Amy's Blog

2011-12-05T17:52:00.001-08:00

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New Remodel Pics Are Up

2008-02-02T04:48:00.001-08:00

Finally updated our remodel pics. New ones start here.

Double Standard

2007-11-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

I was about to complain about how mercyskye STILL has not updated her blog yet, but I suppose I don't really have the right to complain about that considering how long it's been since I've posted.

My current update is that work, after a long period of trials, tribuations and three new managers this year, is looking up and I'm optimistic for the future. And the house that we just moved back into last month is slowly but surely being completed. Yay for up-swings.

Been a long time...

2007-06-11T13:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have been reminded that it's been a long time since I posted anything here. That's mainly for two reasons: first, I just haven't been motivated to post. I'm not sure if that's a lack of motivation in general or if it's because I've been too busy with remodeling, etc. Could be a combination of both.

Second, I've discovered PicasaWeb, a much easier way to post pictures. You can go here to see my albums:

http://picasaweb.google.com/peltonen

'Til next time!

Day is Done

2007-03-27T05:49:00.000-07:00

Looks like these guys are coming home from a hard day's work.

A Perfect Partnership

2007-03-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

John loved taking pictures in India, and the young people in India loved having their pictures taken. A match made in heaven!

Sweet Shop

2007-03-20T02:53:00.000-07:00

Chandana and Chandra Uncle are giving us a lesson in Indian sweets. After sampling a wide array of the goods in this shop, we came back with a huge stash of non-perishable sweets for the trip home. I think my favorite were the spicy banana chips.

The Auto-Rickshaw Experience

2007-03-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

It seemed that one of the most popular modes of transport in the cities was via auto-rickshaws, which are essentially 3-wheeled taxis. We didn't take auto rickshaws frequently, since they are really only meant to fit up to 3 people and don't seem like the safest vehicles. (There are no doors or seatbelts, although typical traffic speeds are not high enough to make this a huge concern.) But it was fun to have the experience of riding in one. This is a picture of Chandana peeking out of her rickshaw, taken by me in the one next to her.

At the Ice Cream Shop

2007-03-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

One night in Mumbai we went out for ice cream, which tasted SO GOOD. Even though it was December, Mumbai was quite warm for my standards (80s) and the cool ice cream felt good. It was also interesting to try some new flavors that we don't find in the States, such as rose-flavored ice cream.

Rumble Seat

2007-03-05T22:59:00.000-08:00

Hope these guys watch out for tunnels!

Commercial Shanties

2007-03-01T03:18:00.000-08:00

Construction

2007-02-25T01:57:00.000-08:00

Construction work in India was much different than what I'm used to. Much of the work is still done manually with very simple tools. In this photo you can see a woman preparing a new sidewalk with a watering can.

Old and New in Mumbai

2007-02-16T00:28:00.000-08:00

Seeing new buildings appear to grow out of old ones was common in Mumbai and most of the major cities of India that we saw. The country certainly seems to be in the middle of a transition.

Mumbai Living

2007-02-11T19:37:00.000-08:00

These are some shanties I saw from the new highway (!) in Mumbai.

Crowd Distraction

2007-02-04T11:57:00.000-08:00

Wonder what all these guys at the train station are staring at? Think cricket.

Mumbai Train Station

2007-02-02T05:35:00.000-08:00

Chandra Uncle took us to see what the Mumbai train station is like. It was packed, even at a slow time in the day! There were so many people walking every direction that it was difficult to stand still.

Bell Hop

2007-01-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

I thought the bell hops at hotels wore funny uniforms.

Dessert Time!

2007-01-30T03:00:00.000-08:00

This is a special dessert we had after our meal, which consisted of an ice cream center, donut-type covering on the ice cream, and sweet creamy shell. Mmm...

Fancy Lunch in Mumbai

2007-01-29T05:50:00.000-08:00

Here John is patiently awaiting his food while drinking a spicy vegetable drink...Don't remember what it's called.

More Hanging Garden Shots

2007-01-28T11:26:00.000-08:00

These are some additional pics I took while at the Hanging Gardens. You can't tell, but it was very hot outside. I can definitely see how this would be a nice spot for a nap in the shade.

Hanging Gardens

2007-01-27T05:16:00.000-08:00

Chandra Uncle took us to the hanging gardens in Mumbai, which had some beautiful views!

Mumbai Boardwalk

2007-01-25T04:41:00.000-08:00

This Mumbai boardwalk overlooks people washing and drying their clothing on the rocks overlooking the Arabian Sea.

Coconut Anyone?

2007-01-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

I liked the way vendors on the beach configured the sand to display their wares. This vendor is no doubt involved in a negotiation.

Mumbai Beach

2007-01-20T04:11:00.000-08:00

Here's John at a beach Chandana's dad took us to in Mumbai. We found that random kids in India loved getting their pictures taken, as you can see from the panhandler sneaking onto the left side of the photo.

Double Date

2007-01-16T18:54:00.000-08:00

Indian Delivery Truck

2007-01-13T05:31:00.000-08:00

Construction Site

2007-01-10T02:53:00.000-08:00

This is a typical-looking construction site, with a building that looks held up by sticks and the shanties of the manual laborers on-site.

Buses

2007-01-07T08:01:00.000-08:00

Buses come in two varieties - air conditioned and non-air conditioned. As you can imagine, the fare for an air conditioned bus is higher. The temperatures were quite warm when we were there in December - mid 80's, I would estimate. I can only imagine how uncomfortable these un-air conditioned buses can be in high heat season.

Need a Motorcycle Helmet?

2007-01-06T11:23:00.000-08:00

For the most part, department stores in India were non-existent. We saw a couple in a few of the big cities, but most goods are still sold on the size of the road like this. No prices are listed because you are expected to bargain.

Indian Bus Stop

2007-01-01T14:58:00.000-08:00

This is a good example of what bus stops look like in India.

Straightforward

2006-12-14T21:56:00.000-08:00

We saw this gate when touring the university in Baroda, I believe. I was a bit struck by how honest the "Faculty of Weapons Technology" name was. Here in the U.S. I'm sure it would be named something like "Faculty of Defense Technology" or something like that.

Shoes Off

2006-12-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

It was not uncommon for temples to require the removal of shoes. However, I thought this one was unique because it was an outdoor temple and still had the same requirement. In general it seems that people in India were not as concerned about foot hygene as we are in the US. Here, if you don't have flip-flops for the gym you consider showering at home. There, people generally wear sandals and don't mind sharing the same temple floor with millions of other dusty, dirty feet.r

Fruit Vendor

2006-12-07T06:17:00.000-08:00

It's amazing for me to think that a year ago at this time we were in India! Anyway, the way people buy produce in India is not at a grocery store. Instead, you buy from a street vendor like this after some negotiating.

Rotary Artwork

2006-12-05T03:09:00.000-08:00

This artwork was on the fence of a traffic circle. Not sure what it is trying to depict...Domestic violence?

Palace Grounds

2006-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos I took outside of the palace. Lots of pretty flowering trees and cool places to hang out.

...And more pics

2006-11-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

More Shots of the Palace

2006-11-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

The Palace inspired me to take quite a few photos. Here are some more of them.

Maharaja Palace

2006-11-23T03:45:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of Kamal's father in front of half of the Maharaja Palace in Baroda. Interestingly enough, the royal family still lives here! The place is huge, so they only reside in part of it. The rest of it needs some major renovation/restoration work, so I imagine that the tourism dollars are funding that. (By the way, we had to may an exponentially higher amount to visit this attraction because we were foreigners.)

Out for a Ride

2006-11-18T06:18:00.000-08:00

We saw some Indians who definitely had a different idea of what qualifies as a family vehicle.

Wild Dogs

2006-11-13T21:56:00.000-08:00

In addition to the wild livestock, we saw lots of these types of dogs roaming around. Made me appreciate the dog catchers of the U.S.

Mint Tasting

2006-11-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

This outdoor kiosk must have sold over 100 varieties of Indian-style after-diner mints. If you're a fan (which I'm not) you could stay here all night tasting different varieties.

Name that Statue

2006-11-11T03:32:00.000-08:00

This status was HUGE (scale hard to see here), in a lake near the university in Baroda. Can anyone name it?

Street Life II

2006-11-08T03:27:00.000-08:00

Pigs!

Street Life

2006-11-07T03:35:00.000-08:00

I love how this old construction vehicle has a bicycle on the front.

Drug Store

2006-11-05T21:08:00.000-08:00

Drug stores in India were quite different than in the States. First of all, the pharmacy is open to the side. Second, it seems that the restrictions on drugs (e.g. requiring a prescription) is not as controlled. Kamal asked for Tylenol and was given something much stronger. (Don't remember what ist was exactly.) Also you'll notice the pay phone behind John. Quite different...

Darts

2006-11-01T02:47:00.000-08:00

We were amazed at the street-size services in India. One day when John emerged after getting dressed, it was very apparent that his shirt was too large around the mid section. So, Mr. Hathi recommended that we get it tailored. About a block or so from the Hathi's apartment they found this guy who put "darts" in John's shirt for about $1.50. Amazing!

Blowing of the Conch

2006-10-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

This man is making a sort of trumpet-like call through a conch shell. I think it was meant as a welcome call, but it sounded more sorrowful.

Hmmm...

2006-10-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

So, what is Chandana whispering to Kamal that gives him this far-off, pleasant look?

Proof

2006-10-21T03:12:00.000-07:00

Rhiddi finally did get the garland around his neck. :)

Brothers

2006-10-10T07:21:00.000-07:00

Gautam and Siddharth are so cute!

Wedding Rituals

2006-10-07T14:26:00.000-07:00

During the wedding there were countless rituals. One of them happens when the groom arrives at the wedding site. The groom and bride are separated by a sheet, and when the sheet is lowered this (in old times) was sometimes the first time the bride and groom saw each other. After the sheet is lowered the bride and groom adorn each other with garland. This seems to signify ownership over the other (I may be wrong here), but I do know that traditionally the groom makes it a little difficult for the bride to apply the garland. In this case, the groom's relatives are holding him in the air so the bride can't reach over his head to put the garland on him.

The Band

2006-10-05T01:40:00.000-07:00

My camera got really dusty, but this is the band that accompanied the bride/groom to the wedding site.

Flowers Galore

2006-10-04T02:21:00.000-07:00

All of the streamers decorating the wedding site were made of real flowers. (!)

Wedding Security

2006-10-03T01:40:00.000-07:00

These guys in funny hats served as security officers at the wedding grounds.

Gifts From the Groom

2006-10-01T02:11:00.000-07:00

On this day we witnessed the gift giving ceremonies. Each side of the family took turns leading a procession into the covered tent with gifts in baskets for the wedding couple. There are a lot of customs here that I don't recall about certain family members giving certain types of gifts. I was really impressed at the brightly colored dresses these women were wearing.

Free Entertainment

2006-09-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

We had a ton of great experiences in India. However, one cannot visit India without noticing the millions of impoverished people who live in shacks, or simply make-shift shelters on the sides of the road. One of these local residents is seen here sneaking a peak at the wedding activities on the other side of the wall. I felt happy that at least they could get some free entertainment.

Mehndi

2006-09-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

The first night we arrived in Baroda we attended the end of the first part of the wedding event which applies henna to the bride and women attending the wedding. The bride's henna is extremely ornate, although I thought mine (pictured below) was pretty cool too. There were two young women applying henna (ground leaves from the henna plant) from about 2pm to 9pm! They applied it almost as though someone would decorate a cake. You leave the green henna on for a few hours after dabbing it with lemon, and then the brown stains are left on the skin. They last about 2 weeks. I heard that the tradition is such that the bride is not supposed to do any work until the henna fades. :-)

Bridal Cleansing

2006-09-27T03:03:00.000-07:00

Now was Rhiddi's turn to be "cleansed". At this point it became very evident that the wedding event(s) is not so much for the enjoyment of the wedding couple as for their guests! Some of the applicants here were quite enthusiastic, but Rhiddi took it all quite well.

The Hathi Apartment

2006-09-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Here Kamal and John are on the ground floor of the apartment building where Kamal grew up. The guy leaning against the car is the security guard/car cleaner. Believe it or not, on several occasions the 7 of us managed to squeeze into Kamal's father's white car (on the left).

One of These Things Is Not Like the Other...

2006-09-18T02:56:00.000-07:00

Hot Rod Mama

2006-09-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Motorcycles in India were a very popular mode of transportation, even for women in beautiful gowns.

Shehnai

2006-09-14T22:23:00.000-07:00

This is actually a quadruple reed instrument, with two top reeds and two bottom reeds. Along with drums, this instrument lead most of the wedding processions at various days' events. It was REALLY loud and had kind of an annoying, squauky sound. One time I jumped when it began playing because I didn't realize it was near me! As a performer on this instrument I would definitely recommend ear plugs.

Cleansing

2006-09-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

As part of the ritual this tumeric paste is rubbed all over the honored victim. :-) The paste is supposedly meant to cleanse them/purify them for their next step in life.

Coming of Age

2006-09-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

While we were in Baroda for Rhiddi's wedding (pictured with the decorative bun), her cousin also celebrated his coming of age ceremony as long as everyone was there to party. Herschel, who took a special liking to John, is being annointed by Chandana.

Book Lovers

2006-09-09T03:28:00.000-07:00

This was taken in Kamal's parents' apartment in Baroda. I don't remember what they were reading, but probably sometime about Thomas the Train. Swing chairs inside the home were extremely common.

Watch Out Below

2006-09-06T22:08:00.000-07:00

The shopping experience in India was quite unique. This is a picture taken in a shoe store in Baroda named Metro. Instead of going to a back room to get your shoes, the clerk would shout the shoe and size up through this hole in the ceiling. The people upstairs would toss down the appropriate shoe boxes.

Out to Pasture in Baroda

2006-09-05T21:45:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken in Baroda. Seeing cattle and other farm animals roaming around free was not atypical. It seems that to save costs on pasture rental, farmers will let their livestock graze on garbage and city refuse instead of renting pasture land.

Indian Kitchen

2006-09-05T04:07:00.000-07:00

This is a relative's kitchen in Baroda (Vadodara). Throughout India, we saw most dishes made of stainless steel. Given how tasty the home-cooked Indian food is, I found it interesting that many of the homes' kitchens would be considered primitive according to U.S. standards.

Baxi Balcony

2006-08-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

This is the view off of the balcony at the place where Chandana grew up. We felt fortunate to get here since our taxi from the airport was not in the best condition and ended up breaking down about 20 ft. from the apartment.

Weird Perspective

2006-08-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

This is a shanty alongside the road in Mumbai. The strangest thing about this picture is the perspective - look at the height of the woman walking in comparison with the motorcycle!

Where are we?

2006-08-22T22:40:00.000-07:00

On our flight from London our seat backs showed real-time maps of where are plane was. I'm sad to say that my geography knowledge is so bad that sometimes I didn't really know where we were despite the maps.

London in December

2006-08-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

John FINALLY burned me a CD of the pictures from our India trip that I had uploaded onto his computer. This is the first of many pictures from India that I plan on showing in my upcoming posts. Our route to India was Seattle to London to Bombay, with a 9-hr layover in London. Therefore, we decided to get out and see the town a little between our flights. London was very pretty, particularly with all of the Christmas lights up around town.

Go Elf!

2006-08-19T03:52:00.000-07:00

This flower is actually about the size of my fingertip, so I am extremely impressed with my camera for capturing the actual pollen granules. :-)

Mountain Beauty

2006-08-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

Flowers growing on the side of mountains that get huge amounts of wind and cold with very little water always impress me.

Jane & Stu

2006-08-17T03:00:00.000-07:00

Jane and Stu are chatting before our hike. Jane, her husband Billy and Stu recently went to Tanzania for the dedication of the school that Stu and my grandmother helped build. While they were there, Stu (at 70 years) and Billy hiked to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Dominoes

2006-08-16T03:30:00.000-07:00

One of the evenings we "kids" embarked on a cut-throat game of dominoes. Left to right: Ian, Matt, Ann, Mary, and Dusty. Dusty is wearing the splint because he injured himself in a skateboard competition earlier in the day.

Bubba Gump

2006-08-14T23:33:00.000-07:00

This is my uncle Joe standing outside of the Bubba Gump Shimp Co. Not really my kind of place, but would be fun if you are a big fan of the Forest Gump movie. At the end of our meal they had a Forest Gump trivia contest and gave Gump prizes to people who knew these useless pieces of info about the movie.

Father and Son

2006-08-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

Here are John and his dad at breakfast in downtown Breckenridge. Everywhere we looked there was a scene that looked like a professional photographer's backdrop.

Hot Peggy Strikes Again

2006-08-12T04:31:00.000-07:00

Even Hot Peggy's FEET are hot!

Konce & Jennie

2006-08-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

More Happy Spectators

2006-08-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

Pam, Stu, Sally and Jane are obviously entertained by the "talent" in our family.

Attentive Onlookers

2006-08-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

Father Dan Sings the Blues

2006-08-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

This is my mom's uncle Dan giving us an excellent rendition of the shotgun blues.

Grandma's Pearls

2006-08-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

At the reunion my mom started a tradition of passing my late grandmother's pearls between the sisters of the family every reunion year. Here my aunt Sally is the current recipient.

Sibling Love

2006-08-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

This is my uncle Dan being silly with Mimi. I love how my mom's siblings can still be fun no matter what age.

Joke Time

2006-08-05T13:25:00.000-07:00

Alaina had a fun time telling us some painful jokes.

Talent Show

2006-08-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

This year's reunion had a mandatory talent show. Here Patrick and Jenna can be seen performing their Star Wars rap.

Imperial Express

2006-08-03T03:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a close-up of the world's highest chair lift. We had to hike up to it, but I imagine that when it's running in the wintertime it's quite a rush to ski down from that altitude. Billy can be seen leaving his mark.

Peak 8

2006-07-29T03:15:00.000-07:00

This month we celebrated a reunion year. Every other year my mom's side of the family (including 9 "kids" and their families) gets together for ~5 days for a big party. This year the reunion was in Breckenridge. The house we stayed in was at 10k feet elevation. For this hike, we took a chair lift to ~12k feet, and then hiked the rest of the way up to Peak 8, elevation 12,987 ft. If you look closely, you'll see that during the winter the chair lift actually goes to about 500 feet from the top, making this one of the most extreme ski runs around.

Anup is Engaged!

2006-06-19T22:34:00.000-07:00

My friend Anup recently got engaged, and I had the pleasure of being present at their engagement ceremony (at least, one of them). This was done in the Nepali tradition, and was a happy time for all.

It ISN'T a weed!

2006-06-16T23:23:00.000-07:00

For the longest time John has been saying that we should really dig up that leafy thing that has started coming up in our yard every year. It just started coming up about 3 years ago (or so). However, I told John that I thought it was actually a real plant, not just a weed. So, this year it finally proved itself with a beautiful white flower. I still don't know what it is, but it's obviously not a weed. :-)

My Sisters and Me :-)

2006-06-14T03:33:00.000-07:00

Largest Cooler EVER

2006-06-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

I love the way John gets excited about the strangest things. This was taken while on our Costco excursion in Portland.

Beading Frenzy

2006-06-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

Another part of the extravaganza consisted of a beading workshop. Dolores, my aunt Lynn's mother, is 82 and still as spunky as ever. She told my family bead experts Mimi and Ann that she'd like to learn how to bead, so that turned on the green light for a beading frenzy. Dolores definitely looks like she enjoyed herself.

Lucy!

2006-06-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day weekend we had an "extravaganza" in Portland for my cousin Maura's high school graduation. At the extravaganza we had the pleasure of meeting Lucy, my aunt & uncle's new golden retriever. She is so CUTE! It was especially fun watching her grab the toilet paper and prance around the room with it. Mimi is demonstrating how Lucy already knows how to sit and stay, even at her young age.

Stromkern

2006-06-08T21:23:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night we had the pleasure of seeing our friend Dan's band Stromkern play at the Fenix Underground in Seattle! (Dan is on guitar) The show was a lot of fun, and it was cool catching up with Dan before the show. The Fenix seemed like a pretty hip venue, which we hadn't been to before. However, we really weren't dressed for the show. (We should have been wearing edgy black get-ups and creepy make-up.) Needless to say, people watching was fun.

Where's the Cake?

2006-06-02T03:09:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we celebrated my cousin's graduation from high school, and my aunt was nice enough to order a cake from a local bakery in Oregon for the extravaganza. She ordered it online from Chicago, called to confirm, and then called again the morning of the pick-up to confirm again. However, once we got to the bakery to pick up the cake, it was no where to be found. (!) While they were trying to locate it we had to stare at these other beautiful cakes...

Madeline on the Computer

2006-05-16T04:57:00.000-07:00

Did I ever mention that our cat Madeline loves computers? She is particularly fond of laptops like the Toshiba tablet PC.

Opus Hotel

2006-05-11T22:22:00.000-07:00

This is the hotel room we had in Vancouver. I liked the sliding doors to the bathroom, the clean lines, and the window that was the entire back wall of the bathroom. My favorite part of the bathroom was the heated floors!

Taking Dino Out for a Drive

2006-05-06T17:20:00.000-07:00