"Can you hear me now?"

One of "B's" aunties (pinni) gave her a toy cell phone.




It wasn't long before she was ready for the real thing, seen here yakking away on Thathayya's (grandpa's) unit.

Breakfast of champions

Early morning menu: chapati, potato curry, and musk melon....

Digging in!

No buckets for baths?

Use a pot!

Cricket is chirping!

World Cup fever has gripped India! Not in soccer, mind you....but in cricket. Since our arrival, the local paper's sports section has been chock full of previews, tributes, opinions, stats, and articles to this sport beloved by many here. Really...it's the only game I've seen played recreationally around here, be it in a schoolyard, park, beach, empty lot, or just down the street (interest stoked in no small part to India making it to the previous World Cup final). "L" and Mom have been scouring for TV broadcast times. Seems I'd better bone up on my knowledge of cricket quick, if I want to be a part of the excitement...

Connected!

Hooray! My remote access to work just got re-connected! Was getting a little worried there. Evidently, my former officemate's furniture and computer were moved out prior to the weekend. But the movers were too efficient, unplugging and removing a network hub connecting ALL the computers in our room to the network, including mine. Our trusty I.T. folks replaced the hub a few hours ago, so now I'm back in biz.

Bath in a bucket

I mentioned 2 years ago how we take baths here. With "B", however, we don't scoop water out of a bucket and pour it on her....we put her right IN the bucket!

Looks refreshing, doesn't it? I envy our little oompah. With temps hitting the high 90's daily, what I'd give for a bucket big enough for ME to soak in!

Seen during a stroll around our neighborhood...

...buffaloes grazing...


...pigs crossing...


...smoke rising...

Thanks, Technology!

Without it, we wouldn't have been able to stay in India as long as we are. My job provides remote access to my computers back in Seattle via the Internet (i.e. no 3rd-party software like PCAnywhere to install), which allows me to work from here, or anywhere with Internet access, for that matter. Who would've thunk this ten years ago? So far this past week, it's worked out quite well...much better than I expected, despite locally-scheduled brownouts from 8am-10am. My in-laws set up a broadband-connected computer just 6 feet from our bed, so my "commute" is shorter than it's ever been.

Right now, however, something's amiss. Not on the India side, but rather on the Seattle side....both my computers are "offline", meaning they've likely been powered down for some reason. I'm guessing it may have something to do with major remodeling my employer is doing near my office. I've emailed them to look into it....hoping they'll come back online soon....

Berachah

We attended Berachah House of Worship this morning. We'd been here before in our last trip. One sad difference this time around was the absence of the pastor, who'd passed away suddenly more than a year ago. Despite this tragic loss, the church seemed as vibrant as before. Dad gave two sermons, talking about the suffering of Christ. As with last time, we took communion.

Folks continued to be taken by "B", some even taking cell phone pix of her. She even became a greeter of sorts, shaking hands with as many worshippers as your average pastor!

After church, we stopped by a nearby cart vendor to feast on some coconuts. The pulp in the juice clogged "B's" bottle, so she didn't savor much of it....

...but she did get to enjoy some delicious coconut meat. Yum!

"B" the "thief"

"B" is really becoming a "thief" of sorts....she's stealing hearts and attention! For example, we had a couples' Bible study this evening. "B" stumbled out from her nap into the middle of the study. Eyes followed her. After the study, a lot of people wanted to hold her. She willingly let them, which made her all the more endearing. It's so fun to see her interact and adapt to life in India. People have asked me whether it's worth bringing her so far if she won't remember anything about her time here. I tell them that our trip isn't so much for "B" as it is for our relatives and friends here in India. I'm really glad we came this far to share her with everyone...she brings smiles to a lot of faces. She doesn't take long to warm up with new people. Even with animals...one family we visited today owned an energetic dog (remember Cushy?)...."B" showed little fear of her. Lord willing, there'll be another time for us to return when she's old enough to have meaningful memories of her experiences.