You're beautiful ..it's true - James Blunt

This weekend took me by surprise in more ways than one. I haven't entertained friends in ages.... the prehistoric era was in Hyderabad where we had established almost this steady transit system between Bangalore and Hyderabad. Is it something that has to do with your professional life ? :) Well Mincy came over last weekend all the way from California.

The two days seem so short a time to have fit in all that we did fit in. After picking her up from the airport, we managed to get back around 10:30 in the night. Then we made a quick tour of the rooftop view but there was hardly a night view to discern things. The next day we had plans to go hiking on Mt.Rainier with Nancy and Bob. You can see how beautiful Mt.Rainier is and how bad a computer person I am from the orientation of the pictures. But no picture could do justice to the colors of a snow capped dormant volcano, majestically towering and dominating the countryside. It is the home to many glaciers and almost each of them becomes a trail. The names are pretty and fittingly beatiful, Paradise trail, Wonderland...... we went on the Sunrise trail. And even though it was an easy hike, there was an elevation gain of some 1500 feet maybe, and as soon as that started, I started panting. I would have to stop every couple of steps. The trail curved through a green meadow and over gravelly rocks with a steep fall one side. But we made it to the Freemont lookout without incident. The lookout point commands a view of the Olympics, the steep green valleys and Mt.Rainier. However when we reached, the white whisks of clouds were just starting to become comfortable on the peaks of Mt.Rainier and hiding the view. The Olympics are an amazing mountain range and I am all eager to travel there soon.

We hiked around 8 miles on Saturday, and we covered some of the most picturesque lakes and views. Lake Tipsoo near Chinook pass, Frozen lake and Shadow lake..... I am holding my breath even while I am writing, just thinking about them. The lakes were an emerald green, and it was only later that you would realize that it was the color of the pines and conifers that it was actually reflecting. But that greenish blue mystical lake, hidden among tall christmas trees, and a white mountain were exactly what you would imagine to have just conjured up out of an Enid Blyton book. :)

Sunday we went adventure seeking... from para-sailing over Elliot Bay to kayaking in Lake Union, then shopping and hanging around in Pike place market, eating cheesecakes while sitting by the side of the bay in the olympic sculpture park and walking a little to the sweet rose-garden, and ending it with the Space Needle, a full moon which we first thought was the sun and dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a breathtaking weekend, if we had got time to catch out breaths that is. I had never imagined I would end up doing and enjoying so much.

I have so long seen Seattle through my eyes. Last weekend when I saw it through Mincy's eyes, and her joy and enthusiasm and spirit in wanting to settle in this city, I realized how lucky I was. Sometimes, it takes another pair of eyes to make you realize how lucky you are. And yes, I am in a little bit of heaven on earth , and in a little bit of corner on the face of th earth which I have made up to be home. And among all the colors and wonders of nature, these are the moments which take my breath away. I just wish I appreciated them more.


By the way the title of the post !!! is a song dedication to Seattle. :)))