Month: October 2022

2 Comments Posted on by Reji Koduvath Canada

Illumi

Its Illumination Mississauga (Illumi) – opened with more than 20 million brilliant lights in 13 magical universes on a 600,000 square foot site, the equivalent of 10 football fields.
As darkness fell on 22 October 2022, we with our grandson James drove to the Illumi location, about 15 minutes from our home. Having purchased our tickets online, there was no waiting at the ticket counter. We entered the Jack-o-Lantern area – Halloween is around the corner and Canadian homes are decorated with carved pumpkins to form Jack-o-Lantern. More than 50% of the pumpkin grown in Canada gets converted into Jack-o-Lanterns.

We were welcomed by the Tree of lights – 47 meters high – as tall as the Statue of Liberty! Made of 44,000 interactive luminous spheres. It is visible from kilometer around and is the hallmark of Illumi. Its unparalleled display of brilliance of multimedia sound and light show.
The Crazy Boulevard depicts a Hollywood movie set with extravagant Boulevards and a make-believe neighbourhood.

Various architectural wonders of the world were depicted with dancing lights.
A scene from a Western movie depicted in recognition of Hollywood in entertaining humanity over the years.
A dozen of huge Cinderella’s glass sandals were a great attraction.

Illumi recognised the Canadian sports-persons and various sporting events Canadians excel.

How can the Canadians forget the Fall. Trees in various shades red and yellow, made out of lights was a true representation of the season outside.

The Fall got to be followed by the severe Canadian Winter – with Snowman and skating. Gigantic glowing crystals form an icy world, a sparkling ice castle and a pathway lined with snowmen leads you to memories of frosty Canadian winters.
This section was aptly named The Happiest Farm.

Reminisced about my childhood – the brood of hens and the majestic rooster Amma reared.

Children enjoyed the pigs and the piglets more than anything else.

At the Europea Place was the Merry-Go-Round Square and James hopped on to a white horse on the magical carousel.

Welcome to the animal kingdom. The area welcomed visitors with melodious Bollywood songs.

Majestic pachyderms stood with elegance and grace.

Zebras and the geese in contrasting colours attracted kids.

Red and white waterbirds
James atop a cheetah.
Giraffes and snakes co-existed peacefully.

The Land of The Scarlet Spiders where hundreds of gargantuan red tarantulas attracted both adults and children alike at the Illumi. The monstrous matriarch and her progeny of 250 arachnid predators are sure to give you goosebumps.

The Infinite Poles was all about the Poles – The North and the South. Icy regions of the Arctic and the Antarctic are represented the icy world with lights where penguins, whales and igloos coexist in an endless forest of stalagmites.

The Magic Lanterns sections was a walk-through among traditional arches surrounded by huge bright flowers, bamboo shoots and pandas to discover the stately soldiers and cavalry of the emperors. We strolled into the pagoda and admired the school of koi fish guarded by a fabulous imperial dragon.

The horses reminded me of our equestrian classes at the National Defence Academy. A herd of 200 sparkling stallions, inspired by Cavalia’s white show-horses, a colossal herd, constructed from thousands of dazzling lights, showcased the gracefulness of Cavalia’s equine stars. Cavalia has made a name for themselves over the last decade and a half. Since 2003, they’ve been touring the world with their eponymous acrobatic and equestrian show.

Cavalia is a Canadian entertainment company that specialises in creating, producing and marketing large-scale live shows and events. A family business founded by Normand Latourelle, has its expertise in high technology, multimedia and special effects that create a magical, unique, never-before-seen experiences.

Illumi – A Dazzling World of Lights is Cavalia’s latest creation: a magical and captivating nocturnal journey created with thousands of monumental light sculptures.
1 Comment Posted on by Reji Koduvath Travelogues

Wine Tasting and Oak Apples

Once in Sacramento, how can we miss a visit to Napa Valley, America’s most celebrated wine region. Napa is best known as a booming wine region, serving up some of the top vintages and some of the best wines in the world. The rolling hills and sunny skies make the region a picturesque spot for a quick getaway.

Wine and wine tasting is the main draw. The valley with over 400 wineries to explore with rustic architecture – century-old castles to cutting-edge contemporary designs – is a great getaway spot.
We visited Beringer Vinery on September 02, 2022 for wine tasting. Beringer’s history dates to 1869, when Jacob Beringer, reached Napa Valley after sailing from Germany. He became cellar foreman for Charles Krug, one of the first commercial winemakers in Napa Valley. In 1875, Jacob and his brother Frederick, purchased 215 acres, known as Los Hermanos (the brothers), that became the heart of the Beringer estate.
Beringer has some of the most beautiful architecture in Napa Valley. The Rhine House, which Frederick Beringer began construction in 1883, is a 17-room mansion. The design is based on the design of his ancestral home in Germany. It was completed in 1884. There are 41 stained glass panels reflecting coloured light throughout the house, stenciled paint work on the walls, hand-carved wood panels and cabinets, etc. Today, it is the center of hospitality, holding wine tasting.
The Hudson House, built around 1850, was on the property when the Beringer brothers bought the land in 1875. Originally the house stood in the same location the Rhine House today. Frederick had Jacob’s residence, the Hudson House, moved 200 feet north using horses and logs in 1883. where it remains today.
The house was originally built by David Hudson, who was known for his involvement in the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 in Sonoma, an event that was instrumental in California winning independence from Mexico.
After Frederick’s passing in 1901, then Jacob’s passing in 1915, Jacob’s children, Charles and Bertha Beringer, took over. While most wineries shut their doors at the beginning of Prohibition in 1920, Beringer continued to operate under a federal license that allowed them to make wine for religious purposes. Of course, Beringer went beyond selling sacramental wine to churches, which is the story behind the Whisper Sister label. After Prohibition, Beringer was the first winery to offer public tours, sparking wine tourism in Napa Valley.

In Napa Valley, I was surprised by the giant Oak Trees – not by their sizes and not by the littleness of the small acorns that grew on them, but by the Oak Apples.

The adage that Mighty oaks – from little acorns grow is a 14th Century old English proverb that has so much significance to many aspects of our everyday lives. It inspires us never to give up, and to always remember that great things do indeed come from small beginnings.

That’s what I knew about Mighty Oaks and Little Acorns until my visit to the Napa Valley.  There were Big Oak Apples growing on the Mighty Oaks too. 

An oak apple is not a fruit but a gall. Now what is a Gall?

Plant galls are abnormal outgrowths of plant tissues. They can be caused by various parasites, fungi, and bacteria. Oak apple galls are leaves that have developed into a thin sphere because wasps have laid eggs inside of the leaf.

Oak apple wasps (Amphibolips Confluenta) have a lifespan of over two years that happens on one single oak tree. The mother wasp lays her eggs at the roots of the oak tree. The larvae that emerge feed on roots of the oak tree. They develop into pupae, and then into wingless female wasps. In spring of the second year of the life cycle, the adult female wasps emerge from the ground and climb up the oak tree to the leaves. There they inject an egg into the veins of a newly growing leaf, and the gall begins to form.

As the egg hatches, chemicals and hormones released through fluid alter the leaf’s typical growth and the leaf develops into green round ball to create a secure tiny home for one wasp larva. In summer, the larva turns into a pupa, and then into an adult wasp. The adult wasp exits the gall by making a hole, and the galls turn brown and sometimes drop to the ground. Males and females mate, and females burrow into the ground to lay eggs and the cycle restarts again.

The mighty oak tree, the galls and the oak apple wasps teach us about the complexity of the natural world around us and demonstrate how native tree species support.  There are hundreds of insects that produce galls, even within a single oak tree. Other insects use different species of plants to create galls. And many other organisms sometimes take advantage of a gall one larva has created and repurpose it for their own use.

On September 03, Kumar Bala aka Nandu surprised me with a visit to Sacramento. Kumar and I are from the same batch at Sainik School, Amaravathi Nagar, Thamizh Nadu. He is the Head of Life Sciences Strategy at Oracle with a focus on Medical Device and Pharma sectors. He lives in the Bay Area, about 90 minutes’ drive from Sacramento. We had lunch at Mylapore Restaurant at Folsom, about thirty minutes’ drive from Sacramento. The restaurant served the most authentic Dosa, Uthappam, Idli and other South Indian delicacies. It was indeed a great place to culminate our reunion and my California trip.

1 Comment Posted on by Reji Koduvath Travelogues

California State Railroad Museum

California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento is a tribute to the Iron Horses and the people who sacrificed to make it possible in connecting California to the rest of the nation. The museum features restored locomotives and cars, some dating back to 1862. First opened to the public in 1976, the Museum is visited by Over 500,000 annually. 

The Museum displays many meticulously restored locomotives and cars. Numerous exhibits illustrate how railroads have shaped American people’s lives, the economy, and the unique culture of California and the West.
The first steam engine that welcomes you into the museum is Central Pacific (CP) No 1, named Gov. Stanford named in honour of the railroad’s then president, Leland Stanford, who was also Governor of California. This steam engine, built in 1862, hauled the CP’s first excursion train, first revenue freight on 25th March 1864 and first scheduled passenger train on 15th April 1864. It remained in service until retired in 1895. It is now on static display at the museum, restored to its 1864 appearance.
Southern Pacific No1- C P Huntington is named after the company’s vice-president. It was built in 1863 and was used to help build the transcontinental railroad as well as haul passenger trains. It ended its service being used as a weed burner, clearing the tracks.
Virginia and Truckee Railroad (V&TRR) No 18, named the Dayton, was built in 1873 to haul passenger and freight trains. Later, it was employed on snow-plow duty and was retired in 1926. In 1937, the locomotive, minus the plow, was sold to Paramount Pictures who repainted and renumbered for use in the filming of motion pictures.
The VTRR No 13 – The Empire was built in 1873 and saw service as a freight engine. In 1910, it was converted from a wood burner to an oil burner, and was renumbered #15, perhaps due to ‘Triskaidekaphobia‘- the fear of number 13.  The locomotive retired in 1931. In 1978, based on period photographs and original drawings, it was restored to #13 status of 1873.

The Sonoma, a narrow-gauge steam engine, was built in 1876. The engine is believed to have initially pulled both passenger and freight trains, though no photographs or records exist. The Sonoma has been restored to its as-built appearance, utilising available drawings and specifications.
Union Pacific No. 4466 is a Switcher type steam locomotive built in 1920 to perform switching chores and transfer runs – ‘shunting’ in railways parlance. In 1978, it was donated to the museum, and in 1984, it was restored to service and it also pulled the museum excursions. In 1999, new California emissions regulations banned the operation of coal-fired steam locomotives, which caused the 4466 to be put on indefinite static display.
The first California oil burning, cab-forward design engine was built in 1910. The configuration provided the best visibility for locomotive engineers on sharp curves and saved engineers from being asphyxiated by smokestack fumes in numerous long mountain tunnels and snow-sheds. The engine is equipped with two independent sets of driving wheels, enabling it to follow the rails flexibly. 4294 was in service from 1944 to 1956, hauling both freight and passenger trains until replaced by diesel engines. In 1981, it was restored, repainted, and refurbished.
Wooden Combination (Passenger & Baggage) Car No.16 was built in late 1874 for the VTRR. As the small wooden coaches in use until then were crammed beyond capacity and passengers frequently had to stand, in late 1874, VTRR procured two combination cars – cars No 15 and No 16. The car featured elegant interior ash, oak and black walnut woodwork. The Car No 16 served on the VTRR until 1938. The car was gifted to the museum in 1969 who undertook extensive restoration and returned to its 1875 appearance.
This Monterey and Salinas Valley Railroad combination narrow-gauge first-class Car No 1 was built in 1874 for the short-lived Monterey & Salinas Valley Railroad. The car was saved from a scrap heap to be restored with great difficulty as there were hardly any photographs or images available.
This narrow-gauge passenger car built in 1881 was named the Silver State after the Nevada state motto.  The coach saw irregular service as a first-class car until the early 1900s. The car was restored in 1977 with new exterior wood and all colors that matched the original paint. All hardware in the car was re-plated with silver to match the original finish which is typical of an 1880s passenger car.
Experiments with refrigerator cars began in the 1860s and by 1872 meat was being shipped successfully within the Eastern states. The idea of shipping fruit and vegetables as well, quickly caught on. This 1924 built refrigerator car called Reefer needed Icing Stations at regular intervals. The scheduling had to ensure that trains reached the icing stations before the ice melted. This steel-framed wood-sheathed car carried out its duties until retirement in 1962.
Georgia Northern Railway private passenger car No 100 – The Gold Coast – was built in 1905 as Saloon Car No 97. In 1948, it was sold to railroad historian Lucius Beebe and his partner and photographer Charles Clegg, who were one of the first gay couples to have a relationship well known to the public. They refurbished the car and named it The Gold Coast. They made the car their home and during that period wrote three books and entertained many world-renowned guests. Beebe died in 1966, and The Gold Coast was donated to the California State Railroad Museum in 1969. The car also houses many photographs and other works donated by Clegg in memory of Beebe.
This Railway Post Office No 42 was built in 1950. It was in service until 1967 when the Railway Mail service ended. It operated as a US Post Office on wheels with armed postal clerks sorting mails as the train chugged through the Wild-West.

The California State Railroad Museum serves its function is to collect, preserve, interpret, and display objects of artistic, cultural, or scientific significance for study and education of the public. Various restored engines, rolling stock, railroad artwork, and interactive exhibits are sure to delight both rail enthusiasts and first time visitors alike.

1 Comment Posted on by Reji Koduvath Travelogues

Pony Express, Railroad and Steamers

City of Sacramento derives its name from its location near the confluence of the American and Sacramento River.  Thus, water and railroad transportation were vital to the development of the city. During the California Gold Rush (1848–1855,) Sacramento was connected to San Francisco by rail, road, pony mail and ships. 

This is the statue of a Pony Express Rider.  The rider’s clothes were based on the description in Mark Twain’s book Roughing It, published in 1872. Rider’s saddle and Mochilla (what they carried the mail in) were modeled after originals that are in the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. 
The Pony Express was an American Express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861. 121 riders rode 650,000 miles with only one rider killed, one schedule not completed and one mail pouch lost. With the advent of Telegraph in 1860, Pony Express went bankrupt in 18 months of its commencement of operations.
Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the US armed forces. The blue star was used on service flags to denote a service member fighting in the war. Today, it stands as a tribute to the men and women in the armed forces who have served, are presently serving and will serve in the future.
The California Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1854 to consolidate competing steamship companies in California and they enjoyed a near-monopoly. With the advent of the railroad systems which were faster and cheaper, the steamship business was driven to unprofitable levels. in 1871, the company’s assets were purchased by the California Pacific Railroad, and the corporation was dissolved.
The Delta King, a 285-foot riverboat did her daily river voyages between San Francisco and Sacramento from 1927, providing prohibition-era drinking, jazz bands, gambling, and fine dining. In 1940, the boat was recruited into service with the US Navy during World War to serve on San Francisco Bay as a floating barrack, troop transport and hospital ship.
After the war, the ship became a derelict and was partially submerged for 15 months in San Francisco Bay. She was acquired by the present owners and towed to Old Sacramento and was renovated. Today she is a floating luxury hotel with her original 88 staterooms converted to 44 larger luxury suites. It houses the award-winning Pilothouse Restaurant and the ship is a destination wedding too.
Next to the Delta King is the Tower Bridge is a vertical lift bridge across the Sacramento. It has also been known as M Street Bridge. This golden yellow vertical lift bridge was first opened in December of 1935 when it replaced the old Sacramento Northern Railway swing through truss bridge. In June 1976 as part of Bicentennial projects, it was painted a yellow-ochre color to match the gold leafed cupola on the nearby State Capitol.
Western Pacific Passenger Depot is a former railway station in Sacramento that opened in 1910. The station was in operations until 1970. The station was equipped with indoor restrooms, large waiting room with a separate women’s waiting room, an attic storeroom, baggage room, and ticket and telegraph office.
The California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento is a tribute to the Iron Horses and the people who sacrificed to make it possible in connecting California to the rest of the nation. The museum features restored locomotives and cars, some dating back to 1862.
Old buildings are witnesses to the aesthetic and cultural history of a city, helping to give people a sense of place and connection to the past. Historic buildings often represent something famous or important to people who live in a city or those visiting.