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| Our good friend Govindharajan showed us a house for rent then decided to give us dinner at the Tantea guest house he built this last year. This was our first time seeing the house completed. It was really pretty, and the location and views are out of this world. |
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| I and Govindharajan |
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| As the sun went down and the air got colder, they built a fire in a brass vessel outside. It was my favorite part of the evening (except when the smoke came my way). Pictured are Govindharajan and Gopal by the fire. |
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| I tried to show you the view but failed. It is so gorgeous! |
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| We had such a wonderful evening, thanks to all of these gentlemen. The three men in the middle we grabbed as they were on their way home at the end of the day. They cheerfully (at least on the outside) turned their motorcycles around and cooked up a gracious and delicious meal for us. The gentleman in black in the middle actually stays at the guest house, sleeping on the floor in front of the door at night to shoo away the wild bison who roam into the yard. (I am not remembering their names, but will post them when I can get them.) |
That was Sunday, 26 June. On Saturday, 2 July, Govindharajan's youngest daughter, Apurva, came from Chennai to Coonoor to celebrate her 20th birthday with her father. She brought two college friends, Asha and Jyoti. So, Govindharajan surprised us by having dinner again out at the guest house. Happiness! I had never spent much time with Apurva and so did not know her well, so I was thrilled at the chance to spend some time with her. We had such a great time. The girls are so smart, interested in so many things, studying to be CPAs, very good dancers, very high energy. (They have all the pictures of our evening at the guest house, I'm afraid.)
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| The next day the girls (Asha, Jyoti, and Apurva) came by to say good bye en route to Coimbatore on their way back to Chennai. It is hard for me to express how much I loved having them in my home and how much I have learned to love Apurva, after all we are family. |
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| I, Apurva, Govindharajan, Gopal |
