Forest Valley

We are situated out here in Katakeri village, right along the road that goes towards Mangalore. It is a quiet spot mostly, except when the buses rumble past on the main road. The trees around Thalthmane stay pretty green even when the sun gets sharp in the afternoons. Most days start early for us because there is always something to tidy up or a gate to check. People driving by often slow down when they see the sign, wondering what is happening back here in the valley. We have been in this spot for a while now and the locals know us by name. The air feels a bit different once you step off the pavement and get closer to the trees. It’s not fancy or anything, just a piece of land where we do our work. Sometimes the rain makes the track a bit muddy, but that is just how it goes in this part of the country. We keep a few chairs out front for when things get slow. Most of our neighbors are farmers or people working in the nearby towns. You can hear birds if the traffic dies down for a minute. It is just a regular place where we try to keep things moving along every day. We don’t have much in the way of big signs, just the one near the Manglure road. It stays busy enough for us. We just focus on the daily chores and talking to the folks who drop in.