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.

Moving on with the wedding - parents of the bride bring honor and gifts to the groom and his parents as they prepare to become one family

The wedding continues, but without the bride. She is in a back room, where she changes into a different saree, then waits for the moment when it will be time for her to come to the stage and go through the ceremonies that will unite her with the groom in marriage.

Again, my knowledge is limited. Again, I have spent more time wandering about the net looking for a good explanation of everything, but every Hindu wedding that I found that is somewhat explained varies in significant ways from this one, so I am reluctant to use those explanations here.

As always, if, at any time, someone from the family or wedding party wishes to add information and correct any misinformation that I might write here, I will work that information into this blog.

What was clear was that in this part of the ceremony, the parents of the bride were gifting and honoring the groom and his parents. They gave him gifts and washed his feet.

Soon, they would be one family. Here they are together, on the stage, at the beginning in one of those nice, but brief moments when the floodlight was turned off. There will be a few other such moments.

The floodlight comes back on, the ceremony continues.

Anil's father stand-in holds a flower over his head.

Parents of the bride.

There is much prayer and supplication throughout.

A flame is passed around. Here, the parents of the bride pass it to the father stand-in for the groom.

Father stand-in receives flame.

Parents of the bride present gifts to the groom.

They was his feet.

His mother-in-law to be marks his foot.

They bring him holy water.

The groom drinks the holy water.

Now everyone - especially the groom - is ready for the bride to re-enter.

I put my mind back into India - and to Wainwright, where Jason Ahmaogak and the Iceberg 14 Crew landed a whale today

This waking day, June 5, 2009, is now 21.5 hours long for me and I feel a little bit sleepy. I had planned to get back to blogging the wedding before I went to bed, but, instead, I think I will go to bed. But here is one image, just to put the mindset of this blog back in India, at the wedding.

Compared to a typical American wedding, which is simple and over with quickly, an Indian wedding is long and complex, so I have a challenge to figure out how to condense the huge amount of photos that I have left into something that can summarize it quickly. If I keep going as I have been going, I will still be blogging this next month, but I want to get it done soon, so I will sleep on it and try to figure it out tomorrow.

Remember Jason and the Wainwright Iceberg 14 whaling crew? 

They caught a bowhead whale today. Up until today, it had been an extremely tough season in Wainwright. Normally, it would have been over well before now, with about four or five whales landed, but the ice just did not cooperate. As recently as this morning, I received an email from a Wainwright friend, telling me that the ice was still closed.

As for Jason, he had left a message on facebook stating that he was not giving up, but would stay out there as long as possible.

Jason - you and all your family and crew have done honor to the memory of your great aapa and aaka (grandfather and grandmother). I feel so happy and proud, just to know you, to be a small part of your life.

A 21.5 hour day? Ha! I know this one will probably be a 48 hour day for you - maybe longer. And I know you will be smiling, loving every minute of it - so pleased that a whale gave you the honor of feeding your community. Wish I were with you.

See you at Nalukatak!

Float plane landing on Sarah Palin's lake, and other Wasilla scenes: will soon continue the India series

I am so ashamed of myself. This blog has nothing to do with our former Mayor, present governor and ambitious woman traipsing about the nation in preparation for 2012, but I figured if I put "Sarah Palin" in the title, someone might google her name and wind up on my blog.

Not only that, the lake the airplane above is landing on is not her lake at all; she just happens to live on it. It is called Lake Lucille and it belongs to all of us Alaskans - even to you who are not Alaskans.

But don't try to get on Lake Lucille by passing through Sarah Palin's yard.

I don't know if she has a mean dog, but if she does, it might bite you.

The picture was taken through my windshield as I drove down Lucille Street.

A fence and imitation well on Gail street. We have a well in our front yard, too, but it doesn't look like that. We don't have a fence. I don't want a fence. I hate fences.

My next door neighbor has a fence. He put it up so that he would not have to look at my wrecked airplane.

Speaking of which, I saw this Citabria for sale at the Palmer airport. I had a doctor appointment at 4:00, but had to wait until 8:00 PM to see the doctor. I got bored, left the doctors office and drove to the Palmer airport to see what kind of airplanes might be for sale.

And here was this Citabria. Looks almost like the Running Dog once did.

Look at that! $28,000! When I saw that number, my hopes rose. But then I read that part about the fuselage and windows showing their age. Plus the part about the engine and prop "still" passing annual. And nothing about time on the engine or prop. I figure that means they must be high time and so soon will have to be replaced or rebuilt.

So I reckon that once this Citabria is purchased and put into good working order, the buyer will have spent anywhere from $45 to $60,000.

Hell. There's no way I can afford that.

In fact, there's no way that I can afford $28,000.

Yet, seeing this airplane gave me hope and still does.

I don't have $60,000 today but that doesn't mean I won't on another day.

And if I get it, I will buy me a good airplane and Margie will shrug and sigh and think of all the things that she could do with $60,000, but she will love me anyway, and she will smile, and be happy to see me take off and then later buzz the house and then come in for a landing.

That's how it used to be around here.

That's how I want it to be again.

And when it becomes that way, you will see this blog turn into something, because Alaska will once again be mine.

And here is a dog that was at the doctor's office when I returned. I was officially ahead of him in line, but still, he got in to see the doctor ahead of me.

I didn't see it for myself, but I'll bet she petted him.

She didn't pet me.

How come?

Despite suffering two flat tires since I returned from India, my bike works pretty good. I took this picture as I pedaled past this kid.