Breakfast with Laurie and a visit with birds

I had breakfast with my teacher-mentor Laurie M. on Sunday morning in Yellow Springs. It's great talking to Laurie because she has remarkable insight into her students and profession. Laurie teaches special education and I've seen her students make fantastic progress and strive to learn and express themselves because of Laurie. And those students will never have a better advocate than Miss M. Of course, I soak up every word she says and try to steal/borrow/use any of her ideas about teaching.
After talking with Laurie for two hours, I took a three-hour walk in Glen Helen, and visited the Raptor Center to see the hawks, owls and bald eagle. Glen Helen is a special place. The water from the yellow spring tastes wonderful -- full of iron and flavor. A happy day that continued when I bought some gifts and toys for Phuong and Joanna at some of the countless shops and boutiques in Yellow Springs. I capped off the day with dinner and a craft beer at Peaches. Success on Sunday!
I return to the eye doctor tomorrow. A doctor in Vietnam changed one of the prescriptions for my eye drops, and I developed an allergy to the new drops. My eyes itched like crazy with the new drops, so I stopped them. But I have to have drops to relieve pressure in my eye or my vision goes south. My eye doctor in Dayton, Ohio, figured all of this out when I told her my story. My eye doctor is one of the reasons I return to the United States every November. Dr. Talluto is awesome. Of course I come to the U.S. to see my children and drink Yoo-Hoo, but I trust my eye doctor with my vision, and that's serious stuff.
I drove to the East Coast of the U.S. and I visited my friends Ron, Tommy, and Andy, and saw my brother Thomas as well.  I gave my friend Ron a cane, and if he doesn't use it to take walks, I'll run over his legs with a truck. Wait, that's already been done. Well, I really hopes he starts taking a daily walk (like the White Monkey). It's good for everything -- health and outlook. I really miss my walks in Vietnam and the folks I see and clown with along the way. I miss teaching at VMG, and I miss the staffers there. The staffers and I sort of agree we're a pain in each others' asses, but in a good way. I'm not the easiest teacher to get along with, but I really like my students and I show up on time. Hell, I'm not the easiest person to get along with, regardless of when I show up or who I like.
I chat with Phuong most days on Skype, and I love watching Joanna roll on the bed and zip around in her walker. I love and miss my wife and daughter Joanna so much. I'm looking forward to returning to Vietnam. Yep, you read that right.