ANGELINA PALOMBO
&
RAVI SARPATWARI
Well, this adventure is a tad different than traveling in an RV. No meal planning and no worries about electric and sewer hookups. The destination, venue and purpose for this long awaited trip promises to be unique and memorable. I'm driving a car and staying in a hotel room, something I haven't done since April of 2014. I'm looking forward to watching cousins John and Barbara, breathe that big sigh of relief when this weekend is over. The typical angst over every minute detail of such an event is known by all parents as their "babies" move into another stage of their life. Angie and Ravi are special people and have fascinating backgrounds. Both have finished the long arduous journey to become medical doctors. Angie specializing in Family Practice, will be working at a clinic near Providence in September and Ravi is in his third of a four year ER residency at Rhode Island Hospital.
Even their engagement was special. Just as son-in-law, Carlo, sneakily planned a trip to the top of the Freedom Tower in Manhattan where he proposed to my daughter, Marybeth, so too did Ravi sneakily plan a trip to the top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island in Hawaii. Marybeth, shaking because of the height and trying not to look down said, "Yes." Short of breath and in the freezing cold, Angie also said, "Yes."
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| Ravi on Mauna Kea When measured from the ocean floor, this dormant, million year old volcano is the tallest mountain in the world, more than 33,000 feet. |
Their story is part of their web page created for the wedding. Check it out here.
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Cousins John & Barbara, proud parents of the bride.
I visit with them each September at Moorings Oceanfront RV Resort in
Belfast, Maine. They come and pick me up. I'll be there again 9/9th through 9/14th
of this year. Their summer cottage is in nearby Northport. |
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Angie was with the Peace Corps in Mozambique.
Here, Dad is with Angie and siblings, John and Danny. |
I (thought) I'd given myself plenty of time to make the long trip and anticipated a refreshing
view of the New England landscape plush with the height of summer's greenery. As it turned out I had plenty of time to do just that. Who knew that a Friday at the height of the vacation season would see the entire planet converge to visit the wonders New England has to offer? It cost me two hours. The 5½ hour trip turned out to be 7 hours mostly along I-495 through Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts. The Welcoming Party was to begin at 7 pm so I had plenty of time to arrive, relax and change. A shuttle would take me across the street to the Oxford Casino.
The Hampton Inn was beautiful. It was a far cry from my last hotel stay in Georgia when Winnie 1 and I parted company five years ago. Instead of a shopping center outside my door, the view facing west from my 4th floor was spectacular and a hint of what I expect the views to be at tomorrow's wedding ceremony in Norway, ME
A call from the front desk had a shuttle from the casino across the street at the front entrance in no time. Within a minute I was at the Casino. There were about 20-30 folks milling about enjoying each other's company all of whom obviously knew each other. Well, Angie's mom, Barbara is one of ten children so whoever was able to make the function would surely be part of this crowd. As it turns out, I was the only person in attendance that was related to dear ol' dad, so I had a lot of 'getting to know people' ahead of me. Until cousins John and Barbara arrived I spent my time photographing the buffet table and its offerings; a most impressive and varied selection of delicious food. Photos of the beautifully presented treats can be seen VIA THIS LINK. Don't forget to use your back arrow to return to the blog.
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| No needles, no pain and not forever. |
A treat for the guests was the Henna table. Here, a very talented young lady sat and painted tattoo-like designs...an ancient form of body art. A henna tattoo is made with the dye from the henna plant and mixed with specific amounts of perhaps water or tea. This paste is then piped through a bag onto the skin. After drying in a couple of hours, they usually last about a week or two. Common throughout Asia and the Middle East, some countries use it as a pre-wedding ritual much like our bachelor or bachelorette parties.
Be
sure to visit the link above. I hope my photos do it justice.
The venue is located about fifteen minutes from my hotel in the town of Norway.
Did you know that Maine
has over forty cities and towns named after foreign cities and/or countries? Norway,
Maine is one of
seven countries.
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This sign can be seen in the community of Lynchville, ME.
It is said that it's also its major industry.
"The World Traveler Signpost" |
The following photographs are a tiny sampling of the 200+ I took. The link to all the photographs can be viewed BY CLICKING ON THIS LINK. I created this page specifically for my cousins and other family members on both sides who could not make the event. Don't forget to use your back arrow to return to the blog.
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Our shuttle bus, one of three, took us past Lake Pennesseewassee
also know as Norway Lake. It covers about 987 acres and has a mean depth of 18'
and a maximum depth of 45'. It's a large recreational area for swimming,
boating, fishing and camping. |
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A stony trail down into a pine grove where hewn wooden, weather glazed
benches awaited us. I'm sure pretty tough for those in heels. |
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The Mandap where Ravi and his family will arrive and be
greeted by family and friends. |
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| The garlands that will be exchanged as acceptance of each other as partners. |
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The second of the shuttle buses carrying friends of the bride and groom.
The parents and family of Ravi are next to arrive in another chartered bus. |
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Mr. Marathe from Baltimore, was the officiating Brahmin priest.
The Brahmins are the caste from which Hindu priests are drawn
and are responsible for teaching and maintaining sacred knowledge. |
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| Their dog, Murray, was in attendance as well. Not a peep (or would that be bark) from him. |
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| Brother John and Jenn |
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| Proud mommy and daddy, Barbara and John. |
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SWAGAT - Welcoming of the Groom.
Mr. & Mrs. Sarpatwari look on as.... |
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| ...son, Ravi, awaits the bride..... |
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| ...whom he's not allow to see. |
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| And Here Comes the Bride |
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| KANYA AAGAMAN - Arrival of the Bride |
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| Absolutely stunning |
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| My favorite photo of the whole bunch |
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GANESH PUJA - Prayer to Lord Ganesh was performed; the removal of
obstacles - as the families are seeking to complete the wedding ceremony
without hindrances. All at the Mandap have removed shoes. |
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MANGALASHTAK - 8 BLESSINGS
A cloth is placed between the bride and groom signifying their individual lives prior to the ceremony. Blessings are offered to Angie and Ravi and they are showered with rice. |
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| The cloth is taken down as two souls become one and the bride and groom exchange garlands as acceptance of each other as partners. |
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KANYA DAAN - Giving Away the Bride.
Angie's parents have offered Angie's hand to Ravi to demonstrate their support of this union. Ravi accepted Angie as an equal partner and accepts full responsibility for her well being. |
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MANGALSUTRA - Sacred Necklace.
Ravi offers Angie a mangalsutra, a necklace as a symbol of the bond of marriage and as a sign of love, integrity and lifelong devotion toward her. |
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KAAN PILANI - Twisting of the Ear.
A touch of humor in the ritual includes Angie's brothers, Dan and John, twisting the groom's right ear to remind him of his responsibility toward their sister. |
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AGNI PUJA - Sacred Fire
A sacred fire (Agni) was lit (with difficulty thanks to the pending threat of a downpour) and acts as a divine witness to the ceremony as a messenger to God. Prayers were performed and Angie and Ravi provided offerings to God |
SAPTAPADI - Seven Steps. The bride and groom took seven steps together around the sacred fire representing the promises they are making to each other. Step 1 is to provide nourishment. Step 2 is to develop physical, mental and spiritual strength. Step 3 signifies prosperity. Step 4 is a promise of mutual trust and respect and to share in knowledge. Step 5 is a blessing for strong and virtuous children. Step 6 is a promise to develop self restraint and longevity. Step 7 stands for everlasting love, happiness and friendship.
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ASHIRVAD - Blessings.
The newlyweds receive blessings of everlasting happiness from the priest as well as family and friends. |
THE RECEPTION
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| Twice during the ceremony, threatening dark clouds rolled in before the arrival of the bride. The winds picked up and Mother Nature dropped the slightest hint in the form of raindrops that a Plan B might have to be put into effect. The clouds broke, the sun smiled and the ceremony went on without a problem...until the party began their journey up the hill to the Barn and reception. |
i
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| Close friends of Barb and John, Paula and Joe. |
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| John & Jenn |
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| Barb and Paula |
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(Dr.) Elaine, who read at the ceremony, is a
hand orthopedic surgeon. |
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| The two little tots were incredible..... |
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....not a sound out of them throughout the entire event and that
included the usual ear-piercing sounds of the live band. |
AUGUST 11, 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM - BRUNCH at the Paris Fire Department Meeting Hall in South Paris, Maine.
Well, I'm becoming quite the world traveler. From Norway to Paris in only sixteen minutes. Here, the newlyweds hosted a brunch that hit the spot for my mid-morning nourishment. Afterwards, I took off to return to my world. I couldn't wait to get on ye ol' Interstates on a Sunday afternoon during the height of the vacation month and head back to reality some 330 miles south. I left at 11:00 am and arrived safe and sound at 7:00 that evening. Wall to wall traffic on each of the Interstates I was to travel (I-95, I-495, I-290, I-84) forced me to seek alternate routes most of the way home. A hint of stopped traffic and I took the nearest exit to circumvent the long waits, each usually about 10-15 minutes. Neither WAZE nor my Garmin GPS warned me or suggested alternate routes.
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| Murray |
A memorable experience for sure. Again, my thanks to Ravi and Angie for allowing me to share their happiness with a ceremony whose culture and traditions bring a renewed and refreshing optimism to the mundane things we take for granted. My best wishes for a life time of happiness, success and good health.
To my blog readers, a new adventure awaits me when I travel tomorrow to the Oak Haven Family Campground in Wales, MA. There, I'll meet friends, Vicki and George for a short three night stay that will provide me with the subject matter of my next blog. See you there.
Even their engagement was special. Just as son-in-law, Carlo, sneakily planned a trip to the top of the Freedom Tower in Manhattan where he proposed to my daughter, Marybeth, so too did Ravi sneakily plan a trip to the top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island in Hawaii. Marybeth, shaking because of the height and trying not to look down said, "Yes." Short of breath and in the freezing cold, Angie also said, "Yes."
view of the New England landscape plush with the height of summer's greenery. As it turned out I had plenty of time to do just that. Who knew that a Friday at the height of the vacation season would see the entire planet converge to visit the wonders New England has to offer? It cost me two hours. The 5½ hour trip turned out to be 7 hours mostly along I-495 through Lowell and Lawrence, Massachusetts. The Welcoming Party was to begin at 7 pm so I had plenty of time to arrive, relax and change. A shuttle would take me across the street to the Oxford Casino. 
The Hampton Inn was beautiful. It was a far cry from my last hotel stay in Georgia when Winnie 1 and I parted company five years ago. Instead of a shopping center outside my door, the view facing west from my 4th floor was spectacular and a hint of what I expect the views to be at tomorrow's wedding ceremony in Norway, ME
A call from the front desk had a shuttle from the casino across the street at the front entrance in no time. Within a minute I was at the Casino. There were about 20-30 folks milling about enjoying each other's company all of whom obviously knew each other. Well, Angie's mom, Barbara is one of ten children so whoever was able to make the function would surely be part of this crowd. As it turns out, I was the only person in attendance that was related to dear ol' dad, so I had a lot of 'getting to know people' ahead of me. Until cousins John and Barbara arrived I spent my time photographing the buffet table and its offerings; a most impressive and varied selection of delicious food. Photos of the beautifully presented treats can be seen VIA THIS LINK. Don't forget to use your back arrow to return to the blog.
A treat for the guests was the Henna table. Here, a very talented young lady sat and painted tattoo-like designs...an ancient form of body art. A henna tattoo is made with the dye from the henna plant and mixed with specific amounts of perhaps water or tea. This paste is then piped through a bag onto the skin. After drying in a couple of hours, they usually last about a week or two. Common throughout Asia and the Middle East, some countries use it as a pre-wedding ritual much like our bachelor or bachelorette parties. 
