Sunday, June 3, 2007

Memorial Day Weekend 2007

Thanks to Kiran's Invitation and initiative, Rama and I joined a very nice and fun-loving desi group from Houston and camped at Lake Whitney on May 26th and May 27th. Sridhar garu and his group have done an excellent job in selecting the location, planning, and organizing a camp for this large group (41 in total).

Our secluded camp ground was just a few feet from the bank of lake Whitney and we couldn't ask for a better and scenic location. Evening of the 26th was very nice with no rain. We enjoyed mingling, playing dumb charades, barbecued corn, plenty of food, and drinks. A group of kids and adults entertained everyone with their dance to heart-thumping music. Murthy garu's dance was classic! We stayed up until 2:30 AM. Again, hearty thanks and the credit goes to the organizers.

I made a very nice hike through the park on 27th early AM. Waking up to the real nature sounds of light rain on the tent and chirping of birds was awesome. Though it was raining, as I had proper rain gear, it didn't bother me - actually, it was kind of nice. Walking by the prairies, watching a few herds of deer and a couple of raccoons, carpets of wild flowers like blue bonnets and Indian paintbrush in a quiet and deserted wilderness preserve was very refreshing.

Anytime I hear the rain falling on leaves in deserted areas, I recollect my reading of the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Specifically, the narration of Huck and Jim floating down the Mississippi in their raft. I remember vicariously fantasizing the experience while reading the story slowly. Incessant drizzles and down pours failed to dampen the campers spirits as we managed to have fun during the breaks.

I recently learned that one of the happy-campers in our group is an entrepreneur whose story was featured in Houston Chronicle. Venkobarao garu urged the group to give iRazoo a try and I am going to do that. Here are some camping photos.

The camp site


Prapoorna and Rama hard at work (pitching the tent)


The camp


Camp fire


Birthday cakes


One of the dumb charades teams


Kiran, Havish, and Prapoorna snuggled up in the tent


Picnic Table


Rama and Prapoorna

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