Watching Sunset at Lewisville River in Dallas

The greatest joy for me  is to sit by the river side and watch the sunset. I love beach too but walking on the sand, getting my feet dirty is not my idea of fun. Nor do I like to walk on slimy rocks where there is danger of losing my balance. Its just water that I am attracted to, the rippling sound of the waves, the cool winds touching the shores, and staring in the sky for hours watching the different shapes of the clouds that change ever second.

I was thrilled therefore, when my cousin in Dallas organised a boat ride on Lewisville river, one Sunday afternoon during my visit  to his town. Watching the sunset from the seashore is different, having done that many times, at every opportunity that I have got, but to watch it while sitting in the boat, surrounded by water on all sides, the birds diving to catch a fish and the mild breeze..its completely a pleasant experience.

The meeting was set at around 5pm. We were a group of eight members, family, friends and kids too, that added extra joy with their chatter. It was a private recreational area for members who owned boats.

One could spend all day here. A long expanse of free space, surrounded by water, trees and open space. There were lawn furnitures everywhere for people who would like to picnic at the site.

A proper concrete path to reach the curb cut where the boats were parked.

It was most beautiful speed boat that I have ever sat in. soft comfortable, low couches and enough room to relax.  

The sun was beginning to set.

We started as soon as we were ready to sail, at a speed so high that I wished I had life jacket (although it was not really necessary). When it stopped in the middle of the river, I was totally disarrayed and deperatedly looked for comb to straighten my hair.

While our boat stood still, rocking pleasantly on the waters, we snacked on delicious sandwiches that my cousin had picked up from a restaurant. Perfect sandwiches of meat, vegetable salad and spicy sauces.

We watched the sun move slowly down the horizon, changing the colors of the sky from yellow to deep red.

So grateful to my cousin and his family in Dallas who created this opportunity for me……a memorable day to relish for a lifetime.

100 Happy Days: Day 5. At the Beach

Happy moments are sitting by the seashore and watching the sunset.

I reached the poolside restaurant at around 3pm. There was too much sun, and it was hot. I sat closer to the wall under the shade. At around 4pm, the sunrays became friendly and played around my feet. It was getting cooler. Winter in Mumbai means it is pleasant weather. I changed my seat and chose to sit closer to the sea wall, under the shade of big black umbrella.

The time passed and the rays became softer. The sun was beginning to set. The birds began to fly. I couldn’t get my eyes off the beach. Children played cricket, seniors and women out for their evening walk, hawkers announced their goodies, and some people just sat on the sand to watch the sun change its colors.

From golden yellow to orange, it changed it positions, slowly sliding down, reflecting its moods on shiny waters. My eyes transfixed on its beauty till it disappeared into the sea.

So here I am, with the project of ‘100 Happy Days’ I will be posting pictures each day here on my blog then share the link on my page on FB too. You can enjoy my work either here or on my page at FB at Pushee’s World

One Evening Out.....Offline

This is one of those evenings when my friends hijack my evening hours and wean me away from my computer screen.

“Actually speaking, evening is for strolling and socializing” (argues my offline friends) “its not for gluing on to the insensitive machine,”

Insensitive machine?? hmmn!! Well, they are unaware of the big range of activities of my dearest virtual friends with whom I have some 'mousy' fun round the clock, and otherwise also, I do have Saturdays reserved for my offline other friends, yeah! I do!! But still, this is one of those evenings when my offline friends insist that I walk down the stairs and interact with them out in the open air.

Oh!!

So I have two invitations today, a stroll by the seashore for an evening breeze and later to visit another friend for Ganpati pooja.

At 6pm I get one more reminder call to get me off my butt, and I say goodbye to my 'dahlink' machine and off we go to the Jogger’s park at Carter road.

It’s worth it!

The cool breeze and the beautiful sunset, the sky changing colors every minute with sun playing hide-n-seek games behind the clouds, throwing reddish to pinkish colors around the clouds’ lining creating an artistic pattern on the sky’s belly with harmonious reflections of sky on the sea below, such is the sight I bathe in.

We aimlessly walk around a circular, concrete path for next twenty minutes . At one node there was a gardener ..er..umph! a rabbit.. chewing up the grass….(recently I have been seeing animals at many public parks chewing up the over-grown grass, other day I even saw few donkeys on the road dividers chewing up the grass, creating a nice manicured strips in the middle of the busy road, I was thinking if the animals were purposely put there to save the cost of the labor and create food opportunities for the animal and get free fertilizers’ in return??)

After four rounds of the park, the beads of perspiration trickled down my back and I sat down facing the birds cage, watching the children play.. It’s a treat, indeed. A two year old child walks up the muddy path, her tiny feet slipping on minute rolling pebbles and she squeaks…aw!! her four-year-old brother runs and holds her hand protecting her from further scratches…and there is pleasure and joy watching these two kids and I am glad that I am here to witness this.

After one hour of such pleasures, we head towards my other friend’s home for Ganpati Pooja.

‘So very glad that you could come” says my friend with a friendly hug and I am led into her room that is occupied by Lord Ganesha sitting with flute( flute?? yeah, I am wondering too) , half of her room is occupied with the decoration for Ganpati with plates containing flowers, sweets, fruits, lamps, savories all spread in front on the floor. Pundit sits near the idol performing some rituals while there is CD music singing hymns in the background. I occupy the comfy couch and we wait till the room fills in with more invitees. (and devotees).

There is a certain kind of vibrations that uplifts the mind to the higher zones, filling me with the kind of feeling that is difficult to explain.

I am not an idol worshipper, nor do I visit any religious concrete structures for spiritual contentment, I don’t follow any rituals nor chant any rhythmic verses, I have always found spiritual strength within me, it is something that is there within and can be felt every moment, it is the harmony within oneself that helps me communicate with outside world in a pleasant way and but here I was, staring at Ganesha’s eyes and feeling the profound joy.

The pundit immersed the flower into the container of water and sprinkled the drops up in the air, lighting the lamps with camphor in one lamp and oil into the other, he started chanting prayer, then suddenly, the blasting music from CD ranted the aarti “Jai Ganesha, Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesha deva. Mata teri Parvati, pita Mahadeva” The music so loud that I thought that Ganesha was uncomfortable too..(I was thinking of all the ear specialist in that area who would have a fantastic business after the festival) I am sure all of Mumbai could hear it, plus the heavenly abodes up above, where all other Gods reside. Why didn’t they allow punditji to chant the aarti instead? Had he forgotten his lines? The aarti went on for next twenty minutes with each person in the room taking their turn to hold the plate containing the lighted oil lamps and swinging it in front of the idol of Ganesha. Soon the room was filled with too much smoke from camphor. So much smoke in the room that any asthmatic person (like Dimple Khanna in movie Debangg) would have met an instant death. Everybody in the room was chanting the hymns with teary eyes.

And then there was silence.

But only for a moment and then it was punditji’s turn again to chant more hymns. Flower petals were distributed to everybody and they all threw the fist full aiming at Ganesha but not really succeeding, there were many flower petals on my head too.

The delicious part was the Prasad, (of course) a banana, an apple, dry spicy channa, modak, dry bhel, chikki, dhokla, veg cutlet, stuffed patties, coconut chutney. Yum!!!

Hmmn!! skipped dinner…and back into my virtual world. Hahahaa!!!