In some ways it seems like only yesterday I was preparing to leave Snellville Georgia for Hyderabad India to start my four to six month assignment. I cannot believe as I sit here to write this that I have been home for two months now and that India is a sweet memory. I have changed in many ways and while reading my blog over the weekend much of this change was revealed. I remember being the guy who hated to write and was not adept at expressing his feelings in any way. Now here I am sharing these feelings and observations with the world. The other thing that occurred while reading the blog was the flood of memories. It is the people that I met there that come to mind first. I find myself missing them frequently. You see while in Hyderabad I was always surrounded by people. From my daily interactions with Sidharth (my driver) to the staff at the office and the staff at the hotel (hello Shilpa and team!) to the merchants on the street and the kids at Charminar, there were always people around me. Finding time alone was difficult at best. Yet upon my return to the US, most of my time is spent alone (or nearly so).  You see, in the US, I telecommute most of the time. This means longs stretches of time where the only human interaction I have is with my wife. This is a huge change and is taking quite of bit of time to adjust to.

 

The other thing that I will remember is the pace of life in Hyderabad. While things could get hectic (you were never quite sure what was going to happen next), there were plenty of times just to sit and enjoy one another's company. The inter-personal relationships were the key to everything. Even the act of purchasing an item from a merchant involved a bit of personal interaction. Here in the states, it is much less so. I think a local restaurant, the Varsity, in the Atlanta area sums this up well. When you approach the counter your are greeted with "Whadda you have, Whadda you have!" If you are not immediately ready with your order the person behind the counter will move on to the next person.  While not quite this extreme, you will find this attitude in many places you visit. There is no time taken to establish even the smallest interaction.

I am hoping that as my adjustment to the states continues that I keep the better traits that I learned in India and spend the time necessary to get to know those around me better. I have started this in a couple of different examples from inviting friends out to dinner 'just because' to taking the time just to talk to those around me that I come into contact with. I expect a lot of strange looks, but then again, after the stares I got in India, I am used to it!

 

A not so good thing about the web

One of the cool things about using live spaces to blog with is the statistics feature. This little feature captures the URL's from where people link into the blog from. Of course, if you just type in the address I don't get that neat little feature. As I was browsing through this the other day, I came across a link from beds.com. That one caught my attention. Why in the heck would a place called beds.com be linking to my blog. So in a small case of Sherlock Holmes, I decided to link back and see what was up. Boy was I surprised!! Apparently this website is using a web crawler looking for the words 'sleep number bed' and because I posted an entry about this a couple of days ago, my blog was linked to.

Now I am not really sure what to think about this. I started this blog as a way to keep family and friends informed about my travels and what I was up to. For me to see a company use it for commercial purposes without my permission seems to strike me wrong. Maybe I am being a little over sensitive about this as the whole purpose of the web is to link together information. But it just somehow seems wrong. I guess I will live with it though as it is not worth the hassle to get the link removed and I would probably of granted permission anyway (I do like the product and it lives up to it's advertising).  So if your visiting this blog for the first time looking for information on the sleep number bed, many apologies for distracting you at the start of this entry.

This weekend Ruth and I took a small side trip to Callaway Gardens. These gardens were starting in 1952 by Carson and Virginia Callaway as a way to showcase and protect the various native azalea species that inhabit Georgia. Many of the plants that are called azaleas today are actually from parts of Asia and Japan and in some cases become invasive and push out the natives.

I do apologize now for the large number of photos that will be attached in this blog entry. As such it will be very much of a travelogue as opposed to a thought provoking essay. The only thing I will say about the trip is that the gardens, while gorgeous, were not yet in full bloom. There were parts of the gardens that I remember from previous trips that were just an explosion of color that had not yet started their bloom yet. 

So without further ado, here are the photos....

Birds

Let's start with some of the wild life that abounds in the park. With such a large wilderness area, there is a vast amount of wild life in this area.  With Ruth and I being predominately bird-brains, the photos here will focus on these species....

Eastern Bluebird

Male Goldfinch

 

Redwing Blackbird

 

The Gardens

As promised, the gardens are stunning. So here are the photos from the various azaleas that inhabit the area...

 

Dogwoods

These are the state tree of Georgia and many other southern US states.  While these look like flowers, they are not. They are called bracts and are the covering of the seeds of the tree.  These are typically flashy and  in the south come in three colors, White, Pink and Red. The white normally bloom first and the pink and reds come in later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Various other plans

 

Plants from left to right are Wild Vinca, Camellia, Eastern Redbud, Forsythia, Confused Azalea, Bleeding Heart, Unknown Weed.

IDA CASON MEMORIAL CHAPEL

This chapel is sequestered back in a very quiet part of the park and is nestled in among a stand of hard woods and is next to a bubbling stream. It is a very quiet place and the chapel seems to be part of the landscape versus being added in. I have been to the park many times before and this is the first time I have taken the time to visit the chapel. All I can say is that is simply stunning. The stained glass reflects the seasons of Georgia and there is a 4 panel mural of this glass that represents the 4 seasons. I really enjoyed my visit to the chaple and plan on visiting again.  (By the way, the docent explained that they do over 200 weddings a year here.... WOW!)

 

Azalea bowl

One of the things that the gardens are known for is the azalea bowl. This section of the park surrounds a lake and has hundreds of flowering plants in the area. Unfortunately for us, we were a couple of weeks too early for the plants to be in bloom. While some of the cherry trees were in bloom, most of the azaleas were not. This was the greatest disappointment to me as I was hoping to really put the camera to work!  Oh well, maybe next time.

 

Botanical Gardens

The botanical gardens at Callaway are on the small side, but with the number of acres in the rest of the park devoted to plants, it really does not feel small. I rather enjoyed my time walking around.

Butterfly Gardens

Callaway also has a very nice butterfly garden. Ruth and I enjoyed spending an hour or so wandering around these flying flowers.

Plant Sale

Our last stop for the day was a plant sale that was being hosted by the gardens. This was held in a very large tend and had several vendors from all over the south east present. Being amateur gardeners ourselves, we purchased several ferns for a shade garden that we are planting and also several day lily's. (I have to admit to a weakness for day lily's!)

 

Washington DC is well known for the cherry trees that bloom along the Potomac river. So much so that thousands of people travel in the spring every year just to see the sight of these glorious trees in their full splendor. Well, not to be outdone, many areas in Georgia are planting a similar tree every where one might look. This tree comes into bloom just as the Bradford Pear trees start to drop their color and just prior to the explosion of color with the dogwoods and azaleas. I have always said that there is not other place on the planet that produces the variety of color that Georgia produces in the spring. (It sure makes up for the rest of the year!)

 

  

and the fat lady didn't sing?** Would that mean that the opera would go on and on and on......? And what does this have to do with this blog entry? And lastly, does this mean Mike has finally lost his mind? (the answers to these and many more questions you really don't want to ask can only be found in this blog entry.)

Ok, so enough of the silliness for one morning. Ruth and I attended the Czech Opera, Prague's production of the Merry Widow at the Fox Theater last evening. This was a truly international evening.... It was a German opera based upon a French novel performed by the Czech opera with a predominately Bulgarian cast performed in the United States. Whew, was that as hard to read as it was to type??!

The one thing about the evening I found humorous is that the opera had SUBTITLES! Over the top of the stage was a white screen that as the dialog and singing was going on they were displaying the English translation. I might of made more use of it if the screen had been brighter or if I had been wearing my glasses. Oh well. Ruth told me at the end of the show that the translation left a lot to be desired. As she speaks a little German, I will trust her on this. All I know is that I was able to follow the story simply by watching the acting on stage.

Now for the question all of you are asking (or should be at least), 'Did you enjoy the show'?  How do I answer this?  I guess and honest answer would be 'Kind of'. What I mean by this is that the production was first rate, the cast was obviously quite talented, and the staging and costumes were superb. However, I just had a hard time getting into what was going on. I suspect that most of this had to do with the fact that I was not really prepared properly for the show. Sunday's tend to be a little hectic around the McKennon household and by the time it came to leave for the 8pm showing all I really wanted to do was go to bed. I do think I would like to go to another one, just not on a Sunday!

 

(** for my international readers, there is an old proverb used in the United States that states that "it's not over until the fat lady sings".)

Matt 28:1-10

28

Early on Sunday morning,* as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

2

Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 3 His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

5

Then the angel spoke to the women. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He isn't here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. 7 And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you."

8

The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message. 9 And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, "Don't be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there."

On this day when Christians world wide celebrate Jesus's victory over death and his resurrection, Ruth and I want to wish each and every one of you a happy Easter! It is also my wish that on this day that each and everyone of us enjoy his peace.

No, this is not your normal pickup line. One of the biggest challenges I have had since being home is getting a complete nights sleep. I do not know if it was that I had gotten used to sleeping alone or that the mattress that I had in Hyderabad was so firm. But whatever it was, I had not had a full nights sleep since I have been home. This combined with the back troubles Ruth has been having for months led us to buy a new bed last week. We had both heard of the sleep number beds and decided to give it a try. All I can say is WOW. It really is nothing more than a glorified air mattress, but it makes a world of difference. Those that know me know that I have a rather weird shape. This mattress conforms to that shape and provides support all night long. Since I have had the mattress, I have had two full nights sleep. That more than has paid for the cost of the bed.

A few more spring photos.

Spring is certainly my favorite time of year in Atlanta. Here are a couple of more photos for you to drool over.....

Bradford Pear

Loropetalum

Pink Camelia

Male Northern Cardinal

American Robin

Female Goldfinch

And finally, my favorite spring time bird, the yellow tailed warbler (AKA Butter Butt)

I have been asked on a number of occasions what the one thing I miss the most from India is. I have to admit that during my time there I was addicted to early Saturday morning MTV. You see, on that day and time, the station broadcast the song and dance routines from the Bollywood movies. I would sit entranced for a couple of hours just watching the movement and the colors and just be amazed at the skill of the directors and choreographers that could pull of such incredibly diverse routines. Because of this addiction, just prior to leaving India, I bought several compilation DVD's so I could watch these on my own when I got back to the states. This in turn lead to buying the movies that these songs were from so I could understand the context of the routine.

One of these is the title song from a movie "Aaja Nachle" (see below).  I had always wondered in what context this particular song was used when it did not seem to fit the rest of the songs I was seeing from the movie. So, upon returning to the states, I placed an order for the movie. I finally got around to watching it in the last couple of days and all I can say is WOW! I rather enjoyed the movie, even though it required reading sub titles throughout the movie. The song routine at the climax of the movie is incredible! And even though I am not familiar with the legend (Layla and Majnun)that the song is referring to, it was quite moving.

I am going to have to be careful watching these movies in the future or I might get to liking them more than the drek that Hollywood puts out every month!  (P.S. If your interested, AAJA NACHLE loosely translates as 'Come, dance with me.'

Last evening Ruth and I went out to grab dinner. I had almost acclimated to the traffic patterns back in the states then something happened on the way home that gave me a large dose of déjà-vu. The road that we were on is a 4 lane road divided by a low concrete barrier and has bicycle lanes on each side. During our travel home there was a car in the bicycle lane traveling the wrong direction. After about 1 1/2 blocks, the car made a left hand turn into a sub division.

I can imagine the driver thinking that instead of taking the long way around this little diversion was just the thing. Ruth looked at me strangely when I started laughing at the situation. It reminded me so much of my time in India that I could not stop giggling. Then this morning as I was reading a blog by an ex-pat in India, I ran into this video.  It goes well with the above story, don't you think?

This video is taken at an intersection in Hyderabad. About 25 seconds into the video, you can see a pedestrian running across the road. I can only assume that he is a visitor to the city. A true Hyderabadi would just stroll across!

I have mentioned a couple of times that spring is coming rapidly to the area of Georgia I live in. The photo below is from a small wilderness area that is a little bit up the road. As you can see, the pear trees here are starting to drop their color and turn green. This is the first phase of the true Georgia spring starting. Soon, the temps will start to stabilize in the mid 70's or so and the dogwoods and azaleas will start to bloom.

This will also mean that a small weekend trip to Callaway Gardens will be in order. These gardens have thousands of these plants in various style gardens over a couple of hundred acres. The azalea bowl is stunning when it is in full bloom. This should happen sometime in the next couple of weeks.

If you are a golf fan, the colorful bushes that surround the Masters are azaleas and while they are pretty on the golf course, when they are packed together around a lake, they are absolutely stunning. I am really looking forward to my annual trip and with the new camera gear, looking forward to a couple of thousand photos!

Last night and into today, the Atlanta area had a number of severe thunderstorms blow through. In some cases, tornados touched down and caused significant damage to many areas of the downtown region. While the area I live in received a fair amount of rain and some hail and wind we did not receive the amount of damage the downtown area received.

I expect that the business areas in downtown are going to take quite a bit longer to recover. This is the first time in a long while that this type of event had hit a major urban area. Many of the skyscrapers in the area had most of the windows blown out and quite a bit of water damage. All in all, the Atlanta area dodged a bullet last evening although my thoughts and prayers go out to those whose homes were damaged and to the families of the two who lost their lives today.

The other day Ruth and I were watching a television program that is really popular in the United States called Good Eats. During the course of the program the host discussed making popcorn. Now I have made popcorn for as long as I can remember and it has always been little yellow kernels. Now on this program the host mentioned something about gourmet popcorn!  I had never heard of such a thing, so I had to make a small order of the various types. If your interested, you can find more about them here.

So, this evening I popped the top one which is a mixture of the various corns. I will say that it was quite tasty and I am not sure that I can ever eat the same old popcorn again. So, do yourself a favor and try some of this... It is really good stuff!

 

 

 

 

 

More pictures of Spring

Tonight Ruth and I spent a little bit of time on the back patio. Spring is coming at us fast and furious. Here are a few more photos from the early spring time in Georgia.  Again, I am really looking forward to the dogwoods and the azaleas coming into bloom.

   

Theater that is!

Last evening my wife and I spent a night with regimental bands from the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and the Band of the Coldstream Guards. What a wonderful performance that these two bands gave. The skirling of the bagpipes, the military music and the highland dancing made for a wonderful evening.

I have always wanted to attend the Edinburgh Military Tattoo and last evening was a small taste of that event. It certainly did nothing to remove my desire to make a trip to Scotland one August to take in the sights and sounds. I wonder how long it is going to take to save for that?

As I have written a couple of times on this blog, I am freezing important bits off of my body as I have returned home. The 30 and 40 degree weather has been a shock to my system as I had gotten used to the mid 90's most days. I am slowly adapting, but then again, so is mother nature.  The weather here in Georgia is slowly starting to warm up and the signs of spring are all around me. I suspect that sometime in the summer months I will look longingly back at these days and wish they were here again.

Below are some of the signs of spring coming around. I am looking forward to the day in the next couple of weeks when the dogwoods and the azaleas start to bloom around the city. Then I will know for sure that my days of being cold are coming to a quick end...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

So, here I sit exhausted after a full day of running around. The day started out well enough with Ruth and I getting up at 6am and taking a quick shower prior to going out to breakfast together. As we both had other appointments we decided to take separate cars and to meet at the restaraunt. I had a very nice western omelette and Ruth had a huge waffle. Of course, what made the meal the best was the conversation.

As we were eating our meal, the snow storm we were expecting came in. At the left, our dog Hardy does not seem to notice that the snow is giving him a new color. About 5 minutes after this photo was taken, he was covered in about twice this amount  After snowing on an off all morning the snow ended with nothing sticking to anything other than the dog!

A day of Wii!!!

A group of guys got together today to spend a day of stuffing ourselves and a day of video games. One of the new things raging through the US is the Nintendo Wii. This little video game machine allows natural movement on the controllers to affect how the game is played. This allows people of differing ages and abilities to be able to compete against one another fairly easy. To prove this, our group today had age ranges from 14 to 61.

 

Our goal today was to have a bowling tournament where the men were paired with each other and bowled a game. The two scores were added together and compared against your competitors to determine the winner. To prove that age has nothing to do with, I and my mid-40's partner won the day!  It was quite a bit of fun and lots of laughter was had by all.

Here in the states, when you get a group of guys together you must have meat. The photo to the left shows the type of meal that we consumed today. Added to this was baked beans, various brands of potato chips and mint brownies. Our doctors would of been angry with us, but we sure enjoyed it.

All in all, today was a really busy day, but I enjoyed myself immensely.

This post contains no pictures. Read on at your own risk!

Every since I have returned home from India all I hear about on the news is that Georgia is in a severe drought. I can believe it as our primary source of drinking water, lake Lanier, had been down over 20 feet and the local news casters were celebrating when it was 'up' to just been 17 feet below full.

Of course, since I have been home the late winter and early spring rains have started. This led to another interesting observation on the difference between India and the US.  When I first arrived in India it was at the tail end of the monsoon season. I went weeks with out seeing the sun and there was rain most every day. In Snellville Georgia, it never lasts more than a couple of days before we get the sun again. I also noticed the difference in the way that the rain fall is handled between the two cities. In Hyderabad, the rain had really no where to go so streets would flood and new springs and rivers would sprout up everywhere. (I remember a visit to Golkonda fort when it started to rain when I was on top of the mountain and driving through one of these new rivers where the water was higher than the hood of the car!) In Snellville, the rain is all channeled away into sewer systems that carry the rainfall into existing streams and rivers (or manmade lakes set aside to prevent flooding).

Of course, I noticed all of this as I was driving into the office today (a small trip of 35 miles) and did not see standing water anywhere even though the rain was falling hard.  I guess the comments I have been telling people that the US still feels like a foreign country to me are not far from the truth!