24 May 2009, California

Michelle, Todd, Suzie, Dexter, Ramon, Sharon

On Sunday morning 24 May Suzie, Ramon, Dexter and I met my cousin Margeurite's daughter Michelle, my brother Todd and sister-in-law Sharon at The Ramp, that same bayside restaurant we had taken Margeurite and Michelle earlier. It was a good gabfest and good meal, and a good chance to see Todd, Sharon and Michelle before I left for India.

From breakfast, I went to lunch at Ishwar and Durga Sitaula's Here are Durga, Kiran, Vivek, and Pasupati all looking at photos on the laptop.


Ishwar, Lakshmi (the cook), Jasoda (Ishwar's mother), Hemanta

Jasoda, Carolyn

Jasoda, Muna, Lakshmi

After lunch, Jasoda invited me into the bedroom she shares with tenant Lakshmi so she could sneak me a little travel money for my journey as well as a can of mango juice. I adore her. Muna joined us, while poor Lacksmi was trying to change her clothes for the Nepali cultural event we were attending.

Muna (Krishna and Yamuna's mother), Laxmi (Tilak's mother), Jasoda (Ishwar's mother)
We are the grandmothers. That little gathering was wonderful for me.

Eventually, we went on to a Nepali cultural event at Laney College that lasted 5 hours. It was a wonderful, somewhat nationalistic show. I was so sick, it was hard to last 5 hours. I have to report though one of the performances was an extremely good Nepali singer, whose name I can't find. I kept the program but it didn't quite make it all the way to India, I guess.

Ishwar and Durga, my hosts, my friends

Govind

Manohara and the Nepali singer
(Does anyone know the singer's name?)

Beautiful Manohara, my friend, with whom I never got enough time

The Grandmas

By the end of this evening, I was so sick I cancelled everything I had scheduled before I left for India, I'm sorry to say. I cancelled lunch with Eliza Grace in Santa Rosa, walking with Erica, walking with Kim, lunch at Manohara's, etc. There were some truly good friends and some of my favorite people whom I never even called while I was in California. Time really got away from me. So many regrets, but so many great memories.