Happy 4th of Jul… What the HECK!!!!

Posted on June 28, 2014 by rfljenksy

Initially we celebrated the 4th of July back in February. I know.. I know.. I really didn’t understand what was going on because.. well.. it was February. I had NEVER heard of celebrating our nation’s holiday five months ahead of time. Apparently there were good reasons for it. Though I can’t necessarily be convinced.

In essence, we celebrate the 4th of July to honor the adoption of the declaration of independence. We claimed independence from Britain on July 4, 1776 and lo and behold Democracy was born. We take this time to celebrate that event by eating hotdogs and hamburgers with our family and friends or even just groups of random people. There are usually fireworks, popcorn, and children running wild. So in honor of this great tradition, we commenced celebrating our 2nd fourth of July for the year.

It started out so normal….

The singing of our national anthem and the raising of our flag…

Next came the food.. apparently not delicious but still fairly normal..

Is that a.. piece of chicken or pork or ???

Oh and who doesn’t like a little popcorn, ice cream and ..uh.. tarot reading..

Yes, there were kids.. not necessarily running amok.. but there were kids.. docile kids standing in a line.. waiting to have their faces painted. A huge contrast to my own childhood.

There were ponies, face painting, nail art and henna tattoos, pottery making and cotton candies.. yeah you heard me, more than just one..

more than one

Oooohhh yeah.. carnival rides.. that’ll be fun..

Looks good

very sad girl who only wanted a push..

and then…

well..

Then it got a little weird.. strange there wasn’t a line..

Apparently "sitting in a chair with a man on a ladder ready to pour a bucket of water on your head was a little too long for the sign"

Apparently “sit in a chair with a man on a ladder ready to pour a bucket of water on your head” was a little too long for the sign”

And then just plain frightening.. There was a clown.. JUST ONE!!!! Maybe if there had been a couple of them.. or they were dancing in a line or juggling.. maybe it wouldn’t have been so frightening.. OHHH SOOOO VERY FRIGHTENING.. I know of at least one baby who cried and two grown boys who were terrified. They tried to act like they weren’t but they were. Every where I looked there he was// or she was// or it was!!!!! In retrospect.. I suppose I WAS only looking at the cotton candies.. I mean.. I really wanted some but that clown wouldn’t leave.. I eventually had a child bring me one.

Lucky for me.. right before I left.. I was able to see something to remember exactly why I was there..

Happy 4th everyone!!

In response to the daily wordpress challenge I now present to you other posts showing contrasts that I enjoyed:

Golden Wheat

Posted on June 22, 2014 by rfljenksy

When the days get long and and the road is dusty it’s just nice to get out of the hectic city and hike in the countryside. Here’s to a fresh new week.

“Follow your inner moonlight; don’t hide the madness.” – Allen Ginsberg

Travel theme: Fresh

Fresh as the Mountain Air – The road to and from Nagarkot

Posted on June 22, 2014 by rfljenksy

Ailsa’s Challenge this week was to produce a post that embodied Fresh.

This was our goal – Another trip to Nagarkot. I’ve written about this location in at least 2 past posts so I won’t bother with the details or history of the place. A group of friends and I have decided that once a month we would escape from the valley hustle, bustle and pollution and partake in some fresh mountain air and wine. One as good as the other. The views of the Himalayas from Nagarkot are the most splendid you can find less than one hour from Kathmandu. This was our goal.

Not my photo

Yes, this was our goal.. if you cruise back to my last Nagarkot posts you will see that this is not the view we had. But we are an optimistic lot and fully expected the best. Always high hopes.

First however, we had to get there and then after was the return. It was a long drive. Over an hour to get there and over two and a half to return. The roads were a bit hairy, small, torn up and people and cows everywhere. But we had the dream of seeing those glorious mountains… AND fresh, clean air.

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As I’m guessing you can imagine, our view was not majestic. It was beautiful in its own way, but definitely not like the photos. It was fresh though and perfect for what we had in mine.

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Even though we didn’t get to see amazing mountain vistas. We did get to enjoy the fresh mountain air. Despite the rainy skies (it is monsoon season by the way) we still had a fantastic time. It’s always fresh and fun with a good group of people. Thanks guys.