Long Walks On Leafy Streets

7/7/2013 Dieren, Netherlands (Thanks to Rama Satish)
We celebrated my father's 80th birthday exactly a week ago. Thanks to the grace of God all went well. It was celebrated as a third wedding for my parents per tradition. The 60th, 80th and 100th birthdays are celebrated like weddings. My sisters and I along with our spouses were kept very busy for a couple of weeks. We hosted a few relatives and took them to places nearby. I find that I get much pleasure in showing people around, whether it is on a hike or walking around town or driving to places. I realize that teaching can also be a little like being a tour guide. You get to show people around the garden of natural phenomena, both abstract and material, showing them how different ideas or cause and effect sequences fit together.
On Thursday Nicole accompanied me, my cousin Rama and her husband Satish on a hike on the C&O canal towpath. It was a somewhat warm day and although difficult at first we really enjoyed walking along the water.
We got to see double crested cormorants at their usual hangout by the Potomac near mile 2. To see them click on the little photo on the top of this page and then click on “Pictures.” All of us enjoyed it very much. Rama loves nature very much and she took many pictures of the birds, butterflies and plants along the way. Rama and Satish are living in the Netherlands and she says she doesn’t see squirrels there. So she took a lot of pictures of squirrels running around. She also enjoyed eating mulberries from a tree at the start of the canal in Georgetown. This is something I enjoy too while walking around DC. They had been visiting museums and such, and they found it refreshing to be out in nature walking for several miles. Apparently Netherlands is great for walking and biking. Due to the flat terrain, you can walk or bike for miles and miles without getting tired.
We also visited the Natural History Museum. In fact I visited it again on Friday with my other cousin Sowmya and her husband Easwar. The fossil exhibits never cease to enchant me. To go back in time so many millions of years is not only thrilling but also humbling. We also saw the human genome exhibit. People were fascinated by the interactive genetics demonstration. They had photos of people who shared similar characteristics, specifically ones controlled by single genes such as dimpled cheeks and ability to curl the tongue and pointed tip on the hairline. It was supposed to demonstrate how all humans share the same traits across different races and ethnicities. It was quite interesting to see people from all over the world check their hairline, try to curl their tongue and look for dimples when they smile. For a moment I was able to see humanity instead of individual people and it was beautiful.

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