Tulips

Spring is here and usually I whip out my camera to take pictures of the flowers blooming in my front lawn. As I was pressed for time, I handed over my Nikon D50 to my nine year old and told her to have fun with it. She came back with these amazing pictures. She told me she used the flower setting to take the pictures.Other than cropping some, these pictures have not been edited.

Supermoon

With all the hype surrounding the 'Supermoon' phenomena, I too grabbed my camera to take some shots. The last time we had a this event was in March 1993.

This picture of the moon was taken 2 days before on 17th March.

This second picture was taken on the day of the event on 19th March 2011. The moon was closest to the Earth and hence it appeared larger than life. It was absolutely breathtaking, and I was thrilled to have captured it.

Bayeke (baby shower) Snacks

All kinds of snacks & sweets made in honor of my Sister-in-law for her baby shower (Bayeke - Mangalorean style).

Green pics

Below are some of the pictures, I shot while while trekking across the Maharashtra Nature Park in Dharavi, Mumbai (Bombay). This park is spread over 37 acres of land. This parkland is still one of the unknown/not so famous places to visit in Mumbai. The reason this place is so isolated and unknown is that it used to be a dumping ground. Now after two decades of work by the MMRDA and WWF India the park with about 10,000 trees, walkaways and greenery is gradually taking shape.
















The rest of the pictures I shot are from my building compound. The following two pictures are of the Awla tree. Awla is an amazingly sour fruit. As kids we used to dip them in salt and eat it. When I think of this, it still makes my mouth water. I thought I'll put up this picture for my sister. I don't think there are any Awla trees in US. I am sure it will make her salivate and bring back our childhood memories.

Another Snowstorm

We are in for another round of snow storm.The weather channel reported the flurries will start  around noon. However, it started snowing at around 6.30 a.m in NJ. My daughter had to go early to school today for the band practice. I took these pics while waiting for the bus to arrive.

My walk outside.

I ventured out with my little one for a walk through my development yesterday. The weather was amazingly great. Remnants of Fall (Autumn) were still visible all around. I was glad I had carried my camera with me...Here are few of the images.

I shot this because, I liked the way the top of this tree looked. It fanned all across the sky with a little bit of light peeking through.

These circular patches on the tree caught my eye. From my view it just looked like plain greenish patch. Once I uploaded the images on to the computer, I saw these fascinating ruffles on the patch. I thought it was an interesting contrast of textures...both of the tree bark and as well as the patches. Wonder what those patches are????

Of course, they is no way I can run away from red. I liked the green and red contrast of the Pine & Maple Trees. Reminds me of the Christmas colors.

I found a nest way up on top of this tree...don't know whose it is. Judging from the size I am assuming it is a sparrow's nest.

A closer view of the nest..My little one was very excited and wanted to know if there were any eggs in it. It was way too high for me to check.:):):)

Finally my favorite shot. I quickly shot this when she was trying to reach the leaves. I love it when kids are in their natural element and not posing.

Diwali Treats

Growing up in Bombay (Mumbai), Diwali was the festival we would look forward to impatiently. It was a time for decorating, lights, oil lamps, new clothes, fire crackers and most of all my favorite--- eating all homemade 'SWEETS & TREATS'.

My mom would start preparing all the yummy treats a week before. On the day of Diwali, I and my siblings would dress up in our brand new clothes. We would then excitedly share our treats with all our neighbors and friends. I don't know how my mom would single-handedly cook so many things and in such large quantities. The treats she made were perfect in every way. What can I say...she was a perfectionist and still is. I have these fond memories that will always stay with me and my hats off to my mom for giving us those memories.

Even though I have been here in the US for quiet some years now, I have tried to keep the Diwali traditions alive in my family. I want my kids to have the same memories that I had and cherish them....So I decorate the house with lights, get the oil lamps  from the Indian stores and finally prepare all the goodies. It gives me tremendous satisfaction, and also some kind of connection to the past. Below are the pictures of some of the treats that I made...

These Boondi Laddoos are sweet treats made from Chickpea Flour and sugar syrup. 

These were and still are my absolute favorite.

I made the shortcut version of the Coconut Laddoos using dry, 

shredded coconut and sweetened condensed milk.

These are chaklees or chakuli as my mom would call it. It is a savory snack which is really crispy & crunchy. It is made from white lentil flour, rice flour and all-purpose flour....This snacks requires some practice to get the texture, shape as well as the taste right. This recipe was given to me by my mom and I have to say it is an absolute success, every time I make it...

 Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did........'HAPPY DIWALI'