“Only that day dawns to which we are awake” – Thoreau

Off to another annual Roy family tradition – celebrating Niki’s birthday on the beaches off Ft. Lauderdale. The big difference is older sister Tasha is not here with us (she is visiting Washington DC).

Sun playing games on Niki’s face on the beach…

If you are so inclined: So the oblivious tree kept on growing at 45 degrees to the ground till some day somebody smacked some sense into it. That is when it did a sudden volte face and mended its ways (upwards i.e.)

With apologies (slight adaptation of words) to Browning-
“Only the cloud’s obstruction shows aright
The secret of the sunrise, breaks its light
Into the jeweled bow, from the blankest white”

Eventually the waves hither though!!

Splashing around!

iPad and wifi connection: put together, it is the biggest threat to the baby sitting industry 🙂

Forty years back two important events took place today.
1. The mobile phone was invented
2. “Can you hear me now?” became the most oft quoted phrase in English 🙂

Two hours of being in the rough ocean with Niki and Sharmila today was enough to cancel salt from my margaritas for the rest of the day 🙂

5 mile run in Florida on A1A by the beach. In thunderstorm and torrential rain!! Had the time of my life.
When I started, the ominous dark clouds had already started moving in. After I completed the first mile, the temperatures started dropping rapidly and the wind started howling. The clouds were coming from the northwest and rapidly started enveloping the sky and then the ocean.
The beach was a beautiful sight. The palm trees were in unison bent in the same direction as if to let the wind know which way to go. The beach goers were scrambling back the other way and dragging on the sand their children and belongings alike.
Within minutes, a loud cloudburst announced the arrival of sharp rain and occasional thunders. The road cleared out very quickly. Now that I had the whole road to myself, I did what every self respecting 46 year old would do.
I ran in the middle of the road, stepped on every single puddle that had formed (and if I missed any, I went back and stepped on it) and stuck my tongue out to taste the rain. At one point, I got a huge shout out from some spring breakers stuck in a second floor bar. I doffed my cap to them and discovered how great the sharp rain felt on my shaved head. I never put the cap back!!
Finally, I pulled up near the hotel after five miles, in front of a bunch of amused hotel guests waiting for their ride to come in the rain. Carefully I wrung out the water from the socks and cap on the side and walked in barefoot, totally drenched, water drops marking the way I walked with my shoes in my hand, casually like nothing had happened 🙂
There is a Starbucks in the hotel. Right now, it has a coffee cup with my name written all over it… 🙂

“President Obama is getting ready to unveil his new budget nine weeks after its original due date. Or as his dog Bo put it, ‘Yeah, yeah. I ate the first draft. I know the drill.'” –Jimmy Fallon

The sky by the pool…

Met up with Vanessa after almost three years. It was great seeing her husband Patrick and the cutest kid in the whole wide world – Giselle!! Playing around with her brought back a lot of old memories oft own kids at that age!!!

“I so do not want to be 13”, said Niki after clearing security at the airport. Evidently, she loves being able to tag along with me thru TSA Pre at airports. Sharmila, who is not cleared for Pre, of course never finds it funny. Especially, when she gets picked up for dabbing the palms to check for traces of gun powder or something.
So, I suggested to Niki that when mom comes thru, we will both point our fingers at her and do some mock laughter. Ever thoughtful, Nikita, considered the whole proposal and concluded “You know, dad, I agree sometimes I am rude. But I also now know where I get it from”!!
Okay then, somebody is not sitting next to her on the flight back!! 🙂

Turning out to be a very bumpy ride back home. I can barely keep my fingers on the keyboard 🙂 We were promised an altitude of 37,000 feet. We are indeed hitting it. Intermittently 🙂

In sports parlance, this is called “cooling down”. After four intense days of sleeping with a drink in hand in the shade of an umbrella on sunny Florida beaches, Sharmila is taking it easy after coming back home…. By sleeping with a drink in hand in the shade of an umbrella on a sunny Atlanta spring afternoon by our pool 🙂