Hello Everybody - Just a quick note to let you know that we'll be arriving back in Mussoorie on Monday, September 20. I should be able to start updating the blog soon after we arrive. Thanks for reading!
We are leaving the Hillside on Sunday. We spent Saturday sorting and packing. This time we bought old-fashioned tin trunks to store our things that we leave here. Dan hired a taxi and took them down to school in the afternoon. They will wait for us in the attic above the Quad. The trunks should be vermin-proof. There's no telling what might be in the room!
We were happy to see that our checked baggage isn't overly full (it too often is). So if we buy a few things in Delhi, we'll be able to squeeze them in.
I just looked at the weather forecast for Delhi and I shouldn't have done it: 109 tomorrow, 112 Monday and 111 Tuesday. Blistering! I suspect I won't go out of the hotel very much. It's been so pleasant up here. Even if it gets up to 90, it cools down well at night. I've given these temps in Fahrenheit, which I'm more used to. They use Celsius here.
It's been a good visit and time of work here at the school. We will most likely be back in the fall -- October is a beautiful time. So check back here around the third week of September if you want to follow along again. And thanks for reading!
I was sitting at my desk, feeling guilty about not posting to the blog yet today (it's almost 4:00). Suddenly there was a crack of thunder and it got dark. The lights all went out. [Thank goodness for the backup generators; they were back on within a minute.]
I grabbed my camera and headed to the balcony outside our office. Just before I took this shot, there was a beautiful fork of lightning close to the TV tower. But I am not the kind of photographer who has the patience or skill to capture that. The TV tower was built during the 1970s when we were here on staff. As it was built, the rubble was just tossed down the nearest nullah -- the crease formed between outcrops on the mountain. Much below the construction site, the nullah passed right outside our house. And in the monsoon of 1977 the rocks and mud overflowed into the back side of Palisades, where we lived. It was quite a mess. We were moved out into Stone Ledge for the next couple of months until they could clear up the rocks and remove the mud and water from our house.
The new gym is shown prominently in this photo.
Another shot heading more to the east. The sky was very heavy and gray.
On the opposite balcony several other people were watching the storm just outside the Quad Library. (Formerly the young girls' Long Dorm.)
Soon it got very loud -- there is nothing quite like the sound of hail on a tin roof! It is hard to get a good shot, but this one of the inner corner of the roof above our office shows a few of the hailstones.
Woodstock has some good facilities for staff relaxation. The Lyons Lounge has a pool table, which is a popular pastime at lunch hour and teatime.
The lounge also has a nice sitting area with magazines, TV, and wireless internet.
Just outside is the tea garden area, much unchanged for the last 50 years or more. The Health Centre is now inside the door shown below, so students walk through here. At afternoon teatime, you can find staff enjoying a few minutes in the sun after a busy day.
And at the opposite end of the tea garden is the familiar lyre tree, long-time symbol of Woodstock. Last week a visitor asked me "What kind of tree is a lyre tree?" I think he was hearing it as a new variety. However, it is a long-needled cheer pine which just happens to have the beautiful shape of a lyre.
It's been a busy few days, with not enough time to post. Thursday and Friday the school hosted Jane Cumming's Himalayan Odyssey tour group. There are over 20 peopl in the group, a combination of Woodstock alumni and other friends. They spent time in Bhutan and Rajaji Park near Dehra Dun before arriving up here. Thursday afternoon I assisted by taking half the group on a school tour and then running the store. We sold lots of T-shirts, hats, and other memorabilia. Friday they were here again, touring the residences and Hanifl Centre (for environmental and outdoor education).
Friday afternoon I left for Delhi, escorting two students to the Dehra Dun train station. I went to attend the Executive Committee meeting of the Woodstock Board. After a rather short night in a hotel, we met from 9 to 4 in the Habitat Centre. The meeting was for the purpose of approval of the Strategic Master Plan for 2010-2015. I took notes and tried to keep track of all the suggested changes. Fortunately, most were fairly minor additions.
When the meeting was over, four of us got into the school vehicle and headed back to Mussoorie. We stopped briefly at the Cheetal Deer Park for a quick supper. I arrived home at Oakville about 11:30 that night. A very quick trip all together! I was quite tired on Sunday and stayed at home all day.
Sunday evening Steve Alter hosted a dinner for the Himalayan Odyssey tour group at his home, just across the tennis court from our house. It was good to visit with them again. I already knew several of the members and enjoyed talking with some -- two sisters had only been at Woodstock for a year in 1950-51. For some it was a first visit back to India, for others one of many such trips.
Today (Monday) we again had the tour group at the school. In the morning they attended the dedication of the new Kaplani School, with which a number of people associated with our school have been involved. Immu was away today, so again I sold lots of items from the store.
This is our last week in Mussoorie. I will try to post a few times again before we leave.
I mentioned a few days ago that it had rained in the night. We've now had three days and nights with occasional rain (more in the night than in the day). At one point yesterday afternoon it rained and hailed. Fifteen minutes later the sun was shining. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the rain has reached down to Dehra Dun or back into the mountains; it is still very hazy and dusty.
The rain has been very welcome after a poor monsoon last summer and very little precipitation over the winter. There are always water shortages in Mussoorie, perhaps this year worse than usual.
Signs of spring and rains are in the flowers I saw this morning on my walk to school.
The rhododendrons are pretty much finished, as evidenced by the petals on the ground.
This morning I noticed for the first time this house high on the hill above the road. I'm not sure quite where it is from the chukker. But it must have views in nearly every direction.
On Monday afternoon Bob Fleming, Jr., received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Woodstock School. Full details are on the website at Woodstock School. Middle and high school students attended, as well as a number of alumni and other guests. Introductions were given by George Taylor '68, Darab Nagarwalla '80, Dr. Laurenson (Principal), and Rev. T.Z. Kundun, Vice-President of the Board of Directors.
Bob's talk was fascinating, as always, with photos of natural phenomena from all over the globe. He usually gives talks in the form of a quiz, and this was no different, with focuses on the Himalayas, Tibet, the Zambezi River, Antarctica, and the Amazon Basin, among others.
Here is Bob just before the event, seriously preparing.
Dr. Laurenson giving his introduction.
And "Bobby Sahib" during his talk.
As is customary, a nice tea followed, with sandwiches, samosas, cookies, and gulab jamuns.
The weekend began with an invitation to dinner at the home of a student I taught in the 1970s. He lives in Mauritius now, but his mother is here in Mussoorie. He was visiting with his wife and son, who hopes to enter Woodstock in the fall semester. The mother lives in the building that used to be the Whispering Pine Lodge, a school-owned property that was used for camping and other events. It is now unrecognizable, as it has been built up to three stories. The top level opens onto the "New" Tehri Road and is a restaurant. There was quite a large group for dinner. We enjoyed eating with Dana and Judy, who have been at Woodstock over 30 years.
When we arrived, Arjun pulled out a magazine and said he wanted to read us a poem. It turned out to be the 1979 Motif (WS creative arts annual) and the poem was by our son Dirk in the 4th grade. Saturday was a quiet day at home for me, as Dan went off with Jon to explore. Sunday I woke up with severe dysentery, so had another unplanned quiet day at home. I was sorry to miss the bazaar trip with friends. By evening I felt well enough to attend a dinner at the big Oakville house. The Wintergreen Foundation Board is here for a meeting and it was good to meet up with them and other old friends.
This will be a busy week. Today Bob Fleming is here to receive his Distinguished Alumni Award. It will be a gala affair in Parker Hall with tea in the Quad to follow. I'll post more about that tomorrow.
Oh, yes, something good -- it rained during the night and again some this morning. It has been extremely dry and hot and everyone has been hoping for rain.
Yesterday Dan arrived back from Delhi with his brother Jon and Jon's wife Anda. They will be here until we leave on May 2. They are staying at the Ivy Inn Guest House above Mullingar Hill. (We stayed there in December 2007 with Dirk's family -- a nice but simple hotel with a lovely terrace.) The Shatabdi train they took from Delhi was delayed for over two hours, which is relatively uncommon. Someone here in the office said that yesterday was the last day of the Kumbh Mela, although when I looked at the website linked here, it says April 28 for the end, with the 14th as an important festival day. In any case, lots of people have had trouble getting train reservations during this time, as the Hardwar trains are the same line as the Dehra Dun trains. Update added later: see this article in the New York Times online about April 14 and bathing in the Ganges.
We took Jon and Anda in to Golden Restaurant in Landour, where we frequently have our Wednesday dinner. We rode the scooter down to the top of Mullingar Hill and walked in together. They both were very interested in the variety of shops along the way. I'm sure Anda will spend time looking at fabrics and other interesting things to be found. We pointed out some of our favorite shops.
This morning Jon came to school to meet with the head of the elementary school. He is a former first grade teacher and reading consultant. They are looking forward to having him do some in-service training for the teachers.
Tonight J&A will come to our house for supper. They will get a taste of our daily evening meal -- tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I do have some nice homemade flax-seed bread that was made by a woman on the hillside. We had it last fall and enjoyed it a lot. And Prakash sells excellent cheese.
Well, yes, more about food and drink... About 10:30 every morning, a school employee comes into our office with a tray of cups filled with coffee from the kitchen. We gather in a large office and talk about whatever is on anyone's mind (generally not school-related topics). Some of us drink tea, so we heat filtered water in the hot pot. Some prefer a different kind of coffee and make it in a French press. But we almost always have a snack. Today there was some leftover salty/hot mixture from yesterday and some chocolate biscuits (cookies for you Americans). Some days we even have home-made cake that someone brings from home.
Everyone but Pete got in these pictures; the shot I got of him was just not flattering at all. The new Quadrangle had just arrived, so everyone was looking at it. We all liked the better-quality binding.
Immu, Casey, and Steve
Chris and Karan
Around 3:30 or 4:00 is tea time. Tea for students is given out in the dining room, but tea for staff is still served in the tea garden, where we can sit on benches in the sun and contemplate the Lyre Tree. Yesterday we had somosas, and the day before it was carrot cake. Life is good!!
As we did last fall, we have hired an ayah, Guddi Devi, to come in twice a week to clean the house and do some light hand washing. Last week her father-in-law died, so she couldn't come. When she arrived yesterday afternoon, she was a little later than usual. She was very apologetic, saying that she had fallen asleep. It didn't matter at all to me. I tried to express my sympathy about the death, and she said she had been very busy cooking for all the people who came. She looked pretty tired out.
While Guddi Devi was there, the school plumber came to look at the hot water tap in the bathroom. It was leaking on the floor and I had turned off the wall tap that leads to the sink. After looking it over, he said that the problem was inside the wall tap and he would have to come back today with parts to fix it properly. In the meantime, the geyser (hot water heater -- pronounced "geezer") had to be turned off. That meant no hot water for a shower this morning. I heated up some water on the gas stove in the kitchen and had a bucket bath, which is common all over India (we are fortunate to have a very capable shower in our apartment).
This morning the plumber and his assistant arrived about 9:15 (15 minutes earlier than scheduled, almost unheard-of!). It took them about an hour and a half to replace the wall tap. I checked that the geyser was reconnected and turned on and hope there will be hot water tonight.
We also have a dhobi (laundryman) who comes on Saturdays to take our dirty clothes and deliver the clean ones from the previous week.
Dan left for Delhi yesterday afternoon to meet his brother and sister-in-law. They will be coming up here on Wednesday and staying at Ivy Bank Guest House until we all leave on May 2. Today Dan and his brother are planning to attend the Asian Badminton Tournament in Delhi. Sounds like something they will both enjoy.
If you have been a regular reader of this blog, you will probably think I am obsessed with food. Well, maybe I am!
When we first came to Woodstock in 1968, we ate most of our meals at the staff dining room for several months until our sea baggage arrived. The food was quite awful, including the pastiest pasta you can imagine (or not), and lots of fried food that wasn't readily identifiable.
Over the years the food has improved a lot, although boarding school students always like to criticize it. One day last week this was the menu in the daily announcements:
breakfast cornflakes veg & paneer cutlet stuffed french toast toast/butter/jam/peanut butter/cheese slice tea/coffee/milk fresh fruit
morning snack assorted cookies
lunch green salad chicken curry sindhi curry [note: mixed vegetables in a soupy gravy] steamed rice masala dal fresh fruit
The pictures below are from lunch in the staff dining room: the salad and a steam table with the rice, chicken curry, and dal. (The veg curry had to be obtained from the student food line.)
One day last week we decided to try the pizza at Dev Dar Woods, a boarding house cum restaurant on the back side of the Chukker, owned by Mr. Prakash of the Sisters' Bazaar provision store. We had half chicken, half veg, and it was delicious. The leftovers heated up nicely, too.
Our regular trek to the bazaar for poori khana on the weekend was somewhat thwarted this week as our Agarwal restaurant was closed. So we ate at Green Vegetarian instead, only a very short distance away. The pooris were a little thicker but it was a good lunch.
On Sunday we visited friends in Dehra Dun and Rajpur. When we left on Monday morning we stopped at the Chayya Cafe in Rajpur. Chayya has a branch in Mussoorie at the top of Mullingar Hill. We love their home-made bread and cookies. They have a nice small restaurant, too. The entry way has a lovely garden area.
The whimsical painted entry way.
Interior of the restaurant with nice views.
After Chayya, we stopped at the Moravian Institute to look at their Tibetan rugs. The school has been there since 1963. For many years, they trained women to make Tibetan rugs as a money-making venture. A few years ago most of their export sources dried up and they have stopped making them. But we did get to see what they had left. Rev. Kundan, the principal, is on the Woodstock School Board and we got to visit with him while we were there.
This bougainvillea was only one of many on the grounds.
A close-up of a flame-of-the-forest tree and its blooms.
More pretty flowers.
Some of the rugs in the storeroom.
Part of the road heading up toward the main Mussoorie Road.
On Saturday we were invited for lunch at my friend Immu's house. Her home is at the top of the ridge at the western end of the Chukker. We went past Char Dukaan to the hawa ghar, then up the path. We were greeted by these lovely petunias.
The house, named Wolf's Burn, consists of several buildings, including rental units where Language School students often stay. This is the main house.
The views are spectacular in every direction, this one to the northwest.
We sat at a table in the sun, but grateful for the shade. It was a lovely day.
Immu's grandson Tariku was visiting again. His parents Tim and Archna were here volunteering in the PE department last fall when we were here. They spent much of the winter in Ethiopia, Immu's homeland and Archna's childhood home. They are here on their way back home to Australia.
Immu's husband, the Professor, stopped by to greet us.
Immu served a delicious meal combining some Ethiopian and Indian foods.
Immu shared this photo of Wolf's Burn from years ago after a winter storm.
A common sight all over India is the way shopkeepers display their wares. Two of the shops on the path down to Kempty Falls are good examples -- bangles and chappals (sandals).
On the way home, we stopped at an old restaurant that used to be a favorite, Whispering Windows. They were undergoing renovations and we were about the only people there. The location is good; the restaurant is upstairs overlooking a scenic view.
This is the gate at Library Bazaar. The open area where several roads intersect is called Gandhi Chowk. A chowk is like a plaza and these days is often filled with parked and moving vehicles of all kinds.
At the top of the hill above our house is Elcott Lodge. For many years, this was the home of the Buchanan sisters, who were poets and artists.
Friday evening we had dinner at Momo and Tsering's house. This home was originally named Shanty, now called Shanti (meaning peace, a nicer image).
Since we were here last they have added a nice guest room seen at the top of the picture above. here is a view of the room, very comfortable quarters.
Woodstock School's Quarter Break began Thursday afternoon. On Friday we took the scooter to Kempty Falls. This landmark tourist spot is about 15 kilometers to the west of Mussoorie, and several thousand feet below. The place was developed as a tourist destination by John Mekinan, sometime after 1835. The name Kempty is derived from 'Camp-tea', as the Britishers would organise their tea parties here.
We visited Kempty Falls a number of times when we lived here in the 60s and 70s. It was quite idyllic at that time, a lovely picnic spot. Things have changed with the explosion of tourism in this area.
The road down is actually two lanes with markings all the way. Other than the occasional cow or vehicle standing in the road, it felt quite safe.
A sample of the hairpin turns on the road.
Often the turns have tea stalls or other miscellaneous structures along the way. This turn had some retaining wall construction going on.
Once at the entrance to the falls, there was a huge traffic jam.
The top of the path heading down to the falls. Shops line the sides most of the way down.
I'm always tempted to photograph the snack shops!
You can see the steps are quite pukka.
The falls had more water than we expected at this time of year.
Looking down on the center of activity, including the lower terminus for the ropeway.
Plenty of swimmers were in the pool at the bottom of the falls. I can't imagine how cold that mountain stream water must have been!
On our drive west of Library bazaar on Sunday we saw lots of interesting buildings. The first is quite a fancy newly built (or rebuilt) house.
Not sure if this is a house or a water/electric facility, but it was right at the top of the hill.
Another older house on the top.
The facade of a maharajah's hillside home. Years ago we looked into the windows from the garden with our friends the Powells. Alfred remembered going to dances here when he was young; he commented that the ballroom had a double floor to keep the dancers' feet from tiring.
Along the New Road, the Lind Cottage. Couldn't resist!
Landour Bazaar from below; notice the Clock Tower with the scaffolding on the left side. For those who have never been here, these buildings are quite amazing. Only about the top two stories are visible from the street in the bazaar; the others are below, clinging to the hillside.
More hillside buildings.
And the last, a view of Midlands and Alter Ridge from the New Road.
Last year I wrote about our favorite Sunday lunch place -- Aggarwal's Vegetarian Restaurant in Kulri. They serve a great poori khana -- two enormous fresh hot pooris, potato curry, pumpkin curry, and onions and pickle (for Dan). We were pleased this year to find that they've done some renovations during the winter. It looks quite spiffy now.
This view is looking down the stairs from the upper floor where we prefer to sit. The walls have been tiled.
A short distance away from Aggarwal's is the Banaras House, one of the older shops where the finest silk saris could be found. It hasn't been opened since we've come and looks like it won't be coming back.
Next door to Banaras is the wave of the future of retailing here -- a fancy new Benetton store. Shopping in Mussoorie is definitely different than when we lived here!
Sunday afternoon we went exploring on the motor scooter. We headed to the west end of town, Library Bazaar. From there we took the road to the southwest, rather than the northwest that we do more often. (Northwest lies the Company Garden, Happy Valley, and Kempty Falls.)
We ended up going all the way around the hill and back to the north side, where it got narrower and steeper. We got off and walked up to the top of a hill. We could see in all directions, but it was too hazy to get good photos. The snows were peeking through the haze to the north. This picture taken from the road we walked up gives a little bit of the feeling of the steepness. A few times I wasn't sure we would make it, but Dan is an excellent driver and maintains good control (and the brakes are strong!).
On the way up we saw signs pointing to "Mussoorie's Highest Hotel," so we decided to find it. I don't know where they got the name "Dunsvirk," but that's what it is.
The lobby inside the entrance is quite elegant, with Tudor-style decoration.
A view of the hotel from the back side where the nice, large garden is located. The hotel rooms were nice and you had a choice of Doon or mountain views. The tariff ranged from about $60 per room per night to about $90 with meals included. Good discounts are available off season. I don't think anyone was staying there right now, but it will soon be very full.
Lilies blooming in the garden just in time for Easter.
From the garden we could see this elegant-looking electrical substation. (Rocks on roofs, as on the shed in the foreground, are quite common. I presume they keep the tin from blowing away in a storm.
From the front of the hotel we could see Mussoorie Modern School. Waverly Convent was also visible to the left of this photo.
And to the north side, we could see the Tibetan settlement in Happy Valley. We were there last October and climbed Flag Hill, the tiny peak to the left of center on this photo. The Dunsvirk is a lot higher.
On Saturday we decided to walk from Oakville to Char Dukaan for lunch. The path is relatively level, going across the top of our ridge from east to west. At intervals along the road there are rest shelters, called hawa ghars (wind houses). This one has been rebuilt with very nice stone work, a hallmark of Sanjay Narang's building style.
We passed Kellogg Church on the right. On the left is Ellengowan, followed by an old house with these lovely wisteria flowers growing up the side. I don't know its name; its face onto the road is pretty stark.
Once at Char Dukaan, we had our bun omelets at Tip Top. Anil's is the other chai shop, but it was very busy. On the way home, we stopped in to see the renovated Saint Paul's Church. The windows are beautiful and it was decorated with palms for Palm Sunday, the next day.
Uploads of photos were impossibly slow yesterday, so I'm posting on Saturday to make it up. Because most people walk to most places around here, the paths and roads we use are of primary importance. There are many mountain trails criss-crossing the hillside. But today I am focusing on the more finished ones.
Above Oakville the road has been paved with cement, partly with the common horizontally grooved type and partly with cement paving stones. The ones there are reused from somewhere; some of them have paint markings still showing on them. All of these are one narrow lane in width.
Walking down to Tehri Road from Oakville the path has been widened and partially paved to be passable by a jeep or motorcycle. It’s pretty steep in places, and some of the switchbacks are too sharp to make a full turn, but it is passable. This dog is often in the area; I'm not sure who he belongs to, but he is friendly.
Switchback; path to right leads to Suncliff, where some Woodstock staff live.
At the bottom of the path, Tehri Road comes into view. Straight ahead goes to the Hanifl Center and on east to Tehri. I take a very sharp right and head on to school.
Tehri Road has been paved with asphalt/macadam. It is mostly very good now, about one-and-a-half lanes wide, with yellow edge strips where they haven’t worn off. Notice the pukka railings along the side. It's a very long drop down in many places.
At some of the sharp curves near the school, mirrors have been posted so drivers can see if there is another vehicle approaching the curve from the other side. A toot on the horn is expected by both drivers.
It was Wednesday night and time for us to head into the bazaar for our dinner. We usually have soup and cheese sandwiches at home, but like to head out occasionally, too.
I think I mentioned before that we are glad to have a motor scooter available. It is a long walk into the bazaar from Oakville, more than I am willing to do in the evening.
This time we ate at Golden Restaurant, right by the Clock Tower in Landour. The Clock Tower is being renovated and is surrounded by scaffolding. While we were eating, men were carrying in sections of corrugated metal, about 3x8 feet. I’m not sure if they were for the roof or for something else inside.
Ram Chander’s general store has moved across the street from its long-time location. It has been renovated and is clean and bright. The manager told us the old location will soon be the Nainital Bank.
Golden is a decent Indian restaurant. We started with paneer pakoras (a favorite appetizer). Dan had Dry Mutton Curry, a specialty he remembers fondly from the old Kwality Restaurant in Dehra Dun. This was nearly as good. We also had Gobhi Mutter (cauliflower and peas) and tandoori roti. Very delicious!
It was nice to hang around the house on Sunday afternoon, not doing much of anything. Dan went off on the scooter with a friend and his motorcycle to give rides to two children of another staff member. The boys had never been on a motorbike and were thrilled. They took them out to Suokholi, about 10 kilometers to the east.
Every day the cows check out the area around our house; we must be on their regular route. I heard their bells jingling on Sunday afternoon so I went out with my camera. They will brave almost any path, or even a stairway, to find their favorite food. The stairs go up from our front yard to the Oakville Lodge, a fairly new duplex right above our house.
The 84-year-old Hostel has been completely rebuilt, with the generous help of Sanjay Narang ’81. The project was managed by his own contractors and completed in a record time of ten months. The updated building made generous use of the old building, as wood and other materials were salvaged and reused. Everything is upgraded and modern, with new furniture made of sheesham and sal wood, local trees with long-lasting strong wood.
There is a 25-meter heated swimming pool facing the Doon. The former swimming pool area was incorporated into the new building. It is all amazing and beautiful.
We celebrated with a dedication on Friday afternoon. Special guests were Ken and Regina Saum, who were Hostel supervisors in the 1970s when we were on staff and when Sanjay was a student. It was good to reconnect with these old friends and their adult children who accompanied them. A very special moment was when Sanjay was presented with an honorary diploma. One of his regrets in life was having to leave Woodstock before graduation in 1981. A very nice tea was served following the dedication ceremony.
Left to right: Sanjay Narang '81, Ken Saum, Thomas Chandy (Chair, WS Board), David Laurenson (Principal)
Saturday evening a fancy dinner and dance were held at the Hostel. The dinner was quite amazing, from multiple tandoor specialties to curries to South Indian to burgers and fries. Desserts were mostly Indian along with a thick dark chocolate mousse. It was a long walk back to Oakville, but needed after that banquet!
When we arrived Monday, we were assigned to a duplex at Oakville, called the Terrace. The school told us that next week we could move to the guest room we occupied last spring, right in the Quad. However, we decided we’d prefer to stay at Oakville. So Tuesday afternoon we hired a taxi and hauled our stored luggage up to the house. We have gradually accumulated a few household goods and some clothes that we leave here between visits.
The Oakville estate was formerly the property of the United Church of Canada. About 30 years ago, the Alter family acquired the main property. The school has two duplex units there where staff are housed. One of the buildings burned down a few years ago and a lovely new duplex was built on the original foundation. Ours is the older one, shown below. (We are on the right side, which gets very little sun.)
Looking eastward from our front yard (where cows enjoy browsing) we can see the big old Oakville main house across the now-defunct tennis courts. Forty years ago Dan used to play tennis up there on Sunday afternoons.
It's a 20-minute walk to school from Oakville, all downhill. The return takes a bit longer, but it is a pleasant walk along Tehri Road and up a Jeepable path. I haven't taken the "Eyebrow" path yet; I must do that soon!
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