St. Louis Despatch No 5. 

……….and it’s time to say “Goodbye” !

Oh the vagaries of weather! Last week, (11/3), the mercury went up to 92 F and we had to actually switch on the AC (Cool). Everyone was making the most of it &  the parks were full of jogging enthusiasts. The Malls/Shops were also pretty crowded. This reminded me of the story of the ‘Ants & the Grasshopper!!! Sure enough, at night, we had rains accompanied with strong winds & today, the sky is dark & snow is imminent! Plunging one from the heights of ecstasy into the depths of dejection!!  

It’s just a Two days left, for us to get back, so the pre-packing bouts of nerves are emerging! The mind is again flooded with mixed feelings of returning home, to Samruddhi, our lovely grand-daughter, Anshuman & Reshma & our respective extended families. Leaving Janu & Jenny is equally a not-too-happy feeling. But then, let’s take solace in the saying, “Home is where the heart is”.(In that case, the heart would be in more than One piece…..  .”mere dil ke tukde….!!)  That makes things much easier. Talking about family & ties that bind, one lady, where Janu works was  surprised to know that “you haven’t got tired of your folks”!! Sadly, (my thoughts), this ethos has slowly crept into our thinking, back home. There are pros & cons of the issue, & I wouldn’t want to start a debate on this. Everyone is welcome to their opinion.

Jenny has been busy as usual, besides travelling quite a bit. Janu’s part-time job with the County Library assures a steady supply of mags, books & DVDs. And of course she has been ‘whipping up’ (literally) such lovely desserts. And needless to say, the desserts have been preceded by generous   portions of  all that the dietician said to stay away from!

Orange Fluff Jello (Yum!)

Janu in kitchen, Jenny at hand!

                                                                                           

As usual, this trip has been very enjoyable, although much shorter than before. And the weather too has been a restricting factor. But in spite of all this, we have grabbed our moments of fun & laughter, of shopping sprees, cooking up something new (food, that is!)  &  of course, watching our  favourite channels. Heading the list are the Food Channels, the same players still going strong (Barefoot Contessa, Giada at Home, 30 Minute Meals & of course  Cup Cake Wars). The last mentioned has assumed epic importance to us, as Reshma (Reshoo) has become pretty good at it.. I saw the beginning of her venture before I came here & judging from the photographs, I can tell that they must be great!!

Reshoo's Cup Cakes

‘Season 8’ of 24 has been very riveting, with more twists & turns, than a mountain road! The basement is primarily the ‘home theatre’ & with a 60” screen, it’s super. Now, there is the Ultra HD too & believe me, it’s almost as if we can see inside the  room!! And of course Google Glass now being the talk of the town/country etc.  All these are going to make us lazier than what we are, naturally. Augmented reality!  Some people may have laughed 20-30 years back at “Scenes we’d like to see” in MAD magazine, but there was one such that ‘predicted’,  one day, Man will have no use of his limbs due to mass automation & voice control, and will be just a blob of flesh with tiny remnants of his limbs!! What a thought? (Shudder, shudder!)

‘Restauranting’ has been limited to a few new ones like PF Changs, O’Charley’s, an ‘odd’ Indian Restt, the odd really qualifying it!!  But there are favourites like Red Robin (Radhi, Radhi!) for their Gourmet (read “Giant) Burgers, St Louis Bread Company & good old Wok Express for SMT* Chinese!

*-SMT ‘Sasta, Mazboot & Tikaoo’. (very much like ‘Indian Chinese’ prepared by Nepali & Garhwali cooks, masquerading as Chinese!!)

For  a small city, (according to ppl) there’s lots to see in St Louis. And the French influence is definitely there.(it was founded by 2 Frenchmen in 1764 & named after one of the many Louis’, who ruled France!)  Streets & localities have names like Lafayette, Des Peres, Ladue , Laclede Ave. and so on.

We  have seen quite a bit in the last 2 visits, but every time, something new comes up. We’ve seen the Zoo, Museum, Confluence of Mississippi-Missouri, Parks (about 100 in all!) & Malls/Stores. This time, we added more parks, ancient sites & more lakes.

At Stacy Park

Kalpana 'Stone skipping'

Last week, we took a drive to the Horseshoe Lake, a huge water body, located within 25 minutes driving time, with boating & fishing facilities. The weather was good, a slight wind though & we all travelled  back in time, to our childhood & participated in “Bhakrya”, or ‘Stone Skipping’ to see how many times it bounced. The Champ Bouncer  results are awaited!! As usual, there were many cars,  still enough space for each family, as always.

Talking about the French influence, there is also the ‘Spanish’ presence in the form of  the  Mexican population. Spanish is almost a second language here with most, in fact all English notices/instructions, repeated in Spanish. Other than Hola! & Rapido & of course Piso Mojado, it’s quite confusing. Pronouncing the Xs & Js correctly is as difficult/easy as pronouncing the K in DMK or the Z in Kozhikode, correctly! As I discovered  some years ago, the confusion is compounded all the more when Hola is Hola, but Jalapeno is Halapeno!! Ditto for Mojito. But  the same undergoes a 360 degree turn when Mohan becomes Mojan in Chennai!! This is understandable, due to the vast distances separating the two countries,

But then, the J in Germany & maybe some other places is pronounced Y. (Ja Ja). Thousands of miles across, in parts of Northern India, I’ve heard guys say ‘Jes’ for Yes &  ‘Mayer’ for Measure!! This proves that all the Continents were definitely fused together millions of years ago! It’s time we have a language that binds people, rather than  distance them ?

J & J at  Gracelend

The highlight of this trip, was a visit to Memphis, home of Elvis Presley, the idol of millions, during the 50s-60s. Graceland Mansion, his house, has been converted into a museum of sorts & there are conducted tours of various sections. To me, his Pink Cadillac was the major attraction! Of course, all this for a price! Again, I must confess that I was ‘impressed’ at the strategic location of the Souvenir Shops, in almost all places. The exits are through these, so you were a few pounds & a few dollars lighter! (they still use the lbs,miles etc.).

Graceland Mansion

                                                            That night, we decided to have a bash at the BB King Blues Club, Beale Street. BB King is a well-known American blues musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist.  The wait was about 30 minutes, but we paid the entrance fee & found ourselves in a typical, crowded but vibrant hall. Lots of people sitting all over enjoying their drinks & the  music. 

These guys really have it in them & their performance was very inspiring. And of course, there were those who couldn’t keep themselves from the floor. 

Rhythm & Blues.

BBQd Ribs (Drool!!)

If the music was super, the food was ‘super se upar’! Besides the Bud Light, there was the Chicken & Ribs platter & another Memphis Style Sausage and Cheese Platter!


We then stepped out to Beale Street, on which this & other restos are located. The two squares are blocked by cop cars & plenty of cops, some on horses. This is a daily ritual, more so on week-ends, when everyone is on the streets, the food & drinks shops doing brisk business, music all over & people generally having a blast. The cops do not interfere, so long as “all is well” & we saw them chatting with         whoever went up.                 

Mounted Cops!

The way to the parking was exactly as they show in movies. It was fully deserted, & one guy suddenly  appeared from nowhere, startling the s---s out of you. Ideal place to ‘take out’  a guy!  

One of the shops on Beale St

That day started off on a bright note, but gradually, the sky became overcast & there was rain from the night onwards. This is quite a regular feature, when a “Sunny” day turns into “Snow” or “Rain with High winds”, within hours! Our return trip was quite an experience, as besides the rain, the spray (almost a mist) from the preceding vehicles, made visibility poor. 

Snowfall, seen from inside the car!

And as we neared St Louis, we encountered snow, soft & fluffy in the beginning but then came down very strongly. Ice on the road can be quite hazardous, so one has to watch the speed. In minutes, the countryside turned ‘as white as snow’!. Kalpana was hoping to see one more snowfall before leaving & the weather Gods didn’t let her down. As we reached St Louis, ‘chamatkar’! No rain, no snow, but some lovely celestial artwork in the sky!

One thing that really stunned me, was the abject ignorance about India, of some people that I met. Obviously, there’s a lot of confusion about the name Gandhi, from the Mahatama to RaGa (as has been coined by the media). Even howlers like, ‘ Mumbai is the capital of the country!’. I told him, most of the country’s ‘capital’ is here, but it is still not our Capital. And the changed names have been more confusing than ever!

And so to bed! It’s been a good holiday and as usual, Janu & Jenny have really spoilt us thoroughly. And it’s been made even better as we celebrate Janu’s birthday, with her, after ages! Their threats of moving to Dallas seem to be real, so this may be our last visit to St Louis. We have grown fond of the city over the years & are quite familiar with the roads, especially those going to Macy’s, Bed Bath n Beyond, JC Penney & the lot! The parks have been fun too. To revert to my blog on Sanitation (“Dignity to all”), I saw a sign in the park, which is self-explanatory. 


There are similar rules in quite a few Societies (the building ones, I mean!) in Pune, making it compulsory, as it is a health hazard & the owners of the dogs are fined heavily! When will we apply these rules to our bretheren??

It’s been a pleasure writing these little happenings & I have loved sharing them with you. I have either received some very encouraging responses or no responses! I presume  your silence speaks a thousand words!!

In front of  123111 Wild Turkey Court

See you all soon & TC of yourselves & yours… and of course our planet!

Cheers! Ashok

(Papa) 'Bear' Hug!!