Brad’s best friend, Rohit, lives in Greensboro. They went to high school together where they made a Philosophy and Religious Studies club. Brad went on to graduate school in philosophy, and Rohit in religious studies! While Brad doesn’t work in philosophy anymore, Rohit teaches at UNCG. Brad and Rohit talk every few days, and we decided to go up to visit him last week!
Brad’s family were all out of town, so we didn’t have anyone to watch Alice. Since Rohit has a treasured pup named Padma, we decided to make it an entirely dog-friendly outing so that Alice and Padma could come along!
I drove us up to Greensboro, which may have had the opposite effect than I intended of letting Brad rest. Brad says I am an above-average driver, but he still has lots of trouble being a passenger with anyone driving but him. He said he was afraid there was going to be a hole in the van where he was pressing on an imaginary brake pedal after our journey!
At least I got us all in one piece to the Indian restaurant where we were supposed to meet! We chose it because it was supposed to have outdoor seating, but unfortunately all the tables and chairs were piled up in the corner of their patio area. When Rohit arrived, he tried to get them out, but one table was broken beyond repair! Luckily there was one good table in the pile, and a chair for Rohit.
We shared some Biryani (rice and goat) and Aloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) and it was pretty good! Unfortunately because the restaurant staff got a look at the very white and disabled people Rohit was eating with, even though he ordered it with medium spice, they made it beyond mild. Brad and I like spicy Indian food, so we were a bit disappointed with the spice level. But it was still tasty! We got Gulab Jamun (rose and honey flavored fried dough balls) for dessert, and some coffee.
We had a good time talking, and the pups were good during the meal. But after a while Padma wanted to stretch her legs. So we decided to drive over to the Arboretum.
Rohit had only been to the Arboretum once before years ago, so it was pretty new for all of us! We ended up having a really good time. The weather was just a touch chilly, but not enough for me or Brad to wear our coats.
Brad knows how much Rohit likes posting pictures of his dog, so Brad decided his mission was to take lots of portraits of Rohit and Padma. He said it’s like a platonic love letter to Rohit about how much he cares for him. So most of the pictures you’ll see below are Rohit and Padma portraits.
The Arboretum was fairly busy, and we passed many dogs. Alice and Hestia did great at ignoring the dogs! I was very proud of them. I did have to get them on my lap to pass a woman with two aggressive Papillons, a stroller, and a cell phone in her hand that she was talking on! I just didn’t feel safe around that mess!
We ended up walking for about an hour an a half! I was very happy I had my wheelchair to make that possible! Eventually we exhausted the trails in the Arboretum and headed back to drop Rohit off.
Rohit gave Brad a talisman he had made for him in India, and Brad is wearing it every day. Rohit had to go up to his apartment to get it, and when he came back down, we got a few pictures of Rohit and Brad together. I had totally forgotten to get pictures of Brad at the Arboretum.
In the pictures, I am wearing a purple shirt and purple, pink, and turquoise leggings and am using my power wheelchair with fairy wings on the back. Hestia is black and white and Alice is sable and white. They are both Japanese Chin wearing pink plaid harnesses. Rohit is an Indian man wearing a plaid shirt and black jacket. Padma is a long-haired dachshund mix. Brad is wearing a red and white striped shirt with a blue blazer and is in his power wheelchair. There are pictures of us at the restaurant sitting at an empty table, and walking around the Arboretum. Most of the Arboretum pictures are portraits of Rohit and Padma in various locations.
That was a fun read and great photos, Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it!