Memorial Day post

Memorial Day is a national holiday set aside for remembrance of those who died in the service of the nation. read more about it here. it has become more of a day to spend with the family, ushering in the summer with barbecues and picnics.

i welcomed the holiday with open arms as yet another chance to relax from what was a hectic week, and just as hectic weekend.. truly i never thought the day would come when i welcomed a national holiday as the time to relax!! weekends are rarely times to sleep in anymore, with things to do that keep popping up, which are apart from the stuff you put off for the weekend cos the week was whizzing past too fast.

sank and nats returned from their washington, new jersey & new york city road trip.. so arul (A-Rod!!) and i piled in as well, and we went hiking to what's called the Eternal Flame, a natural gas expulsion in a grotto behind a shale waterfall. we took one of the longer hikes, and the sharp descents and steep uphills made for a good appetite-building trek. i really felt that this would be a great snowshoe hike in peak winter, but hopefully we won't be in buffalo for another winter!

so the trail follows the spurs and peaks of one side of the river valley, then goes down to meet the river, and then you walk back upstream along the shale banks to the small waterfall, where erosion of the shale layers has exposed seams from which natural gas seeps up to the surface. luckily the rains haven't really kicked in, and the melting snows have long gone, so the river was reduced to no more than a bubbling brook. we'd taken the football with us, and on the way back did some uphill cross-country climbing, with the ball tucked in under one arm.. really felt like this was how running backs build stamina in american football.

A-Rod finally treated us today for all his jobs etc.. a sumptuous Indian dinner at Kabab & Curry, excellent top-notch food! thanks mate! tandoori chicken and kingfisher beer, just like old times! :-)) i came home and promptly passed out, tired, full and happy..

PS: i think i'm finally acting like a grad student working on his thesis.. i got up in the middle of the night to actually work!