Going back in time, here I stand with some friends,
some time in the 70s. I spent my early childhood years
in Thailand, before coming to the states. Yet, those
years were some of the most wonderful in my memory.
I lived in a little village, in the southern province
of Nakhon Si Thammarat, and I recall beautiful, sunny days,
playing in the yard with my friends. There were always
lots of family around. I recall really deep, dark skies at
night, where you could literally see the Milky Way stretch
from end to end.

Last time I went back, the sunny days were still there,
but the friends were gone, as were the deep dark night skies,
the effects of a booming population, and world-wide
light pollution.