Home Again
29 November 2006 By 1 Comment
A few of the emails that we received lately opened with phrases like, ‘it has been a while since we’ve heard from you’ and ‘is everything okay?’ I answered most of those emails today, but if I’ve yet to reply to yours please know that all is well. We’ve just been traveling – with a capital ‘T’, and electronic communication proved a bit difficult to keep up with.
The train-ride back provided some overdue family time; especially the all-day layover in Novosibirsk. We roamed the impressive city zoo until the frost made even an African lion seem uninteresting (though we paused to ponder how a lion from Kenya could keep warm in an outdoor Siberian park). The indoor section was slick too, complete with Caiman crocodiles. David is mostly interested in the carnivores.
Speaking of David… My Mom sent a care package with some very cool gifts. If David had his way, he’d wear this thing day and night.
My theory on this next pic is that Hannah was a bit jealous about the Spiderman suit and so she decided to dress up like her hero: me (well, the shoes and hat at least). That’s just a theory.
And to round things off, here’s a nice winter view. I took this from the window of Maya’s parent’s apartment a few days before we left. Winter has arrived. Thankfully, it is much warmer in this city. Today’s temp was only minus 20 C.
It’s nice to be back.
The View Out My Window
6 November 2006 By 3 Comments
Here is the picture that I promised yesterday, taken from my hotel window. I did not bring a tripod, so it’s a little blurred. The orange dots are actually miniature hot-air balloons that folks released for the festival. I do not understand the significance, except that it is semi-religious.
Click on the pic for a slightly larger image.
Blogging From the Middle East
4 November 2006 By 1 Comment
Flights all good so far. I am in the Middle East, waiting on my next flight to Asia. My laptop’s battery is nearly toast, so that’s all for now.
Russian Poem
2 November 2006 By 5 Comments
For the happy occasion of Maya’s Mom’s 60th birthday, which we will celebrate tomorrow night, I took up my pen and attempted my very first poem in the Russian language. For the sake of the few readers who can read Russian, here she be:
Я помню, Майя говорила,
Мама ее так любила,
И что мне очень повезло:
Время приехать к вам пришло.
И были у вас неделю мы,
Меня без перерыва кормили Вы,
Так хорошо познакомился с Вами,
Предсказанную любовь показали сами.
Пять лет с тех пор уже прошло,
Знаю наверняка теперь хорошо:
Что не в игру играете Вы,
Самое важное для Вас – Ваши родные.
Для Майи, Ксюши и Тимура тоже,
Нет других мам, кто хоть чуть-чуть похожи,
Вы самая лучшая, кто может быть,
И любите их как надо любить.
И для меня тоже, я не забыл,
Такую тещу мне Бог подарил,
Я очень счастливый, что я часть семьи,
И не только потому, что теперь ем блины.
Это я знаю – мы все Вам должны,
Но отплатить все – не можем мы,
Наверное, что надо, это лишь повторить:
Показать своим – как надо любить.
