Wednesday

On Wednesday I walked the opposite direction from the school. There is a new security system at the back gate, which is supposed to be locked at all times. In truth, the gate is often propped open and I've gotten through multiple times except on return Sunday afternoon. We have a key card, but I didn't have it with me. So I went out the front gate.

Security has been increased all around the school. Yesterday we had a lock-down drill. In these times we cannot know when an attack could happen anywhere in the world. There was a threat (never acted upon) against the school a few years ago. The front gate has a new entry building, and it's not as easy for unknown persons to just walk onto campus.

The old gate is a few yards further in, past Jacob's Ladder (stairs up to the flagpole area).

The post-monsoon view is shown below. Blue sky peeking out near the top, clouds and mist shrouding the hills and valley below.

Here is another landslide at the side of the road. The top area on the left is dangerous; the washout went underneath. I'm always amazed at how these can be prepared, as there is no ledge below to stand on or attach a wall to.

Before the hospital, a house called Springview is below the road on an outside curve. Through the years it has been a missionary's home and a school. Reverend Dass, the longtime chaplain of the Woodstock Hindustani Church, lived here for many of the recent years. He just passed away this week. Several people from our office attended the service.

At afternoon tea time, a treat was delivered. There is a new Dunkin Donuts store in Dehra Dun, in a new shopping mall. Another office has arranged to have donuts delivered weekly and I think our office is joining in. Just like home! (Except I very rarely have a donut in Indiana!)

We headed to Upper Woodstock, a home above the school, for supper with Naz and Vanu, the family of Darab, who has lived with us for the past year while he is in school. We had a great visit. Their next-door neighbor stopped in for a quick visit with her daughter Caroline. There has been a huge baby boom since we were last here two years ago. I can think of at least 5 or 6 new additions just off the top of my head! I'm looking forward to meeting more of them.

Our weather has continued to be nice. But last evening, as I was waiting in our apartment to leave for Upper Woodstock, it was thundering a lot. It began to sprinkle but I left anyway. Soon after I arrived, it began to really pour. Dan was already there, having come from some recital auditions. Fortunately it had stopped well before we left to go home. But we returned on the Zig-zag path, not the long stairway I had gone up.