India, Wasilla, work - I have hit that proverbial wall

To the 3.578 billion people out there who read my blog daily, you who hardly sleep at night because you are so excited to get up to see what I have posted that you can't even shut your eyes, let me say that I am perplexed. I am confused. I do not know how to proceed.

I just don't.

I am a perplexed, confused, man.

Anyway, here is a picture from India - a Hindu temple at a place called Hampi, which was a thriving city until Muslim invaders destroyed and ruined it in the 1600's, then left it to fall into the earth.

The temple did not fall, however. Much of Hampi did, and is now rising once again from the earth, but the temple stood tall through all the centuries that have since passed.

When I returned home, it was my plan to spend two weeks posting pictures and a narrative from my India trip. In that time, I planned to cover the entire experience. But here it is, two-and-a-half weeks later and I have not even finished my account of the first three days, including Sandy's wedding.

I have nearly two weeks of work beyond that wedding to cover, work that I shot over a fairly large swath of southern India and risked not only my own life but that of my beloved daughter to get.

You will see what I mean, if and when I get to the images that make the point.

I skimmed through the entire take the other day and was rather amazed at some of the images I spotted. For two weeks plus a day, I did pretty good, I think.

I have hardly even posted a hint of it, so far.

What is to become of all this India work? Will it just be buried, unseen, in my computer, as was my last trip to India? As is so much of what I shoot? Where do I find the time to edit, process and post it? Before it becomes ancient history?

Meanwhile, life is moving on in Wasilla. People need to know that the antics of our most famous citizen are not indicative of us all. Other than the short time I spend each day riding my bike and snapping pictures as I go, I am so overwhelmed that I cannot document this town, as I planned when I started the blog, as I promised to do. And in nine or ten days, I head north, to the Arctic Slope, where I plan to stay until late July.

So, what do I do?

I don't know.

My black cat knows what I should do.

He has a perfect understanding of everything.

I wish I were as wise as he.

Yet he can be very silly.

I think maybe I will eat some enchiladas.

I really love enchiladas.

Three cats on a shaded tin roof in Bangalore, India

I feel compelled to let readers know that, in addition to this blog, Grahamn Kracker is running a series of photos of Indian felines that Melanie and I met during our recent trip - most notably the three above. He fell way behind, but now he is getting caught up again.

You can follow that series right here.

Time to get Soundarya and Anil Married!

I fear that I have left Soundarya and Anil hanging out there in an unwed state in this blog for far too long. There is much, much, more ahead of them in this ceremony, but it is time for them to become wife and husband. So I am going to skip quickly through and hurry the process along.

"Hurry and get these two married, #1"

Hurry and get these two married, #2.

Hurry and get these two married, #3.

Hurry and get these two married, #4.

Hurry and get these two married, #5.

Hurry and get these two married, #6. (As you can see, they and their families are all now tied together as one.)

Hurry and get these two married, #7.

Hurry and get these two married, #8.

The sacred necklace that will bind them together.

And, for a brief, beautiful, moment, the videographer turns his spotlight off. It is good to get a good look at the necklace now, because after this it will almost always be hidden from sight, right next to Soundarya's heart.

Anil puts the necklace around Soundarya's neck.

As he ties the knot, the crowd begins to clap and cheer, and throw rice.

Please, click on this image so that you can see it a little bigger. It doesn't really work at this tiny blog size, but it is an important moment in the wedding.

Now they are wed, and will next stand in line to shake hands and then will pose for group pictures. But that doesn't mean its over. There is still much ceremony ahead. Perhaps I will put up another wedding post to sum up a little bit of that.

In the meantime, I must go for a bike ride, here, in Wasilla, Alaska, USA, with my pocket camera and post that.

Separated, they reach beyond the curtain and come together

With sister Sujitha at her side, Soundarya moves toward the curtain, held up by the fathers, that now separates her from Anil.

They are so close together, but they cannot see each other just yet.

The priest speaks to them.

Soundarya's mother is on her side on the curtain and is moving toward her.

Anil reaches over as Soundarya's mother stands close behind her.

He sprinkles rice down upon her. Her mother steps away.

The curtain no longer separates them. Her life will be with him, now, and his with her.

Soundarya pours rice upon her groom's head.

Those in attendance observe and photograph.

After the curtain ceremony, the bride and groom take their seats upon the wedding platform. They smile at each other.

After a long wait, Soundarya finally steps onto the wedding platform

As the ceremony covered in the previous post unfolded, I sometimes stepped back into the room were Soundarya was waiting to see what she was up to.

She was waiting, of course.

As for the moment drew near for her to step back out onto the wedding platform, Soundarya shared her joy with sister Sujitha.

Sujitha with Soundarya.

Soundarya steps into the floodlight and onto the wedding platform.

Her groom is hidden from her. She moves toward him.