Ken got one of the coveted stand-by seats and landed in SLO just about the time Cameron tightened the last pipe joints on the new water heater. The RV is in the driveway–almost ready to roll. Have a look! Won’t it be fun?
On the Road Again…
Will you mind if I take a temporary detour from Russophilia (yes, a new disease) and give you a glimpse into another, newer, facet of my wanderlust? We leave tomorrow (maybe) on our first long-haul RV trip. First to Oceanside, CA and then all the way to Diamond Lake, Oregon, for a week of fishing there. The “maybe” about leaving is that Ken is currently stuck in Phoenix, having missed his flight connection last night. Today (Friday) was supposed to have been our RV prep and pack day. That won’t be happening until late tonight or early tomorrow morning. In…
More Pictures
I’ve posted some pictures from my trip on my Facebook page. You can access it by clicking on this link (I hope.) http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=24835&id=1386667748&l=a24917c5e9 If you view as a slide show, you will see captions for each pictures plus some comments and expanded explanations. Enjoy!
Chocolate for breakfast
The tea tray at the Valkovs holds a small dish with a seemingly never-ending supply of chocolate inside. The tray sits on a buffet table in the kitchen when not in use for tea time in the living room. So, the temptation to munch a piece of delicious Samara chocolate–even before breakfast–was irrisistable. I received a lovely Khokhloma ** bowl and tea set as a birthday gift and have decided to keep small chunks of chocolate (Russian, of course) in it until my stash is gone (BOO HOO). Stop by for a few bites and some tea… ** Golden Khokhloma…
My Way (and the highway)
Apparently there is a Russian comedian who cites Frank Sinatra’s well-known song “My Way” as the mantra of Americans and uses this motif often in his sketches. Again, a grain (or pebble) of humorous truth found its way into my shoe more than once this year as I determined to go it alone (ad-NAH) on Samara’s public transport. Half the time, the journeys across town went smoothly (this word is used figuratively–there would never be such a thing as a smooth ride on Samara’s streets and rails). I felt pretty good about myself–finding the right bus or tram stop–remembering the number of…