Thank you!!

As I had indicated in my earlier post, August meant travel time for me and S. It was time to feel patriotic in part because of the Indian Independence day on 15th August and in part because S and me were back in India after two years. Ah the blissful feeling of walking on the soil of your Motherland is unparalleled, even if this bliss lasted for a very short while. The bliss was powerful enough to override the much detested jet-lag. The mere sight of family after 2 long years was like an elixir. S and me escaped the American summer and savored the Indian monsoon. It was a very memorable albeit short trip and it was time to hop on the jet again. A few days with family and a few more for VISA related work sprinkled with visits to a couple of temples and festive celebrations summed up an awesome August. For the time that we were in India, I felt 24 hours in a day were too less. There was so much that I wanted to do but so little time.

While heading back to US, our flight was delayed and so we were fighting against sleep as we waited for our flight in Mumbai. We caught a glimpse of the King Khan of Bollywood aka Shah Rukh Khan as he was being escorted on an airport buggy. He looked like a regular traveller but the crowd of luggage tugging fans that followed the buggy as it chugged along gave away his cult status. I must add that the multiple security checks in Mumbai were by far the most that I have come across. Luckily, the delay was cushioned by our long layover in Europe and we managed to catch our second change flight to reach Portland safe and sound. Strangely enough while the visit to India was exciting and fun-filled, a feeling of relief and joy was what I felt as we unlocked the door we had locked a few weeks ago. There is no land like homeland and no place like home.

September has also meant many celebrations, both S and me turned a year older and wiser. Cerebral babble too celebrated a silent blogoversary a couple of days ago :) Following in the tradition of a blogoversary, I would like to thank all the fellow bloggers who continue to encourage me with their comments and opinions. I have learnt a lot from all of you, listing my learnings would call for a lengthy post and I do not wish to bore you with my babbling. So I'll keep it short and simple, THANK YOU!! 

August absence.

August happens to be one of my favorite months of the year, the others being the months from September to July :P August has an auspicious touch to it since it usually coincides with the holy month of Shravan in Hindu calendar. For us ordinary mortals, this means puja and 'pet puja' or in other words, festivals, fasts and feasts. Also August coincides with summer here in the US and this translates to outdoor activities and travel. S and me have been soaking ourselves in the festive spirit of August and so my blogging has taken a small sabbatical. I'll be back to babbling by September.

Clear

Fervent pleas unheard,

forecast thunders clear skies, 

farmer sheds dry tears.

Farmer sheds dry tears,

drought, deluge pile misery;

mounting debts to clear.

This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is CLEAR

Content.

Eyes closed and neck craned;

drinking to its heart's content-

doe suckles her fawn.

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Ouch!! slurp-fest begins,

drinking to their hearts' content-

merry mosquitoes.

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Glances turn to gaze,

drinking to their hearts' content-

eyes thirsting for love.

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This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is CONTENT

Yellowstone trip- Part 1

The Drive -

John Day Dam, Oregon, windmills on the hillside

Camping trip is exciting enough by itself and if the location happens to be the first National park not just in USA but in the world, then excitement just multiplies. S and me had planned to drive to Yellowstone National Park for our camping trip for the fourth of July Weekend. Our campground reservation in the Grant Village area of Yellowstone meant we had to drive a little under 900 miles to get there. S had taken a day off from work so that we could get two full days at the park apart from the two plus days of travel. So we set off on wednesday afternoon, having loaded our car with tent, sleeping bags and other camping gear, not to mention food supplies and water. 

 

Haystacks and farms, Idaho

With both of us driving in shifts, the long drive would not be strenuous we thought. Our plan was to check into a motel by midnight, catch some sleep and hit the road after breakfast.  While Portland is green and dotted with trees, as we headed towards South-east Oregon, the landscape gradually turned dry and grassy. The zig-zag roads with hairpin curves through the Columbia Gorge soon made way for roads along the dry scrubland of Oregon high desert. 

Potato fields with sprinklers turned on, Idaho

Before midnight we had crossed state lines, and entered the Mountain Time Zone. It was time for a night-stop in Boise which we later realized was the state capital of Idaho. Rejuvenated, we headed toward the western entrance of Yellowstone in Montana. This final stretch was long, straight roads endlessly for as long as our eyes could see. On either side of the roads of 'Potato State' were potato fields. Vast stretches of green fields that were covered with tiny white/purple flowers being watered by huge sprinklers was what we kept seeing for a long time. Finally around 5pm in the evening nearly 26 hours after we had left our home, we entered Yellowstone National Park. Shelling out the entry fee and collecting a complimentary map, we began our drive through Bison/Bear country. Animal crossing signboards greeted us at regular intervals, and before long, we spotted a bunch of cars pulled over and parked off the road.

Day-1 at Yellowstone-

Entered the bison territory aka Yellowstone

It was time for us to follow suit with camera and binoculars. It was like a tea-party on the riverbank for a bison herd, a couple of them  grazing, a couple rolling around in the sand. The brown ones are the calves. A few clicks and closer look later, we were ready to head towards our campground.

First Sighting, Bison herd by the river

Hardly a mile later, we pulled over again, this time for an elk that had stopped by to welcome us.

(w)elk(ome)!! 

Further along the drive,  white mist seemed to be rising from the ground, sure enough the next board read "Fountain Paint Pot". With a name so inviting, we had to take a look. There was a loop trail of around half a mile. So we sauntered along the boardwalk, clicking pictures of colorful geo-thermal features. The odor of sulphur was a constant feature all through the geyser basin.

Lodgepole pines

Silex spring

Morning Geyser

Bacteria mat

Fumaroles

Leather Pool

Our tent nestled behind trees

After a quick stop at the old faithful geyser just in time to see it erupt, we drove to the campground to register ourselves. Grant Village Campground is nestled in a partly wooded area near the southwest shore of Yellowstone Lake. It has over 400 sites on offer including tent, RV and group campsites. Stepping out of the car at the Grant Village Campground, we were greeted by a bunch of over-friendly mosquitoes :P. We picked up firewood and kindle at the registration desk before driving to our campsite. Our campsite had a fire-grate and picnic table while a public restroom was a short walk away. S and me then set up our tent, before settling down to a hearty dinner of a desi style taco, puri in place of the tortillas. The wolves howling in the far-off distance as we snuggled into the sleeping bags was the perfect sign-off for Day-1 at Yellowstone.

To be continued...

Note- Click on the photos to see enlarged images.

Driver's license

A battle of nerves,

wield double-edged sword called mind,

drive away your fear.

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The end or onset,

starring rosy dreams, real life

drive into sunset.

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You have the power,

driver's license for lifetime,

steer safe through life's roads.

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This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is DRIVE

4th of July weekend

It is summer here in the US of A. And that has meant a wide range of activities to indulge in. In fact, this has been the story since spring but a lazy bug that I'm, I have been putting off posting about them. Since early spring, S and me had been planning for a trip to the Yellowstone National Park. We decided to make it a road trip and that meant it would be a 4-5 day trip with a minimum of 2 days on the road. S felt that we could have a camping trip this time around,  and accordingly 4th of July weekend seemed to fit well in our calendars. S had already savored quite a few camping trips while this would be a first camping for me.

The excitement of living in a tent put me on overdrive, what all food could we munch on while we camped? We could finally sit around an actual camp-fire on our camping chairs, roast buns in the campfire and chatter idly under the starlit sky surrounded by trees. Oh I was planning and dreaming on and off about it. Internet searches about things to do in and around Yellowstone became my favorite afternoon activity. With night temperatures in Yellowstone expected to fall below 40F even though it was summer, we decided to purchase heavy duty sleeping bags.  We even bought a good pair of binoculars on a friend's advice and it was worth every dollar, we got to observe wildlife from a safe distance. 

And so July has been all about Yellowstone, the run-up to it with the planning and packing, the actual trip and then the unpacking and returning to routine. I have been trying to catch up with the posts of my fellow bloggers and haven't posted any of my own, will surely get back to blogging soon. I will certainly do a detailed post on Yellowstone shortly complete with geysers,  canyon,  elk herds, the ever-so-visible passive looking bisons and even the loving mosquito welcome we got at the campground. 

Picture is from Yellowstone 's photo collection

Comfort

Stone soup served with love,

comfort food for hungry soul,

outdoes lavish spread.

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Broken heart, bruised knee,

mother's touch is panacea,

her voice, an elixir.

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This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is COMFORT

Wordless Wednesday-5

Click on the photos to see enlarged images

Open

Open road beckons,
summer breeze caresses face,
open top driving.

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Racing against time,
case of so near yet so far;
open book exams.

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This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is OPEN

Master

Unbridled thoughts dart,

mind holds on desperately-

reluctant master.

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Don't hear, argue;
instead listen and discuss;
master guides pupil.

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This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is MASTER

Queen

She stood with regal bearing, after all she was a queen. 

She wielded more power than anyone else around her except of course the King beside her. 

Yet she had no freedom to move, no voice of her own. 

Her world was black and white. 

She was a mere pawn, a carved piece of wood.

Drift

Trinkets lose their sheen,

flowers wither, time trudges,

scent of love lingers.

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Man ambles bee-like,

seeking elusive quiet,

loud ego buzzing

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This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is DRIFT

Wordless Wednesday-4

Fly past.

Whiz, whoosh, zip or zoom,

life rushes by in a blur

needles of time fly.

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Wings clipped and hopes caged,

trapped by illusions, man craves-

flights of fantasy.

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This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is FLY

Delightful dandelions

Gazing at the clear blue sky dreamily,

peeping out of the green strands shyly,

eager to greet summer breeze, 

ready to swing and sway,

delightful dandelions!!

Refreshing summer breeze wafts along,

leaves rustle as if chorusing a song,

humming alongside bumble bees,

inviting them to come and play,

delightful dandelions!!

Lilting to gusts of refreshing air,

tiny white flowers twirl around with flair;

Like fragments of thoughts set free,

gossamer bits of fantasy float away,

delightful dandelions!!

Picture is from Google images

Present.

Past, present, future-

perfect or continuous,

tense grammar of life.

This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is PRESENT

Rings of joy.

Bells of laughter ring,

circle of joy gets bigger,

children holding hands.

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Gleaming rings of gold,
dipped in sweet syrup of love-
yummy jalebis.

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This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is RING

Pictures are from Google images

Z for zephyr

Zephyr echoes love,

tidings of beloved drift in,

across seven seas.

PS: Although the challenge ended last week, I'm putting up this post for the sake of completeness.
This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge for alphabet Z. 
This post is inspired by Haikuhorizons's prompt SOUND

Y for yonder

Yonder lies delight,

just past depths of dejection.

Yonder lies light,

just beyond deafening darkness.

Yonder lies the answer,

just past the quandary of questions.

Yonder lies peace,

just beyond the chasm of clamor.

Yonder lies hope,

just past the abyss of doubts.

Yonder lies life,

just beyond point of existence.

Yonder lies a place like never before

a place to satiate our need for more,

a place where your dreams come true,

a place you can be just you,

Yonder lies....

PS: Although the challenge ended last week, I'm putting up this post for the sake of completeness.

This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge for the alphabet Y

Picture is from Google images

X for XOXO

X is an another of the alphabets that leave you flummoxed in A-Z challenges. After thinking about X for Xerox, and the usual wordplay of masking the 'e' that occurs in most words to get an 'X' word, I just decided to go for the symbol XOXO.

Does this image bring back familiar memories? Yes, it is the good old game of tic tac toe on paper. Many of my college notebooks had this scribbled on their last pages, the outcome of sitting through some very boring classes. I was a regular student, writing down notes diligently, bunking occasional classes and struggling to look alert in some of the not so interesting classes. And this game along with doodling was something that did its best to make us look like model students :P

Of course, there is another XOXO that comes to mind, the one we use to sign off our personal mails to mean hugs and kisses.

This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge for the alphabet X.

Picture is from Google images

W for winterhawks

Winterhawks is what the junior ice hockey team based out of Portland are known as. Just a few weeks after we moved to Portland,  S got a couple of free tickets to watch an ice-hockey game as a part of employee benefits at his workplace.We had zero idea about the game of ice hockey, but when you get free tickets, you indulge yourself. So googling about it informed us that Portland Winterhawks are one of the most successful teams that play in the Western Hockey league(Canadian-american cross country league). They are the only Oregonian team out of 5 US teams that play in that league and all the other 4 teams are from the neighboring state of Washington. Wikipedia also told us that a typical ice-hockey game lasts for about two hours and has six players including a goal keeper from each team on the rink where they aim to put the puck into the goal as many times as possible. On game day, we drove with a couple of friends to MODA center or Rose Quarter which is a multipurpose arena for indoor sports, concerts and the like in downtown Portland. It was a lazy weekend evening with crowds strolling leisurely outside the arena, but once we entered the actual arena, we could smell the sporty spirit in the air. Fans dressed in team jerseys, holding horns and flags were excitedly clicking pictures with Tom-a-hawk, the team mascot.

last minute touch-up of the rink

Game ON!!

Fun game during the breaks

Score board

As we settled into our seats, we were greeted by a giant ice-rink being cleaned and readied for the game. The crowd cheered as the team skated onto the ice to line up for the US national anthem. The opponents were from neighboring state of Washington and when the puck was dropped by the referee, the game began. For three sessions of 20 minutes each, the two teams battled it out on ice. Ice hockey is a very fast-paced sport and players were flying on ice it seemed as they maneuvered the puck, passing it, shooting it a the goalpost aiming to score a goal. There were a few skirmishes on the rink which the referees handles deftly, handing out penalties appropriately. Whenever the Winterhawks scored a goal, entire stadium was up on its feet, with fans pumping up their fists to the shouts of "T.N.T". Apparently the song "T.N.T Dynamite" by a hard rock band AC/DC is a sort of team anthem. Similarly power-play periods had the crowds chanting "Let's go Hawks" to drumbeats. There was the usual cheering squad that performed during the 20 minute breaks between each session. Fun games and raffle contest added to the fun quotient. With cotton-candy, popcorn and other munching goodies available, it was an indoor picnic of sorts. At the end of nearly 2 hours, when the final whistle blew and our team won(we are Portlanders after-all), it was time to cheer the victorious home-team as they took a victory-lap around the rink. All in all, it was a wonderful experience to watch a game of ice-hockey, in stadium for free :) We were lucky to get to watch two more games later in the season and needless to say the Winterhawks flag flew high victorious on both occasions. "Let's go Hawks!!"

This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge for the alphabet W.

Click on the photos to see enlarged images.

V for vacant

Parched earth cries for help

empty skies, empty tears-

miserly monsoon.

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pause awhile, reflect

rest weary mind, aching limbs,
vacant bench beckons

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This post is shared with Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is EMPTY

This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge for alphabet V

U for undo

'Undo' is a command in most computer programs that allows the user to erase the last change made to the document and revert it to an older state. It is a very useful command for it allows us to rectify the mistakes we make. I have wondered many a time how would it have been if there was a undo button or command for our lives. At first thought, I would have wanted to undo many many things, but on pausing and pondering if I really wanted to undo, I honestly feel I would rather not undo anything. I owe what I am to all those moments and events in a way, for they have shaped my thinking, moulded my perspectives on life, toughened me, softened me, sharpened me, changed me. Basically they have influenced me in many ways to make me a better person and helped me evolve into the unique person that I am.

I cannot imagine the confusion that it would cause with each of us trying to undo a different aspect of an event that has already unfolded. No wonder, life does not have a 'Undo' command.

This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge and today's alphabet is U

Picture is  from Google images

T for transistor

The moment I hear the word transistor, the first thing that comes to my mind today is the semiconductor device, a building block of most of the modern electronic devices. But this was only after I took up engineering. Up until then, transistor to me was that little black box that relayed morning news while we brushed our teeth half asleep. It was the magic box was offered music lovers a chance to enjoy music even when they were traveling. Cricket buffs would get their dose of excitement via the airwaves as commentary rattled out from a tiny pocket transistor.

Aakashwaani or voice of the sky is what the national broadcast service in India is called and this voice was as angelic as it got for not everyone had television for entertainment. I remember listening to wonderful programs on Vividh Bharati,  chaaya geet, sangeet sarita, bhule bisre geet, ek hi film se, aap ki farmaish. The regional service would also air interesting programs, every saturday around noon we would tune in to listen to "baal jagat". I remember when I studied in the 2nd standard, a group of students from our school even recorded a program that was aired as a part of the show a couple of weeks later. The trip to the recording studio was something I remember even to this day for we sat in a glass room with lot of microphones and we could not hear anything from the outside. It was quite an experience. We sang a few songs and delivered lines of a student-teacher conversation sort of play. I remember some of the songs we sang for we had practised for months before the recording. As for the the play, I don't remember a thing. Soon television started airing more programs and we kids weaned away from the radio and got glued to the idiot box. Much later, in the early days of my engineering, FM radio started gaining popularity and with private channels joining in, airwaves offered more variety to the crowd on the move. City travel is now a long drawn affair with traffic jams and the FM channels offer commuters a chance to relax and unwind on their way to/from work. Only now, the good old transistors are replaced by cell phones and i-pods.

This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge for alphabet T

Picture is  from Google images

S for salt to taste

"Salt to taste" is a phrase we often see in most recipes and it means the recipe you have prepared needs to be seasoned with salt as per your taste. And no it does not translate to adding so much salt as to actually make the dish salty but just enough to enhance the other flavors. Salt is found on every food table and in every kitchen across the globe. While today salt may not be all that expensive, there was a time when it was prized by the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. Wars were waged over salt. In fact the word salary originates from Latin word "salarium" which referred to the money paid to the Roman Army's soldiers for the purchase of salt. And of course how can we forget the role of salt Satyagraha movement in Indian freedom struggle. Salt is used as a preservative, to de-ice roads in the winters and a whole host of manufacturing processes.

The stand-out feature of salt is too much of it can ruin the dish, while its presence in just the right amounts can make a simple dish taste heavenly.

This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge for the alphabet S.

Picture is  from Google images

R for Rhythm and rhyme

Drops of water on dry earth 

soon disappeared into nothingness. 

But when the drops turned to showers, 

Puddles formed and streamlets flowed. 

Lightning danced and thunder bellowed

while the aroma of wetness permeated the air. 

Rain it seemed had washed off the despair. 

Fresh looking trees and bright-coloured flowers 

gave the entire landscape a quaint newness, 

filled the weary minds with calm and mirth. 

Rain sure brought to fore a great many things- 

From myriad thoughts to unacknowledged feelings; 

Memories bundled up and hidden deep – 

All popping out as if awakened from sleep. 

The rhymes we learnt way back in nursery 

spoke of rain with enthusiasm and simplicity. 

With time, simplicity took a multi-layered turn – 

Rain could calm the mind, a heart - it could burn. 

From poems that elevated rain to a fabled plane 

extolling on its role in matters of the heart; 

to those shading it with hues of melancholy,

accusing it of wrecking cities and tearing lives apart

rain wove tales of the lost and found 

leaving us distraught, humbled or just spellbound. 

Rain stirs imaginations like no other, 

showcasing life for it is indeed its mirror. 

Visible or hidden, subtle or stark, 

rain-drops sure leave their mark; 

a lot like the countless moments of our lifetime; 

indeed rain is life, with rhythm and rhyme.

Q for quirky Q

The alphabet 'Q' is the second rarest alphabet to be used after 'Z' and for most part it is invariably followed by alphabet 'U'. It really is a queen of rare letters. Whenever I picked up the 'Q' tile in scrabble, I have fervently searched for a 'U' tile for that seems to be the only logical direction to proceed. I'm quite sure, many of you have been stuck in the same quagmire. Think about this queerness. Can you list out words that begin with 'Q' but are not followed by 'U'. Take quick peek into the dictionary in the quest for "q" words and you will no longer question this quaint quality or quirk of Q for your doubts will be quelled by the quantity of words with q followed by a u.

Don't quit, the answers to the quiz on Q (some of the words that begin with Q but not followed by U)-
Qat
Qawwali and a bunch of words with arabic origin like Qaid, Qadi, Qasida
Qi
Qintar
Qiviut
Qigong
Qwerty

This was a quibble (a play on words)!! Ok I'll be quiet now, no more quips :P

Just one more , couldn't resist putting up this quote from Ambrose Bierce.

This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge for alphabet Q

Picture is  from commons.wikimedia.org

P for paper

Call me old fashioned but I would rather read a book made of paper held in my hand than read the same content on a tablet or kindle. The feeling of holding the page between your fingers as you read the book, pausing a while before flipping it as you continue your read is something that is out of the world. If it is a new book, the paper feels very smooth and somewhat crisp and in case of a book that has passed through many hands, the paper feels different, worn out in a way. There is a distinct smell of new books and a typical moist odor when the book has been re-read umpteen times. In case of e-books, this sense of smell and touch is missing and makes the reading experience a tad incomplete. 

Same goes with writing, the satisfaction I get when I scribble on paper with a pen or pencil in my hand is absent when I type the same on my laptop or cellphone. Not that I have a beautiful handwriting or anything, my writing is fairly neat and legible. It is just that it feels more complete when you feel the paper while you put down your thoughts. Yes, I know and agree that we need to minimize wastage of paper for ecological reasons. I only hope that the future generations too get a chance to savor the experience of reading from paper they can feel and writing on it with a pen in their hand. Technology and time have revolutionized  a great many things and simplified life, but at the same time they have taken away simple pleasures and added invisible complexities in our everyday existence.

This post is shared with April A-Z blogging challenge for alphabet P

Tryst

Her curls kiss his cheek

eyes closed, lost in reverie;

tryst under starlight.

Tryst under starlight,

 moonflower smiles like shy bride

as night closes in.

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This post is shared with  Haikuhorizons and this week's prompt is CLOSE