After two years of being on Skype, I finally made contact with my grandfather.  He’s had Skype on his Mac for nearly a year but for some reason he hadn’t been able to accept me as a contact.  Of course, since I was never on my computer at the same time that I was sitting at his (when I was visiting) I hadn’t been able to trouble-shoot the problem.

This morning, though, for some unexplained reason he was on line and had somehow accepted me as a contact.  Out of nowhere, my computer started ringing as he called me.

So that was nice.  A little strange, though, as he doesn’t have an external headset so his voice sounded far away.  Also, perhaps his volume was turned down and he couldn’t hear me, because in the web cam picture, it looked like he was leaning in close to his computer and he said he couldn’t hear me.

Kudos for his efforts at technology.  Hopefully, we’ll get that all squared away and can chat more regularly.

Tragedy struck at Raintree Villa this week as our cute marble-top cafe table out on the balcony tumbled over, cracking the marble in two.  A pair of innocent planters were brutally shattered, but truth be told, I didn’t like them all that much anyhow.

The cause is still under investigation but initial inspections point to metal fatigue.  Chris Schultz, armchair expert, had long been critical of the design of the table.  A metal bolt had previously been sheared off when too much torque was created as the table was moved with at least one leg still on the ground.

Right: detail of the break.

Investigators are following a lead that the table was damaged on initial delivery.  The construction crew who was delivering the table broke the leg during delivery and placed it back on the truck.  The table was then brought for repair but the nature of the damage and subsequent repair were never disclosed to the table’s owners.

Meanwhile, breakfasts, teas, and dinners on the balcony have been canceled until further notice.

Left: The remains of two bystanders.

Anyone with information about the incident are encouraged to contact Khun Tawn.