Trompe-l'œil

2011-04-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

A blast from the past...from a time when Cleveland rocked :). K & R still miss Cleveland, even though #23 decided to "take his talents to South Beach". The recent Cavs victory over "Judas" reminded us of better times...

2010-04-01T16:59:00.000-07:00

In this two-part piece, K & R take you on a trip around the world to explore timepieces - those guardians of the fourth dimension!

We start our journey from a place near and dear to K & R - Pilani. For those not in the know, this dusty little village close to the Thar desert hosts one of the finest educational insitutions in India - BITS, Pilani. Pictured here is the famous clocktower at BITS, Pilani - also known affectionately as ClockT!

From the dusty little town in India to a beautiful idyllic village in Belgium and its famous Belfry. It is at the center of Bruges, surrounded by amazing places such as the Basilica of the Holy Blood, the Ter Beurze which led to stock exchanges being called Bourses and Madonna of Bruges, among many other fascinating places! BTW, on a related note, K loved the movie 'In Bruges' while R hated it!

From Bruges, Belgium to Franfurt, Germany for the next set of timepieces...

... on to one of the most famous clock towers in the world - home of the Big Ben!

From London to the Macy's @ Troy, MI for our next timepiece...K is trying to get into the picture and R is working diligently to keep K out of it :)

Our final timepiece for this post comes from the emerald city of Seattle - the famous King's Street Station...

(to be continued...)

2010-02-17T22:33:00.000-08:00

It was a cold winter evening when K and R decided to attempt a 750 piecer...

Took some time to get going...

...but K and R made steady progress.

If you are wondering why K and R decided to spend their time on a jigsaw, here's why...view from our home...

Slowly, but surely, the picture seeemed to be coming together...

...until one fine day, it was finally time to glue it all together...

Tada!! A scene from one of K and R's favorite cities...

...The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, NY!!

2010-02-03T22:14:00.000-08:00

So yesterday was a big day for Punxsutawney Phil. The question everyone had was whether he would see his shadow or not!? Is spring on its way? This reminded K and R of another wonderful season in the mid-west : fall!

Fall in the mid-west is a wonderful color fest; what better way to enjoy the colors than a drive through some beautiful yellows...

...reds, browns, and differenent hues of green...

...on a crispy cold but sunny day...

...past the reds...

...to finally arrive at...

R loves this view! K agrees!

So with that, K and R head back on the road less travelled...

2010-01-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

Sometime in the near past, K and R went on a visit to Monterrey Bay. As is required when one visits Monterrey, we went on a drive down California State Route 1 towards Big Sur...

K wanted to find a way to get down to the foamy beaches...

...while R found this vista that turns out be an "iconic image"!

K and R love this view of the Bixby Creek Arch Bridge which is supposed to be the "most photographed bridge on the west coast"

The day ended with a beautiful sunset on the pacific. There were a couple of kids playing on the beach with their dad...

...while others lay on the sand waiting for the sun to go down.

2010-01-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

So after yet another break from our blog, K and R are back! During the time we were away, we were able to take in some fantastic sights, visit some beautiful places and not document it with great photos!

Wait, what?

"Not document?", you ask. "Yes", say we.

"Blame K for dropping our precious camera" adds R.

Well, what-u-gonna-do? Still, we did manage to get some pics and are on the hunt for a good contraption to replace our old 3.2Mpixel...R-I-P!

In this edition, we take you with us on 'K and R visit Sunrise'! ("My only tryst with any kind of sunrise" says R with a wink.)

Sunrise offers fantastic views of Mt. Rainier...

From there, K and R went on a short hike to Sunrise lake...

...which was oh-so-serene!

R catches K taking in one last look before heading back home.

2009-05-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

K and R went to see Mt. St. Helens last year and what a sight she was!

With one entire side blown away during the eruption, Mt. St. Helens looks like a big pile of rubble...

...and has left the surroundings looking like a blast zone...

...there... what did we tell you???

Here are a few more views of the Mountain...

2008-08-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

K and R went to see the famous Blue Angels at the Seattle Seafair...here are a few snaps of the excellent show they put on...

2008-06-12T17:29:00.002-07:00

K and R are back! Here is a set of interesting 'Animal Xing signs' we have come across on our many travels... from signs for mountain goats to cattle to turtles! Send us a note if you have a snap of an unusual 'Animal Xing' sign...

2007-12-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

Recently K & R decided to go out west where we visited the wonderful, "quaint", historic town of Chrloride, AZ...

to visit the Arizona Central Bank which still seems to be lost in the early 1900s!
After filling up at the wonderfully stocked gas station...
and visiting some old gnomes...

K & R stopped to take in the local attractions...
before heading off to explore the deserts of Arizona!

2007-07-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Sunset at Edgewater Park, Cleveland! It was a beautiful summer evening and K and R got to see a wonderful sunset. Here are a few snaps from that evening...

Admiring the sunset...

Sharing the sunset...

As the birds fly home, as the boats reach for the shore, the sun sets on another day...

2007-06-02T23:29:00.000-07:00

K & R were Witnesses! The Cleveland Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference Playoffs last night!!! Here are the celebrations...

...We are all witnesses! (http://blog.nikebasketball.com/news/2006/04/27/new-lebron-video-we-are-all-witnesses/)

2007-05-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

K and R were in Washington DC recently. It was a weekend trip to see a stand-up routine. We decided to tour the city as this was R's first visit to DC....

Outside the Corcoran, Let sleeping Lions lie...
The yellow star peeping out from behind the Washington monument...

Reflecting upon modern times... the Old Executive Office Building, now known as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building reflected in a store front.

Spring is finally here!

A view of a great leader...
... and a view of his view!

2007-04-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

To Disney we go! K and R's next post is based on our visit to the Disney store on 5th ave in NYC!

Color drenched Mickey...

Followed by colourful Goofy who happens to be one of K and R's favourite Disney characters...

When in New York...

When it comes to NYC, Cinderella and K think alike... great minds! (or do fools seldom differ?!)

A different kind of 'I Love NYC' sign!

K and R would like to thank all those who appreciated the previous set of snaps.

2007-04-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

K & R are back with some amazing showcase displays from the Macy's Flower show in New York...

Vote for your favorites! Leave us a comment and let us know which picture is the best.

2007-01-21T13:35:00.000-08:00

K & R invite you to visit The Empire State Building!

However, a word of caution first! :)

Etched in the elevator...

...and on the walls!

And finally... the real deal!

2007-01-15T17:26:00.000-08:00

A visit to Liberty! A great view of the famous Statue of Liberty.
(La liberté éclairant le monde : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty)

Liberty leads the way through the trees...

... one giant step at a time!

Carrying the tablet with the date of the American Independence...

New York in the background...

Some other views of Lady Liberty...

2007-01-10T19:50:00.000-08:00

Interesting Signs from the Big Apple!

A Phantom image of the Phantom...

When in New York, do it like the New Yorker's do! In style...

Where does the ball drop?

The Pirate on cloth!

A call to the MAN OF STEEL!

2007-01-07T20:30:00.000-08:00

Stars and Stripes Part II...

In the form of Uncle Sam! Floating down Broadway in New York during the Thanksgiving day parade of 2006.

On the Nasdaq advertising board...

An artist's rendition of the stars and stripes...

People make the country, Painted hands make the flag!

2006-12-16T09:09:00.000-08:00

Stars and Stripes Part I... a series of snaps depicting the Flag of the United States of America...

2006-12-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

Interesting Store Fronts Part II...

Sparrows nest in a FedEx Kinko's store sign...

A GIGANTIC Louis Vuitton purse on the Champs Élysées in Paris!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Vuitton

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champs_Elysees

10 green bottles...at the Heineken HQ in Amsterdam... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Green_Bottles

An interesting version of the Last Supper at a store window in Frankfurt...

2006-11-29T10:46:00.000-08:00

Sometime last month K & R wanted to get all arty. So we traveled to Pittsburgh to visit the Andy Warhol Museum (http://www.warhol.org/)

There he is: Andy Warhol! Well, actually this is just his wax model from Madame Tussaud's wax museum in NYC. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tussaud)

Warhol draws Elvis drawing a gun...

An interesting banner in the museum...

Model of the city of Pittsburgh

Room with flying pillows. This was the best part of the whole museum!

Covers of Warhol's Magazine

K thought this was a game of spot the difference between the two panels!

R cant resist this snap of K being stumped by what is passed off as art!

K decided to make his own art after being inspired... à la Andy Warhol!

2006-11-19T21:05:00.000-08:00

Funny, interesting, unusual signs Part IV...

K and R found one more interesting call to worship from this particular church...

Traffic sign that sends one on a guilt trip!

Sign at a swimming pool!

People are usually happy to have a clean lake. Not so here K and R guess!

2006-11-14T09:58:00.000-08:00

Interesting Storefronts!

K stands beside a clock projected on the floor at...

BOSE, the latest in sound technology... sells from the not so latest in storefronts.

K feels Mickey is being very flirty

R loves Ms. Stick Figure!

2006-11-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

Fall 2006! K & R decided to take a detour from I-76 on the way to Pittsburgh. It was beautiful!

The pathway by the pond on the bund...

The road less traveled...

and the road more traveled!

A tree touched by Midas!

Colorful hillside.

Hillside at Beaver Falls' Geneva College: Home of the Golden Tornadoes!

Lost in the woods...

Another roadway through the foliage

Bridge across the River Beaver!

2006-10-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Doggone!

Duckgone!

Squirrelgone!
Headgone??!

2006-10-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

Funny, interesting, unusual signs Part III...that is what K & R have in store for you today!

First up, Aurora town is looking for folks to clean up the cemetery... While the clean up is on, looks like you can 'remove' and 'return' whatever is in the cemetery. Any takers?

Exercise physically and spiritually!

K and R believe that Xerox and Sony Ericsson would not be too happy with this ad!

Chicago Bulls' Benny has competition!

A one-way sign in the middle of the road! Road, did you say? What road??? :)

K and R like this Landlord's self confidence!

2006-10-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Durga Pooja this year...K & R just love the festival!

First, a few stills of the Durga idols being given finishing touches...

And now some Durga images in all their glory!

2006-10-01T18:23:00.000-07:00

Views from K's workplace in Cleveland! Downtown in the shadow of Key Tower...Downtown to the east of Key Tower with Burke Airport and Lake Erie in the background. R refuses to accept it to be a lake... K agrees! K and R plan to find a new name for a really big lake.Cleveland east side... Top right in the distance is where K and R reside...
For I have miles to go before I sleep...

K is feeling very guilty right now... He spoilt a nice day on the road for these birds...

2006-09-26T12:19:00.000-07:00

In this post, K & R bring you: Flowers and a Foot!

And finally, the photograph which clinched the title of this post...

2006-09-24T10:39:00.000-07:00

Some more stills from Shillong, India...these were taken on a drive R took to Laitkor Peak...

Finally, some respite from the rain...if only K were here to make the day perfect!

This is certainly a rare sight in Shillong...cows and cowherds!

Then, a vibrant rainbow...

and at the end of the rainbow is the pot of gold: The city of Shillong...

Oh oh, here come the rain clouds again :(

2006-09-22T19:56:00.001-07:00

Good Morning Pittsburgh! This is the city K spent two years in...

2006-09-19T00:11:00.000-07:00

Today, a glimpse of K and R's favourite person in the world, our little nephew Smaran!!!

2006-09-11T05:42:00.000-07:00

Billboards and Signs - Part II!!! More interesting billboards, signs and messages...

An interesting spelling... :)

K has shown R so many tank bunds on their drives around Bangalore and Cleveland! This was the first time we actually saw a sign for one...

An unemployee...hmmm :)

Whoever created the previous 'unemployee' sign will never be admitted to the school below...

2006-09-07T22:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since our last post!!! And where were we all this while??? In beautiful India of course :) Here are a few glimpses from our trip...

The Vidyasagar Setu seen from Victoria Memorial...

A cathedral through the leaves...

An old style 'well' now converted into a beautiful small pool.

Fishing in a pond. A fisherman in a traditional 'bowl' boat called 'Harigol' in K's native language.

A bonfire to celebrate K and R's first wedding anniversary! We had a great time!

We went to this wonderful resort where a heritage house has been recreated... Nice lush surroundings...

Beautiful architecture...
and wonderful paintings! A Raja Ravi Verma no less! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Ravi_Verma)

http://www.cyberkerala.com/rajaravivarma/
http://www.cyberkerala.com/rajaravivarma/rrvhtm14.htm

2006-08-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

The Eiffel Tower! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower

First, let us look at this beautiful structure at night...

And now the Eiffel tower during the day.
Eiffel tower from across the city: View from the top of the Sacre Coure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_the_Sacr%C3%A9_C%C5%93ur)

And finally, a view of Paris from atop the Eiffel! K & R can't wait to go back to this beautiful city!

2006-07-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

Animals in Europe! We, K & R, decided to put together a nice collection from our European snaps.

This mosaic of a dog on a leash is more than 2000 years old and is almost intact today at Pompeii! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pompeii) It is one of the oldest surviving 'Beware of Dog' signs. If you look closely at the base of the picture, through the ash and dust you can read 'Cave Canem' which is latin for 'Beware of Dog'. Some say that this was a 'warning to visitors, not that the dogs would attack but to beware of damaging the small dogs'.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_Greyhound#History) Looking at the mean dog in the mosaic, K & R say "We don't think so!" :)

Now here is a nice lovable sign from a street in Paris:

But if the dog is anything like this one below roaming the streets of Prague, K & R would rather have the first sign to warn us!

A Gargoyle from Notre Dame in Paris, France http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargoyle

A Cat in a window from Brugges, Belgium. Reminds K & R of 'Le Chat Noir' or 'The Black Cat' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Chat_Noir

And finally, a wonderful picture from Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piazza_San_Marco : A universal symbol of peace with another symbol of peace...

2006-07-18T03:10:00.000-07:00

Today, a glimpse of Shillong!

A poem R learnt in school best describes the next snap...

Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers and sees,
Silver fruit upon silver trees.
- Excerpt from Silver by Walter de la Mare

When its foggy...

And when its not...

And finally, a picture of some lovely stained glass windows...

2006-06-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

To Europe we go! Berlin at that! What a wonderful city... K and R want to go explore Berlin in much more detail.

The Brandenburg Gate from the erstwhile 'East Berlin' side.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_Gate

View of the eastern side of berlin from the Reichstag (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichstag_(building) )Brandenburg gate from the Reichstag. It is behind this gate that President Raegan made the now famous 'Tear down this wall Mr. Gorbachev" speech in 1987: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tear_down_this_wall

The poignant Neue Wache memorial: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neue_Wache

The infamous checkpoint Charlie (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkpoint_Charlie )"Is this Charlie?" K & R wonder... :)Porsches! At the factory in Leipzig (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porche)

2006-06-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

Mt. Rainier! The Pacific Northwest! What a beautiful place...

Mt. Rainier seen from the Puget Sound! K still thinks it is really a cloud and not the mountain :)
Enroute to the mountain.
Mt. Rainier looms larger on the horizon.Mt Rainier at last!

2006-06-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Manhattan in non-color during a visit by K & R

2006-06-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

On a rainy day, we, K & R, decided to visit Detroit. Notice the GM building on the lower left side of this snap below. What with the sky being as it is, it reminds K of a scene from 'Lord of the Rings'.

Detroit downtown.

USA on the right and Canada on the left...
Hup, two, three , four.... charge of the bird brigade!
quickly turns into attack by the bird brigade!Home from Detroit! Cleveland at night.

2006-06-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

K & R in Chicago! Below is a snap of Chicago taken from atop the Sears Tower. A wonderful shot of the lighthouse on Lake Michigan.
One wonderful stained glass!
The chicago skyline
K and R enjoy a cruise on lake Michigan
Chicago at night...

A very ornate water fountain

R loves this shot of "Attack of the scary turtles!"
What a shiny egg! Can you locate K and R in this?
or in this...?A taurean with another!

2006-05-20T22:24:00.000-07:00

K & R's road trip to Detroit...

We decided to skip the freeways and take the scenic route...

and this brought us to Vermillion! Wow! A gem hidden in our backyard. The marina near the lake is a beautiful community. Reminded K of Venice!

Anchors abound around the lighthouse at the 'Great Lakes Historical Society'.

And finally, at sunset, Detroit!

2006-05-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Squirrels! Different varieties in different countries... And yes, that is R feeding that rodent...

2006-05-06T15:37:00.000-07:00

The St Louis Gateway Arch: Depicts the gateway to the west.... (http://www.gatewayarch.com)

K goes to this town often for work. R is not sure she wants to go to the top of this 630 foot arch in a small capsule like elevator...

Shadow of the arch across the Mississipi river...

Shadow of the arch as seen from one of the windows at the top of the arch!

2006-05-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

Billboards and signs! Funny and interesting ones at that...

Want to buy some feed? How about this store in R's hometown?

Followed by a health advisory from K's hometown!

Interesting sale in progress in the city where K married R...

K's city is so advanced that you can charge your electric car (www.revaindia.com) while you are out shopping at R's favourite mall...

Globalization? Ad for the Indian version of "Who wants to be a millionare?" (http://kbc2.indya.com/) hosted by India's superstar Amitabh Bachchan at a New Jersey train station.

An interesting place we found on one of our drives...contact us if your dolls need some docs :)

2006-05-03T17:40:00.000-07:00

In this post we bring you a different part of the world...Shillong, Meghalaya, India!
http://local.live.com/?v=2&sp=aN.25.562265_91.881409_Shillong%2c%20Meghalaya%2c%20India_

R is from Shillong. And in the photographs below you will see why we love it so :)

The moon from R's home in Shillong!

Meghalaya means 'abode of clouds'...a fitting name, dont you think?!

2006-05-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

A nice cloudy foggy evening in downtown Cleveland. Yes, it is downtown! Yes, there are only three 'skyscrapers'! :) The first snap is a wonderful one of 'Key Tower'. Thats is where K works. R is not too keen on the elevator ride to the top. It is the tallest building in Cleveland and 15th tallest in the US. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Tower)

2006-05-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

On the way to the Erie lake shore at Sheffield, OH:

Making our way there through bushes and shrubs, over single lane bridges and under multi lane highways, giving right of way to the wildlife....

Finally! Our destination.... Lake Erie!

2006-05-01T16:44:00.000-07:00

Snaps from the Bay Area taken on K's trip there in December 2003...R hopes he will take her there soon! :)

The Golden Gate Bridge!

Sunset on the 17-mile drive: R loves this picture! Says it looks like it could be on a nice feel-good poster with a great caption...

The symbol of the 17-mile drive: The Lone Cypress.

No visit to SFO should be considered complete without a visit to Paradise! K's Paradise is the Ghirardelli Factory... where chocolate flows like water!

2006-04-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Butterflies! That's what we will be looking at in this post! These are butterflies from the conservatory at the Pacific Science Center taken in the summer of 2004.

Suswagatam!

2006-04-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

We, Nikhil Kolar and Reema Roy, welcome you to our photoblog! The pictures you will see here have been taken on our tours around the world. Please feel free to leave your comments.

We have had a lot of cameras in the past few years...some of which K has lost :)
Most of the photographs have been taken using a Minolta Dimage Z1.
Here are a few of them...

Sunset at Chagrin Falls, Ohio. K is very proud of this snap...too proud, if you ask R.

The same scene in sepia.

And now in black and white. R likes the one in sepia. K likes all! Which one do you like?

Here is a snap of downtown Cleveland followed by a dawn snap of Manhattan taken from Rutherford, NJ:

And that concludes our first blog! More stills to come soon...

- K and R