Evergreen Hills - Spring 2010

I miss seeing this view which I was so used to every time I took the Yerba Bueana Road to merge onto the 101 North Freeway. Evergreen memories of the Evergreen Hills. The name should not be mistaken - the hills are lush green only for a few months in the Spring and goes completely dry in Summer. Shot in Feb 2010.

Hero Honda Dhak Dhak Go

My Hero Honda CD100 has been with me through the entire last decade and cruised smoothly into the new one. My Dad gifted this in the year 2000 after my 12th grade just before I entered into Engineering. During the first 6 years I never wore a helmet which seems so very foolish now. I had a minor fall in the first year sometime in 2001 July which led to quite a serious surgery in the head and I was hospitalized for 10 days or so. Even after that I shied away from wearing a helmet. After that fall I gave a break of a year to this bike during which I had switched to my Hero Puch. Even after I started driving a car from 2005 my CD100 was used for local drives and it also saw a makeover from its original form. From 2007 August to 2010 April I was separated from my bike which I lovingly reffer to as my horse. When I came back on April 2 this year I was disillusioned driving in the Bangalore traffic in my Dads car. It seemed like being confined in a prison on four wheels in the snail paced Bangalore traffic. It then occurred that my horse was asleep in the stable and was waiting to gallop guided by his master. Some of the most memorable trips on this bike are to Tirupati - Journey to the hills, Belur Halebid Shravanabelagola and many trips to my mothers native place Chennapatna. I look forward everyday to ride my horse to office and it seamlessly emancipates me from the shackles of the infamous Bangalore traffic. 13 kms in 30-40 minutes at any time of the day in my customized route to the office is by any means a jiffy in Bangalore. Shot in Byrapatna village, Chennapatna on May 1 2010. Thanks Dad (with whom I have had a slight difference of thoughts from these past many days) for gifting this to me.

Toyota

My companion for most of my 32 months in the America spread across four glorious years 2007 - 2008 - 2009 & 2010 - Toyota Camry LE. Driving at 60-80 miles per hour / 96-128 Kmph was an everyday affair. Shot in Oct 2009

India Shift

Its been sometime since the last post. Exactly one month ago I made a move to back home to Bangalore after 32 months in the USA. The 32 months have some fantastic memories. Had I visited just once for a fly back trip I guess I would have chosen USA for some more years for the quality that it offered. Anyway its been 1 full month in Bangalore which just flew away and I am enjoying 'my' life thoroughly.

These are shots on my way back from San Francisco waiting to board the Cathay Pacific to Bangalore via Hong Kong. Shot on March 31 2010.

City Lights

The night lights of the Silicon Valley from the Evergreen - Skydrive hill top. The lighted path in the left is the Freeway 101. Shot sometime in March 2010.

Mission Santa Clara de Asís

The two silhouettes were shot in Feb 2010. Mission Santa Clara de Asís was founded on January 12, 1777 .

Santa Clara Palms

Evening sky from the road across the main entrance of Santa Clara University. The building seen in the background is the Leavey school of Business which was opened in Fall 2008. Shot in Feb 2010.

Full Moon

The Beautiful Full Moon which I used for 30 minutes of experiment with the tripod and a couple of camera lenses which included a 17-55 wide angle and a 75-300 telescopic lens. A much sturdier tripod and a telescopic beast of about 500 mm or 600 mm will produce a more captivating picture. Shot on the last day of February in year 2010 in San Jose

Coupe

A Vintage Coupe on a hill top on Yerba Buena Road. Shot in Feb 2010.

Autumn Leaves 2009

Shot in Hellyer Park in Dec 2009 after my return from Minneapolis. Dec 2009

Signs

San Felippe and Hellyer - Shot in 2009 and 2010.

Colors of Nature

This is the super colorful visual outcome after the heavy rainfall this season in the Bay Area. Shot in Feb 2010 in San Felipe. An earlier Colors of Nature Post back home in Bangalore in Aug 2007.