To celebrate Rock's birthday (7 September), on Monday, September 11th, we went to the Belmont Mercy Home, an orphanage started by Rock's former mission presidents, where we celebrated with the kids there. Jennifer and I try to go to visit the children as often as we can, which turns out to be twice a month on average.

A blurry picture of Rock blowing out the candles on his cakes. Paul, the director of the home, is standing on Rock's left.
Some of the kids at the home singing and waiting patiently for the dessert.
A picture showing the chalkboard the kids had prepared with a birthday message.
Jennifer feeding Rock the first bite of cake - a tradition in India






What do the Carpenters, France, and India all have in common? Madam Santhe restaurant in Pondicherry, where Jennifer and I ate last week, eating our French-themed meal to the melodious strains of The Carpenters Greatest Hits including "On top of the wooooorld, looking.... down at creation... and the only explanation I can find....." We went to Pondicherry last weekend. It is a small union territory on the south-east coast of India, about 3 1/2 hours south of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. As a union territory, it officially falls under the direct stewardship of India's federal government and functions as a quasi-state, with its own governing structure and tax-system. While the part that we visited is the largest and most developed part of Pondicherry, officially three other cities on the coasts of India belong to the territory, one more in Tamil Nadu a bit farther to the south, one in Andhra Pradesh farther to the north, and one in Kerala in the south-west. The territory was officially a French colony until 1963, when the areas merged with the recently-independent India. The cities have successfully maintained their French influence and feel and are an enjoyable taste of the Mediterranean in the Bay of Bengal.

Jennifer enjoying a chocolate and banana crepe for breakfast at the Satsanga restaurant.
Rock and Jennifer enjoying a meal of steak and quiche at the Rendevous restaurant. Note1: This was our first steak since arriving in India. For religious reasons cow meat is hard to come by in most parts of the country. Note2: Rock fulfilled for a fourth year in a row his tradition of growing a beard during the summer. However, this one only lasted 2 1/2 weeks. It's hot here.