Saasu ane Dhaansu

 

Men in action!

 

Men in Black on Kali Chaudash!!!

 

Dhanteras Pooja

 

 

In Whistler

 

 

Mountain Biking at Whistler

 

In Whistler village

 

 

Enroute Whistler on Sea to Sky Highway

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yummy!!

Mom and her Magaz!! 

Kedu & Utsav

Trying my hands with Picasa and Blogger integration. This is Kedu and Utsav both glued to the TV.

 

Bon Voyage, Dadaji!

Clicking memories just before we start for the airport.

Driving to the Seattle airport. 

Utsav - bye bye Dadaji. 

At the airport just before Dadaji boards the plane back home. 

Dadaji & Utsav.

Taking the plunge!

Utsav - Swim lessons

Getting ready for the jump!

Teamwork! Utsav at his swim lessons. 

Berry picking - Blueberry farm

Utsi busy picking berries.

How focussed! 

Do I have to fill the whole bucket with the blueberries? 

Utsav blowing the petals of the flower that Dadaji introduced him to. Damn, how I wish I could remember its name. 

One of those rare pics when Utsi doesnt make his usual faces :p 

Thats Utsav again - capturing Mom and Dad as they pick blueberries. 

That is a little cute girl we met up at the blueberry farm. Photo - courtsey, Utsav. 

Do you guys realize what it is to pick blueberries in the sun? 

This pic is special. What makes it special is that Utsav shot it. Isnt he brilliant. Wait till you see some more of his pics. 

Utsav upto his tricks. 

Blueberries - ready to be picked. 

Gauri and the blueberry farm in the background. 

Posing for a pic - Utsav and Mommy. If you want to know how hot it was, check out Utsav's cheeks. 

Relaxing in the shade after enjoying the blueberries. 

Phew! That was some Blueberry picking. 

Hemang kaka's Superman! Utsav was so excited to receive this dress which his Hemang kaka has sent. Ever since he came to know that Hemang kaka had bought a Superman dress for him, he was simply day-dreaming. He used to keep talking to me about it one way or the another. Finally, the day has come! Hemang kaka, Maa, Mom, we love you all very very very much!!! 

Utsav 

Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle

As we begin our journey through the Woodland Park Zoo, Utsav starts to feel at home monkeying around!

Trying my hands on photography (courtsey: a great camera) 

Dad at a school in the model African village. After all, what better place could I find for a professor to be in. 

Dad watching the Zebras from an opening in a model African school in the Woodlank park zoo. 

The Woodland Park Zoo has a section portraying African life style. On display is a typical school, a house (more of a hut) and a well. The floor is built with mud or something similar, which reminded me of rural areas which still exist back home in India. And this well, too. We had to have this picture - an irony. 

Now, now! Dont start getting ideas. It just makes me feel better when i am besides other "healthy" looking creatures. 

The King on the prowl! 

The Queen in her sanctuary at the Zoo. 

Simply beautiful. 

The Woodland Park Zoo boasts of thick vegetation and beautiful varieties of flowers and trees to make the zoo residents feel at home. 

Utsav.  

Gauri adding one more lovely smile to my memorabilia. And I, have added that stroller. In the future, with all due respect to our stroller-cum-carrying cart, I would learn to do without it. 

If you see what I see, there can only be one real one in any such picture. May it always be mine! 

A snow leapord on the prowl at the Zoo. However, please dont start giving kudos to my valour, if you think I had been that close to the cat, without the tough glass partition that is not visible in the picture. 

Dad, posing in front of some beautiful trees. The tree in the background with the leaves in maroon was particularly striking. I could have done better with the picture, but all of us were dead tired after about 3 hours of walking through the Zoo. And we had only covered half of it. The other thing that this pic was aimed to capture was Dad's arsenal! 

Yep! Thats me. I am uploading this picture so that I can reference it in my blogger profile. 

Dad & Mom at UIC for Kedu's Graduation - Fulfillment!!
 

Kaante!! 

Bapu - If looks could kill, you would be dead! 

Rain Forest Cafe

Dinner in a rain forest has its own memories! 

Our muscle man showing off! 

Family, fun and ofcourse, Margaritas - cant beat that! 

Waiting for our turn at the Rain Forest Cafe in the South Center Mall just outside Seattle. 

Museum of Flight, Seattle

Dad with Air Force One in the background. This Air Force One, commissioned around 1957 has flown the US presidents - JFK, Richard Nixon, Eisenhower and many more dignitaries of several nations.

Dad posing in front of the Concorde (British Airways) after taking a complete tour inside the plane. A note: Guess who built the Concorde ...... Rolls Royce! 

Dad, Gauri and the museum - showing off the birds. Time-line: Wright brothers to recent. 

Moon walk? 

Phew...Where else do you relax at a place like the Flight Museum. 

Dad experimenting with the hot air baloon. 

Find them in the pic - Dad, Utsav and Gauri. 

Learning the principles of aviation. 

Dad posing in front of the War planes at the Museum of Flight. 

My little angel flying the Blue Angels. 

The Three Musketeers - I know, I know they were four .... who do you think was taking this pic! 

Dad at the Museum of Flight, Seattle. 

Utsav's toys

Mickey and Tigger - Picture taken by Utsav. 

Visit to Crater Lake National Park

Utsav - explorer.

Patches of snow with the cascades in the backdrop form a lovely landscape. From the rim drive encircling the Crater Lake. 

Picturesque! 

Never enough - Gauri and Manish 

Never enough - Dadaji & Utsav 

Never enough - Crater Lake. 

The view is actually much prettier than the lens can capture. 

Turning point - a stretch to Crater Lake. 

On our way from Klamath Falls to Crater Lake - towering pines bordered the roads on both sides. 

Gauri. 

The road behind - Pappa & Bipinkaka. 

Collecting pebbles - simple joys. 

Dadaji and Utsav. 

Chipmunk - a close up - this is actually how close it came 

Snack time. 

Crater Lake housing the Wizard Island. 

Chipmunks lured to food from people stopping by at a overlook on the rim of Crater Lake. 

Utsav with Ishaan and (???) at Redmond, Oregon - a motel owned by Shri Madaliya Saaheb's daughter and son-in-law. 

During our stop at Madras, Oregon on our way to Crater Lake National Park, Dad found that one of his acquaintances in Surat and also a Proffessor, Shri Madaliya Saheb (sitting next to Dad) was residing in a town called Redmond at a distance of 25 miles from Madras and on our way to Crater Lake. Needless to say it was total fun to meet one more family in a completely new place. Striking coincidences marked this trip all throughout. 

Exploiting the photographic skills ........ of the camera! 

Pappa and Gauri with Jayantibhai, Ashwinbhai, Sarojben...memorable hospitality from total strangers - at Madras on our way back to Portland from Crater Lake NP. 

Utsav having fun 

Pappa with newly made friends owning the motel in Madras - our overnight stay before and after the visit to Crater Lake NP 

Trillium Lake with Mt. Hood forming the backdrop - Photo taken by Gauri on our way back from Crater Lake National Park. 

I like this pic! 

Dad & me - at a rest area on our drive back from Portland, Oregon. 

Rest area - We really need it. 

Pappa and Bipinkaka! 

Kal, Aaj aur Kal - at Crater Lake. 

Dadaji, Gauri and Chotu. 

Dad - posing. 

Gauri :p 

Utsav. 

Professor - one more catch of Lichen. 

SnowWhite! 

Chotu with Dadaji with Crater Lake. 

Chotu and Dadaji! 

At Crater Lake Visitor Center. 

Crater Lake 

Dad and Gauri. 

Crater Lake again! 

Chotu kissing Dadaji. 

On the way back from Crater's Lake. 

Utsav. 

Team! 

Moments! 

Kedu with friends

"Kaante" ??

Jhakas! 

Ritesh, Kedu, Rashmi-Adi 

Quo Vadis? 

Headgear - Our family trademark! Oh and btw, White House in the background. 

The "Mein tujhe nahin chodunga scene!" - Utsav & Mihir. 

Utsav with his buddy Mihir! 

I love you, Nanu! 

!! Universal Studios !! 

Memoirs of Universal Studios.  

Dad & Hulk. 

Universal Studios, LA 

Looking right into the lens! 

What a team! 

Dad feeding the birds. I would have waited a few more seconds for the click. 

We are hungry too! 

Simply unmoved. 

Pani Puri & Monterey, CA - unbeatable! 

Gauri & Nanu! 

:) 

The joy of being re-united! 

The pic! 

The chemistry of Botany! 

Contemplating on the ocean! 

Bellagio at Las Vegas! 

A tribute to Gandhiji! 

I did it! 

At Bloomberg in Kedu's cube. 

Stylo thodi ochi maaro! 

I have to have it all to beat the heat! 

With Mt. Ranier. 

Tulips all around! 

More Tulips. 

Tulips! 

At the Tulip Festival in Mt. Vernon. 

Hiking - Tiger Mountain

The Hikers!

How humbling? 

Guys, there are better things to share and care! And one of you is holding the wrong end! 

Dad has always been so fond of snakes. No wonder he is playing around!

You wanna try? 

Getting fond of snakes - whats next! 

Monkeying around! 

My sweetheart - Tiger Mountain hiking trail 

Chotu with a snake in his hand - on the hiking trail at Tiger Mountain. 

Cant beat that! 

Triple trouble! 

Mom & Dad! 

Caught right in the cheese!! 

Utsav 

My pick :p !

!!Us!! 

Lets go! 

Seattle Team! 

Happy Anniversary!