24 July 2016

There must be something in the water of Seattle

Met five of our very old friends from Dallas to get this first day in Seattle started in high gear. Four of them were also colleagues from a prior job life. Here is the funny thing – in the fifteen years or so that has gone by, not a single one of them has changed one single bit since I saw them last. Not an ounce put on, not a strand of hair lost… unlike… ahem… yours truly 🙂 I blame Atlanta water for that 🙂

It was great to catch up with Pawan, Rajeev, Bindu, Sanjay and Sansern and the kids!! There were some really funny recollections of the past – the He-Li, She-Li story and the Larry Mason feet traveling in first class to Newark story… to name a few.

I need to come back and spend some more time here…

image

Category: Intersection Points, Our Friends, Vacations | LEAVE A COMMENT
24 July 2016

Ah! those pesky little things called “children”

First day of vacation to celebrate the impending passage of Natasha’s next step in life – leaving us to join college. While many parents have gone thru this phase in their lives, for Sharmila and myself, this will be our first. It will be interesting to see how each one of us internalize this passage of our own lives – the balancing of the joy of seeing her grow to be her own woman on one hand and then breaking out in sweat at night realizing that if we walked over to the other room, she is not going to be there, on the other…

Today, she is going to see some of our very old friends who often helped us manage her when she was a mere baby. Many of them have not seen her since those days (and have never seen Nikita!). It probably will not make a big mark in her mind, but for me, it will be momentous watching those “intersection points”.

There is a fascinating poem by the great Lebanese-born American-settled poet Kahlil Gibran called “On Children” that does an exemplary job of setting the parent – children perspective in the larger context of Life.

——

“Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
Which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
But seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
As living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
And He bends you with His might
That His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer’s hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
So He loves also the bow that is stable.”

image

Category: Musings, My Family, Vacations | 7 Comments on Ah! those pesky little things called “children”
23 July 2016

Nikispeak – Pokemon Go!

Getting off the airport train, I told Nikita who was looking for Pokemons (or whatever it is that they look for in that game) on her iPhone: “Niki, we are on vacation. You have to enjoy the sights and the surroundings”
She: “Dad, I have seen this airport so many times”
Me: “If you are going to be obsessed with Pokemon Go, we could have stayed back home”
She: “Dad, I do not have an obsession. Just an unhealthy interest” !!

🙂

Category: Vacations | 5 Comments on Nikispeak – Pokemon Go!
15 July 2016

The one time I wish I had my DSLR with me…

I took a risk this time and went to India without my DSLR. I never missed it. The iPhone was enough to capture all the moments for me – some 350 or so of them. That was like 50 good shots per day!! Then we went to the Blue Ridge Mountains and I had thrown in the DSLR in the car. It came back with me without even being touched once. The iPhone was enough.I was starting to wonder whether the investment was wise…

Then yesterday, I really really wished I had the camera with me. I was cruising down I-25 from Denver to Colorado Springs for a meeting when I saw signs of Air Force Academy. Soon, I could see the big building near the mountains – which I assumed is the academy. A little further down, there was a sign for Scenic Overlook. I figured it was one of those spots from where you could see nature in its full splendor. I glanced at my watch – at best I had about 10 minutes to spare. I figured that on my way back, I would stop by and take a few pictures.

A few minutes later, I could see the exit for the Scenic Overlook. There were quite a few cars and people visible there. And yet, there was nothing that scenic on that side. Unless you count the gorgeous Colorado mountains running along the highway. Curiosity got the better of me and I took the exit and pulled over.

Boy, am I glad that I did it. Casually, looking into the distance, I could see nothing but the mountains. And then I looked up in the sky as everybody was doing. That was when I noticed tens of planes doing all sorts of acrobatics and many many more small creatures slowly floating by. A little concentrated look and I realized people practicing parachuting and paragliding from planes and getting trained to land safely in the mountain jungles. That is also when I noticed the runway and the steady stream of various kinds of planes taking off and landing.

The iPhone did not do much of a justice to spot those small objects in the sky. You can see a plane in this one in the distance. There is one parachuter I could detect in this picture. Look to the last peak on your left and look about 2 o’clock from there.

I saw other people bring out their zoom lenses. For once, I wish I had my DSLR with me…

image

Category: Travelogs | LEAVE A COMMENT