Photo Page Update 10/13

“LMAO Phil!


How 'bout it Bunyip, fess up already.”

“Hey Phil, the the link for my site is old, my new site is:

http://sgtr0ck.tripod.com

NBCi homesites are now in heaven with the Carrier Pigon and the Dodo.

Can you update the link?

Another thought, have you thought about doing thumbs for the main page, the list is getting VERY long, and looks like it will grow until all 240,000,000 Americans are members. That will take a long time to load.”

“SGT. Rock - Fixed it.

Actually the main page has thumbs...they are just 2 inches wide. But I know what you mean. I have played around with smaller thumbs and just didn't like the loss of detail. For example, 1.5 inch thumbnails don't cut down on loading time that much...maybe 5%-10% faster. But 1 inch thumbnails would cut it 75%!!

I have several ideas, but can't do anything about it until Christmas break due to time constraints.

I have several options in mind including just making the thumbs smaller. Another is to put them on a separate page from the top part of the page where the alphabetical list is so they are optional. I will probably solicit some suggestions or take a poll (I am not soliciting ideas now...I respectfully request that people please save them for later). Whatever I do, the "ideal" is that it has to be easy to maintain (very important since this is a voluntary effort), fast loading (the problem now that we have so many contributors), diplay good quality images, and be fun for everyone (the most important of all).”

“I could tell you but then I would have to kill you.”

“We landed at Bagdora Airport(north of Calcutta). Men with rifles guard the plane. Oh well this is India. Went through the baggage check, had our passports checked (again!) and over to the prepaid taxi stand where the drivers fought over our fair up to Darjeeling. Eventually two young blokes in a Maruti (sort of like a Suzuki Van) won out and we were off through the tea plantations heading up into the hills. We drove for a couple of hours throught this moist humid country side, the tea bushes plucked to the same height giving us the appearance of floating over a manicured lawn.
The road is climbing upwards into a fog bank and instant relief. The temperature plummets 10 degrees C. Water drips off trees and vines. Little kids in in neat school uniforms ran beside the road laughing and calling out "Hello". Eventually we reached the Village of Ghoom just below Darjeeling and we encountered the first of the toy trains as it swung around a corner making our driver swerve back onto his side of the road. The people have changed now, they are not the serious looking people from down in the valley but descendants of Sherpas and other Tibetan peoples. Prayer flags and Sky horses hang from houses and jut out of people's yards.
we are in Buddhist country now.
Around the Corner the First of many Gompas come into view. Large frescos cover the walls monks look lazily over the railing, boy monks run up and down the stairs. We drive past ecstatic, glad to be back in the Himalaya.

Our driver(s) drop us at a Hotel we told them we had booked (if you tell the driver you need a hotel the driver will find one and you end up paying through the nose!) We lug our packs up the 3 flights of stairs and enter the foyer where a little Tibetan Women peers over her knitting and says " Hello" witha a big grin.

The next couple of days are spent wandering around Town. The views across to Kanchenjunga is hidden by the still heavy post-monsoon clouds. We check out the local sights, The Snow Leopards (there newest arrival from Sweden!), the Mountaineering School set up by Tensing and Kev's Cafe. The night spent getting tipsy drinking Tongba. Think warm gin through a straw.

Time to keep moving up to Sikkim. We have a parcel of presents for a family of Tibetans living in Kalimpong from their relatives in Australia.
Our hotel in Kalimpong over looks the polo field (now converted to a soccer pitch small kids run all over as there older siblings train. The family we have to meet take us for a guided tour around town visiting Monastries and pointing historical buildings. He takes in to his home where his wife has cooked us a 5 course meal in about an hour. We feel embarrassed at this showing of hospitality, but a couple of glasses of beer soon makes evertyhing great.

The next day we drive down to the Teesta valley and back up the hill into Sikkim. The country is the same but the people seem happier and the buildings are not as squalid. The road climbs up around hairpin turns corkscrew bridges(I cant describe it any better). We are here Shangri-La.

I 'll write more about the trek next time if you want.”

“Maybe you could start a Tibet thread?”

“Wow,.. what a beautiful trip report,..Yes,..Please share more!”

“Bunyip - Great narrative. I look forward to more whenever you can get to it. Thanks!”

“Phil, thank you very much for adding my picture and album link to your photo page. You're terrific!

Bunyip, your writing is beautiful! I enjoyed reading your journal and hope that you post some more.”

“hey mapper, you is hot lookin
marry me”

“Thanks again, Phil.

MilitiaBOY, you are creeping me out.”

“Just added mediaman and flyguy6x to the photopage.

We are up to 192 contributors now...closing in on 200!

Enjoy!”

“Thanks again, Phil. Any limit to what CSU-Pomona lets you put on their server? I hope they don't start to limit personal web pages on it. All of TT would be heart-broken.”

“Phil, I'm glad this thread keeps coming up because I've been meaning to compliment you on on the story and research of your Uncle Dave. Very interesting, and excellent research to pull that together, thanks for sharing it.”

“mediaman - So far the university hasn't said anything. They are really easy going about this as long as it is not commercial, racist, pornographic, etc.

rockbuck - The research about my uncle has been a very exciting thing in our family. No one knew how or where he died until I found out a couple years ago. Also, I still have some more stuff to get uploaded. Two weeks ago I was sent the actual field reports from the time period he was killed. Included in the package were Cornelius Ryan's interview notes from 1968 where he interviewed on the phone one of the guys who knew how my uncle was killed.”

“Just completed another update 11/17:

1. Added Smiley Girl
2. Changed Joy to Sassafras and Hyperpacker to Birch. Also added pics and changed thumbnails
3. Added sirpete
4. Added pics and changed thumbnail for Medic Girl
5. Added pics and changed thumbnail for Twigeater

Enjoy!!”

“Oh, yes. As usual, if I forgot anyone, made a mistake, or you just want something changed a little, please email me. My email files got corrupted a few days ago and there could be some glitches.”

“Thank you Phil, much better! As always, you're the greatest!!!”

“thank-you Phil!”

“thanks”

“What a cheesy smile sirpete! LOL
I wondered when you were finally gonna put up a picture.


BTW, Who is Smiley Girl? She's cute but just never saw a post from her.”

“she post on many of the michigan/ohio threads.”

“Oh, so she's too good to post on the Non-Michigan/Ohio threads.”

“Jest picking on ya SG.”

“yeah WD I never saw a picture of me before smiling like that. I just had to post it!”

“I've posted miscellaneous things on threads. And I don't mind being picked on, as long as I can pick back!”

“is sirpete DRUNK? LOL!!!!”

“Fire away Smiley Girl!”