cabin. With the light=
and wind, the fields seemed to dance with the coming of the day. As T=
homas finished his coffee, he looked at Marianne and said,</a></span></p>=
=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/minuscule-discredited/24c4U2395kZM8610P4f37r8d9T40thbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47fQ2o9nn7gt1MDq06MA@sjv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/minuscule-discredited/24c4U2395kZM8610P4f37r8d9T40thbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47fQ2o9nn7gt1MDq06MA@sjv">?Well, I got to get to work,? Thomas smiled, ?you are always the=
best part of the day.?</a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/minuscule-discredited/24c4U2395kZM8610P4f37r8d9T40thbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47fQ2o9nn7gt1MDq06MA@sjv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/minuscule-discredited/24c4U2395kZM8610P4f37r8d9T40thbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47fQ2o9nn7gt1MDq06MA@sjv">Putting his cowboy hat on his head, he slowly stood, staring at =
nature in all its glory, he took it all in one more time before he turned a=
nd headed for the barn. After saddling his horse, he looked back for o=
ne more moment. The sun shone through the giant pecan tree limbs, illu=
minating the name on the lone grave. </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/minuscule-discredited/24c4U2395kZM8610P4f37r8d9T40thbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47fQ2o9nn7gt1MDq06MA@sjv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/minuscule-discredited/24c4U2395kZM8610P4f37r8d9T40thbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47fQ2o9nn7gt1MDq06MA@sjv">?Marianne.?</a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/minuscule-discredited/24c4U2395kZM8610P4f37r8d9T40thbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47fQ2o9nn7gt1MDq06MA@sjv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">Chapter 2: <em>?You can spend you=
r whole life traveling around the world searching for the Garden of Eden, o=
r you can create it in your backyard.? -Khang Kijarro Nguyen</em=
></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"> </span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">40 years earlier:</span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/c415U239n5Iz8v611a4f3_8F8d9W40Ihbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47QQ2o9nn5cF10C5VjNsv/rouses-sawmill"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/c415U239n5Iz8v611a4f3_8F8d9W40Ihbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47QQ2o9nn5cF10C5VjNsv/rouses-sawmill">Cold from the night air, Thomas woke to throw another log on the=
fire. Settling back down in the warmth under his horse blanket, his m=
uscles were tired and sore. He hadn't known how long he'd traveled nor=
the distance he'd covered the days and nights before. Thomas knew that soo=
n he'd stop, and where he stopped would be where he'd start his life. =
Thomas was a dreamer, never really knowing what he was meant to do, he just=
? did. For as long as he could remember, he had been roaming this coun=
try, state to state, town to town, searching for the place he belonged.&nbs=
p;It seemed like the only time he ever put down roots was when he was broke=
He'd hire out as a hand here and there, stay a week, no more than tw=
o at a time before his longing made him move on. Somewhere, out there =
in the darkness, was the start of his ranch, his little piece of heaven, hi=
s paradise. Now Thomas didn't have anything to his name, except the cl=
othes on his back, his horse, some salt tack, beans, and a small amount of =
coffee. Lying on his back, looking up as the stars meandered across th=
e sky through the wind-swept limbs of the tree, Thomas knew that dawn was a=
pproaching. With sleep fleeting he decided to get up and put on the co=
ffee. While roaming around gathering the needed items he noticed a lot of b=
roken pecan shells around his camp. To make his meager amount of coffee las=
t, he smashed some of the pecans into pieces and brewed them in his coffee.=
Much to his chagrin, he enjoyed the taste. With his body now ful=
ly awake</a> and limber, he went about filling a gunny sack full of pecans.=
He, with a fresh cup, got comfortable leaning back against the tree facing=
east. When the sun broke the horizon, he got his first glimpse of God's co=
untry. A thin low-lying fog blanketed the land as the golden rays of t=
he sun visibly burned away the remnants of the night. The natural gras=
ses, heavy with dew, rose as if stretching towards the warmth across the va=
st and ever-expanding rolling plains. All around him, the world =
was coming alive, animals scurried, and birds sang their songs in groves of=
pine trees, the once silent creek now was ringing with the sounds of rushi=
ng water while the fish jumped about trying to catch an early morning meal.=
Everything around him lived free in a symbiotic relationship that eit=
her took no notice or welcomed him as one of their own. Thomas's heart fill=
ed with so much joy as he breathed it all in deeply, being unable to contai=
n it he audibly sighed. ?Home?. He finally found where he belonged.&nb=
sp;He belonged to the land from which all life sprang and would give it eve=
rything he had to keep it. He could see the remuda of horses, and the =
herds of cattle grazing lazily in the fields. He could smell the garde=
n of wildf<a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/8f96j23GC95J8qX611OH4f39g8d9T40ahbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn6W10q_r5wqTsv/reassured-penetrable">lowers out back=
and taste the fish in the stream. The laughter of his kids, playing a=
nd riding around the house, and his wife cooking in the kitchen. With =
every fiber of his being, he finally knew where he belonged. Now his l=
ife could begin.</a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/8f96j23GC95J8qX611OH4f39g8d9T40ahbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn6W10q_r5wqTsv/reassured-penetrable"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/8f96j23GC95J8qX611OH4f39g8d9T40ahbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn6W10q_r5wqTsv/reassured-penetrable">Thomas looked more like a bullfrog walking on his hind legs tha=
n a man. His long legs slightly bowed from years on a horse, didn't hinder =
his movements. At six foot in height, he was incredibly strong and nim=
ble, built more like a gladiator that a cowhand. His aged felt hat hun=
g low on his face to keep the sun out of his green eyes. Underneath hi=
s hat was a mane of thick brown hair with a hint of red, a color more promi=
nent on three-month growth across his face. Around his hips hung a Col=
t Piece maker, though he was a decent draw and shot he much preferred the W=
inchester 45-70 leaning against his saddle. He could hit a running rab=
bit at 100 yards without half trying.</a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/8f96j23GC95J8qX611OH4f39g8d9T40ahbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47SQ2o9nn6W10q_r5wqTsv/reassured-penetrable"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;">Looking across the land, he figured he=
would put the main house up on the hill, from which he could look out over=
the land. The slope of the hill, on the side with the creek bed, star=
ted steadily at first from the apex before flattening out in a slight flood=
plain. The creek was roughly 50 feet down the hill and, winding like =
a snake, flowed from west to east. It had a muddy bottom bed, due to t=
he red dirt clay, that was roughly four feet wide and three-foot-deep at th=
e narrowest and shallowest spot, but the water was cool and tasted good.&nb=
sp;A stone throws away, next to the pecan tree, the land toward the west wa=
s flat, with several acres of open pasture, surrounded on three sides with =
trees and the creek on the other. It was ideal for a large grazing pen=
next to the stables and corrals. From the trees, he'd have plenty of =
materials for the split log fence, and with the creek as <a style=3D"color:=
#ffffff;" href=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv">a barrier, he would only have to worry abou=
t rising water during the wet seasons. Between the house and the stabl=
es, Thomas would build a wide bridge, wide enough so that a large wagon and=
several head of stock could cross. He knew he would soon need a mule and a=
few hands to help with the work ahead. Before heading into town, and =
while his supplies last, he figured he had better ride around the area to s=
ee what else his future had in store for him. Thomas packed up his sup=
plies and stomped out the fire to make sure it was out before he walked ove=
r and gathered his horse. Seventeen and a half hands tall, the gray an=
d white monochrome appaloosa studs' withers stood only two inches shorter t=
han Thomas himself. Once he saddled his horse and tied on the bedroll =
and saddle bags, he bound aboard. He had to lean down so not to hit his hea=
d on a tree limb as he rode away.</a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv">***</a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv">These are the first two chapters of a novel or novella I'm work=
ing on, which I'm happy to say I have almost finished. As such, you are the=
first to read it in any sense of the word. It just so happens that these c=
hapter deal with the prompt given. I'd appreciate any feed back that you mi=
ght have and accept any constructive criticism that you might be able to gi=
ve. I have changed the formatting in the hopes to make it easily readable o=
n this platform.</a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv">Thank you in advance for your time and thoughts,</a></span></p>=
=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv"> </a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv">Carson Craig</a></span></p>=20
<p><span style=3D"color: #ffffff;"><a style=3D"color: #ffffff;" href=3D"=
http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/allowable-liability/9184g2395I8P6P12V4fT3maX8d9v40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn6rOtn106uNksOv"> </a></span></p>=20
<!--Recently t?is come to my attention that I have been kidnapped. When I=
wrote about this and no one cared a long, long time ago I felt disappointe=
d. After all, most of the people I wrote to owed me for this is this or tha=
t is that. What can I, am single-footed single eyed pirate, a poet a writer=
in Bolivia do for such a wide and wild assortment of people? I was and am =
who I always will be. A personality like now you will know. Let me begin wi=
th the summer that I think this began. 1973 I was crying. Why? My parents w=
ere yelling and screaming and excited. And? That night an angel, or at leas=
t what I thought was an angel, appeared and I think that is where I will aw=
ake after this horrible dream is over. Back in 1973.. Oh wait.. It could no=
t be 1973. For you see the real date today 2021 is 2013 don?t you see. Spac=
etime kidnapping of souls that should have gone to heaven and ended up in h=
ell is the most devious of stories I find these days. So the year must have=
been 1965? In yet I was born in 1971 in this realities calendar? Which was=
real? A twist of time is terrible, don?t you see. For I am the luckiest to=
be born at the wrong time in a right place to be stolen. No, not by Peter =
Pan, but the Montauk group? Who can say? I know I am not from here, that is=
for sure. And you? If I am telling you this story has been dead billions o=
f years, for I saw your future. And? I have seen it perish too. That is how=
it works in a closed time curved loop reality after all. You may destroy m=
e. You may destroy my poetry. You may laugh at my stories. But I am afraid =
in the end. I will remember who I am? And you? You were a passing summer ta=
le I will remember at the age of four. And I hope forget to be honest. Not =
much I like about this tale. Surely there was some good and decent folks he=
re? I imagined that for the longest time. I imagine heroes and battles and =
victory for mankind. Now?
I see a Dyson sphere or heaven in the night sky. And? If Microsoft patent 2=
000060606 is the mark in Revelation, we or you are all dead and become a vi=
rus to the sphere. And?
You can not get into it. Nor can I, most likely. However I still have apart=
to play. A small part. You see, I am still dying and until I do. There is =
hope for me. And for you? Repent if you can. Pray if you can. An ending is =
an end, and you had a life once without this story. Lived it to the end of =
time. And? Now, this is your second life. A chance to change your ways to r=
epent if you can. And will you?
I doubt it. Fate is fickle. That was the summer of 1973. Then in summer of =
1978. I am pretty sure I died. And? My soul trapped elsewhere for a time pr=
ior to President Carter nuking the hell out of Russia in some long ago forg=
otten reality. Then again in 1984 I know it changed yearly up to 1990. And =
now? I have no idea where my real soul belongs. And I wonder summers spacet=
ime among those Mandela effected people realizing that Montauk project is r=
eal and hating people for this evilness towards me. Not a good summer. In y=
et. Summer is something at times. I now am in a Bolivia where I am freezing=
my feet off for somehow my 73 degree home has chilled and reality shifted =
that instead of 2500 due west of where south America is today and 300 miles=
north Bolivia La Paz is where it is today. Meaning?
I am closer to the south pole for some reason I need warmth where I used to=
be finely heated and cooled each night. Sagittarius to Orion ventures agai=
n.. So where do I find myself this fine summer?
Someplace I hate? Not really. To be honest, I don?t hate. I can see your st=
ories. I understand your desires. However, they cost me. And personally I h=
ave not been paid back. And?
Well, all good story tellers know there is a payment at the end of a story =
such as this. You lived your life once without payment, twice without payme=
nt, even up to seven times without payment. And now? I am passing back thro=
ugh here whence I was and whence I came and in my parting writing tales of =
this is this and that is that for all who can read them. For what? Fate is =
real. Either you are fated to be accepted by God or his story has thrown yo=
u out. OR?
For those Mandela effected there are other ways. Not pleasant to realize yo=
u are the other in the bible. Still beats dying in hell. And reality is wha=
t to a person who has claimed to spacetime travel and timed travel via clos=
ed time curved loop billions of years. What is that to you or me?
To me? It is has been an adventure. Not a pretty one. But nevertheless an a=
dventure. And God?
Well, God is real.. And beyond that who else can say what is or is not real=
So here I am still kidnapped since 1973 or 1965 and still have not seen m=
y real home or summer in all those years. What will it be like to reach hom=
e?
As a kidnapped person I can say I expect maybe a little less or more than w=
hat I see here. For you see. These are the mirror realities of those worlds=
that real in heaven. And? Once upon a time a great evil happened and you e=
ither are in my ghost story or I am in your ghost story this summer.--->=20
<img src=3D"http://www.volunteerstudyabroad.com/rouses-sawmill/2106r23S9_5eKt8510g4f3eO8d9R40zhbr47Ga-Drrs4rGIEHbwG4wwfGaDvsrEibxEIH47YQ2o9nn5Q10yA5OlUsv" alt=3D""/></body>
</html>
------=_Part_67_238174469.1630601276219--
