Dreams, Moments, Travels
The girls dressed up for our dinner of Pani Puri, a definite favorite of all of ours. From the left of the photo is Savita, who came with her husband Harish; next is Renu, then Rinku, who came with her brother Krupesh. Srujana came with her husband Ashok, and on the right was Caroline. I made the Pani Puri as everyone agrees that I make it the best – thanks to Jay Patel.
We closed out 2004 and welcomed in 2005 with some friends over dinner. From the left clockwise are Harish, Mandanna, Gautam, Shashi, Ashok, Caroline, Srujana, Rinku, and Savita. Although Jay, Raenu, and Krupesh couldn’t be with us, they were well thought of.
We went over to Little India in Artesia to get breakfast at Annapurna Cuisine because we love pongal (the stuff on the right), and idle and sambar are pretty good, too. In Phoenix, there is zero opportunity to have such a meal unless a friend makes it and invites us to their house.
From there, we went over to Chinatown with Raenu and Arturito, looking for bargains. Actually, I don’t think Arturito cared one bit about shopping, he was a hard read to know if he was even having fun. I guess he’s kind of like his dad, Arturo Silva, an old friend of mine (this is his son) who is the master of the emotionless face.
Hanging out on Olvera Street in the old Pueblo of Los Angeles.
Shopping for more bargains.
From there, we hopped over to Little Tokyo but took no photos of that excursion before we started our drive east in earnest.
Earnestly until we got to Diamond Bar so we could stop in on Ten Ren’s Tea Time and introduce these guys to boba tea, at the time in the early 21st century, it wasn’t a thing among America’s youth yet. And so, this was Caroline’s birthday weekend.
Here we are at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, also known as The Happiest Place on Earth. Indeed. Tomorrow is Caroline’s 37th birthday, but that’s a Sunday when we have to drive home, so here we are on Saturday, planning on being here until the wee hours.
It’s the holiday season, not that you’d know it by looking at Tom Sawyer Island or the paddleboat, but this is a clue to where we are heading the first thing this morning.
That’s right, the Haunted House in Jack Skellington style because we just love its “Nightmare Before Christmas” theme.
Now as I run out of things to write about, I’ll point out that it is September 2022 when I’m writing this post. This trip to the Magic Kingdom was taken the year before I started blogging, and I’ve just now gotten around to adding it to our semi-permanent record (as if something can exist on the internet permanently).
Because it is Caroline’s birthday, we’ll do all the sappy romantic things.
Oh yeah, we brought friends along with us! Meet Raenu and Arturito; no, they are not a couple; they just met yesterday, as a matter of fact. You might notice we have a Park Hopper Pass.
The shirt Caroline is wearing was purchased in December 1992 while visiting Paris, France, and EuroDisney because that’s where we went for her 25th birthday. Then, in 1994, it was the shirt she wore when we were married in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Little White Chapel.
The flash on the camera foiled Caroline’s ability to keep her eyes open. This might be the last time I ever attempted to use a flash with her.
We’re down for a Christmas parade.
And then back to California Adventure for some thrill rides.
Maybe too thrilling.
Even more thrilling.
If I’m not mistaken, California Adventure closed before Main Street, so we still have time for more Disney excitement.
Nope, we’re done.
This was a surprise trip down to Tucson, as Arturito, who had been gone a couple of months for his first year in college up in Flagstaff, Arizona, was able to get a ride as far south as Phoenix. I took him the rest of the way to see his parents. Guadalupe, in particular, was missing her son quite badly, so this seemed like the right thing to do. His sisters were happy to see him, and so was his father. Sophia, his youngest sister, pictured left, was losing teeth rapidly but scoring just as quickly with the Tooth Fairy. Our visit was short but long enough to get fed and fed well. I received plenty of hugs of appreciation, although not as many as Arturito, it was a brave parting.
Jay Patel, in the center of the photo, is leaving Arizona to move back to India. After more than four years in America and extending his visa as long as he could, he’d reached the end of his extensions and had to leave. Jay made some lifelong friends in Arizona, which brought out many tears here at the last minute as everyone said goodbye.