THE JACKPACK

The pictures say it all:  I was a kayakin'!

Late Saturday morning, I was piddling around, waiting for the day to get exciting when Mom said, "Jack, let's go."  We got in the car and drove about five minutes up the highway to a place called "Yellowhouse Machinery."  When I got out of the car, I could see a yard of John Deere heavy equipment: bulldozers, graders, backhoes, skid-steers.... I went nuts. We walked into the building, and a guy asked Mom, "What can I do for you?" She answered, "Well, I have a little guy who's fairly obsessed with heavy equipment.  Would it be alright if I walked with him around your yard and showed him the tractors?" The guy answered, "Sure, and I can fix him up one better."  He handed me two boxes of model diecast John Deere tractors: an excavator and a backhoe.  Mom was shocked by his kindess, and I just about flipped with excitement.  Oh boy, oh boy!  We looked around the yard and returned to the office because Mom said I could pick...

Two Christmases ago, ok...my first Christmas, I got my first pair of real boots from my Uncle C and Aunt K.  Well, too long ago, I outgrew those boots in Korea.  And, guess what they don't sell real boots, Texas style, in Korea.  So, I had to wait until I made my little trip back to the promised land to get myself a real pair of boots, get myself back in business, if you know what I mean.  Today was like any ordinary day while visiting the LoneStar State.  I ate my cinnamon roll, drenched in delicious, nutritious, can't beat it, "Dad, you wish you had some," icing.  Then, I played with my tractors and Mack trucks on the hearth, all the while waiting for Mom to either say, "Hey, we're going to town.  Let's go in the car."  Or, "Hey, we're going outside to play in the dirt."  Either way, it's a win-win situation around here.  Today, it was the car.  Our first little trip was to Palmer Feed and Supply.  Apparently, it's tradit...

...also known as "De-Sissifying"....."De-Babyfying" (however you wanna spell it).....  As you might have noticed in my recent photographs, I finally have real boy's legs.  FINALLY.  Ugh, I thought that day would never come.  Both legs host a number of gashes, scrapes, bruises, and mosquito bites, and I wear these perforations with great pride.   And, I'll have you know that through it all, not a tear was shed.  Yes, I earned that biggest gash after falling hard on rocks at the ranch.  Did I cry?  Nope.  With blood gushing down my leg, I just got right up and kept trekking down the road.  I am a trooper....  Wait, I am Incognito Man! 

TSA's Latest Terrorist Profile: Age: Between 15 and 24 months Hair Color: Blonde Eye Color: Blue Eyes Skin Color: Pale Suspect will likely be wearing Osh Kosh jean overalls, Polo shirt, and a red zip-up sweatshirt with an embroidered American flag on the back.  Suspect is armed with Play-Doh and a white muslin blanket named "Buh."  He will be traveling with his brown-hair, blue-eyed pregnant mother.  Suspect's jean overalls will likely set off metal detector, and he should be treated as MOST DANGEROUS.  Please subject to thorough and invasive pat-down.  Please confiscate Play-Doh and test muslin blanket for explosives. TSA'S NEW TERRORIST PROFILE (Courtesy of Your Hard-Earned Tax Dollars) [ Yep, folks, it did happen.  If I'm a lyin', I'm a cryin'.  My overalls set off the metal detector, and apparently, that meant I needed to go through one of those rather "personal" pat-downs.  Plus, they even tested me for explosive resi...

Well, folks, it's been a while, but that's a good thing.  I've been busy and really busy.  Since my last post, I actually traversed the expansive, now irradiated, Pacific Ocean to the grand ol' Estados Unidos, as my hombres like to call it.  Mom and I decided to ditch Korea for a while to get some fresh air.   We spent our initial week and half in California, and boy, it's when I return to America that I realize what I'm missing.  Real pick-up trucks, real Mack trucks, real Corvettes....  None of these Hyandai mini, wannabe-trucks.  While in California, I got to see G-Dad and Grandma KC.  That's another aspect of American life that is missing in Korea -- grandparentage.  I could get used to that.  G-Dad took me to see trains, and afterwards, he took me to In and Out, the famous burger joint.  I got to have french fries and a vanilla shake for lunch.  H-E-A-V-E-N!  In addition to my train excursion, I got to vi...