Read on to find out more

Man tries to pay bill with spider drawing

I am going to work on this angle to pay off my bills too!

Have a fun filled holiday season you all!

some interesting links I found

This was a hilarious read.Since its the season of gift giving...this lists what are the worst gifts.

Here is the link

and this link gives your visual DNA which kinda interesting. I put mine up on my blog.

http://DNA.imagini.net/friends

Fall colors in Vermont

taking a walk..., originally uploaded by digijinx.

Had been to a cabin of a friend's in Vermont for a day. Boy! was it gorgeous up there. Made my stops on the Mohawk Trail to get there.
There was a private lake in the neighbour's back yard..and well it couldnt get more beautiful believe me.

New England is the place to be. Looking forward to next fall.

Here is the link to the whole set.

Fall Foliage White Mountains,NH-Weekend getaway

near the summit...something i tried...the cold and on the rocks..., originally uploaded by digijinx.

White mountains, NH as such is always a hit or miss for me. I end up being there for early peak or past peak. May be next time I should get it right. Timing is everything for fall colors isn't it? The drive thru I-91N via Vermont was very very scenic. In fact VT had more colors than NH! sigh!

This time I took the Mt.Washington Cog Railway and it was chugging along at 3 mph to the summit. At the summit they give you 20 mins or so..some say its less, some say its more...I say its less, but it was 29°F up there with the wind playing complete havoc. If I had spread my hands a little further, I could have had the wind beneath my wings to soar in the skies above. I was able to get this interesting shot from the summit with the ice on the rocks. Then we drove around the Kancamagus highway and stopped for shots making stops at all the cascades and falls.

Here is the link to the entire set.

Fall colors on the Mohawk Trail,MA

Deerfield river/Cold River on the Mohawk Trail, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Though I have lived around the area for quite a while, I have never visited or driven thru 2W...popularly known as the Mohawk Trail. It is a very scenic drive all along the deerfield river with some breathtaking views and gorgeous colors. There is also a beautiful hairpin turn and there is a summit point at this exact place with some amazing views. For miles and miles you can only see mountains with vibrant colors. I made a lot of stops along the way as I was heading up to Vermont, to take some shots. It was a glorious day to be out and I had my lunch by the river. Also stopped at the Bridge of flowers for some flower shots and for some icecream.

Here is the link to the whole set.

More posts coming about my fall trips.

leaf..hole...leaf peeping?

leaf..hole...leaf peeping?, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Pictures from Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor from 2007 and 2008. The Moosehead lake pix from Maine 2008 visit are in the previous post.

Maine...mania...magic yet again

On the way to Bingham, originally uploaded by digijinx.

I simply love to start off my fall with my visit to Maine. This year I thought I wouldn't be able to make it...but I did. Moosehead lake was as beautiful as ever and this time I tried to do the Bingham loop and it was yes very scenic, though I didnt drive through all of it. I was able to do the float plane ride and it was the best thing ever. I have never seen anything as beautiful as Maine and fall colors. Mother nature in her heights of glory...the colors so vibrant. You simply can't resist. I was going crazy clicking as usual. My usual drives to Kokadjo and my usual stops along the way to get my shots.

Click here for the entire set

Day 2 was spent in Acadia, which didnt have much of colors. The little town of Bar Harbor where I stayed was very very pretty. The walk to the waterfront and yes there were some beautiful flowers there and I yes went right out to click them.I had Falafel for lunch and it was quite yummy and made my way to the waterfront with ice cream in hand...it was chocolate cappucinno something. It was heavenly!
All through the trip I tortured my friends by stopping at odd places to click my shots and to get them to pose for me. I had an amazing time.
Looking forward to my next trip this fall and every fall.

Wild and in my yard

wild pink flower, originally uploaded by digijinx.

A few seasons back (early Spring), I had found these wild pink flowers and mini daisies that were growing wild and a friend of mine was kind enough to lend me some. I decided to bring them to my house and well grow them. The daisies were blooming, but the pink did not do anything at all. I forgot all about it, though I was still watering this pot. I did not remember how its leaves looked like, so I wrote it off. But surprisingly, this week I saw the first pink flower bloom and I just couldnt help but click it. The mums are also blooming in the yard right now.

Pretty in pink

Pretty in pink, originally uploaded by digijinx.

These are the pink flowers I was talking about in my previous post about my yard.

Here is the link to the whole set.

hot and spicy

hot and spicy, originally uploaded by digijinx.

These have been growing in my yard. I also have phlox, mums,coreopsis growing in my yard. The roses are still blooming and some unnamed pink flower.

Here is the link to the whole set.. Shall upload the pink flowers to the set soon.

If only Chapter 5

Alright, am back with If only. Read on. Will try to post more often now.


Chapter 5

Suraj was happy to bump into DJ. They grabbed a coffee and sat down to talk.

“I guess this time it is a sure shot. It is gonna work”, DJ sounded very excited.

“Boy! Look at you gloating. You never give up do you?” Suraj wondered as DJ raised his hands for a high five. “I know Roshni better than anyone”, Suraj continued ignoring the big grin on DJ’s face. “She is one stubborn moron. Puts her heart over her head and it is difficult to see things clearly when your emotions blind you. Believe me, she is one tough nut to crack”

“Nope, am not saying its gonna be easy Suraj, but this is our best shot ever. I know what you are talking about and we are not playing any mind games with her. It is clearly a matter of the heart and sparks would fly when they meet up”

“She hasn’t spoken to him in six years; do you think she is going to change with just one glance? Knowing her I really doubt that” Suraj sounded worried as he said this.

“I have a good plan here. So far they have been conversing on the phone, always rude to each other”

“She is rude, he is always the nice guy”, Suraj interrupted.

“So much for backing up your sister dude! Anyway, those were terrible. I met Viv the other day and tried to call her and it was yet another fiasco. This time it is gonna work, since they are going to be seeing so much of each other “ DJ chuckled.

“Those two blokes are not worth the effort, but I love them too much. This time it better work, if not count me out from your sucker plans” Suraj commented and they chatted away, their voices drowning with the chatter at Grand Central.

*************************************************************

It was getting dark and Vividh wrapped his little getaway at Central park and started strolling back. He was still thinking about Roshni, when he heared someone call out his name.

*************************************************************

Roshni was really struggling hard not to think about Vividh Patil and it was getting to her. AD had called her several times during the day and she did not bother to answer. She was sure they would have a conversation about the phone call and she was not ready for it yet. She was lost in thoughts as she drove back home. She saw signs for Nandi Hills and a whole storm of memories flooded her thoughts.

“Damn it Viv! I was getting along fine and you had to call me!” she yelled out loud.

Rose garden 2008

IMG_7235, originally uploaded by digijinx.

I went there like may be twice. It is always a magical place filled with I believe 6000 odd roses and i believe 3000 varieties of it. It is just like heaven. They also have a perennials garden and then there are the tulips always early spring. These roses just bloom and cover up the whole area. There are also concerts in the evenings and its just an awesome place to be.

Here is the link to the whole set.

Block Island

Block Island, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Had been to the big blue this summer with some of my friends. It was a Gal's day out (I havent done that in a very long time) and it was total fun.
Took the 30 minute ferry ride, of course after the 2.5hr drive from home and then we were there on the island...voila! We rented some bikes and drove around the island, all the uphill drive tiring us out but it was worth the climb and when we reached the lighthouse it was a beautiful sight. We also then visited the beach and some more beaches, before calling it a day. This is definitely on my summer to do list every year from now on.

Here is the link to the whole set.

daisies..and coreopsis..

daisies, originally uploaded by digijinx.

There is this house with a beautiful garden on my way to the park. I have been stopping to admire this beautiful garden everytime I pass it. The other day, I decided to stop to click some shots and I met the owners. Looks like they spend a lot of time tending to their garden. There were some beautiful daisies and lavender, and awesome coreopsis..these were the pretty yellow flowers all over their yard. There were some pretty daylilies too.

Kudos to you both for tending to such a beautiful garden and thanks for letting me click some pix.!

Here is the link to the whole set.

Solitude is bliss

Mystic,CT

i had this one eating out of my hand literally, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Had been to Mystic recently visiting the aquarium and the Seaport grounds. Its really a very interesting place. The aquarium had a sea lion show and then the birds of the outback was an awesome first time experience for me. I had some bird food stuck to an ice cream stick in my hand trying to coerce some birds to eat it. Some refused it outright. This one in the picture though yielded to my request and i had him/her eating right out of my hand, placed the parakeet in front of my cam and had some really great shots!

The seaport grounds were really filled with a lot of historical facts and figures. Took the water shuttle back and forth and enjoyed the view of the tall ships.

Here is the link to the whole set.

pink rose@NYBG

pink rose, originally uploaded by digijinx.

The Bronx botanical garden was quite a trip. Only the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden was in bloom and it had beautiful roses. There was a tulip tree..yes a tulip tree. I need to do more research on that.

Here is the link to whole set.

rain drop on a day lily leaf blade

on a day lily leaf blade, originally uploaded by digijinx.

This is my yard yet again just after the rain. I was surprised to find roses in my yard...sweet surprises and of course the lilacs are blooming just about now and i also have the day lilies starting to bud and i also noticed some begonias. I really love my yard. My mint and Cilantro seem to have caught on and so is my single Daisy.

purple

purple, originally uploaded by digijinx.

These are some of the new flowers in my yard. I also have some lilacs blooming. Bought some daisies...its a wonderful time of the year!!

Garden in the woods.

yellow lady slipper/shoe, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Set in middle of Framingham, this serene garden in the woods is a beautiful place to visit. It is part of the New England wild flower society and it has its fair share of wild flowers. Once you enter they give you a map of the trail and its just fun to walk around to explore the place. I walked the Curtis Trail and the Lost pond trail. There were pitcher plants, prickly pears and some really pretty wild flowers. There was this one yellow flower called the yellow lady slipper and it was just as cute as a button. Spent almost half of my day there. If you are around the area and are interested in flowers, this place is definitely worth a visit.

Here is the link to the whole set.

Stanley Park

orton effect on the pink flowers, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Stanley Park came as a pleasant, am being subtle it came down as a huge... surprise to me as I headed down there for a little while (which turned out to be the whole day). The drive into the park greeted me with pink,red and purple tulips..and I guessed wow..this is a start ..more tulips and I really didn't expect what came next.

Of course for those of you who do not wish do read this post here is the link to the whole set!! enjoy! There are some pix here and there in this post.

I moved into the rose garden and there was a wedding party there getting pix clicked by the tower. And I also got lucky with a shot a bee on a pretty purple flower.

This is an interesting spot in the park where there is a big tower and some flags hoisted and there is a map of North America on the pavement and kids were playing guessing the states on that.and then there is the rose garden in front of it with two gazebos and a kewl fountain in the middle(where the water sprays crazy with the wind). Of course there were people throwing pennies in the pond. :) There are some benches here and there.

Though the roses weren't in bloom, the lilacs filled the entire garden with their intoxicating fragrance. I have always wondered how maple flowers look like and this time I guess I got lucky to spot them or not!! These were tiny pink ones on the tree.




Check them out in the set. I simply love flowers and you can tell that already. I could hear the sound of water gushing as I stopped clicking these lilacs and clicked some red and white azaleas that were together, makes one contrasting picture and was really kewl to click them.



There was also this statue of a boy and a gal holding an umbrella and it was raining on their parade there, just there. I walked down the path only to find this big pond/lake..let me call it a lake and i cud still hear the sound of water gushing and I just couldn't make out where it was coming from.

There were ducks and swans swimming near the water shed kind of thing with a waterwheel and there was a small waterfall filling up this end of the lake. There was also a covered bridge right in front of me and when I looked to the side there was this huge bridge taking you to the other end where there is a bench..(believe me its sooo serene just to sit there). I wasnt going there yet, need to click all these dont i?

I stopped to smell the lilacs, took a little walk on the bridge and then the tower was playing a song for the newly weds. I heard from the park security that there were actually a total of 4 weddings that day! I walked along the trail to click some squirrels, but nope..they ran away. I wandered along and clicked some purple Plymouth flowers and well..then I noticed this huge bed of light and dark pink flowers by a small wooden bridge. Perfect setting for an Orton effect on a picture. :) I went crazy clicking them.

I then walked along the bridge to the other end to sit on that serene bench and well..I found a tiny little waterfall on the way there and I had to stop to click that. It was really fascinating to click that. With a mild breeze, it was just a picture perfect day. :)

The other end also had its share of surprise, there was a frog pond with a little stone bridge and some croaking frogs and water lilies. I walked along the entire length, took a break on bench..and then reluctantly walked back the trail to get to the main entrance and then went around to the football fields. There were some interesting violets and pretty pink thingys there. I also visited the Japanese rock garden.

All in all it was one eventful evening at Stanley Park and to think I missed visiting this place the last couple of years!! Thats something altogether. That was my first day of adventure this loong weekend. More posts and pix to come, keep watching this space.

golden palace

golden palace, originally uploaded by digijinx.

This place in West Virginia is definitely worth a visit. Its very easy to get lost trying to find this place, not to worry everyone knows where you are going just ask for directions. You make some sharp and steep curves as you go uphill and there are no railings on ur side and you look down only to find this vast abyss...the valley below..its quite scary and adventurous at the same time.The exterior is exquisite as the palace comes into view when you dont know where you are going.
This golden palace started out as a home for the ISKCON head and later on became his shrine.

The inside of the palace has stained glass windows, matching crystal chandeliers (the Austrian crystals on the chandeliers match the color of the stained glass windows),teak doors, sand work on the glass on the door, gold leavings all over...its just breathtaking.

They had a festival going on at the temple when we went down there. There were people singing and dancing everywhere.

Here is the link to the whole set.

Pittsburgh downtown

Pittsburgh downtown, originally uploaded by digijinx.

We made a small pitstop at Pittsburgh downtown to take a look at the three rivers meeting point...it is actually called Point State Park (we learnt that later). I was clicking a lot of shots from the car as we traveled through downtown. It was quite an interesting walk to the Park as we found out that it was closed and we took a small detour to get there and it is quite something! There is this huge fountain near the point where the rivers meet. Pittsburgh supposedly has the largest number of bridges in the country..(i didnt know this before) and to think of all the traffic whew! I pity the people who drive there.

Here is the link to the whole set.

Pittsburgh Venkateshwara temple

Pittsburgh Venkateshwara temple, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Had recently been to visit the Pittsburgh Venkateshwara Temple. It was one helluva drive (took us almost 10 hrs) with all the construction going on in PA! and to think that this temple was at the west end of PA..but it was worth it. This temple is one of the oldest in the US and it is built in different levels. We took our time at the temple. We also visited the Sai Baba temple nearby..man everything up there is on a hill.
Here is the link to the whole set, not many pictures there.

tulips

tulips, originally uploaded by digijinx.

These are some pix of the tulips at the Rose garden. Every year they plant these tulips and they are so pretty and catchy to the eye. Some more orton effect tried here too.

Waiting for June to click the roses...

Here is the link to the whole set.

orton effect

orton effect, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Was trying to dabble with the Orton effect , this picture was taken at the Rose garden,Hartford,CT. It is a very big garden with a lot of things to see. I really enjoy the walk in this perennial garden.

Here is the link to the whole set of misc. flowers @ the rose garden.

Albany Tulip Festival

tulips, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Dutch tulips from their beds
Flaunted their stately heads.
- James Montgomery, The Adventure of a Star

I thought, I almost missed this one, but I didnt. This (Albany Tulip Festival) is a beautiful flower festival that happens in Washington park in the heart of Albany every year around Mothers day weekend. I decided to go there after the festival so that there would be less people and I could shoot the flowers in peace. This year I was surprised to find some tulips with fringes..like lace trimmings at the end, like the one in the picture here. It was yet another beautiful thing to do in Spring.

Here is the link to the whole set, do give yourself enough time as there are 100 odd pictures there.

the church

the church, originally uploaded by digijinx.

There is this beautiful church near the town square in the next city. To add to the beauty it has pink and white dogwood trees just near the entrance! now could I ask for more?? Tried to sneak in some time yesterday to click these pix. Of course there are more dandelions...in the set...still trying to perfect that shot!

Here is the link to the whole set. Enjoy!

Daffodil festival, Meriden CT

daffodil , originally uploaded by digijinx.

I was so looking forward to this festival since it was my first real shot at spring. The Daffodils, the early bloomers. This is an annual festival at Meriden,CT and I was looking forward to a whole batch of daffodils (they said there would be 600,001 of them) all in the same place, but they were spread out in batches all over Hubbard Park and it was actually fun going around trying to spot them. They were everywhere. Soon as we got down from the bus I spotted them.

Quoting Wordsworth
"I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills
When all at once I saw a crowd
A host of golden yellow daffodils
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze..."

That was the first thought on my mind and it was clicking time.Amidst all the crowd and the food and the fun I managed to get some decent shots of the golden yellow daffodils.

The food at the festival was awesome too. I had the best waffles there.along with funnel cakes,cotton candy.

Here is the link to the whole set. Enjoy!

white flowers

white flowers, originally uploaded by digijinx.

these are some white flowers i see often in spring, not sure what they are? am tempted to say white cherry blossoms...but naa..i dont think so!

white dogwood

white dogwood , originally uploaded by digijinx.

Well...its spring so you can always expect more posts! Today I tried to click some shots of the white dogwoods. It was a cold day and the wind was not helping too. Soon as I neared the dogwoods the sun hid behind the clouds..just my luck! I clicked some more shots of the pink dogwoods (I still like the pink dogwoods better.)

Here is the link to whole set of the white dogwoods.enjoy!

Around the neighbourhood

reddish pink flower, originally uploaded by digijinx.

When I was walking around my neighborhood to click the dogwoods..I also stumbled across some wild violets, dandelions,and this pinkish flower(let me know the name if you know what they are called).
Spring is putting a lot of smiles on my face. Am so glad.

Here is the link to whole set. Enjoy!

pink dogwood

dogwood , originally uploaded by digijinx.

These flowers are just downright beautiful. I know there are white dogwoods too. I have quite a few pink dogwood trees around the neighborhood and I decided to click some shots over the evening. The sun came out once I came home! that was sad. Still I managed to get some shots of these beautiful things. Since these trees were just on the sidewalk was easy for me to click, yet I had to still avoid some serious staring from the dogs. There is a dogwood festival coming up,lets see if I get the time to make it down there.

Here is the link to the whole set njoy!

white tulips

white tulips, originally uploaded by digijinx.

These tulips are growing near the back fence...near the garage in my backyard and they presented an awesome opportunity to click with a dark background. I could really see that it made a big difference when your background is darker! and the flowers come out really outstanding!!
I enjoyed clicking. Here's the whole set.

Tulips and Daffodils

Tulips, originally uploaded by digijinx.

The golden yellow Daffodils showed up first. Sincere as always the first ones to bloom soon as spring starts. The tulips came next, I didnt know there were tulip bulbs in my yard and i got soo excited seeing them bloom, which obviously meant the camera had to come out for some pictures!

Here is the link to the whole set.Enjoy them..Spring is really beautiful

Spring's here!

, originally uploaded by digijinx.

There were some tiny blue flowers popping up in my front yard and I couldnt help but click them. Watch out this space for more pix as you all know..Spring's here.

Here's the link to the set

First sights of spring

Daffodils, originally uploaded by digijinx.

I can't wait for more flowers to spring up. As they say April showers bring in May flowers and am waiting...
For the whole set (not many in there yet) click here

Dowtown Springfield

Dowtown Springfield, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Finally, I managed to click this. Not a great downtown view but still it makes a good picture I think.

As the candle wanes....

As the candle wanes...., originally uploaded by digijinx.

As the candle wanes
spreading light around
It quietly dies
without making a sound

A wish for the new year

This had been brewing since the holidays but I didn't get enough time (between work and clicking photographs..I have been neglecting my writing...this year I hope to work on that too) to work on it and get it all done. It's actually been a while since I sat down to write something. As they say "It's better late than never" here goes a wish for this year.

It’s that season of magic
When you hear the sleigh bells ring
It’s that season of joy
Which makes every heart sing

It’s that time of the year
When the ambience is all festive
It’s that season of love
When all you do is give

Just close your eyes
And join in the fun
Have a good time,
It’s only just begun

Filled with all wonders and miracles
Let the joy spread
Toast yourself to a new life,
To the new year ahead

~Rambler Registries

contrast

contrast, originally uploaded by digijinx.

Snow seems to be the latest trend. Didn't you hear?
Its been snowing pretty consistently every weekend or a long weekend. Its probably the weekend special..we are either hit with wintry mix and sleet or some good 6 or 7 inches of snow. We were hit with a snowstorm just for the New Year, guess the message got up there a little late, we wanted a white Christmas duhh! not a white start to the year!!

Here is the link to the whole set as a slideshow. Enjoy!

PS: Incidently, this happens to be the first post of 2008..Happy New Year you all!