Weekend Trips

Last few weekends have been veryr eventful. From football game to apple orchard to hiking. It was an opportunity to meet new people, visit new places and become a part of a new tradition. I am grateful to all my friends who took me to these places. It has started getting cold and with it the tree leaves are changing colors. Starting from yellow to orange and then to red. It is a sight worth seeing.

Anyways.. It was my first football (read American Football) game at the horse-shoe stadium. I volunteered at a stall which aimed at helping in the development of India, through an organization called AID. It was exhilarating experience especially when you know - that at the end of day's work all your earnings are going to be utilized in many developmental projects across India. You may want to visit the website to learn more about it.

The next weekend was the Apple plucking session. Randy and Christine were kind enough to take us to the Apple Orchard for the annual Apple plucking session. It was my second experience at the Apple orchards. But on my first visit, at Shimla in India, it wasn't the harvest season yet and the trees had just started flowering. This time it was the prime season of harvesting where we could find the apple trees pregnant with loads of apples waiting to be plucked. It was an enriching experience to taste the fresh apples - specially hand-plucked.

Lastly, it was the Hocking Hills hiking experience. It is a state park located in the south-east of Columbus OH. It is at about 65 miles from the OSU campus. We were picked up by the IFI volunteers who were really friendly and so kind that they dropped us at the park, took us around and actually dropped back to our place. Hocking hills is a beautiful place especially if you are visiting in the Fall season. You can see the beautiful landscape reaching the mountains on the border of West Virginia. We can also visit the natural caves and water falls around the place. It can be a beautiful camping place if you wish to stay overnight. Make sure you carry your food with you as it can get really expensive to buy it there. You have a horse riding facility too.

My exams are round the corner. Since I am taking up exams after a gap of 3 years, it is going to be a nice challenge. It will take time to get into the groove but eventually it should be all set. Wish me luck friends!

The football game pics

The Apple orchard pics

















Hocking Hill pics