By now we all know that Felipe Scolari is the coach of Chelsea, but I did not know how sensitive he was about his name. I read this on a Sky Sports blog-

This summer sees the arrival of a World Cup winning coach to our coveted Premier League competition in the shape of Luiz Felipe Scolari.

But journalists beware, Chelsea’s new manager can get a little ticked off if he sees his nickname in the public domain.

No longer can the words ‘Big Phil’ be used in a headline about the former Portugal and Brazil coach.

“I don’t want to see my name spelt with a ‘Ph’, I want to see it spelled with an F. It is Felipe not Phil. I will not allow anyone in England or anywhere else to change my name,” he insisted.

Well, All I can say is, bem-vindos a Inglaterra Phil…

Separated at birth

This past weekend brought some much needed rain to North Georgia.  Still the two and ¾ that fell these past two days made no visible impact to our Lake Lanier. Or is it so? There are so many minute things that actually make a lasting impact on lives in the long term. Those things seem minute or minimal at the moment. Take the constant reminder of saying thank- you a polite acknowledgement taught by some parents but not all anymore.

My cousins and I were taught to say por favor and gracias. We are teaching our daughter the same and she is learning, bit-by-bit. Just like those raindrops seem miniscule at the moment, anytime soon they will help raise the level of the lake. Lake Lanier, a lake that supplies the vital liquid to many cities

So, the rain that fell this weekend was a lot to be thankful for.

I can remember sitting in the front of Sanduches al paso in Avenida Amazonas (Quito) and listening to some of Abba’s tunes. This group from Sweden was quite popular with its catchy tunes in the 70’s. I am presently listening to an Abba marathon on Sirius radio with my wife. This is slightly ironic as Abba was also what our two year old daughter called her mama until she started pronouncing her m’s. I miss her calling her mama, abba…

July 12th should become a national holiday, or at least a “marketing” holiday as is cinco de mayo in the USA.

July the 12th has great meaning in our household. It is the birthdate of a very important person in our life. Happy birthday Rebecca. May this year be full of joy and blessings for you are a great joy and blessing to all that you have touched with your presence. A great woman, wife and mother. I am honored and thankful for being part of your life.

Thank you on behalf of your husband and daughter.

I was going to give you the card- but I thought this would be a different method.

A little over a year…

My wife just greeted me with a pleasant surprize for my birthday-tiramisu. It was great. What surprizes will loyal Kop fans receive this summer? Hopefully sweet ones.

I took my girls to an outlet mall this morning to search for sandals. While making extra time before all the shops opened( we were early) I was amazed to find a rhinoceros beetle close to the newly manicured lawn. I don’t think these are native to the southeast region.

On another location within the Dawsonville Outlet mall we ran into this vending machine I would imagine only in an airport or Tokyo. Yes, an iPod vending machine.

Uncle George called this evening. The ring of the telephone was muffled by the song of many birds giving thanks for the upcoming rain. It was uncle George. I enjoy chatting with uncle George, one of dad’s brothers. He lives in San Antonio, is a former navy man, very involved with his veteran chapter and the Anaya family genealogist. It is fascinating to hear him talk about his later find or what he researched on our ancestors.

I hope he comes to visit us one day to our home in Georgia. Hopefully one of the incentives will be a visit to the gold rush museum in Dahlonega.

“The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.”
Benjamin Disraeli (British Prime Minister and Novelist. 1804-1881)

As the month departs I see that my wife’s birthday is coming up. I know in Georgia June is not known for its showers but I have been praying for rain. The rain is not just for my flowers and trees but for this parched land that has been ravaged by fire, as shown in this article about south Georgia. Since early this Sunday morning we have been smelling the smoke and we are in the northern part of the state.

The picture of this bridge reminds me of home. There were many of these old stone bridges crossing ancient rivers, connecting two towns and telling many stories. This bridge also makes me yearn for a trip to the old world. Could this bridge be in England, France, Germany, Italy or maybe Spain? At the moment I can just dream, but I would like to take my wife and daughter to Europe one day. A trip to visit Barcelona, London, Florence, Athens, Zurich, and Prague. Yes, Anfield will be one of the stopping points.

My produce price hike prediction has come true. A 3.9 % rise in produce in the Southeast of the US of A could be caused by the drought or the rise of transportation costs. The following article from the Washington Times explains the refinery outages and other factors to the pending fuel hike. Gas price to rise in summer.

Below is a link you can compare prices to the American continent (yes from the Northwest territories to Antofagasta) and Southeast Asia. Check it out- Cost of living in Hong Kong.

Hopefully the price of the players Rafa Benitez shops for after the defeat in Athens does not rise like the price of grapes. The gaffer is already cleaning house; letting Bolo Zenden know that he is welcome to seek newer pastures, along that same line seems to be headed Chilean winger Mark Gonzalez. Now, the players coming in need to be of a higher caliber to truly be competitive in the Premier league. Liverpool needs to start well and not lag behind the Chelsea’s and the Manchester Uniteds…

The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter and bigger as I near the completion of my Master’s. In many ways the son of the trailblazing soldier and free- spirited blonde is a late bloomer. To see the face of my mother and father and thank them…The great support on earth at the present is a wonderful wife and a vivacious daughter. The end of October is D-Day for this endeavor. Another month, and a second mother’s day was celebrated in this household. I am very blessed and grateful