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13/11/09

Visit to the Memory Stick Town!

Kingston is a name that I have heard only in reference to memory sticks or thumb drives, or USB drives or Pen drives as the janta calls them... an opportunity to visit the place with that name had a different sort of excitement for me... I was feeling very similar when I went to Cherokee too!!!

An evening flight to Detroit and a connection to Syracuse and a 2.5 hours drive to Kingston later I was in the city last saturday! Thankfully the weather was bright and sunny throughout and was warm enough to roam around in a sweatshirt!!!

Kingston has nothing to do with the brand, I guess, and there is not much you can do in the town... You can be in Jail, it has a biiiig correction centre, or you could be in the Queens University, or you could be working in one of the local market places in the city! Pretty laid back, and a relaxed place to be in, with its own set of excitements too I am sure!

The rest below, along with the pictures...

The change of driver pit-stop some 20 miles before the US-Canadian Border. I was driving Jas's Shwanda so far!!! I love that white car... it is so similar to my palio!


We reached Jas's new apartment late afternoon, and after some amazing Chai, with chips and Bananabread Cake, went to the downtown to walk around the place...


There is something very very attractive about old stone buildings with veins all over them. In summers the entire walls can be hidden behind the leaves, but because of this being fall time, there were only veins and some last few leaves... and the red of the leaves against the grey of the walls made a very beautiful sight!


And then we walked towards the downtown...


Being a Saturday here was a farmer's market. Most farmer's markets in the US and Canada sell fresh produce from the farms, Jewelery, Handmade Soaps and other handmade stuff... We bought some dry flowers from Diane (the picture below). Mostly I was attracted to the Dodge Van she had and then noticed the flowers too! It was a 1978 Dodge rescue van, and Diane did mention her fondness for the vehicle in the few minutes of conversation we had with her.


While walking past the city hall, we heard some nice music and thought was it was coming from some speakers in a restaurant, but later realised that it was band of 3 young boys who were playing their songs in a small arrangement. We also picked up a few maple leaves of different colors to make some artwork at Jas's apartment with the leaves!


While walking back, I noticed this shop selling interesting stuff and had a very interesting board outside... They had a shower gel dispenser in the shape of a nose :P, and fart candies, and masks, and puzzles, and riddles and what not... I also bought a small puzzle myself and have been trying to figure out what to do with it for a while now :/


Leaves in Kingston had these strange black dots on them... and only those leaves which had the fall colors. Not sure why, but it was both spooky and interesting to notice! Like the mark of death, as Jas's colleague Al says!

I also saw one of the best beautiful sunsets in a very long time at the Lake Ontario that evening!!!


We finally called it a day as it was dark and getting real cold! Came back home, had some mind blowing dinner (Thanks Jas!!!!), saw Step Brothers and crashed! It was a nice day!

The next day we had to leave Kingston by 1 to catch my flight back... and because I woke up pretty late, there was not much we could do... So we hung around the apartment, while I took a few photographs...


The drive between Kingston and Syracuse has two interesting things, the border, and two very beautiful bridges over Lake Ontario through a place called 1000 Islands! yes... I was excited to be passing through this place, after knowing the 1000 Islands dressing for a long time! Its like I am seeing things which I have known only as objects so far! Its a feeling that I cannot express...

My flight from Syracuse was delayed by an hour, and that made me miss my connection to Milwaukee. I enjoyed my complimentary stay in Holiday Inn, Newark that night, and took the first flight out on Monday. Though I had to wake up at 4:30 in the morning, I was still ok.

In short, this weekend turned out to be very relaxed, de-stressing and refreshing.

One more to the list of memorable trips I have made! Thank you Jas! thank you Uncle!

And I almost forgot... last weekend was the first time, I signed some of my work! A huge moment of satisfaction for me as a photographer!!!!

and today, Jas gave Diane two prints as well!!! :) I am glad!


Life is Good!!!!

17 comments:

  1. What a lovely set of photographs and nicely written post :)

    my fav pic from the post is the one with window, veins and red leaves. It's LOVELY, LOVELY, LOVELY!


    Life is good and it will only get better. Amen :)

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  2. Nicey - with your four exclamation marks! :D

    The photos are pretty, and the trip sounds good. And as long as life's good, nothing else matters anyway. Haina? :)

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  3. @ Swati
    thanks !!!!


    @ Richa
    :)

    thanks Richa! and yes, nothing else matters!

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  4. No way - i thought i already had your signed work, Murari!

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  5. 'n like Rhapsody totally loved the window -veins-red leave picture. totally surreal. I envy you Murari for being able to see these fall-hues first hand!

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  6. did i spot some hummus and pita chips....yummy....

    photos....lovely, i particularly liked the 1st image of the avenue of trees....

    diane has a such a beautiful, serene and kind face...that is a lovely photo of a photo in a photo...

    yes, indeed your uncle is very kind...and makes you meet and make friends...everywhere you go... :)

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  7. @ Baandri
    yea, Janeyu is signed by me too!!! you are right!!!

    Wo experience thoda sa alag thaa, because I had to sign the mount even before the image was attached to it and never saw the final work!!! to signed, framed print dekhne ka pehle experience thaa ye !!!

    and i envy you too for a few things :) ahcha hai na! world mein balance bana rahega!!!

    @ Joy
    haan you did... aapko bhi pata hai wo!!! main hi anpad hoon bas! :/

    Jas tells me she was glad to get the prints!

    and yes Uncle is kind!!! very!!!

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  8. one person can not know everything na......aap hi no to likha hai balance...kuch aapko pata hai...aaur kuch aaron ko...

    it is a food fad....kaal kuch aaur hoga......no big deal...it is just lebanes chappati ke chotte chotte piece, roasted or fried...hummus is purreed channe aur til ki paste....

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  9. I am glad that you had a relaxing time.

    Its funny that I didn't even for once think of Kingston memory sticks!

    Yeah not much to do around here, but it is so easy to be out of Kingston. Ottawa is at 2h drive, Toronto at about 2 and a half and Montreal is3 h away! The border is just 1/2 h drive, which is awesome and NYC and NJ only a little over 6h!

    Come summer time people sail a lot and follow a zillion other water sports. Wolfe Island is one of the largest islands of the 1000 islands and is only a 20 min ride away. It has numerous wind turbines which can easily fulfill the electric needs of Kingston. There is a lot of beach, and one can run or bike along the numerous trails both in Kingston and the Wolfe Island. and from Wolfe Island one can take a ferry to Cape Vincent, NY and cross the border there, much faster that way and you save the mileage on your car!

    There is not much Industry in this city and as such is not affected by either boom or recession. Its predominantly white and the only cultural diversity is brought about by the students who go to school at The Queens University. The university, hospital, government and the correctional services are the largest employers.

    There is a huge penitentiary, a jail if you will, that looks like Disney land from the outside (such a beautiful building, but it isn't.

    Kingston was originally the Capital of Canada but the headquarters were then moved to Ottawa fearing attacks since it was so lose to the waterfront. later, it did get attacked and destroyed as expected, but the enemy was not privy to that information!

    A very quaint, small city! Lovely no doubt.

    And Diane was delighted to get the prints of those pictures, and had asked me to convey her thanks and best wishes to you.

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  10. And I forgot, the photos are awesome!
    :)

    I especially like the Ganesh ji pictures! :)

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  11. You are a nice person, you deserve every bit of it..
    And te pictures, like always are awesome :)

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  12. jas - you rose to the defense of kingston so admirably, and have painted sucha lovely picture....that you may have a whole bunch of visitiors from ckd....arriving to visit you in the summers, beware ;p

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  13. @ Joy
    wo baat to hai ji... shukriya!


    @ Jas
    I did have a very relaxing time... I like it when I am in no hurry to reach anywhere...

    and thank you so much for that detail about Kingston... it really helps appreciate the place more!

    Also, J's comment about you rising to the defence of Kingston made me realise that I might have offended you by writing what I did or did not about Kingston. Wanted to clarify that in no means, I was writing off the town as a non-happening or good place. I loved whatever I saw and experienced!!! Sincere apologies if you felt offended and wrote the details in defence of the town!

    @ Sam
    I just get to meet very nice people :) makes me feel the world is a great place to be in!

    thank you :)

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  14. oh..i was only being playful....

    deeply regretful if i ruffled any feathers....was not my intention at all...

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  15. J and PB, you guys are crazy, no ruffled feathers and and no offense taken. And I wrote all that so the Chai Ki Dukaan visitors could know a bit more about the place! :)

    And J I would love to have you come visit! :)

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  16. @ J
    par you made me realise that I might have understated... no worries!!!!

    @ Jas
    oh... phir theek hai!!!!

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  17. Aisa lag raha hai..asli mein ghoom liya sab kuch!!
    Thanks for the details to you and Jas!!

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