Great trip and Portland is hip

The flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Portland, Ore., was smooth and uneventful. I passed through immigration and customs in Los Angeles in 10 minutes with no hassles whatsoever.  I enjoyed two pretty good movies on the Tokyo to L.A. flight -- La La Land and Arrival -- and chatted with a couple of friendly seat- mates. All went very well. The food was OK. It was better on Japan Airlines than on United, but I didn't get sick from either serving. Really, I had a nice trip here, and enjoyed meeting a gentleman named Kosuke, who gave me a low-tech pen that erases mistakes.  And he knew more about the NBA than I could ever hope to know. Fun guy and hope we can stay in touch. I need to find someone I can beat in tennis.
Didn't think to set up a meeting place with my son Jack in Portland since my phone doesn't work in the U.S., but we bumbled into each other near the arrival gate at the airport. Great to see him. He lives a block from the Willamette River in a very convenient apartment. Good for him.
Portland is a wonderful city -- clean, active,and full of hipsters and spandex. It does rain a bit here, which explains all the greenery -- there were three or four unexpected showers in my two days here. It can go from sunny and clear to raining in a matter of minutes. I've heard the rain referred to as liquid sunshine. The weather was a welcome 50 degrees -- cool but refreshing for someone coming from temperatures in the mid 90s. But I've almost gotten used to the heat in Vietnam, so I guess I could probably get used to the rain if I had to live Portland. Downtown Portland shuts down early. Even the Starbucks closes at 5 p.m. There's countless "craft beers" here from the countless Oregon breweries. My friend John was ahead of his time concerning beer -- he was into real quality beers before it was cool to be into real quality beers. Now, everyone is into craft beer. The marijuana shops -- pot is legal here -- were open until 10 p.m.
 I'm flying to San Luis Obispo in California tomorrow to see my older brother, who I haven't seen in more than 15 years. Family relationships are much different in the United States than in Vietnam (and Peru, for that matter). I appreciate Vietnam's commitment to the family more and more as I continue to live there and grow older. In Vietnam, family defends family, regardless. It's a refreshing change from the individuality that rules in the U.S. I'm not making a judgment, just an observation.
I miss, miss, miss, my family in Vietnam. Being away from Joanna and Phuong is horrible. Nobody, anywhere in the world, smiles like my wife Phuong, who has a cheerfulness and warmth that's absolutely infectious. And Joanna has a cuteness and persistence that's unmatched by any baby anywhere -- in her dad's not-so-humble opinion. We talk by Skype but that only makes me miss them more. I sang "If You're Happy ... " to Joanna over Skype and she did the little "bouncy-bounce" dance she does when Phuong or I hold her as I sing to her at home. She smiles when she hears my voice, but no doubt is a little confused. April 9 is her 9-month birthday. Happy birthday Joanna!!! She's close to walking, but I'm confident she'll wait until I come back before taking her first steps! She has to wait because I have a bet with Phuong and I can't stand it when Phuong wins our bets, which happens ALL THE TIME.
Drinking Vietnamese Con Chon coffee as I write this. There's nothing like a taste of home. Love you so much Phuong and Joanna!!!