Reid and Riley Baptism (November 17, 2013)

A few things made this special for me personally.  Of course, the boys making a public profession of their faith is by far the top of the list.  Being able to join them in the baptismal was unexpected and very special to me.  Finally, Pastor Thom Jones has been our friend and spiritual leader for three years and he has since relocated back to the USA.  Finally, we had several other members of our small group also get baptized.

Yes, the water really was green (not very warm either).

Reid, ready to go!

Riley was almost on his tip toes.

This is the most awesome baptism action shot ever!  Love the feet sticking out.  When the boy commits, he commits.

Bangalore, India (from 2013 archives)

Catching up as usual...

Last year I had the pleasure of traveling to Bangalore.  I'll start with the first impressions and we'll go from there...

First impression:  yes, that is 15 different written languages on the money.  Good news is "thanks" to British imperialism, English is VERY common.

Uh, and what kind of hotel are we staying in?

Hmm, now this I like.  Faux (yes, I had to Google how to spell it) ostrich hide wall paper.

View outside of the window.  Amazing how many places this could be.  I love seeing a skyline with color on the houses.

Not the relaxing morning commute I would wish for, though.

Even better, city bus going 30 mph+ with people hanging out the door.

OK, oneupsmanship again on the most dangerous commute category.

I was seriously wondering why this jack-wagon was not giving his lady friend the helmet.  Then someone told me that the helmet law for motorcycles only covered the front passenger, it wasn't compulsory for the second.  Seriously though.

Lunch break and, apparently, hoarding.

People told me about the cows, and it registered, but really there are cows in the streets.  Like everywhere.  Did I mention in the streets?  No really, they aren't foolin', everywhere.

Cow.

A nice snack of corn.  In China, this would probably be sweet potato.

Secret sauce.  Probably no secret that you would be "riding the porcelain train" if you partook in it...

A nice little street vendor cart.  No, those little hanging sachets are not what you think they are.  Many people buy only the size they need that day for things like:  toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent, you get the point.

Typical convenience store.  Yes, those are pastries under the counter.  Yes, they were delicious.

Walking down the "sidewalk" in rush hour.

This was not uncommon.  I can't imagine walking this sidewalk with the kids in tow, mentally exhausting for sure.

Beautiful temples were in abundance.

This was one of the major ones, we actually stopped for about an hour to tour it.

The queue for holy days.  We also dropped our shoes and cameras off, so sorry, no pics...

Apparently some sort of laundry service.

Judging by the upper right corner, I'll wash my own.

Transition to food!  One of the better shots I have taken of a rice field.

I know what you are thinking, it's not very appetizing right?  I can assure you it was excellent, especially when I tell you it had two major things working against it:  vegetarian and cafeteria food...

Introducing the McSpicy.  Now my favorite sandwich at McDonalds.  100% vegetarian Paneer (cheese) sandwich.  Think spicy chicken nugget sandwich, but with a spongey cheese.

It worked, in a big way.  Scary thing was that the texture was exactly the same as the chicken "nugget" sandwich, but I was able to eat it without the shudder that accompanies the thought that a chicken has no such part as a nugget.

Upscale mall, very nice actually and quite clean.  Below are some typical supermarket shots.

Bulk cereal.  Re-usability is desirable for packaging in India.

No, they don't mean "without bias".

Now this is more like it, bulk spices.

Seriously, if anyone hears Rebecca complaining about how much I have stuffed in our pantry then point her to the above two pictures.  This is why our budget has a discretionary spending item titled "food experimentation".  I mean, how can you not walk out without 5 to 10 lbs. of spices you didn't know you needed?

I have a deep love of mortar and pestles, to my shame.  I am drawn to them like a moth to the flame.

Now this is how you get it done.  A peppercorn wouldn't stand a chance in this thing.

During the course of our travels, we saw an ad for "street food" at an international hotel chain.  Needless to say we jumped at the chance to eat safe street food.  These were a sort of spicy puffed wheat "popcorn".  I went back for seconds.

Preparing some sort of meat, which went on a bun, before being demolished.

These deals are interesting.  This food is assembled by grabbing a pastry shell on the left, dipping it in the scented water in the middle, and then adding the spices, chutneys, etc. at the top per your taste.  Kind of like chips and salsa, but you can change up the salsa at a whim.

Walking around the mall, a taste of home.

Indian Pottery Barn.  Very interesting mix of East and West styles...