The 87th Scripps Spelling Been finals ended in a tie. All the words were used-up by these two Indian-American teenage boys, Sriram Hathwar and Ansun Sujoe last night in Washington , DC. This is the first time there are co-champions since 1962. Notice the poise of the contestants spelling words they couldn’t pronounce and the knowledge of the derivation and meaning of Greek root words!
Congratulations, boys !
Namaste!
I love the hot/sweet tastes of Gujarati cuisine! Notice the metal dishes. We have some drinking cups with our name etched on the bottom . We were told that Indian families take their own dishes to dinner parties, so having your name on the bottom would insure that you take home the ones you brought.
I showed you the tali served on the roof of the House of MG in old Ahmadabad which is very special with plants, torches and attentive waiters. We celebrated one of the last nights in Ahmadabad there. But there are everyday Gujarati Dining Halls were we ate more regularly. This meal served by a waiter, where you can be served as much as you wish costs $1.80. We always tipped so $2.00!
The dining hall in the video looks fancier than the one where we ate, but the food looks the same. Gujarati food is sweeter than other areas of India. I liked that but professor doesn’t.
Food is eaten by tearing off a piece of nan or roti and scooping it up. Spoons are also on the table for those who prefer it. Most of us got the hang of using our hands. Ahmadabad is “total veg” which was fine with us. I liked not having to worry about eating some unusual body parts, which happened in Italy. I am a food baby!
High in the towering Swiss mountainsabove Geneva, is a quaint Swiss town which appears in so many ways, ordinary.
With a closer look, a natural stone cave-like structure is visible. 
The stone used by Peter Zumthor, the Swiss architect, is mined from the mountains and used inside and outside the thermal baths. 
The spectacular mountain view is an integral part of the architecture , whenever possible. 
The elegant minimalist room decor is comfortable and inviting. There are five hotels available. 
Our French friend said that it is expected that guests eat at least one meal in the dining room, so we did. It was a delicious dinner meal and probably one of the most expensive we have ever eaten with special wine for each course and impeccable service. I can only say that our second night we walked down to the town and ate in a local cafe for dinner! 
There are connecting spaces inside and outside for relaxing in the thermal waters. 
The sun lights up the spaces through the massive glass and is replaced with electricity at night with a delicate hand. 
As hotel guests , we had unlimited use of the various pools, with a range of water temperatures, and spas. There is even a spa for unclothed bathers which was not for us modest American visitors. There is a train from Geneva which takes you to Vals, though we drove the spectacular, windy roads. This site is well-known to the Swiss and Europeans . Remember Karloy Varay in the Czech Republic? Europe has a long history “taking the waters.” I have no idea what will happen if the businessman buys the baths, but my hope is that it won’t change drastically. It is expensive , there is no denying that, but it is a place where memories are made, lasting forever! I thought this jazz was perfect for the elegant spaces. There is a silent mid-night bath time which was ethereal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q93LBOSY3Lo
images from public domain
Today, I feel frivolous! Never having had a linear thought in my life, I have decided to take a detour of my stories from the North and describe our return to “A” Town, (Ahmedabad) last Sunday. After visiting the Indian travelers’ equivalent of an Italian travelers’ visits to Rome, Florence and Venice…Taj Mahal, Golden Temple, Jaipur/Varanasi, (I couldn’t choose just three!), we lift Delhi on an overnight train. I was excited as I love train travel. Surviving the throngs of Delhi travelers pushing/shoving through security and milling around on the platform, our train finally rolled into the station. We had a 2A accommodations which means two bunk bed organization with a total of 6 people together in a space. A sleepover! It is possible to have 3A or even 4A available, which sounds like coffin sleeping to me. After more jostling and confusion, we found our spots marked with a pillow and case, clean sheets, towel, and the proverbial brown wool blanket found all over India. Dinner either veg or not, plus breakfast were served and a pleasant unexpected gift. After a pretty good night of sleep, and arriving in Ahmedabad, we were back to reality. The train stopped and we hailed rickshaws and haggled over a few rupees or “rups” as the students call them.
Our big “a-ha” moment was that we were coming home. After two months we felt at ease and content on our way back to the hostel….The Presidency Enclave. As we entered the lane where we live, there was an empty rickshaw parked along the wall. What to our surprise, there was Ginger taking a nap in the back seat! (Check my post on Feral Dogs) It was as if he was waiting there, catching some zzz’s but ready to welcome us back. He jumped up, tail wagging, and guarded our walk as a personal escort, growling at the other dogs to stay away. He had not forgotten us. We were home!
Memorial Day is a day to honor service men and women who have given their lives in the service of others. “Tears in Heaven” written and sung by Eric Clapton is a memorial song written from a father’s unspeakable grief that is experienced by people everywhere at some time in their lives. Thank you families of fallen service men and women, and thank you Eric Clapton for sharing your grief and the story of your precious Connor in “Tears in Heaven.”
This song has a deep meaning for me personally. The introduction of the melody opens the floodgate of my tears.
I found this video and wanted to included it if any of you want to meet Conor Clapton. What a beautiful little guy. Fathers and mothers keep your babies close. . . . .
Mr. Modi, a Hindu nationalist who promised in his campaign to make India a more muscular presence on the world stage, has broken new ground by inviting top officials from all the members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to Monday’s swearing-in, which has traditionally not included any foreign leaders.
Mr. Modi’s invitation also sent a jolt through Indian domestic politics, sending the message that he would act independently on foreign policy, not allowing decisions to be swayed by the interests of the country’s regional heavyweights. Political leaders in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, who have long defended the rights of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority, were harshly critical of the decision to invite President Mahinda Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka.. . . . . . . . .
Very good news.setting the tone for Mr. Modi’s new leadership position and also showing the willingness of Mr. Sharif to also step forward ! Bravo, Mr. Modi, and Mr. Sharif !
He fell from the second story of a building
During heavy thunderstorms in south China this weekend, a one-year-old baby apparently went looking for his mother by a window. Two men on the street below noticed the child’s precarious position and anticipated his fall, Reuters reports.
“I didn’t think too much at the time,” said the man who managed to catch the baby, identified only as Mr. Li. “I was just afraid of failing to catch him.”
Another resident, identified as Mr. Hu, helped put down cardboard and a sofa to break the baby’s fall, just in case.
“It was nothing but human instinct to do so,” he said.
Blogger’s comment:
An attitude of humility is so often present in the lives of heroes, a vendor catching a baby, soldiers fighting for our freedom or saving their wounded buddies. Thank God for these angels in disguise!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsL6zIOKvSA 
Every school child in the state learns the 5 C’s of Arizona:
1. copper
2. citrus
3. cattle
4. cotton
5. climate
Jerome is a deserted copper town which has become an artist colony, ghost time extraordinaire, winning the title of “Largest Ghost Town in America!”, living city visible from miles away on the side of the mountain, and I must admit a tourist destination.
It is only about 20 miles from Sedona which is more well known and a couple of hours from Phoenix. I think the reason we really enjoyed Jerome and visited it a number of times is that it is or seems authentic. Arizona’s appeal is that it is not pretentious…..to quote Doc “It is what it is!”
To explain how we felt is the example of our time in India. We loved seeing the sites, but it was the connection with the people who lived there….rickshaw drivers, drivers, students, even beggars that helped us really experience India. We stayed in a hostel with the students, ate in neighborhood restaurants, visited Indian homes, weddings and not * * * * * Star Hotels, and luxuriance restaurants. This is how we like to travel. Sorry…..all my conversations return to India…
Arizona…I was there from 2005-2012, living in Gilbert and teaching in Mesa. I lived near and then with my son and his family. I would never imagined this adventure without their sweet support . Back to Jerome. . . . .I am posting this today because the horrible fires are burning near there , near Jerome, during the spring season. This happens very year. 
Here is the Grand Hotel , the queen of the town perched high on the side of the mountain. We stayed there for a couple of nights and we were not visited by any ghosts. This building was constructed as a hospital to care for the injured mine workers either for copper and later gold mine. From the size, you can imagine the scope of this industry. 
The road that is used to approach Jerome snakes it way up the moutain as you wind between shops, a museum, several “saloons” up to the hotel. 
Granted much of the economy or all of it is the result of the shops, but is doesn’t have a Disneyland feel to it. Many of the shop owners have other outlets in Sedona, the city of the red rocks, where the same merchandise is sold at much higher prices. If you like jewelry, and pots then shop in Jerome. 
The first time we visited was a Sunday, and we saw many “weekend bikers” curve their way up the hill. with many parked in front of a saloon for a welcoming drink. 
This is my favorite shot with the view behind the facade. There is a story to tell behind the facade of a charming little city . . . . warts and all!
images from public domain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RewNn2r2P3g ![index_06[1]](https://talesalongtheway.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/index_061.jpg)
“Water” is a 2005 Canadian film directed by Deepa Mehta and chronicles the lives of widows in India at an ashram in Veranasi. The story begins with a eight year old child is widowed and moved into the ashram.
“Water” is the third and final installment of Mehta’s “Elements Trilogy” all with controversial topics such as single gender love, and friendship between people of various religions. Mehta never preaches, but just tells her story for the audience to see and learn from ,if they desire. The film received much acclaim in the Western world, but not in Inida. The conservative Hindus who follow the ancient religious law felt that widows of all ages have three choices:
1. Marry the younger brother of her deceased husband.
2. Throw herself on her husband’s funeral pyre. ( This practice is against the law in India.)
3. Live a holy and secluded life in an ashram with other widows.
The film was to be shot in Varanasi, making this a follow-up of my post yesterday. But in this holiest of Hindu cities, Mehta was met with violent resistance. The night before the beginning of filming, the equipment and set were destroyed and dumped into the Ganges. The filming was put on hold for several years and then moved to Bangladesh to film this story near to her heart. The setting doesn’t resemble the ghats on the Ganges in Varanasi, which you will recognized from the post yesterday, and there are no palm trees in Varanasi.
None the less, the story was told. Deep Mehta shown light on this ancient practice which needed to be change. In the film, the obvious question of “why?” is answered. The widow is reduced to “another mouth to feed” in a country of great poverty. It is a jolting, though, in a country that outwardly honors elders to discover that widows are excluded. . . . . . . .
Ashram is traditionally a spiritual monastery in Hindi. Today it has been expanded to a place for art, yoga, and or martial arts.
The beautiful young widow is forced into prostitution to help feed the other widows. She is allowed to keep her long hair.
This is the idealist follower of Gandhi who wants to help the widows. There is a surprise cameo appearance at the end of the film ! Can’t tell who. . . . . .
Film should be available on Netflix along with “Earth” and “Fire.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian, martyr, spiritual writer, musician, pastor, and author of fiction and poetry. His exemplary life of faith make his writings authentic to people of faith of all times to take spiritual stand and responsibility to speak truth to power.
Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor, one of the few in Germany, to stand against Hitler and the Nazi Party. His beliefs and convictions ultimately cost him his life in a Nazi concentration camp. He is one of the most famous theologians and martyrs of the 20th century.
from http://www.dbonheoffoer.com
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian, martyr, a spiritual writer, a musician, a pastor, and an author of poetry and fiction. The integrity of his Christian faith and life, and the international appeal of his writings, have received broad recognition and admiration, all of which has led to a consensus that he is one of the theologians of his time whose theological reflections might lead future generations of Christians into creating a new more spiritual and responsible millennium. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian famous for his stand against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. His beliefs and convictions ultimately cost him his life in a Nazi concentration camp. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the most famous theologians and martyrs of the 20th century.
Last Updated on 7 January 2013
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian, martyr, a spiritual writer, a musician, a pastor, and an author of poetry and fiction. The integrity of his Christian faith and life, and the international appeal of his writings, have received broad recognition and admiration, all of which has led to a consensus that he is one of the theologians of his time whose theological reflections might lead future generations of Christians into creating a new more spiritual and responsible millennium. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian famous for his stand against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. His beliefs and convictions ultimately cost him his life in a Nazi concentration camp. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the most famous theologians and martyrs of the 20th century.
Last Updated on 7 January 2013
TalesAlongTheWay 