Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Purdue Village, West Lafayette, IN
The sun came out today and we rushed outside and dusted clean the good ol' grill and made ourselves some veggie burgers, potatoes and Tilapia fish fillets! Now that's a wonderful Indiana winter day in December!!!
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Elliot Music Hall, Purdue University, IN
Graduation! Satish received his Ph.D. degree in a leather bound folder, complete with a $45 rented gown and we were there to cheer him on! I was assigned the task of video camera man, so the picture above is really from last year's graduation in Dec 2004 when Harshal Patwardhan graduated. Incidentally, Harshal and Sujay Malve were also present. The Bhate/Bapat representation consisted of Adi, Dhruv and Ranjana!
The most exciting thing for me was sitting inches from the organ player and see him do his thing. I was not aware that the organ player uses his feet to hammer out bass notes. That must be one difficult instrument to play! Wow!
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Tippecanoe County Humane Society, Lafayette, IN
We visited the Tippecanoe County Humane Society this weekend. This is probably our 4th visit there in the past year: definitely a lot less than we had planned when we went there for the 1st time last November (2004). We donated the rabbit food and hay supplies that we had bought for the rabbit we never got (long story...) and spent time as always, walking the dogs. We took 7 of them between the two of us including a crazy female terrier called Gracey who chewed her way off the leash and escaped before I caught her back with a flying tackle that nearly hurt my knees! But they were all adorable dogs, including the very quiet and timid Eva and the naughty but manageable Nessie. We looked at the kittens for a while too, washed up and headed home after 2 hours of satisfying contact with the creatures we both love so much.The picture here is of Adi's neighbour Mitali's sweet Boxer Nikki (behind window grill) and her pups peeking in.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
We just saw our first NBA game Live ever! The Indiana Pacers beat the New Jersey Nets 102-90. We were in the $10 seats so things were distant, not just visually but also with regard to the excitement. People in the far seats seem to be there less for the game and more to be there for the game...but that's a different story.
Things were fun as well since there were a host of folks from Adi's class and school and we also got some free stuff including oversize Pacers T-shirts. The half time show was nice with incredible jugglers in addition to the usual monkeying that happens and the Pacemates dancing around of course.
All in all, a fun experience, but I think we prefer TV...to the $10 seats anyway. Things maybe a lot better closer up and with a more exciting match up, but that's a lot of money to spend on a 2 hour game with some cheap thrills on the side.
No pictures, since we were without a camera...should have one soon and will take pics of our next game, maybe sometime around New Years.
Things were fun as well since there were a host of folks from Adi's class and school and we also got some free stuff including oversize Pacers T-shirts. The half time show was nice with incredible jugglers in addition to the usual monkeying that happens and the Pacemates dancing around of course.
All in all, a fun experience, but I think we prefer TV...to the $10 seats anyway. Things maybe a lot better closer up and with a more exciting match up, but that's a lot of money to spend on a 2 hour game with some cheap thrills on the side.
No pictures, since we were without a camera...should have one soon and will take pics of our next game, maybe sometime around New Years.
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Arches National Park, UT
Arches National Park in Utah was our first stop during our 3 day drive from Phoenix, AZ to West Lafayette, IN. When I say "we", it was my parents and me: Aditi had already flown back to Indianapolis to start working on searching up her apartment and completing her admission formalities at IUPUI.
We camped at Arches on the night of the 13th. Having seen and trekked through Grand Canyon NP, we were amazed at the beauty at Arches: it was far more stunning than GC for sure. While the Grand Canyon hits you with its sheer size and spread, Arches amazes you with the intricacy and grace of the carvings brought about through an incredible confluence of the forces of nature (or water, wind and a whole load of salt!). The Visitor's Center is exceptional and has a nice amphitheater with a 20 minute film showing you how the Arches park was formed and continues to form. The restrooms were much better than the ones in Arizona. Arches seems to be doing a lot better financially.
We did not have enough time to do justice to this place, but then that has never really been achieved anywhere we have gone. We ended up driving through most of Arches on our way out early in the morning and Papa caught some nice pictures in the rising sun, including the one above. What followed as we left Arches was an incredible drive along the Colorado river and some vineyards along the way. The drive through Utah and most of Colorado was splendid too. Those three states: Arizona, Utah and Colorado must be among the best places on earth and the US is so fortunate to have stumbled upon them in the new world.
That brought an end to a fabulous summer in the west. Now it's back to Indiana and an impending winter. Our Honda has been a real angel through the past 3000 miles taking us to places we never thought we would go.
Click here to see more pictures from our trip to Arches!
We camped at Arches on the night of the 13th. Having seen and trekked through Grand Canyon NP, we were amazed at the beauty at Arches: it was far more stunning than GC for sure. While the Grand Canyon hits you with its sheer size and spread, Arches amazes you with the intricacy and grace of the carvings brought about through an incredible confluence of the forces of nature (or water, wind and a whole load of salt!). The Visitor's Center is exceptional and has a nice amphitheater with a 20 minute film showing you how the Arches park was formed and continues to form. The restrooms were much better than the ones in Arizona. Arches seems to be doing a lot better financially.
We did not have enough time to do justice to this place, but then that has never really been achieved anywhere we have gone. We ended up driving through most of Arches on our way out early in the morning and Papa caught some nice pictures in the rising sun, including the one above. What followed as we left Arches was an incredible drive along the Colorado river and some vineyards along the way. The drive through Utah and most of Colorado was splendid too. Those three states: Arizona, Utah and Colorado must be among the best places on earth and the US is so fortunate to have stumbled upon them in the new world.
That brought an end to a fabulous summer in the west. Now it's back to Indiana and an impending winter. Our Honda has been a real angel through the past 3000 miles taking us to places we never thought we would go.
Click here to see more pictures from our trip to Arches!
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Heard Museum, Phoenix, AZ
The Heard Museum is located close to downtown Phoenix. The two of us and Adi's mum (who we all call Dadda for no particular reason) paid a visit. Party since it was a weekend day when we had the evening all planned up: someone was visiting us at 6pm that day. Anyway, driven by my developing curiosity in Native American history and culture and another opportunity to spend time meaningfully, we drove to the museum.
Things started off nicely with a guided tour by a descendent of the Apaches. All the guides there seemed to be kids in their late teens who descended from Native American families, which is really nice of course. The Heard Museum is an art museum and so isn't a whole lot fascinating unless you can appreciate it. Nonetheless there were some amazing artifacts especially the Kachina dolls of the Hopis which were extremely intriguing. "The Hopi Kachina religion is based on a cannon of sacred beliefs, and those beliefs center on the concept of spirit, called "Kachinas", who visit the people bringing blessings, rain and other good things."
Also memorable was the Hogan and the fascinating 160 foot mural that describes the interaction between the native American and the white man and depicts images of betrayal and deception as the Natives were removed and relocated.
In all, a great experience. Museums are fascinating places, but do not stay in your mind as long as visits to some places of natural wonder like the Grand Canyon. What they sometimes do to you though is inspire you to learn more. Perhaps the visit to the Heard Museum left less of an imprint than it provided an impetus to explore.
Things started off nicely with a guided tour by a descendent of the Apaches. All the guides there seemed to be kids in their late teens who descended from Native American families, which is really nice of course. The Heard Museum is an art museum and so isn't a whole lot fascinating unless you can appreciate it. Nonetheless there were some amazing artifacts especially the Kachina dolls of the Hopis which were extremely intriguing. "The Hopi Kachina religion is based on a cannon of sacred beliefs, and those beliefs center on the concept of spirit, called "Kachinas", who visit the people bringing blessings, rain and other good things."
Also memorable was the Hogan and the fascinating 160 foot mural that describes the interaction between the native American and the white man and depicts images of betrayal and deception as the Natives were removed and relocated.
In all, a great experience. Museums are fascinating places, but do not stay in your mind as long as visits to some places of natural wonder like the Grand Canyon. What they sometimes do to you though is inspire you to learn more. Perhaps the visit to the Heard Museum left less of an imprint than it provided an impetus to explore.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Verde Canyon, AZ
In India you take trains for granted and many of us fall in love with them without realizing it. When you get to the US, you pretty much end up flying and driving everywhere you go. So when we heard of this train ride through the Verde Canyon on the Verde Canyon Railroad we were naturally excited: it was almost a year since we had taken a train ride anywhere and this was through a Canyon!
Dadda (Adi's mum) was with us, and the three of us decided to head out there and signed up for the evening "Starlight Express". That was a mistake in hindsight since that one full moon night turned out to be a cloudy one. But then who can predict the weather anway. The train left at 4:30pm which in Arizona in July means a good 3 hours to sunset, so it was pretty well lit on the journey inside the canyon: the return was well, just a train ride in the dark.
While the experience was a great one, we returned feeling somewhat unexhilerated. Many a train ride in India passes through similar, sometimes more amazing scenery, so it wasn't a big thing for any of us. Nonetheless, it was an evening well spent and we got to see a Bald Eagle too! And saw another example of how the US promotes it's tourist attractions: even the average ones. If you're thinking of taking the Verde Canyon RR, I would recommend a visit to the Grand Canyon instead. And then you can follow it up with an AmTran ride somewhere or a local train in Chicago. For some $40, this train ride just may not be worth it till you're well past retirement and can't climb those canyons anyway.
Click here to see more pictures from our ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad!
Dadda (Adi's mum) was with us, and the three of us decided to head out there and signed up for the evening "Starlight Express". That was a mistake in hindsight since that one full moon night turned out to be a cloudy one. But then who can predict the weather anway. The train left at 4:30pm which in Arizona in July means a good 3 hours to sunset, so it was pretty well lit on the journey inside the canyon: the return was well, just a train ride in the dark.
While the experience was a great one, we returned feeling somewhat unexhilerated. Many a train ride in India passes through similar, sometimes more amazing scenery, so it wasn't a big thing for any of us. Nonetheless, it was an evening well spent and we got to see a Bald Eagle too! And saw another example of how the US promotes it's tourist attractions: even the average ones. If you're thinking of taking the Verde Canyon RR, I would recommend a visit to the Grand Canyon instead. And then you can follow it up with an AmTran ride somewhere or a local train in Chicago. For some $40, this train ride just may not be worth it till you're well past retirement and can't climb those canyons anyway.
Click here to see more pictures from our ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad!
Jerome, AZ
Jerome is one of the several amazing places north of Phoenix but still under a 4 hour drive. It used to be a mining town and was called at some point the "Wickedest town in the West" and home to some 10,000 people looking for the new life.
We entered Jerome just as the stormclouds gathered overhead but for most part things were dry. We had heard a little something about the Gold King Mine, so decided to head there for our "Ghost town" experience. The owners of the area have done a magnificent job of recreating a late 19th century, early 20th appeal. You can see a ton of stuff for $4 including a dentist's office, a class room and some fantastic cars and motorycles dating back over 60 years, all covered in dust for the right effect (also saves cleaning chores). They also had a saw mill there, fully functional and an adorable donkey. The folks also had a nice sense of humor with a few rather funny boards and posters around the place.
Since Jerome was merely a stop over for our real visit to Verde Canyon, we had to leave around 3pm and could not visit the mining museum. We drove out on the winding dirt roads that make their way past what must've once been bustling with men and women talking gold and copper, hard work for supposedly easy money. The glory and agony of the saga of gold is one of the more important stories in the history of the white man's occupation of the West.
Click here for more pictures from our visit to Jerome!
We entered Jerome just as the stormclouds gathered overhead but for most part things were dry. We had heard a little something about the Gold King Mine, so decided to head there for our "Ghost town" experience. The owners of the area have done a magnificent job of recreating a late 19th century, early 20th appeal. You can see a ton of stuff for $4 including a dentist's office, a class room and some fantastic cars and motorycles dating back over 60 years, all covered in dust for the right effect (also saves cleaning chores). They also had a saw mill there, fully functional and an adorable donkey. The folks also had a nice sense of humor with a few rather funny boards and posters around the place.
Since Jerome was merely a stop over for our real visit to Verde Canyon, we had to leave around 3pm and could not visit the mining museum. We drove out on the winding dirt roads that make their way past what must've once been bustling with men and women talking gold and copper, hard work for supposedly easy money. The glory and agony of the saga of gold is one of the more important stories in the history of the white man's occupation of the West.
Click here for more pictures from our visit to Jerome!
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Berkeley, CA
UC Berkeley was the last place for us to visit on our Californian trip. In addition to wanting to see a top 3 school, we also were keen to meet two of our friends who are getting their PhDs at UCB: Sujit Kirpekar and Nihar Shah. We took the BART out of Fremont and our train actually had to stop due to some technical problem and we waited 10 minutes for the next train. But the BART system is really smooth from what we saw in our two trips from Fremont to SF and to Berkeley.
Berkeley itself was fascinating: while the school is pretty much like any other campus, it is the surrounding areas, the coffee shops, the street vendors, the book stores...everything has a peaceful, take your time kind of appeal. Reminded Adi of some places in Goa! We've probably never known hippyness, but this felt close to it. We met with Sujit and Nihar for lunch, after which Sujit showed us around the campus and even his lab and some of his research. We also got to go to the Bell Tower and see the scenery from there: Purdue should've had that too...I doubt anyone can go up there. That there's probably not much to see from there is another matter.
Visit ended, we grabbed some coffee and made it back to Fremont by the BART where Wrena picked us up. Our last day in this wonderfully warm and chilled out place.
Click here to see more pics from our California trip!
Berkeley itself was fascinating: while the school is pretty much like any other campus, it is the surrounding areas, the coffee shops, the street vendors, the book stores...everything has a peaceful, take your time kind of appeal. Reminded Adi of some places in Goa! We've probably never known hippyness, but this felt close to it. We met with Sujit and Nihar for lunch, after which Sujit showed us around the campus and even his lab and some of his research. We also got to go to the Bell Tower and see the scenery from there: Purdue should've had that too...I doubt anyone can go up there. That there's probably not much to see from there is another matter.
Visit ended, we grabbed some coffee and made it back to Fremont by the BART where Wrena picked us up. Our last day in this wonderfully warm and chilled out place.
Click here to see more pics from our California trip!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)