Two years and some...

Since it's customary to write the experience after a visit away from home , here's a post on my two years of stay in the US.
It's usually the small and the seemingly insignificant things that leaves behind lasting impressions on me.Nevertheless,here they are... 

Dallas sky - One might argue that the sky looks the same everywhere. But in my eyes, Dallas sky had the most to offer. It brings forth such an array of hues, tints, shades, colors and shapes ,one can but wonder at such a marvelous display.The soft pinks , the steely grays , the stormy purples , the golden yellows with an occasional rainbow had that unique personal flavor which never failed to touch me even in my darkest moments.

License plates - License plates?? Come on, really... Well , these were the first things that I noticed in the States. Most car license plates carry the state name and the state's nickname . What better way to show off the specialty of  your state ?

Just to name a few , 

Florida - "The Sunshine state " 

Texas -"The Lone star state"

New York - "The Empire state" 
California  - "The Golden state" 
          Doesn't these lines take you,even if just for a few seconds, to an afternoon on a sunny beach ; to a starry night in a wild western desert ; to the soaring skylines of Manhattan; to the golden palms of Cal ? It  does for me every time.I wish that this trend starts in India also. (A Porsche with "Enchanting Tamilnadu" on it.Perfect.)

Refrigerator magnets - these make truly delightful souvenirs !!! The beauty of these magnets is that they depict the attractions of the place in a very concise and creative way.  A simple piece of rock which spells Colorado , a map of California with the its attractions marked, a dried up Cacti in a pot for Arizona, a doodle of Disney characters in "Disney World" might be all that you need to remember the memorable trips u took :)

A solitary  walk, a park and a wooden swing  ... 
                One way to realize the true meaning of a solitary walk is just by venturing out on a cold November night... Though these were by no means nature walks , there is something quite comforting in the thought of walking in the midst of brightly lit ,cheerful homes and not having to meet a living soul for miles around. Though one might question the prudence of walking alone in the night , these walks provided me with the perfect refuge to sort out my jumble of thoughts.
                 In one of my such rambles , i found this quaint neighborhood park. Anonymity is a gift,rarely appreciated . I could sit for hours together just watching (not staring at) the people as they walked their health walks , exercised their pets ,  played a game of football without having to join in ,nod a occasional smile with a perfectly blissful feeling towards the entire world.
                My apartment complex boasted a small creek(if you can call it that) running through its entire length. A few wooden swings are placed along its embankments at discrete distances. To my great surprise , I was the only one who took advantage of these lovely spots. One wooden swing came to be my personal favorite, as it offered a shaded spot dappled by the rays of the setting sun with the additional thrill of swinging away to your heart's content.

A bus 
               ... all for myself!!! Can you believe it ? As an unlicensed car driver , i chose to travel by bus to office. One evening , as I got on the bus , to my great astonishment, I realized that I was the only passenger in the bus.I sincerely believed that the driver would ask me to step down and not waste his precious time. However no such thing happened and I settled down for an exclusive and enjoyable ride back home. Probably , you can appreciate this more, only if you have traveled in the foot board of a Chennai city bus hanging on for dear life ... (it does have its own beauty though.)
                   Though I seem to have picked up a few precious shells in this land of pearls,  they do have some interesting patterns. Don't you think so? :)