We've been keeping pretty busy recently. In addition to what we'd already been doing, Lynn and I have begun an hour a day of Hindi language study, and I've made several day-long trips to Dehradun--for dental appointments, motorcycle servicing, and such. Since I've been away so much, I promised Lynn I would spend today on an outing with her, and that I'd be happy to go wherever she suggested.
Lynn's suggestion was perfect. She said she'd like us to explore the far side of Mussoorie, which we've seldom visited in the past. So we drove our bike to the far side of Mussoorie and had a wonderful time. One highlight was our first visit ever to the crumbling remains of the "George Everest House".
Sir George worked as a surveyor in India from 1818, and as the Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843. His home and "laboratory" was at a remote spot on the far side of Mussoorie. It was situated atop a ridge, with magnificent views. The views were clearly more important to Everest than proximity to neighbors because his home would have been a significant distance from town and from his closest neighbors. (It was the Royal Geographical Society that named the world's highest peak in Everest's honor in 1865. Apparently, Sir George was not entirely onside.)
Here's another slide snow to share a little of what we enjoyed today.
Wonderful to read this story and see the pictures. I've always been fascinated by Everest House and have visited it several times. So sad it's been left to crumble. And Childers Lodge is the house at the heart of my novel, though I've renamed it Askival. Great picture of it - can I borrow it for my website?
ReplyDeleteThanks Merryn. You are most welcome to use this, and any other of my images. All are licensed under the Creative Commons. I love the power of the Internet for sharing!
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