DECEMBER 1, THURSDAY

ANTICIPATING MUSSOORIE

Mussoorie, looking down at Dehra Dun

I was born on the Landour hillside section of Mussoorie in the Landour Community Hospital, in what is now the living room of a private house. I attended Woodstock School, which was then a red roofed missionary boarding school on a very steep hill side campus with the scattered dormitories and school buildings built wherever a flat space could be carved out. This week I have been trying to locate a place for us to stay when we visit Mussoorie for six days in late February so Mussoorie has been on my mind. Here are a few random ordinary photographs of Mussoorie whose value is wholly sentimental for me.

My birthplace
Our summer home, abandoned after an earthquake
The Pushta or rock wall beside our house,remembered sentimentally only by me.
The left side was our house, abandoned and by now torn down.
In my childhood the only way to get a new pair of shoes
Shoemaker
My friend Ray Smith’s house renovated
Administration offices of Woodstock School
Our previous, trip very cold rented room in Landour

2 comments

  1. Elaine G. Smith's avatar
    Elaine G. Smith

    Bill, I must reply to this one, finally. The renovated Redwood Cottage is a shocker! I never would have recognized it; was it enlarged? What did they do inside, did you get a look? I miss Betty’s Nasturtiums in the front wall-top planter boxes! I have a picture of our family on the front porch in 1968. This now looks so austere. So sorry for your house. I’ll be watching for your Feb. photos!

    • billybaba's avatar

      Dear Elaine,
      I don’t know if replying on WordPress will get to yoiu but I’ll try it. When I get to Landour for a week at the end of February I’ll go by Redwood Cottage again and take a few more photographs. The house certainly looks different now than when we sat on the front open porch long ago. Thanks for all your responses. Bill

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