Living with Compassion

4 Tips to Keep Your Website Ahead of the Curve in 2012

2012-01-17T08:36:00.000-08:00

4 Tips to Keep Your Website Ahead of the Curve in 2012

It did snow here a month ago!

2012-01-16T19:32:00.001-08:00

2012-01-08T15:30:00.001-08:00

Christmas at Kirtan and Mark's "cabin" (more like luxury vacation house) in Cedar Crest was super. The kids were overloaded with Christmas gifts and Har Savari discovered the rocking horse.

Grateful - Day 2 & Day 3

2011-12-04T20:54:00.001-08:00

These last days we've had some very cold winds and snow and it has made me most grateful for our new little gas stove. Pluma thinks its pretty great too and has begun to make her new favorite spot in front of it.

A few days ago, I was driving out of the parking lot of Trader Joe's and spotted a young girl huddled at the exit with a sign, obviously needing money and food. She didn't have the look of a seasoned street person so I drove around the block and came back to talk to her. She was homeless and too scared to go to a shelter and had managed to get a room at the Motel 6 for $30. Didn't really find out how she got to this state but it made me think hard about how many people are just down and out these days because of tough economic conditions and bad luck. I wanted to swoop her off the street but ended up just giving her a $10 bill and telling to get somewhere warm soon because the temperatures were going to really drop that night. Wish I could have done more.

30 days with a grateful heart

2011-12-02T19:56:00.001-08:00

I decided to join my friend Jote, in her quest to recognize the things we are grateful for each day for the next 30 days. Driving in to Santa Fe on a very cold day, I looked up at the blue sky surrounding the mountain peaks of the Sangre de Cristos that were sprinkled with snow. I thought how lucky I am to live in a place that still has clear blue skies. Living here we have the cold winter weather but after it snows we usually don't have to wait very long for the clouds to clear and a bright beautiful sky to appear. The snow melts pretty fast and we wait in anticipation for the next snowfall. Maybe tomorrow?

Halloween 2011

2011-11-20T09:53:00.001-08:00

Har Savari Kaur was dressed as a ladybug. Too cute for words!

What's growing in the garden?

2011-11-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

Vegies

2011-06-21T20:27:00.001-07:00

Now that the winds have died down some, my pots on the patio may have a chance to produce something.

The garden bed and hoop house is finally starting to look better also.

June Garden 2011

2011-06-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Easter radishes from the garden bed. If my web business slows down to much maybe I could go into selling my organic produce at the Farmer's Market?

April Garden

2011-04-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

Lovely pansies from Nirinjan Kaur

The color theme this year seems to be purple.

These vegetables grew all winter and we are now harvesting beets, carrots, lettuce and spinach.

Spring Marches On

2011-03-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of a snowstorm we had last March in Espanola, NM. You think it will happen again this year?

My mom's legacy

2011-02-11T19:14:00.001-08:00

She was beautiful young...

She was beautiful old.

My mom

2011-02-11T19:11:00.000-08:00

My mom was the most beautiful and kind person and we will miss her terribly. She went like a little bird and so we are happy for her. But again she will be missed tremendously

Gate Pass and beyond

2011-01-05T08:05:00.001-08:00

This was the first glimpse of Gates Pass in Tucson. When I lived in the Tucson ashram in the early 70s, we used to come up here to meditate.

We really enjoyed the Sonora Desert Museum and learned so much about the animals and plants in this environment as you can see below. (Such as smarty pants!)

Christmas Vacation in Tucson, AZ

2011-01-02T16:50:00.001-08:00

On our trip to Tucson, I decided I had to go see the old ashram building on North Cherry by the University. Looks like it became a fraternity house and they changed the front entrance to the other side of the house by the kitchen.

We also went down 4th Avenue where the first ashram was located and the park where we taught yoga classes and it all looked just the same. Actually 4th Ave. looked like it had gone into a time warp because the head shops and the Food Coop were brightly painted like the old hippie days and we bumped into some old dudes who looked like they'd been stoned a long time.

Hoop house in the winter

2010-12-18T11:39:00.001-08:00

This is the way the greenhouse looked at the end of November. Snow peas, spinach, carrots and beets still looking good. Lettuce, radishes and Swiss chard at the far end.

New Baby Girl

2010-12-12T03:28:00.001-08:00

Hari and Sita were blessed with a new baby girl on November 6th. We were surprised when they called us at 12:30 am and announced it, because we had no idea she had gone into labor on Friday. Her name is Har Savari Kaur and she is so beautiful like her mother.

Durango's Fall Colors

2010-10-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

Durango is one of our favortie places to go and this year the colors were magnificent. Noor took this picture of me when we pulled over about halfway to Silverton. We stayed at a fantastic bed and breakfast called Country Sunshine. The couple, Jodi and Walter were delightful and we enjoyed some fabulous food cooked by Walter, who was Austrian. They had a lovely wooden deck where we could watch the birds and enjoy the fresh air while eating outside.

Walter cooked to please and made sure to meet our dietary restrictions. He made potato pancakes, blue corn muffins and a fresh fruit cup for our breakfast. Then he made chocolate chip cookies, and a rum cake with ice cream for dessert after dinner. Wow!

Jamil's Wedding - June 2010

2010-09-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

I realized I never posted any pictures of Jamil and Irene's wedding on my blog and I had some great pictures of the family.

Of course then you always have a clown in the family, who tries to mess up a perfectly good picture.

Yogi Bhajan's Birthday

2010-08-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

Ashram picnic

2010-06-03T06:40:00.001-07:00

Sukhprem had a blast with Grandpa at the ashram picnic on Memorial Day.

Flash Tutorial! Motion Tweening, Animation!

2010-05-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

Sukhprem and Papa

2010-05-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Flash Tutorial: Growing Vines Flourish Animations Tutorial

2010-05-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Create a Plant growth animation with Flash

2010-05-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

2010-04-27T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is the Khalsa Kats and we bowled for Big Brothers Big Sisters and raised $12,000 with the 16 other teams on April 17. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to possibly starting a bowling league for the ashram.

Sunny Day In March

2010-03-18T09:29:00.000-07:00

Okay this is not a real picture from my garden. Only a wish that it would finally be a warm sunny day.

2010-03-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

Owner of Multi-Million Dollar Company Hands Over Business to Employees - ABC News

2010-02-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

This guy Bob Moore, who owns the Red Mill Natural Foods business, is so unbelievable. He just has basic good ethics and wants to see his employees benefit from what he's built with them by giving them the ownership of his business. In this video he captures the essence of what a good-hearted business man is made of.

My cousin, Carole

2010-02-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

Carole Reynolds
(1951-2010)
Memorial Website

My cousin, Carole, passed away unexpectedly on February 2nd. She was only 58 yrs. old and it occurred in such a unpredictable way. She had fallen on the ice, taken for surgery and in recovery ended up with a deadly blood clot. No one ever imagines this will happen and to someone so young and vibrant. I'm sorry that I did not get to know her better as an adult. We hung out when we were children, but then when we all started having families and moved to distant places, we lost touch. I hope I can get to know here children better and maybe understand more about what her life was like in North Carolina.

Der Rosenkavalier

2010-02-06T17:28:00.000-08:00

Dena and I went to an HD Opera at the Lensic Theater in Santa Fe and so we got all decked out for the occasion. I even put on my boa! Never thought I'd be an opera buff but it was actually a lot of fun especially since they put the subtitles on the screen so you know what's going on. Unfortunately, the recording had the last 8 minutes missing and so I had to go online to find out what the conclusion sounded like. I've added the link from Youtube so you can get an idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp94vrI_-oY

New Mexico Skies

2010-01-19T19:35:00.001-08:00

I took these pictures in La Mesilla just a little ways up from the Black Mesa Golf Course entrance. As you can see, if you look closely, the clouds parted to show a beautiful dusting of snow on the Sangre de Cristos.

Mischief?

2009-12-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

Cat in Snow

2009-12-25T20:39:00.001-08:00

Well it may be true cats don't like water, but my cat loves the the frozen stuff - snow!

Like Father, Like Son

2009-12-09T20:54:00.000-08:00

The Cat in the Hat came Back

2009-11-04T16:33:00.001-08:00

Yes, that's Ravijit doing a very good impression of the Cat in the Hat for Halloween.

Of course, it's all about the candy!

Balloon Fiesta - Taos

2009-10-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we got the opportunity to help crew our neighbors balloon at the Taos Balloon Fiesta. Its a small affair (about 30 ballons) but it was exciting none the less. I took the role as photographer and Noor and Sat Want did all the heavy work.

This is Lily (Cliff's new balloon) and they are stoking her up before the ascension.

There she goes!

More fall colors

2009-10-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

My favorite views are sometimes right below my feet.

These cottonwood trees are located just a few blocks down from our house close to the river.

The sky was such a brilliant shade that the gold leaves just sparkled against this sea of blue.

Ravijit

2009-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Swinging away!

Ravijit hanging out on the patio.

Fall in New Mexico

2009-10-05T07:59:00.000-07:00

Labor Day with the grandkids

2009-09-09T21:00:00.001-07:00

Ravijit returned from Hawaii and has proved to have become quite a little swimmer. He spent several hours dog paddling around in his swimvest without coming out for a break.

Sukhprem is really on the move now, crawling everywhere. Check out the back of his frog pants. Or maybe that's a turtle?

A Carnival!

2009-09-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

Siri Sundri was definitely dressed for the occasion.

Siri Singh Sahib's memorial birthday party was the brightest and most fun yet. Snow cones and popcorn for all!

Austin Botantical Garden

2009-08-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

Visited Austin with Noor on his annual business trip. It was blazing hot (100+) and spent the first day in the air-conditioned hotel. Got to visit with my dear friend, Gurubachan Kaur for the good part of one day and then she had to delivery a baby. Spent the next day on my own exploring an art museum with beautiful landscaped grounds before meeting up with Noor after his conference. Managed to find this beautiful Japanese garden after wandering lost in the outskirts of Austin (for a unpleasant number of hours), where Gurubachan was able to meet us for a nice stroll and dinner. I think the green foliage and the waterfall was just what we needed to cool us down (in more ways than one).

Papaji and Sukhprem

2009-08-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

Like papa like son. Two great smiles!

Dinner on the Plaza

2009-07-30T07:47:00.001-07:00

Noor and I love to go down to the Santa Fe Plaza during the evenings when they have free music at the bandstand. Yesterday we decided to meet up with David and Alina and have dinner at the San Francisco Bar and Grill before the performance. I always know that David will have a vegie burger but he does it way different than anyone I know. He gets it with green chili, cheese, and BACON. Okay, he's not a vegetarian but he does love his vegie burgers. Go figure!

You go, David!

Colors of Summer

2009-07-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

These were the last pots I planted for the season, with cool weather perennials.

We tried a south facing wall for the morning glories this year and they did really well!

The keeper of the garden, Ms. Pluma, standing guard at the asters.

The glads are in all their glory.

Valley Girl meets Summer Solstice

2009-07-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

Summer Solstice in NM

2009-07-15T21:02:00.001-07:00

We missed quite a bit of Solstice this year because we decided not to drive up on the rainy Saturday for Peace Prayer day and Noor was suffering severe tendonitis and couldn't do Tantric. We did make it to Sunday Gurdwara and the Ransabi, so got a little taste of the Solstice spirit.

One of the highlights of Solstice was getting to spend time with Amar and Sahib Amar who have been longtime friends of mine from the very early days in 3HO. They came for the first night before going up to Solstice and then two days when they returned. They're a lot of fun!

Sukh Prem at his first Solstice with Uncle Sarb Sarang Singh.

Noor and GMK in California

2009-07-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

Celebrated my Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary in Ridgecrest, CA. All my sisters, several cousin's and husbands, nieces and nephew, and friend and distant aunt were all present.

Sukhprem and his brother

2009-06-06T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ravijit and Sukhprem just looking to cute for words.

I see a smile coming!

Sukhprem trying to keep an eye on me wherever I went in the room

Oregon Trip 2009

2009-05-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

It was a trip to celebrate sister Elena's 50th birthday and Noor's and mine 5th wedding anniversary. We started our trip in Cannon Beach and celebrated with Elena, sisters and friends.

The next day after a hike in Ecola Beach we proceeded down the coast on our way to Yachats. We stopped at this beautiful beach somewhere near Newport.

I'm not sure if this was Devil's Punchbowl but it definitely had a lot of high waves splashing against the rocks.

Noor checked out the view near Heceta Head Lighthouse. After a short stop to look at the sea lions we headed east from Florence to visit my ex-in-laws in Eugene.

We stayed the night at Bob and Norma's on their 3 acres of forested land just outside of Eugene proper.

We visited the rhododendron gardens in Eugene.

I'm holding a sign that was attached to the tree that says "no hanging from this branch."

Visiting the grandkids in ABQ

2009-05-09T08:02:00.001-07:00

Jodhan giving me a great smile before eating his pizza dinner.

A coy Vela not so sure about me taking her picture.

Grandpa Noor with Vela and Jodhan.

Jodhan showing us how to eat an ice cream cone in his marching hat.

Rainy Baisakhi - Espanola Nagar Kirtan

2009-04-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

It was a rainy day this Baisakhi, but it didn't dampen our spirits. The sangat was still excited to follow the Guru (inside a car) with the Panj Piare down Shady Lane from the Ranch, perform gatka and sing the Guru hymns all the way to the Gurdwara.

Sita and an unidentified friend took shelter under colorful umbrellas.

Guruprakash Singh and Siri Dyal Kaur sparred in front of the procession

The Gurdwara with packed to its fullest with sangat members.

Amrit Singh enjoyed some one and one time with Dharam Inder Singh at langar.

More pics of the Grand Canyon

2009-04-05T09:33:00.001-07:00

We just received another disks of photos from Michael, one of Noor's hiking buddies. The following are some of my favorite pics.

Checking the map...now where are we?

The river was so muddy this year they couldn't filter water out of it to drink.

But they enjoyed beautiful arches...

...and tranquil waters.

If you look closely, you can see Noor scrambling up the side of the rocks.

It was so steep in some places they had to repel down. Fortunately Noor is a good rock climber and showed the others how it is done.

He's also the master of a good nap.

The group counts on him for great dinners as well. Here he is busy putting something good together.

March snow - 3/27/09

2009-04-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a little late in getting this post up but I wanted to remember this heavy snow we had. Seems we always get big snowfall in March. We were pretty surprised to wake up last Friday morning to 6 inches of snow!

The branches were so heavily laden with snow that some snapped and fell to the ground.

These icicles weighed down the honeysuckle bush which was already showing new spring growth. Good thing is that everything usually melts within a day or so.

Noor returns from the Grand Canyon

2009-03-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Mountaineers returned today after a week backpacking in the Grand Canyon. Noor gave me a run down on the trip and it sounds like it was a good trip but a very hard hike. It was hot and dry in the canyon and the hike included carrying a lot of water on their backs and repelling down some ledges that were very steep.

This is where they began their ascent through the Red Wall.

On their way to the Royal Arch they came upon a group camping

Sukhprem Singh

2009-03-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

My latest grandson was born February 18, 2009 at 10:50 pm in Espanola. His name means embodiment of peace and love. Wahe Guru!

Saturday Pancake Breakfast

2009-02-05T08:34:00.000-08:00

Well I told everyone that as soon as I felt recovered enough from my elbow surgery I would have a pancake breakfast. So, last Saturday that's exactly what we did. The menu included buttermilk pancakes with blueberries, fresh maple syrup from Vermont, scrambled tofu with red and green peppers, hash browns with green chili and yogi tea.

Manjit was the chief pancake maker along with Gurbani. She also made us some spelt pancakes for those who couldn't eat wheat.

Harbogind, Hari, Sita and Guruprakash definitely got their fill of some good grub.

Sun in Aquarius

2009-01-22T05:26:00.000-08:00

Gosh! It's already the end of January and haven't made an entry since December 31st. I guess between doing a lot of physical therapy and getting back into the swing of regular life I've been busy. Still working on getting my range of motion back in my left arm since the elbow replacement. It's been over two months but the doctor says its should return. Up to almost a 90 degree bend in the elbow now but still unable to do my own hair and turban properly and wear my contacts. (Can't quite reach my face yet) Keeps me humble!

Ravijit in control

2008-12-31T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ravijit testing out his skills in remote control. I think he's a natural!

Checking out the snow

2008-12-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

Snow Dining

2008-12-16T19:54:00.001-08:00

We got 12" of snow yesterday. Anyone for a snow cone?

My Sister, Laura, the Electrician

2008-12-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of my older sister, Laura. She was the Feature Story on IBEWHOURPOWER.com. It is a story about her work teaching at the California Rehabiliation Center at Norco CA. When you click on the link below you'll get to a directory where you should select, "Teaching at Norco."

http://ftp.datausa.com/oswego/IBEWHourPower/Norco/

Lazy Day

2008-11-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

Pluma always takes advantage of a grey day by having lots of cat naps. Looks like Thanksgiving is going to be that kind of day.

New Elbow

2008-11-23T09:45:00.000-08:00

Amazingly, on November 13th I had my left elbow replaced. Science has advanced so much that now you can get almost any joint in your body replaced. My elbow joint had been destroyed by the destructive affects of rheumatoid arthritis. Although ten days after surgery I'm not able to bend it very much, my doctor expects me to regain full range of motion.

Hazur Sahib

2008-11-02T13:16:00.001-08:00

I'm posting some pictures that Sat Sundri Kaur took on her travels in India.

Just for Laughs

2008-10-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

Just thought this was a great pic. It made me think, when you have something stopping you or getting in your way there is always a way to deal with it. I think these dogs figured it out!

Golden glory

2008-10-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

Gurudharm and I made a trip up to the SF National Forest to check out the changing leaves and she got some great pictures.

This was a great shot from the rear view mirror of my car.

This was a great place to come to relax and reflect.

Guru Ram Das Birthday - October 9th

2008-09-29T21:06:00.000-07:00

It will be Guru Ram Das' Birthday in 9 days and we have meditations every night in the homes of sangat members until the actual day. Its a fun time to get together with our neighbors, do a little meditating, eat some good food and enjoy the company of others. The painting above was done by Sewa Singh Khalsa.

Fall is coming

2008-09-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Fall is starting to make its appearance with cool mornings and early evening breezes. The flowers are making a final burst of blossoms and the last of the vegetables are now being harvested. Its always hard to make the transition from outside activities to inside projects and put the garden to bed for the winter.

Colorado Weekend

2008-09-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

This last Labor Day we decided to spend the weekend in Pagosa Springs, CO with three other couples in a very nice house we rented. They had all come for the annual Bluegrass Concert but we were more inclined to continue our drive up to Durango. We spent a glorious day on Saturday meandering around the downtown shops until we couldn't stand the sound of motorcycles anymore (It was a biker run that weekend) and headed up the mountain for a nice hike by Andrews Lake above the Durango Mt. ski area.

The next day we all decided to head out on a hike on Piedra Road in Pagosa despite the fact it had rained during the night and was threatening to rain again in the immediate future.

Here's Sat Want doing some tree hugging.

Manjit caught a shot of the two of us.

The last day of our trip is turned out to be a wonderful sunny day, we took a long dip in the hot springs in Pagosa, grabbed a sandwich and headed home.

Celebrating Yogi Bhajan's Legacy

2008-08-25T11:12:00.001-07:00

Siri Singh Sahib's birthday party always marks the end of summer and it keeps us from feeling a little sad that all the summer activities are over. After spending nearly 4 hours decorating the tables that morning, it was great to sit down to a good dinner and fun entertainment with a couple hundred other people.

My daughter-in-law, Guruprakash, and Sukhmani Kaur (Sat Bachan's daughter) enjoying a moment during the party.

That's me, under the bright lights in my shinniest silk outfit.

Praying in the Garden

2008-08-21T19:12:00.000-07:00

This little praying mantis found a perfect place to do his "preying."

Our praying and a bit of TLC gave us a pretty good harvest of green beans, cherry tomatoes and jalapenos.

Nosotros

2008-08-15T20:30:00.001-07:00

When I read the new 3HO Newsletter and Bhajan talked about keeping a fun journal, I thought that was a great idea. So here is my first entry for my journal. We went listen to free music on the Santa Fe Plaza last night and we heard Nosotros. They were great and everyone was dancing. Here's a video of some of there music.

Here Comes the Sun (flower)

2008-08-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

My neighbor planted sunflowers and now I have these beautiful majestic flowers peering over the wall to greet me with a beautiful yellow face.

August Glory

2008-08-04T21:20:00.000-07:00

The garden is finally starting to look good. The vegetables are doing well except for nibbles from the grasshoppers.

The flowers make their greatest show right about now and then they seem to fade too quickly. These Shasta daisy were so beautiful when I took this picture 2 weeks ago and now they have faded.

This swallowtail was enormous. Can't really tell in this picture but he was about 5" in length.

Bandelier

2008-07-27T14:08:00.001-07:00

My friend Maureen and her son, Holden, came to Santa Fe to visit her sister, Barbara a couple weekends ago. We had the good fortune to pick a perfect day for a hike in Bandelier National Forest. I hadn't been for a good 4 years, so it was a nice treat.

Parts of the hike took us through some beautiful thick green vegetation.

Noor really enjoyed hiking with Holden because he had so much energy and was really ready to take "the road less traveled" (meaning off the marked trail).

Here's Maureen with her son, who couldn't resist sticking out his tongue at the camera.

This is a shot of the spectacular falls we hiked the 1.5 miles to see. Pretty impressive for a high desert.

July Garden

2008-07-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

The hot summer sun and the afternoon showers have finally popped the garden into a growing streak. This unidentified squash made its appearance voluntarilly and is doing wonderful so we will see what it bears.

The pink enchinaceas are taking over the herbal section of the garden and I couldn't be happier.

The gladiolas are making a beautiful showing, as well, and as long as the grasshoppers don't find them I think we'll get to enjoy them for a few more weeks.

Canyon Road - Santa Fe

2008-07-14T20:29:00.000-07:00

We spent the whole day Saturday in Santa Fe; took Guru Dharam Kaur to lunch at Chocolate Maven and then a leisurely walk up Canyon Road to see the galleries.

One of the great things about Canyon Road is they have some of the prettiest gardens in Santa Fe.

Guru Dharam and I posing with the sculptures.

July Garden

2008-07-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

This season has had its fill of challenges even for the best gardeners. We've had non-stop wind, several hail storms (the latest was last week) and a crop of grasshoppers that won't stop. Anyway, I'm just appreciating a few things that haven't been destroyed. The first are these amazing "Easter Lilies" that I've planted in my garden over the last several years and they just seem to thrive and bloom right about the same time as the Summer Solstice rolls around.

The one vegetable that's doing really well is the eggplant. I guess the grasshoppers don't like it.

This lavender and some native yellow flower I can't remember have survived through everything quite well.

And of course, my garden is never complete without the sweet smelling petunias which the grasshopper don't seem to have a taste for either.

"End of Solstice" Gurdwara

2008-06-30T19:32:00.001-07:00

Here I am with my friend Sat Nam Kaur (Trinidad) who had spent some time helping at the Ranch with the many guests that had arrived for the summer solstice.

I got a moment to make a connection with Guru Singh, who besides being a fabulous musician, has developed a great lecture series on his blog site. Check it out at www.gurusingh.com

It was "good bye" to my dear friend, Dharma Kaur, who is returning to Bolivia to be with her daughter and to resume teaching Kundalini in South America.

Yes, that's Mr. Sikhnet himself! I decided it was time someone took a picture of him and posted it on their blog!

Peace Prayer Day, 2008

2008-06-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Well it was another glorious Peace Prayer Day in New Mexico. Below you will see a few of the pictures I captured from the celebration. It was an unusual day because it rained and thundered and I was actually cold during parts of the day. Normally it's extremely hot and sunny! God gave us a break!

Oregon Coast

2008-06-03T20:49:00.000-07:00

Traveled up to Aloha, Oregon to visit my sister Elena's new home where we were joined by my two other sisters and their husbands who flew up the next day.

We always do a "spa thing" when we get together and here we are after our massages, facials, etc.

Elena took us to a great falls with a 600 ft. drop. A cute moment with Laura and Zoe posed against the falls.

She also took us to some beautiful rhododendron gardens in Portland. Here's Elena and I posing against a deep magenta rodie.

Also got a chance to catch up with my ex-in-laws on their forested 5 acre property in Eugene.

We then drove up part of the Oregon coast on our way back to Portland. And although it was pretty rainy and foggy all the way up, it was still quite gorgeous!

Then it was home again to warm sunny New Mexico!

New House in La Mesilla

2008-05-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

This is Guru Darbar and Guruprakash's new house in La Mesilla. We are so happy they found this house and negotiated such a good deal for it. They are just across the highway from us (less than five minutes) and have some friends on neighboring streets.

The backyard is very large (the property is 1 acre) is irrigated and has many fruit and shade trees.

The dining room has a sliding glass door to the outside covered patio and a good view of their backyard.

The living room is open to the dining room and kitchen. Very bright and empty (right now).

The kitchen has a pleasant layout and is open to the dining room. They just bought a new frigerator and dishwasher, too.

This is the master bedroom. The curtains were already there when they bought the place. Nice.

Beethoven Symphony No. 9 : Part 1 - Karajan

2008-05-12T17:05:00.001-07:00

Attended a free concert by the Santa Fe Community Orchestra at the Santa Fe Opera House and was really dissapointed by their rendition of Beethoven's Ninth. I felt that I had to go online to see what it really should of sounded like, thus this video.

More Baisakhi Day pictures

2008-04-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

It was an enchanted day with beautiful sunlight falling on the Jaloose as they headed towards the Gurdwara

Guru Sadhana and Siri Sundri relaxing outside the Gurdwara

Prabhu and Hari Singh lead the sangat in a very rousing and uplifting kirtan.

Baisakhi Day 2008

2008-04-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

March Grand Canyon Trip

2008-04-07T17:07:00.000-07:00

Noor setting off on his hike down to the Grand Canyon. He just missed a huge storm on the highway, thank goodness.

One gorgeous view of the canyon.

Noor always cooks on the hikes because everyone loves his cooking!

Noor & Stuffed Animals

2008-04-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a post that should lighten everybody up. My darling sleeping husband with the grandbaby's stuffed animals. Pretty darn cute, if you ask me!

Dancing Bhangra with Ravi

2008-03-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

Last week I taught a great set out of the Kundalini Yoga Manual by Shakta Kaur for the heart, shoulders and general circulation. One of the exercises in this set includes 6 minutes of dancing. We used a bhangra CD and incorporated steps from Ravi's Bhangra DVD which is now available from Spirit Voyage. It was a blast! Everyone really enjoyed it and I plan to teach that kriya again, soon.

Snow in March

2008-03-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

Winter is never really completely over until sometime in April or May in New Mexico. We had a big snow storm the second day of March and this is what it looked like!

Pluma is a real snow cat. Must of been a snow leopard in her last life.

Japanese Festival in Santa Fe

2008-03-01T16:56:00.000-08:00

We headed out to the annual Japanese Festival in Santa Fe early this morning and were pleasantly surprised with an array of activity. First we ate some yummy tofu udon and carmelized walnuts. We also viewed some very interesting Japanese dancing and found out one of the "women" dancing was really a man. We missed the Taiko Drumming which Noor had really wanted to see. Then we bumped into several friends from Santa Fe and chatted for a long time. Noor managed to drag me away to a sumi-e painting demonstration (which I thought he said "sumi wrestling ) and an origami lesson. Then we bought a few ceramic pieces and ate some more udon and decided to call it a day. This painting was created by the artist William Preston, who gave the painting demonstration. We found out he lives right here in Pojoaque, just 15 minutes from our home.

A Cat with Attitude

2008-02-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

How do you like that look?

Beautiful Sunset

2008-02-14T19:55:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder of the artistry of our creator.

Another glorious sunset in New Mexico.

Snow

2008-02-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

I guess the thing I love about New Mexico is even when we get a good snowfall, when the sun comes out and shines on the snow with a blue sky in the background, it is so magnificent that you forget about any inconvenience it might create. We had a wonderful snowfall sometime last week and I was enthralled with the beautiful texture it created over the arroyo landscape.

Even Pluma was thrilled with all the snow.

You can tell the number of inches we received by the stacks of snow on the flower pots.

Mom and Dad's Birthday Picture

2008-02-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

Well I got to say, my mother looks terrific at 80 as she did at 60 and probably will at 100!

More birthday pics

2008-02-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

Well I really meant to post more pictures of Mom and Dad's birthday party, but work had taken priority and I had to put it on the back burner. Here are a few more choice pics. These were taken at breakfast at Sear's in San Francisco which is a real breakfast hot spot. The line was almost to the corner. However, I think its the history of this place and not the food that made it famous.

Everyone at breakfast the day after the party.

Got a nice shot of my sister Elena and Zoe.

Captured a nice snap of my cousin, Marla and her husband, Rick, beside a sleepy Zoe.

Mom and Dad's Birthday Party

2008-01-25T20:12:00.001-08:00

The party was a great success thanks to my niece, Ananda. The parents thoroughly enjoyed the evening and are now cruising the Hawaiian islands for a week before exploring Kauaii for 10 days. My cousin's husband took this great pic of all of us sisters. I did a little photoshopping to bring out the colors a bit more.

Dreaming of Hawaii

2008-01-08T16:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know it's shameful but I'm already dreaming of warmer weather and its only the first week of January! I guess its going to be a long winter! (These are pictures from Hawaii three years ago when Noor and I were on our honeymoon. Yes, that's Noor strolling along a beautiful white sands beach and me with a flower we found on the ground in the botanical gardens.)

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T19:01:00.000-08:00

Well, the new year was brought in with a visit from a roadrunner bird. I can't say that I've seen a roadrunner in the 30+ years I've lived in New Mexico and now this is the 3rd siting I've had in the last 12 months. They must be hungry or something. He wasn't even afraid of the cat.

Here's a close-up of the roadrunner.