Stamford to Boston

It's been a beautiful space - entering the life of this land. Stamford - I kept saying this over and over again: "Wow! this country is so beautiful!... Rahul, you live in a beautiful place!" It's true! America is physically and naturally so well endowed. There are trees of all texture, leaf and color. There are geese that suddenly appear in the corner of a market. The vegetables and fruit look good, taste good. There is water gushing in the taps and stilling forest clearings. Silent suburbs and country residences are scattered across woods and lake lands. A tiny little airport, just perfect for domestic flights, serendipitously opens the sky soon after a golf course and flag adorned city office.

There have been cold days and magnificent sunny ones. We partially weeded a garden and cleared a garage. Hung out in a hammock, a delicious, decadently restful hammock on the porch with access to cool wind and a wild wild dog named Coco who thinks fine dining is all about the variety of paper and polyfill he can consume. No book, pillow, toy, pen, hairbrush, container or pouch is safe! Along with the fragrance of flora, the sun motes and cottonwood seeds, high pitched blood curdling yells of "NO OOO C O O CO OOO" filled the Stamford air.

And four days later we left.
For Boston.

Meine Damen und Herren, the Drive began. As a precursor to that we drove to various stores and tyre shops and GPS purchases - the two India residents, Carol and Komal, getting their Left Hand Drive limbs back into action. I constantly heard "you're way too to the right". Also went to Sonja and Gullu's gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous place. I drove there and back and thought, "Hmmm! I can do this. It's not so difficult."

However, once on the highway, the whole business of 'Speed Limit 65' freaked me out. I am not supposed to go below 65 miles per hour. Deep breaths kept me going. My Fellow Traveller and Fellow Blogger was helping but often helplessly lapsed into "You're not supposed to do that!... NO, not there!....". and ofcourse, "Do you want some beef jerky?" in the middle of zipping traffic, three possible roads to turn into, with perfectly angled and positioned signs saying 'WRONG WAY'!!!

At that point all I wanted was to go back home to the land of illogical signs, cows and a million cars honking horns and complete chaos that was so part of the life that I knew where my actions did not matter. No matter which turn I took I would get somewhere and no matter what the sign or the light said, I would get away with whatever choice I made.

Anyway, we reached Boston..... with the help of Pocahontas.... that's the name we have given the efficient, exceedingly brilliant voice of our new GPS. She told us how to find Mattie's (Carol's daughter) place.

Quint Ave slopes down to a parking place surrounded by shops and restaurants and possibilities. We came out to go to Naresh and Shalini's place in Raynham and Carol says: "Where's the car?"

A great answer would have been, "There!". However it wasn't there! It had been towed away.
Rainfall, no taxis and night, a sick Mattie, no knowledge of the registration number of the car we were driving and relief..... relief that it had been towed, not stolen.

We reached it. We found it. Paid $113 with gratitude that at 7.30 pm there was still someone there to give it back to us. Drove to Naresh's and here we are the next day - a sunny morning and shopping possibilites.

With love.