Festive Glitter !!!

The Vesona Park in Los Gatos, Santa Clara is transformed into a fantasy of thousands of colorful twinkling lights and many animated displays, every year in time for the Christmas and the New year. I was visiting the 9th Annual event. More Info

Most of the visitors enjoy the lights from the warm confines of their cars. Hence the shaky pictures here due to the movement. Click Here for related My YouTube Video

The Dinosaur Den was enhanced with recorded sounds.



There were some spectacular Animations too.

Christmas Time

Festive time !!! The Christmas decorations of the homes in Palo Alto is supposed to be one of the best in the Bay area. It is wonderful experience to switch off the headlights and drive slowly through the splendidly decorated localities. Even better if you take a walk in the chill December atmosphere under the gaze of the dazzling lights and the twinkling stars.

Free Land

In the University Campus these squirrels are a common sight on the lawns and tree.

Bumble Bee !!

Mission Santa Clara de Asis

The moment you enter the Santa Clara University from the famous El Camino Real street, the charm of the old Mission church captures the visitor.

Click Here for related My YouTube Video



The church has a lot of history associated with it. More about the church







Students Choir practising for the Christmas Mass. It was a enthralling experience to be there, a combination of pure singing talent and the acoustics of the church. Check out the video. Click Here for related My YouTube Video

Silver Creek Valley Country Club

Just a mile from where I live, this valley beckons a wearied mind. More info about the club

Winged Inhabitants

This is the House Wren which is a common city bird like the house sparrows. Right now this is my subject to whet my appetite for Bird Photography. With a 300 mm Telephoto Lens I am sure I can capture some great shots. As of now I have to settle with a 17-85 mm standard multipurpose lens.

Valley Transport

Public Transport facility in the Silicon valley is systematic. The VTA (Valley Transportation Authority) is doing a wonderful job. There are a fleet of buses and trains connecting every part of the Valley. Monthly / Day Pass can be obtained by regular passengers. However for convenience and faster travel a Car is a must have.



The Bus Operator enjoying a smoke in the Bus Stop.



A View inside the bus. Like back in India there is no conductor inside a bus. One needs to pay the fare as soon as you enter the bus. Mode of payment is through coins, which you need to drop into an electronic coin box which is operated by the Bus Operator (Driver). You need to pay the exact amount as there is no change return policy.



This is the VTA Light Rail. One can carry cycles inside the trains and the buses.

Reflections !!!

Silver creek again. In the next few days the creek will be more fuller than what it is now.

Fall Foliage

A visual treat these autumn colours are. The season here is also called Fall as the deciduous trees shed their leaves, with the leaves changing to a reddish or brownish or yellowish hue before falling. At present the days are shorter and the nights are very long and cold.

Silver Creek

A misty early morning shot of the creek near the place I stay. This area is true to its name... The Silver Creek

Dew Drops !!!

Screwed Up !!!

101 Freeway

This is the view of the roads connecting to the 101 Freeway which connects Los Angeles and San Francisco. Day or Night the roads are alive with rubber cruising and the roar of the engines resonating.

Festival of Light - Deepawali

F U Z Z Y

5.6 Magnitude Earthquake 8:04 PM - South Bay

There was a 5.6 magnitude earthquake just a few minutes back in the California Bay Area with the epi center at Alum Rock, two miles away from Evergreen where I live. I was in the backyard disposing the garbage in the trash can and initially thought it was a Haloween prank by the neighbours when the wooden fence next to me was shaking along with the ground beneath for a few seconds.



My brother-in-law, sister, mother and neice were downstairs and all of us rushed into the frontyard lawn. Luckily nothing happened and no damage in property or life.



When I entered my room, the penstand was scattered and thankfully the laptop from which I am blogging now was safe.



This particular picture was broadcasted on Kron news on American Television. I emailed them the pictures in a few minutes.

Top Class Roads

A 2005 Post by me

Two months have flown by since I have left my home sweet home namma Bengalooru - Bangalore. It is natural tendency for human beings to be bitten by the comparison bug. So far during my stay in the Bay Area I have been impressed by the road infrastructure and the law abiding public. The legal system is so strong here that people have no other option than to abide by it. Else they need to face the music irrespective of whoever they are.

Coming back to the roads now . Other than the usual main roads like in India, there are also two other categories of roads. The Expressways and the Freeways.

Flora Vista Avenue. One of the many internal roads which run within the city.



Capitol Expressway. An Expressway is a road where there are limited signals and intersections. The speed limits is usually less than the free ways and is between 45 - 55 miles per hour.


880 Freeway. Freeways are roads where there are no signals throughout the entire stretch and the speed limits is usually 65 - 70 miles per hour. It is a totally different experience to drive on a freeway where the vehicles seem to be cruising. One mistake and it ends up in a multiple crash and a pile up. The rush hours on the Californian roads are during 7 to 10 AM and 3 to 7 PM roughly.


Having a road system and implementing a lane discipline on the lines of this back in Bangalore will be an automatic solution to most of the problems with regards to the population, traffic, infrastructure. What I mean to say is , the government should develop satellite towns around Bangalore , in places like Kengeri, Bidadi, Chennapatna, Ramnagara, Nelamangala, Tumkur , Maddur etc and all these places should be well connected with top class road networks. If easy conectivity is achieved which takes only about 30-45 minutes, automatically industries tend to crop up in these areas and people start moving out from the concentarted hub which is Bangalore. Will this happen? Not with the greedy corrupt politicians around. With the kind of comedy going on in Karnataka today for the power it looks a distant dream.

Barren

The vegetation is barren at the moment. In the days ahead I am waiting to witness the spectacle which the valley is going to offer .. The Evergreen Valley.

These are some shots I captured at around 3 pm in the afternoon. The sun at this season is at its harshest at this time. During summers it is bright till 8 pm. As it starts getting cold with the onset of the winter, the length of the daytime also gets shorter. I heard in December it gets dark as early as 4 pm.





This is the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Actually I identified this using this amazing website I found. Click here

Melancholic Mood

Without even a word being said I feel these pictures I have taken convey the melancholic mood ............. that I am in

Location Shift - A peek into the new place

On the evening of August 23rd 2007, I left my hometown Bangalore to become a student again in America. I was a little emotional inside as I drove to the airport along with my Dad and Uncle, with the rain pouring down non stop.

Singapore Airport. The cleanliness, discipline and courtesy of the people here was heart warming.




Archstone Apartments, Santa Clara where I spent a week. The Apartment fitness complex



The tasks associated with moving to a new house and setting it up, gave me an opportunity to visit numerous malls and travel extensively in the Bay area.

Silver Creek, San Jose. This is the place where my sister and her family moved.



The mountains in the backdrop with the winding roads adds to the beauty of the place. The vegetation has gone dry beacuse of the summer. In a few months the entire Silicon Valley I heard will present a scenic view with all the mountains covered with greenery and variety of rich flora all around.




The place encourages to get involved in a lot of physical activities to keep oneself fit. There are many public grounds and courts to play all kind of sports.



Its lovely to watch small kids grow up. Their innocence and activities is the perfect antidote for the self made stressful lives of adults.




El Camino Real, Santa Clara. The place where the School I go to is located.



Santa Clara University. The place where I hope to gain some quality knowledge. A small beautiful campus.