Vacations – Splattered Brains

Encounters On Nandi Hills

Nandi Hills is a hill station located about sixty miles north of Bangalore. Although it is a well-known place for people to visit, I had not been there in spite of my many trips to the city.

We were hoping to do a hike up the hill, an endeavor that would attempt to mimic the training experience of our recent Camino walkers. Instead, we inadvertently ended up driving on a road that took us to the top of the hill. We decided to try to start the walk from the top of the hill instead.

We had left Bangalore very early, hoping to avoid crowds. We were surprised to find the parking lot full – and on a weekday.What we had not realized was that people come here to try to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately for these folks, this particular morning turned out to be quite foggy.We explored the spaces at the top of the hill for a little while.There were many lookouts from which we could not see much because of the mist.

There was a temple closer to the top of the hill.

This particular place that is considered the source of the Arkavathi river.

Tipu Sultan used the hills as his summer retreat. You can still see some of the remains of his summer palace, including the structure seen in the picture below.There is a spot called Tipu Drop from which prisoners used to be thrown off the cliff.

The presence of the many monkeys on the hill was notable.There were families of monkeys wandering around, including many mothers with babies hanging on to them, underneath their bellies.Some of the monkeys were aggressive, and we were subject to attacks on two occasions. The first time, one of them made a grab for a smartphone that was being pulled out of a pocket. (We were told that the monkeys may barter these items back for food!) The second time, a monkey jumped on to a backpack on a person’s back, its attention having been drawn by some colorful objects sitting in a netted pouch on the side of the backpack. It might have thought it was food. Thankfully, we were able to shoo them away and nobody was hurt. Some of them do make angry faces and growl at you when you are engaged with them.

We eventually found our way to the beginning of the trail that went all the way down to the bottom of the hill. We started our descent.

The upper section of the trail was decently maintained. Along the way we could see buildings like the one in the picture below were people could stay overnight in order to experience the views from the hills directly from their rooms.We were led by our fearless leader, John. His long and quick strides could have left us behind in the dust, but he adjusted his pace to match us, the laggards. (The picture below was taken much later in the hike when we were returning.)

We eventually ended up at a temple on the side of the hill.

As we approached, John asked the priest of the temple who was hanging around about the chaiwalla he had encountered at that location the previous time he had done the trail. The priest told him that the chaiwalla was not there that particular day of the week, but he offered to make us tea himself. He disappeared into a room and came back after a few minutes with piping hot cups of fresh tea that we thoroughly enjoyed. When we were done and asked him how much the cups of tea cost, he said that it was free. He did not want to take money from us! John offered some money as a donation to the temple, and the priest finally accepted. This encounter was a reminder to us that there a good people everywhere. We only have to keep our eyes open. The priest saw us on our way with a namaskar and a smile. He even tried to return the money back on our way back to the top of the hill.

The quality of the trail fell apart soon after we left the temple. There was an area just beyond the temple where the path was barely visible.

We plunged into the foliage after a moment’s hesitation. We had been warned beforehand about the possible presence of various different kinds of snakes on the hill.

Thankfully, this section of the trail went on for only a short distance, and the path opened up beyond that section.

There were hardly any people on the trail from the point where we left the area of the temple. We might have encountered one or two folks, one of whom was a worker headed for a pump house located next to the trail.

At this point, we were walking on steps cut into the stone, or steps built of stone. The overall slope was quite steep. It was not easy on the muscles. We had to pay attention to each step because of the uneven nature of the stones. Unfortunately, this section of the trail also did appear to be poorly maintained.

It was a pity, since the path of the trail itself was absolutely stunning and a very nice challenge for hikers! The trail itself could have been a great attraction for people from all over the world.

At this point our views were still obscured by mist and fog, but things were also getting better in this regard.

We had to make a few stops along the way to catch our breath and also hydrate. We eventually reached a point before reaching the bottom of the hill where we decided to turn back. It was beginning to warm up, and we were feeling the heat. We were also feeling the impact of the downhill descent on our muscles.

Going back up the stairs involved use of muscles that had not been put into use on our way down. It was also tougher on the lungs. Within a short distance of climbing, every step that we took up each of the stairs began to take an extra effort. We took it slow and steady.

The views were beginning to open up some more by now.

The walk back to the top of the hill seemed to go quicker than the time it took to go down the mountainside. I am not sure if this was real or my imagination.

We made sure to stay clear of the monkeys on the way back to the parking lot. When we got back, we found that the parking lot itself was not as full as it had been when we got there in the morning.But there were still a significant number of visitors who were hanging around.

I thought we we had done some good exercise for the day, but we negated some of the good effort by indulging in substantial food consumption the rest of the afternoon – parathas on the way home, and Thai food after that when we got home. I am OK with that. We are on holiday after all.

Of Returns and Beginnings And Endings

I am in the middle of a familiar trip once again. I am back in my hometown, the place where I grew up, the place that I departed many years ago when I was still a young laddie. It is a place I departed without a second thought, without hesitation. I am back to visit the folks I left behind, my parents.

Last time I came to India, I fell quite sick on my way back home. One might ask: why is one silly enough to take a risk once again, so soon after the previous experience. Perhaps only the heart knows,

But this is also a different kind of trip – a meeting once again of the generations. It is the determination of the young people – my children who are traveling with me – to visit the grandparents who are in their fading years, to show them that there are people in distant lands who remember them fondly and care for them. One does not forget. These young people – from the distant lands – are old enough to have memories of their own, memories of their visits with their grandparents when they were younger still. They are determined to demonstrate their love by their mere presence. Remember that there are people who care, do not despair. Love is in the air. I am asked – is it too much to come out and explicitly state that we are here because we love you. But it is not in the nature of this family to go there.

Yeah, it is certainly turning into a different kind of trip. And my role this time may only to be a guide and chauffeur. And I would be glad of it.

The Third And Last Day On The Skyline Drive

We were up early once again this morning.After breakfast, we had to pack away all our stuff into the car because we were checking out. The plan was to get back on the Skyline Drive and, instead of exploring the southern section of the park once again, head north – in the general direction of home!

It had been very quiet around the tiny home during our stay. This morning I happened to hear what sounded like birds. So I stepped out with my camera to take some pictures. The sun was rising through the trees.I managed to find the Wren that had been making the noises.

Our first stop in the park that morning was in the Big Meadows Area. This is one of the popular sections of the park. It includes a Visitor Center, and even a gas station and a lodge. Our destination for the hike was the Dark Hollow Falls trail, between the mile 50 and 51 markers. Although short, the trail was advertised as being steep and rocky with a challenging return climb. Dogs were not allowed.

The parking lot was full even though it was early in the day. The trail turned out to be quite popular. This was the first trail on which we experienced true fall colors in the park.

We descended into the woods on a trail that was challenging in places.There were older people who were having a hard time of it in certain sections of the trail, and, unfortunately, some people had even brought their dogs.

The walk was worth it. The falls were quite beautiful.
We were done with this hike quickly. We headed further north to the Thornton Gap Area. The goal was to climb up to Mary’s Rock Summit, a landmark which lay on the Appalachian trail. We would be hiking from the parking lot for the Meadow Spring trail just north of Mile 34 on the Skyline Drive. We could not find parking space the first time we drove by the lot. We could not even find parking on the other side of the road, where the trail starts.We were fortunate to find an empty spot the second time we drove past the lot. We had to drive more than a mile away from the lot before we could to find a place where we could turn around to return to the parking lot!

You could see the signs of Fall at the entrance to the Meadow Spring Trail.The trail itself was fairly steep, taking us straight to the top of the ridge, where it ended.We then headed north on the Appalachian Trail which ran along the top of the ridge. After an initial climb along the ridge line itself, we were on a trail that ran fairly level the rest of the way to Mary’s Rock. Both sides of the trail were potentially open to panoramic views on the east and west sides during this part of the hike. Unfortunately most of the view was obscured by the vegetation.

There were signs of autumn along the trail. This part of the hike was easy. We got to Mary’s Rock without too much delay. The view from Mary’s Rock Summit was spectacular!We could see the Thornton Gap below us, and we could see US Route 211, the highway that we were going to take to get out of the park, at the point where it intersected with the Skyline Drive.

The hike back to the car was uneventful.

We had not prepared lunch for the day. We ate the leftover meatballs and spaghetti from the first day of this trip, and filled our stomach with other stuff.

We were able to head back home immediately after this hike. I thought we would make it home early. Unfortunately, we hit rush hour traffic by the time we got close to the city. It was not a good combination – being tired after all the activity of the day and then sitting in heavy traffic. I was quite exhausted by the time we got home. It was a stressful drive!

The Second Day On the Skyline Drive

We woke up quite late that morning in our tiny home in Stanardsville. The previous day’s activities had worn us out more than usual. It was however still dark outside in the woods, a phenomenon to be expected at this particular time of year in our part of the world. There seemed to be no point in rushing to the park to get an early start for the activities of the day. But, at the same time, there was nothing much to do in the tiny home other than having our breakfast and packing some food for the day. We were on our way to the park sooner than I expected.

Stanardsville was close enough to the park that we were were able to get to our first destination of the day shortly after 9:00am. We were visiting a section of the park in the South River Area, close to the Swift Run Entrance to the park. This was the same place we had exited the park to get to Stanardsville the previous evening.

Once we got back on the Skyline Drive, we headed south towards the Hightop Mountain Parking lot that was close by.

It was still early enough in the morning that there was enough space in the small parking lot for our car. The place also happened to be far away from the more popular sections of the park. Perhaps there were less people that hiked this trail anyway. The goal was to climb Hightop mountain that morning. We would be on the Appalachian trail for the entirety of this walk.

The hike was challenging from the start.The mountainside was all green. In spite of all the green, there were were signs that the leaves were beginning to drop,

In the midst of all of the vegetation, we passed a few random rock formations that appeared unexpectedly beside the trail. It made you wonder how they even got there. The geology of places can be interesting. The Appalachians happen to be an older mountain range (when compared to ranges like the Rockies and the Himalayas). They have been worn down with time.There were touches of yellow on some trees in the higher reaches of the mountain.The view from the viewpoint on Hightop mountain was not exactly what I was expecting to see from my reading of the literature.I had expected something more dramatic and panoramic. We went further along the trail hoping for other viewpoints from the mountain but did not find any. It turns out that a more expansive view might have been possible from the place where we had stopped if I had gotten above the vegetation level to to the right of where we were standing. Perhaps, winter is a better time for such a view.

Hightop mountain is the highest peak in the southern section of the park.

After the hike, we drove further south into the park to the Loft Mountain area, stopping at the Doyles River Parking lot (just beyond Mile 81). Once again, there was enough place to park in the lot itself. After lunch in the car, we headed for the Doyles River Trail to see the waterfalls. The trail marker to the right of the picture below is typical of what you will find in the park.The bands around the top of the post have information about trails that intersect, and about distances to destinations.For a change, instead of heading up a hill after parking the car, we had to hike down a mountain ridge to get to our destination. After all, significant waterfalls are not likely to be found along the tops of the ridges of mountainsides.

The way down was quite steep. We knew that we were in for a challenging time returning to the car.

We had walked just a short distance before we found and took a spur trail up a hillside to the Doyles River Cabin.The Doyles River starts in the vicinity of the cabin, probably as a spring. There is a spring supplying water at the place where the spur trail to the cabin meets up with the main trail to the waterfall.

Much further down the mountain, Browns Gap Fire Road crossed Doyles River and our trail.

The trail also crossed Doyles River just beyond the bridge.

We went all the way down to both the upper falls,and the lower falls.The trail was somewhat difficult in these parts. The waterfalls were also a popular destination, but they were not too crowded.

There were asters blooming everywhere we looked, and all along the trail side.

The climb back to the parking lot from the falls was as difficult as we had anticipated.

We were done with our hiking earlier than I expected. We had been making good time on the trails in spite of the challenges they presented.

We were tired and immediately headed back to Stanardsville. We had to stop at the grocery store in town to buy something that we had forgotten to pack – toothpaste! It had been quite the experience the previous night and in the morning improvising in the absence of toothpaste! Something like this does not happen often.

Getaway had left some goodies in our tiny home when arrived the previous day, including some marshmallows that could be melted over a campfire – to be served as a sandwich with crackers and melted milk chocolate. We could buy firewood and starter material for this purpose from Getaway. (They were stored in the plastic box in the picture below.)We decided to try it out. My attempt at starting a fire was not very successful. We had to settle for one partially melted marshmallow!The wood would not catch fire! One of the logs was smoking a lot, as if it had moisture in it.

We had to abandon our attempt to sit outside beside the campfire for an extended period of time. I was a little upset about the whole experience the rest of the evening.

Dinner that evening was an Italian Wedding soup with turkey meatballs and chicken sausage that Teresa had made at home and brought for the trip. It was delicious and hearty, and went down very well with a couple of beers after the long day in the park. I actually did some reading that evening before going to sleep.

And I was also happy to be able to brush my teeth that night.😊

The First Day on The Skyline Drive

We started our short vacation in the Shenandoah National Park last Sunday.

The Getaway Outpost near the park that we were going to stay at was located closer to its southern end, just outside the village of Stanardsville, VA. My initial thought had been to drive to Stanardsville directly, driving on the main highways in order to get there as quickly as possible. I changed my mind shortly before we started out. We decided to start our explorations of the park on Sunday itself, starting at the northern end of the park. That entrance to the park, just outside of the town of Front Royal, VA, was very easily accessible to us via Interstate-66 – the most direct route to the park from Washington, DC. This was how we usually got into the park. This was also Mile 0 on the Skyline Drive.

I-66 transported us from the crowded suburbs and the unending construction close to the city to the bucolic countryside of Virginia. Soon we were approaching the eastern ridges and the hills and valleys of the Appalachian Mountains.

As we got closer to the park, we could not help but notice that the foliage everywhere was still green.

The Senior Pass that I had just got helped us bypass the longer lines at the entrance to the park. The first order of things was to stop at the Visitor center to decide the places that we wanted to visit within the park. A ranger indulged us with maps and suggestions for places to hike. The places suggested were located all along the park – starting close to the visitor center where we were beginning our visit, and extending to the place that would exit the park to get to Stanardsville (just beyond Mile 65 on the Skyline Drive) at the end of the day.

I could not help but notice that the Dickey Ridge visitor center that we were at was busy, but not overcrowded as it sometimes gets during the autumn season. People from the Indian subcontinent were present in large numbers.

Thankfully, the crowds diminished as we drove further into the park.The first stop was in the Compton Gap Area, just beyond mile 10. We hiked up to Compton Peak West from the Compton Gap Parking area. The parking lot was full but we found some space next to the road.The hike was mainly along the Appalachian trail.

We realized very quickly that this was not going to be like our typical weekend walks along the C&O Canal. The climb started right from the beginning of the trail.

The climbs were significant and persistent.This being the first of our hikes for the week, we had to take more than our usual quota of breaks to catch our breath. I did not think that the altitude was significant enough to be contributing to our troubles.

The Compton peak viewpoint itself was occupied by a group of young people who seemed to have had settled themselves in for the longer run. I had to settle for this picture.You may be able to actually make out the Skyline Drive on the ridge in front of us in the picture above (click on the picture to enlarge it). The roadway itself can be seen in one spot through a gap in the trees. You can see the road better in the zoomed-in picture below.

We did see some yellows on the trail.This being the first day of our visit to the park, we still had hope that we would see more Fall colors.

After the hike, we continued our way south into the park. We stopped at the Elkridge Wayside area and found a picnic bench where we could eat our peanut butter and cranberry marmalade sandwiches.

Along the way, we kept our eyes peeled for signs of seasonal change.

Our next hike was in the Hawksbill area. We took the Upper Hawksbill Trail from a parking lot south of Mile 46. This trail had a shorter climb to the peak than the Lower Hawksbill Trail, but was longer in distance, and also took a longer time. Our choice of trails is a good indication of our mindset when it came to hiking at that stage of our travels. We were conservative in our efforts.

The climb up the Upper Hawksbill Trail was not as challenging as the one we had done in the morning. We did see more signs of early autumn as we made our way through the woods.

The wind was picking up as we hiked the trail. We could hear it howling through the trees by the time we got to Hawksbill peak and the viewing platform there. It was even difficult to hold steady while taking pictures at the top!

Shafts of intense sunlight cut through the dark clouds moving over the valley, lighting up parts of the valley selectively.

As you can see below, the ridge line was clearly visible from the peak. If you open up the pictures below and look at them carefully in sequence, you can zoom in on an overlook on the Skyline Drive near the top of the ridge line. The overlook is on the west side of the ridge (on the left side of the ridge as seen in the picture). These pictures should hopefully give you a good idea of the scope of the panoramic view we were getting from this mountain top.

There were clearly signs of autumn in this section of the park.

This is a picture of Byrds Nest 2 shelter near Hawksbill peak. There are shelters and cabins throughout the park.Incidentally, Hawksbill is the highest peak in the park.

This was our last significant stop for the day. We drove further south on the Skyline Drive towards our destination for the evening, and left the park at the Swift Run exit just south of mile 65. We took US Route 33 East out of the park towards Stanardsville. We had to descend from the ridge on which the Skyline Drive is located on a winding road which was a little challenging, especially at the advertised highway speeds. The town was a few miles away from the park. We first did a bit of light shopping at the grocery store in town before heading out to the Getaway Outpost just outside of town.

The first evening at the outpost was a bit of an adventure. It was simply a matter of getting used to our own place in the woods.

The inside of the tiny home was quite cozy.

That evening we enjoyed a dinner of fresh pasta with marinara sauce and meatballs that we had brought with us from Gemelli’s Italian Market! I had been having a craving for spaghetti with meatballs during that period of time. It was a part of my physical and mental recovery from my trip to India.

We were quite tired from the day’s activities and crashed out soon after dinner, well before our usual bedtime.

You can read about the second day of our trip here.

The Place Of The Gathering Of The Crows

My only company this early in the morning was the dog that kept barking at me when I stepped out on to the street. I promptly retreated back into the compound.The dog’s compadres on the nearby streets also joined in the noise making. They might have been passing messages to each other. The only other person who was up was the owner of the store across the road. She will soon start washing out her store front, a ritual that she has probably been doing for most of the years of her life. The Kolam will be the final step in the process that gets her store ready for the day’s business.

I never really overcame the jet lag of the trip completely. I am up very early in the morning with almost no exception. But it is OK. I try to make up for the early start with a nap during the day. The early start for the day gives me an opportunity to clean out the house before the rest of the neighborhood comes alive. Chennai dust is special. You just have to wait a couple of days for a layer of the dark stuff to collect on any untouched surface. The dust is relentless. It is fine enough to enter the house through the screens covering the doors and windows. You find yourself cleaning the place regularly. And then there are the fallen leaves that need to be swept up from the yard every other day.

Early mornings also give me the opportunity to go up to the terrace – before the sun is up.

The crows are the most common birds that you will see in these parts.Crows are said to be very social animals. I sometimes see them gathering in large numbers on the cellphone towers that are close by.I have noticed that some of these birds clean and preen themselves excessively in the mornings.

This is a White-throated Kingfisher that visited the yard,
and this is probably a Shikra.

There was surprise guest in this picture I took at the time of the sunset. I do not know what it is.

I was talking to a friend over the phone while in the house when the rain began. I heard the sound of a loud thunderclap. The power went out. I lost my phone connection. Pretty soon it was coming down in buckets. The rains did not last too long but it was enough to cause the street to flood. Here are a couple of shots taken from the front gate of the house after it stopped raining.

Today is another hot and sunny day. That is what you usually expect in Chennai!

A Sunrise In Chennai – The City Awakens

It is a strange thing that is happening to my body. Over a week has passed since my trip across the globe and I am still fighting the effects of jet lag. My avoidance of afternoon naps to enable nights of longer sleep duration have not panned out so far. I end up waking up a few hours before the sun is up, much before the sounds of the street begin to pick up, even earlier than the wake up calls of the birds. But this state of affairs did also offer an opportunity. I was awake early enough to be able to go up to the third floor terrace of the house to greet the sunrise and the dawning of the new day. Armed with information about the expected time of sunrise in Chennai, I ascended the stairs to the top of the house yesterday just before the dawn was due.

This first picture of the bright light in the skies turned out to be a show well before the actual sunrise. The colors in the sky disappeared very quickly.

Store fronts began to open and set up on the street. This is a little cafe.

This is a little store front right across the road.The banana leaves you see in the picture will probably be used for packing food that is sold. Later in the morning, the owner will wash the store front and complete the Kolam, the auspicious floor design on the ground in front of the home that is a tradition of South India.The milk packets for sale have already arrived are in the yellow crate.

Another false sunrise appeared in the sky shortly after the first one. It was brighter still than the first burst of light, and could be seen in a slightly different direction from that first light show. This time the light appeared over a building next to the terrace I was standing on.

This is the way the sky looked when you turned away from the sunrise phenomenon.

The color in the sky in the direction of the sunrise lost its intensity fairly quickly after the second burst of color.

The next distinct indication of the continuation of the sunrise was the light of the sun falling directly on a building that lay across from the rising sun.

It was a peaceful scene. Birds could be seen flying high across the sky in little groups. They seemed to have a sense of purpose. They flew in straight lines from one edge of the horizon to the other. From below me, on the street, arose the sounds of an awakening city.

But I still could not see the sun. It was hidden by the building in front of me. I could see the faint flare of light, somewhat like an aura, at the level of the building as the process continued.

The picture below shows the final phase of the whole transformation.

I departed the terrace at this point. My experience of the magic of this sunrise was now complete.

The Return

We are back home from our trip to India. Truth be told, the travel involved, this time, created more of a feeling of tiredness and disorder in the brain than I ever felt before. Waiting in the middle of the night at the airport to board the flight, at a time when you are normally in bed – amidst the crowd, the lights, the noise, and the nonstop activity all around you – it all disturbs the mind.Standing in a long and disorderly line in the middle of the night, a line that was moving slowly, among a crowd of people, many of whom were in the same zombie-like state of mind as myself, waiting to board the massive aircraft, find your seat, and fall asleep, it numbs the mind. You just want to be done with it. A few of our fellow-travelers were wearing masks, a sign of these troubled times.The flights back home were themselves long but unremarkable otherwise. But, the act of passing through multiple time zones in a short amount of time while regularly forcing the body to behave as if it were experiencing a different time of day than it has become used to – it added to the weariness.

I spent my time on the flights watching movies, taking pictures out the window,and taking catnaps.

Being pulled over for additional scrutiny at the security checkpoint at the transit airport made things worse. I went through the process like a automaton, just hoping that it would be over soon. My boarding pass had apparently been marked for the additional security check at my initial boarding point in Bangalore.

It was raining in Frankfurt by the time our flight departed for Washington, DC.I spent the early part of this second flight watching a movie and trying to fight off the sleep that hit me at the wrong time, a sleep that could interfere with my attempt to fight of jet-lag after getting back home. Later on in the flight, I opened the shade beside my seat to find that we were flying over the icy waters of the North Atlantic.Soon we had reached the eastern shores of Canada. During this part of the trip, I kept a lookout for the other aircraft that seemed to be flying with us across the ocean. I could see its contrails just below us for a very long time. The aircraft finally came into view after we finally caught up with it when crossing the Canadian shoreline. Here is a picture. At this point, the path of this second aircraft was beginning to diverge from ours. It was another Lufthansa aircraft, a Boeing 747-400, which was probably headed for Philadelphia. I will end this blog with a couple of pictures of the sunrise taken in Bangalore. These pictures were taken on different days from the 12th floor (according to the European and Indian system of counting floors, this would be considered the 11th floor!).The smoke in the first picture, and the color of the sun in the second one, were interesting. I believe that these could actually be a result of pollution and smog!

Now that I am back home, I have to catch up on a month’s backlog of things to do! Did I mention that I am already tired?

Still adjusting in Gaithersburg…

Along For The Ride

Another Christmas vacation has gone by, another family gathering with siblings and families has happened, this time in Florida. It was during this occasion that the fact that I was the oldest person in the group hit me a little harder than I expected. Maybe it was something that somebody said, or something that I noticed in the mirror. Seniority was not something that I had paid much attention to in past years. But this year something led to a moment of contemplation on the subject. Perhaps the age threshold that one had reached in September was not as much of a artificial artifact as one tended to consider it. Many of us are getting along in years, and there are consequences. For some, it happens so slowly that you do not realize it is happening, and then, suddenly, BAM!, there it is! You take notice of how much you have changed since you last checked – perhaps when you were a youth. You can no longer play the pretender. Your mind catches up with your body.

And at this point in life, after having achieved seniority of the senses, and after many other such Christmas vacations with family, I am in such a state of mind that I am there simply to enjoy the company of the family. I have not planned to do much other than relax. I do not need any additional “entertainment”. I just need the time to chill out. If people plan something that interests me, I can participate. The others in our group all have it all under control. I only needed to keep an eye on the liquid refreshment. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA I was prepared to help where needed, but there hardly seemed to be any need for that. I did cook dinner one evening. If somebody had asked, I would have cooked again without feeling any pressure about it. Heck, if there was not a list of dinners generated ahead of time, I could have even volunteered once again.

I want to keep it simple these days. I just wanted to be able to lounge around, and to be able to do my daily exercise, a routine that I am having great difficulty keeping up with recently. The over 40 miles of walking and running that I accomplished during the holiday, some of it even under rainy conditions, OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA was worth it. I could have spent more time with the others on the beach, but I chose to be lazy, and, as a result, perhaps also a little anti-social. Its OK, the old man needs his nap time and rest to recover from his exercise routine.

I did catch a sunrise, OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA but missed all the sunsets. The pool at the back of the house provided the opportunity to chill out. We listened to music. We even listened to the changing sounds and rhythms emanating from the starlings sitting on the tree beside the pool.(This recording is from Youtube.)

We enjoyed our time playing with the young’uns. The laughter that results from all involved is pure innocence. The older kids have all grown up. There seems to be a deeper sense to togetherness. It must be encouraged. Hopefully we can continue to meet during our Christmases so that they continue to get the opportunity to further bond and support each other. We celebrated Christmas as usual. We celebrated the usual birthdays. We went to the usual services at church.

Games were played and dinners were consumed. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA There was the trivia competition (where I was reminded that the number 1 is not a prime number!). There was the gingerbread making session where the sampling process that was going on as the dough was being prepared had me concerned. The baking process took care of my concerns.

We went out to a restaurant for dinner only once this year, there being no undue pressure from anybody, or on anybody, (from what I could see) to have to do so. I think most were content to hang out at home and on the beach. Perhaps we might even skip eating out the next time and still be happy as a group.On the other hand, it can truthfully be stated that the cooking efforts at home resulted in top-notch dinner fare and many original culinary masterpieces that everybody enjoyed. Yum!

The family gathering happens these days without my having to do much. The old man is just along for the ride.

Sunrise On The Beach

The completeness of just being there,
Of distancing oneself from the everyday thoughts and concerns,
Of being in a state of mind that involves simply being there in the moment.