Don and Lauren rode motorcycles 1000+ miles across Vietnam, on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, along the border with Laos, and in the northern mountains along the border with China. Backpacks, jungle, police, landslides, mud, and spills. It was glorious. Stories, photos, food, journal, and FAQs here or at https://vietnam.donbain.com/
Don and Lauren take a rest break from riding motorcycles in the Ha Giang Province, Vietnam, with China in the background.
Don on the Ho Chi Minh Road north of Khe Sanh, Vietnam. Remote — no one there. Note the thick jungle — no walking out.
Lauren, Susan, and Don romped in fresh snow in May in Colorado. Lauren drove the Snow Cat.
18 inches of fresh snow in Leadville, Colorado on May 12, 2024!
Susan caught the theater bug and has volunteered as costume designer for our local YMCA’s children’s performing arts program. Most recent production was Frozen Jr. with 67+ young performers and multiple costume changes. Our house was a costume factory for a while.
Susan, Don, and Pancho attended the Great American Pug Meetup in Austin, Texas, with over 500 pugs in attendance. At a brewery, of course. Can you imagine? Pancho wore an action camera which resulted in many closeups of … well, you know how dogs greet one another … and many cracked-up humans. Video here or https://youtu.be/byEt-WoYTkg.
Don paddled his kayak 9 miles offshore to an island to fish and camp for 3 days with a group of men half his age. According to Don, “there’s a 28 y.o. living in my head who keeps writing adventure checks that are getting harder for this 60-something y.o. body to cash.” Stories and pictures here or at https://www.donbain.com/matagorda/
Susan and Don insanely signed up for whitewater kayaking. Once on the river and too late to turn back, our guides revealed it was their first trip. Susan nailed it. Don fell out like 5 times saying, “Falling out is easy. It is the getting back in that is the killer.” Scratch that off the adventure list. Never again.
No, this photo is not sideways … Don is. That’s his foot up in the air and his chest-mounted action camera is about to go underwater… again … and again.
Susan and Don added paddleboards and paddleboarding to our repertoire. Pancho was a good sport to join in at his advanced age.
Susan and Don, complete with Susan’s vintage saxophone and Don’s great Aunt Fay’s quilt top, ventured to Baltimore to be part of a filming day for the PBS Show Antiques Roadshow. Who knows if we will be on air … but it was fun and everyone was very friendly.
Don and Susan ventured to the San Francisco Bay area, by air for a change, for Don’s Stanford reunion, to visit friend Debbie Ashbaugh in wine country, and to hang out along the northern California coast. We enjoyed Bodega Bay where Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963) was filmed, and this bird’s great^61 grandfather was an extra in the film.
We spent the spring at the ranch in Texas. We love the cows. Some love us or the treats we provide … sometimes … maybe. Family, friends, wildflowers, baby calves, and kayak fishing made for a wonderful time. We drove cross-country from Pennsylvania to Texas to Colorado and back as we are prone to do.
Pancho and Don hiked at dawn every day when on the Texas ranch.
Devon Horse Show & Carriage Parade
Period carriages parade through our neighborhood enroute to the Devon Horse Show.
Don sold his airplane this year. While it was sadly like putting a best friend up for adoption, it was past time.
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