Guntur Chillies

Hot peppers or halapenos are known as Chillies in India. Guntur is district/ county in the State of Andhra Pradesh, India. Guntur is very renowned for it's chillies all over the world. Commericial crops like, chillies, tobacco, turmeric are extensively grown in Guntur besides the usual crops like, pulses, rice etc.,

Guntur chilli belongs to the variety Capsicum annum. It is well known as a commercial crop used as a condiment, culinary supplement or as a vegetable. Among the spices consumed per head in India, dried chillies contribute a major share. Guntur Chillies are hotter than most of the hot peppers generally known in the Amercica or the westerners. People in the area make various pickles such as mango, ginger, lemon, etc., and in all of them Chillies are invariably an important ingredient.

Chilli was known to Indians about 400 years ago. Globally, India stands first in the production of chilli. The province of Andhra Pradesh leads in its production, providing 46% of all chilli produced in India. Guntur has been associated with chillies for decades, and hence the prefix Guntur for the name of this chilli. At present, chilli has become one of the most important cash crops and thousands of people directly depend on the cultivation of this spice for their livelihood.

I took my third son, who was to leave for Boston, USA to join the Harvard University as post doctoral scholar in computer science, to show the countryside in the interior of Guntur district. When we were travelling by road we found that the Chillies were being dried in the fields.

The stark red color of the chillies attracted our attention and resulted in the following pictures.

Pictures were shot with my Nikon D50 and the 18-55/3.5-5.6 lens




Hot red chillies being dried



manual grading g of the chillies



Drying of chillies in the field



Dried chillies ready for packing

Lake George, New York State

I visited Lake George in Upstate New York, in the second week of October. My eldest son said that the fall colors in New York State are very beautiful to see in the month of October. He gathered information about the places that could be visited and decided that we go to Lake George. One Saturday morning, we started for Lake George from New Jersey by road along with my  cute grand daughter Anvita.

Lake George, nicknamed the Queen of American Lakes, is a long, narrow lake located at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains, in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York. It lies within the upper region of the Great Appalachian Valley. The lake is situated along the path between the valley of the Hudson River and that of the St. Lawrence, so lies on the direct land route between Albany, New York and Montreal, Canada. One can experience the subtle shift of air as summer bursts into a colorful array of reds, purples and yellows – and watch as the seasons change before your eyes. The Adirondack Region is said to be one of the longest fall foliage seasons in the country, providing an incredible getaway for leaf-peeper.As August wanes across the region, the leaves begin to change, eventually bursting into full color beginning in the Adirondack Mountains in early September. The best time to see fall foliage in the Adirondacks is late September into early October. The progression of color change decreases steadily in elevation, until mid-to-late October when the Adirondack Coast of Lake Champlain and Lake George begin to shed the last of the season's vibrant colors.

We stayed on the banks of Glenmoore Lake in a resort, Glenmoore Lodge, specially selected by my daughter-in-law. Glenmoore Lake is is a small lake a few miles away from Lake George, hence away from the hustle and bustle one finds in the main Lake George area. Surrounded by tall pines, it has the perfect setting for a relaxing, satisfying vacation.The lodge is situated directly on the shores of Glen Lake, a peaceful, picturesque lake only 4 1/2 miles from Lake George Village.

I shot extensively at Glenmoore Lake and Lake George with Nikon D 300 and 17-55/2.8 lens

Some of those pictures are here

Lake Glenmoore

Lake George

Fall colors

This is what is mentioned in Wikipedia about the fall colors.

" Autumn leaf color is a phenomenon that affects the normally green leaves of many deciduous trees and shrubs by which they take on, during a few weeks in the autumn season, various shades of red, yellow, purple, and brown. The phenomenon is commonly called autumn colours or autumn foliage in British English and fall colors, fall foliage, or simply foliage in American English. In some areas of Canada and the United States, "leaf peeping" tourism is a major tourist activity occurs between the beginning of color changes and the onset of leaf fall. Although some autumn coloration occurs wherever deciduous trees are found, the most brightly colored autumn foliage is found in four or five regions of the world: most of southern mainland Canada; most of the eastern part of the United States as well as smaller areas of forest further west; Scandinavia, Northern, and Western Europe north of the Alps; the Caucasus region near the Black Sea, Russia and Eastern Asia, including much of northern and eastern China, as well as Argentina, Chile, southern Brazil, Korea, Japan and New Zealand's South Island. Eastern Canada and the New England region of the United States are famous around the world[19] for the brilliance of their "fall foliage," and a seasonal tourist industry has grown up around the few weeks in autumn when the leaves are at their peak. Thick forest cover and distinct seasonal changes make this part of the world an ideal setting for the types of deciduous trees that produce wonderful fall foliage. Fall colors are typically at their peaks in early to mid October for much of the northern and interior parts of the area, late October for areas further south, and early November for the warmer subtropical areas of the region."

Though, I visited USA a few times, I never had been there during the fall and therefore, I missed the opportunity to view this spectacle. However, during my visit this year I made it a point to stay there in October and visit some places where the colors are said to be very scenic. I visited the following places.

Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Upstate New York

My experience had been mind boggling looking at the spectacle of so many hues the leaves thrown and I was simply amazed looking at those forests. The fallen leaves gave me wonderful opportunity to shoot several satisfying pictures

I shot pictures with my D300 and Nikon 17-55/2.8 lens extensively during my visits.

Some of the pictures are here