Dallas Despatch –III

Hello out there!

“If winter comes,  can spring be far behind”, is what I has said before signing off my last blog. However, on all occasions, we had missed Spring by the proverbial whisker.

So, when is it Spring, actually?  In the  Army, jerseys came off on 1^st March ., without a murmur.  It’s another matter that it invariably rains that day. Then there’s Basant Panchami, that is supposed to herald Spring. But each year, the date differs! Out here, there is this thing called daylight saving, where the clock is set back by an hour. In the first week of March, the time is put back to ‘normal’ by One hour. This is really “stretching” time. (Back home, each person has his own calculation!!)

This morning, when I was out for my walk, a  Blue Jay,  though not very melodious,   was in full flow, right on top of the tallest branch. Similarly, the Mockingbirds, Starlings & Cardinals, were  trilling away to glory, incessantly. I found the calls of the Mockingbird quite  varied & sweet; have yet to hear it’s so-called ‘mocking’ cry! Although there was a slight cloud layer, the sun was able to send some light (& warmth) below.

Fallen flowers....

And the birds knew, this is Spring. That answered my question. Spring is when Nature tells you so. And she has so many different ways of showing it. Within a period of 3-4 days, buds which one could hardly see, have blossomed. Some trees are already in full flower, only to wilt away, to make way for the new leaves. It is as though wild flowers are swaying to the birdsong! No man-made barometer or any other device, will ever be able to pinpoint the exact point of  change in the weather. And that’s the most beautiful part of Nature. 

A lone Robin!

It only reinforces my conviction, that weather dictates our moods. Just as a dark & overcast sky makes us feel ‘low’, fresh blossoms, birds chirping and all the tell-tale signs of Spring, literally put a spring in our steps!!

 Grabbing the opportunity of a double whammy (Sunday+ sunlight), we decided to explore some parts of Dallas.  As mentioned earlier, Dallas is a big place & the numerous flyovers  that are a part of the landscape, are engineering feats!

Multi-tiered flyovers

6th Floor museum

A drive of approximately 40 minutes, saw us at the Sixth Floor museum. A  former school depository, from which, President Kennedy was shot at,  it has now been converted into a museum. This, (to the right)

Elm Street (where the motorcade was, during the shooting) & other places, were full of people, from all over, giving a very ‘touristy’ look to the place.

Elm Street

Of course, here, as I’ve noticed elsewhere, (on every visit), the area was  spotlessly clean  and the traffic well-behaved (vehicular & people). And all this was in the absence (physical, at least) of any kind of enforcement persons!!

From here, went all the way back to Preston, a fairly up- market area, where you name it & the brand/chain  is there. The list is too long to enumerate!! Reshma was doing her ‘last-minute’ shopping, before leaving for home on 20^th March. Modern technology has been able to denote a “split-second”, besides other ‘nano’-related periods. But we have not been able to find a word or words, to describe precisely, what is “last-minute”!!

We also took advantage of the good spell to visit  an area called Richwoods.  True to  the word, this a very, very top-of-the-order housing complex. And  one can visit some of the houses (referred to as ‘Open House’), that are up for sale. The lowest rate was  500 K USD!!   Some areas of the house were a bit too ornate, for my liking, but overall, they were superb. And all these houses, besides being functional, were also well stocked with water, coffee, cookies (biscuits yaar!) Lunch was at “Applebees”, a typical American Diner.

One of the many houses in Richwood

Wine cellar!

As I write this, J & J have just returned after the ‘baby’s day out’, if only to the Doctor & all is well!!

Thinning Out! This has nothing to do with health, diet etc. vis-à-vis ‘Pigging Out”! It’s a typical Army term that describes the gradual withdrawal of troops! (why is the ‘s’, of the second  vis, not pronounced? ) Mr. & Mrs. Jacob left for home (Thrissur, via B’luru) last week. The ‘Full House’ began losing the ‘fullness’ with their departure. This week,  Anshuman, Reshma & Samruddhi are leaving for home, which will further magnify the emptiness !  Janu, Jenny are definitely going to miss Samruddhi , for, as I’ve said earlier, she’s bonded beautifully with her aunt &  ‘kaka’. (actually, she started off by adding the suffix of the relationship,  but soon switched to the American way of first-name addressing!!) The good spell was also fully utilized to have a family photo-shoot, for the records. It was a DIY affair & the results are here to see! 

The Two 'Apples' of our eyes

Gen II & III

The 'Head Girl' & her wards

Reshma has been a tremendous help all these months. Anshuman chipped in too, especially in ‘sitting’ Nikita. It’s a good thing Samruddhi qualifies as a full-seat passenger, thereby eligible to carry 2 suitcases! This has been a godsend, taking care of all the shopping that Gunes Jr. have indulged  in!!

At the time of writing this post, Anshuman, Reshoo & Samruddhi have left for home. The weather was gloomy as ever, which added to the mood of the moment. Janu, Jenny have returned from the airport with news that all went well, from check-in to boarding. The house now wears a more vacant look .

At the Temple....

...& the Church

The weather has been good all these days, so we have been taking advantage of the same & ‘stepping out’!. In keeping with all good traditions, Nikita, on completing 40 days of her birth, was taken to the Hanuman Temple (coincided with Ram Navami) & the Church.                                                                                                           


Thereafter, we trooped into  The Hacienda, a typically TexMex kind of a place for lunch…at 4 p.m.! The décor speaks for itself & the food was definitely worth  the wait.

The Hacienda 

Dallas Arboretum

This Saturday, we took a trip to the Dallas Arboretum, situated a good 30-40 mins away. This a  beautifully laid-out garden, with the best of Spring blooms (mostly Tulips, Poppys )on display. The vast parking is underground & from there itself, an elevator takes you to the desired level, from where, a walkway, under the highway, takes you to the garden across! Being a holiday, & the weather Gods being in a benevolent mood, it appeared though half the town was at the gardens, not to mention a few ‘about to be married couples’, in their wedding attire! The garden, like all parks here, are huge, well manicured &  clean. 

The usual curio shops, cafetarias are all there for your pleasure. His was followed up for a latish snack at IHOP, since there was brunch a la udipi cuisine! A quiet evening, after a well-deserved rest, was just what the doctor ordered. Jenny went off to the church for Easter Mass. Later, there was a typical ‘home’ meal of Beef Chilli, Appams etc.!!

Easter Sunday was  a relaxed affair. Kalpana  re-arranged the guest room into a kind of coffee (‘wine’)  lounge. She’s always been good at such things. Her ‘driving’ ethos being simple, “since you can’t change houses at will, change the arrangements”! Nikita was all dressed up in a full pink ensemble, gifted by Dipti & looked every inch the ‘Little Princess’. We did a notional inaugural of the coffee (yes, yes, wine) room. Pic alongside for the record.  

Inauguration of the 'Coffee' Room!

Then drove straight to the Black Pepper resto, which serves a Kerala lunch buffet on Sundays. (Have you noticed how spellings have been shortened? I would like to believe that remembering the correct ones may be difficult, So, restaurant/  restaraunt, calendar/calander, etc.etc. Hence Symbiosis becomes Symbi!!)

The food was good, but somehow, the “first time’ always seems better!! Being Easter, the place was pretty packed. Nikita slept throughout the meal, good girl. Post-lunch, went to the Stonebriar Mall to pick up some ordered items & back home.

Time to sign off for the present! Do try & enjoy this piece. 
Take care all of you. Missing you !!
Ashok