Above – Rakhis I bought to bring home for my grandkids. Rakhi (Raksha Bandhan) is an Indian celebration of any brother-sister type relationship between men and women who may or may not be biologically related. On Rakhi, a sister symbolizes her love by tying a rakhi (sacred thread) on her brother’s wrist with a prayer for his prosperity and happiness. The brother gives her a token gift and a promise to protect her.

Below – a walk through the park on the way to RIMYI to practice.

A look down the driveway at RIMYI.

There weren’t many people in the practice room which made for a nice quiet practice. I was told the July group was small so maybe the August group will also be a small one.

Typical sight on the return to the hotel.

You’re not supposed to spit in the bank.

Banking in Pune is difficult, beginning before walking in the door. We were required to sign a book listing our name, country of origin, address in Pune, time of day. I visited 4 banks in an attempt at trying to get rupees to pay for the month at RIMYI. I finally had to make multiple transactions at two different ATMs (which is what I was trying to avoid) in order to get this done.

I would have liked to take some photos in the bank to give you an idea of the confusion going on in there but taking photos in the bank was prohibited and I didn’t want to see what would happen if I broke that law. My friends told me that when I left to go to another bank next door (many banks here) someone climbed up a ladder to work on the air conditioning register in the ceiling. When the worker took the register cover off, a very large amount of water poured out all over the place. Apparently no one even flinched and business continued as usual. I’m really sorry I missed that.

There are hazards everywhere and it’s crucial to watch your step here. In the picture below, imagine those bolts are about 1.5″ in diameter and 6-7″ long.

Heaps of rocks are everywhere.

Good electrical craftsmanship too.

This man is roasting peanuts. I’ll have to try these sometime.

These are deep (or shallow) fried small peppers of some sort.

It started pouring rain so we passed some time with this man while we took shelter. He informed us “Rain is coming down!” That’s Jill on the left.

Cricket.

There are dieties in small temples in every neighborhood.

More typical sights.

Shopping for Rakhis …

The wifi went out last night in the middle of blogging so I lost some of what I was posting and had to recreate some this morning. Now attempting to upload a 44 second video onto YouTube which is taking a lifetime. So far 15 minutes and only 34% uploaded. It’s a good thing I woke up at 4am.

Here it is. Internet is very very slow. This took over 30 minutes to upload so enjoy it!

Today – 7am class with Prashant followed by practice. We’re also moving from the hotel to the Anugraha flat so I’ll need to shop for food. I will also get in touch with my favorite rickshaw driver, Nana, to hopefully book outings with him on Sundays for the month.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone & MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – Lucky me! I managed to capture on my first day in Pune a family of five on a motorbike.

Below – Welcome to Pune! Taken from the car that picked us up at the airport. “Us” is me and my friend, Jill from Australia. We met at the gate at the Mumbai Airport just before flying to Pune.

Now here’s a concept.

Lunch at Lalit Mahal, a favorite. It’s about a block away from the Hotel Chetak which is where I’m staying tonight and tomorrow night. I move into my flat on the 9th floor at Anugraha next door to RIMYI on Tuesday.

This is the Veg Cutlet. I’ve been looking forward to this and wasn’t disappointed.

Interesting … The Urology Clinic has a leak.

After dinner Jill and I went on a nice walk. Here’s the fruit & veggie market lit up at night.

We walked past the Institute and found the busts of Ramamani and BKS Iyengar were moved closer to the sidewalk.

I’m pretty beat after a total travel time from door to door (home to Hotel Chetak) of 37.5 hours after taking into consideration Pune is 11.5 hours ahead of San Diego.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from iNdia with LOVE!

Above – After!

Below – Before (oh dear!).

As you can see from the photo above, my yoga studio needed some organizing. So I put the word out on “Nextdoor” (social media app) for recommendations for a good cabinet maker. I got a response from Greg Pirtle who lives and works out of his home in OB and who was quick to come visit and give us an estimate. And so the story goes …

A peek at the work being done in Greg’s garage.

When the day came for set up and delivery we had to move all the props to the other side of the room and cover half the room so the props didn’t get dusty.

The ceiling lights and speaker, wall fixtures and Guruji’s poster photo also had to be covered.

Here comes the biggest piece.

And now the tricky part, getting this monster up and over the railing and into the kitchen.

Hmmm. Minor detail … it just barely doesn’t fit.

So off came some of the door trim.

It’s in!!

Here are the smaller pieces.

Installation.

And completion!

Cleaned up and photos put back on the wall.

Where’s Chere??

There are still a couple small details (drywall, trim) that will be done before I make it back home, but we are very happy with this cabinetry. Greg’s workmanship is precise and beautiful.

Thanks to Greg for an awesome job & Bruce for all his hard work with design, electrical, etc. and to Ron & Doc who helped get the pieces up the stairs and into their resting place.

Blogged from Amma’s iPhone and MacBook from a nice cozy private room in Dubai courtesy of Emirates for my 8-hour layover (& soon to be posting from iNdia) with LOVE!

Above – Evidently my little princess didn’t get enough handstand action in gymnastics Wednesday. After she changed her clothes in the car she went right into what I would term in Sanskrit “Ardha Adho Mukha Vrksasana” which in english translates to “half downward facing tree pose.” Ya gotta love her … and I do!

Below – Cool down time for Kando and Alo.

Maya & Sparty out for a ride along the Boardwalk.

Below – It looks as though everything went well for Alo to have his tooth fixed …
However, after Alo got his shot of Novocain he got a bit freaked out by the water spray so mission aborted. They’ll go in for another try in September.

More photos from Maya’s birthday party that I downloaded from the “real” camera.

I’ve begun my journey to the “other side.” I’m currently sitting at the United terminal at SAN waiting for my flight to LAX. Stay tuned.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and MacBook with LOVE!

Above – Evan’s “Stone” at the San Dieguito River Park near the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The “Stone” was funded by some of Evan & Jill’s friends in his memory. Evan to loved to hike here.

Below – Alo tipped over a couple weeks ago and landed in the emergency room. It was a long wait to see a doctor but there’s never a lack of things to keep busy.

Robb took the kids camping. What a great place to chillax, play in the sand, fly kites, roast marshmallows & hike!

Meet Dr. Adam Stone who just got his PhD in neuroscience. Adam also just got a job at UCSD and will be working remotely … from Scotland!!

The long lost selfie returns …

We need to do more selfies!

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

THIS is the Chere Baby orchid. The one I posted yesterday is a Pina Colada (named for its tropical pina colada scent). The Chere Baby smells like chocolate.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

Above – Cousin group photo – enjoying ice cream cones.

We had a lot of fun and a bit of a messy time. The kids really enjoyed themselves & each other.

This won’t last long – Kando fits perfectly on one stair.

Orchids in bloom…

This one is called “Chere Baby” (with a small revision on the spelling).

Here’s a selfie Robb sent me from one of the rides at Sea World. I think it was a special trip because Alo is tall enough now to go on the rides, & extra special because Pappa was there to watch Kando.

Did I mention I got this?

AND Someone got bored …

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

Above – The immediate family as it stands today – waiting for the fireworks!

July 5 after breakfast, some bonding with silliness on the stairs.

Pappa and Robb took the boys to Sea World (in photos only). It was a Wednesday and I stayed home to take Maya and Sparty to gymnastics.

Back at the house Wednesday evening everybody had 4th of July leftovers. What followed this is a post of its own.

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone and iMac with LOVE!

Above – Group photo after a swim in the pool.

Still the 4th of July, the kids (& adults) had a blast at Ron’s pool.

Shower time.

Way sweet …

Attempt at getting everyone together for a group photo.

And this just in!! Below – Jamie, Kirsten & Chainee. Chainee just arrived to visit her family in Idaho. It has been forever since Chainee has seen her sister. It’s a great day for all of them, I’m sure! Awesome!!

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!

Above & below – Pappa, Robb, Alo & Kando took the trolley to La Mesa to have lunch with me after my class Monday.

Monday afternoon cousins play.

4th of July breakfast at Amma & Pappa’s.

A short trip to the beach, and Alo looking cool.

Maya’s blister got sand in it which required an emergency visit to the lifeguard station.Looks like a good way to land a cute lifeguard!

Blogged on Amma’s iPhone with LOVE!