I sat by the window going and coming home! 

I found this plane in the view finder of my camera. 

View of the mountains from the plane leaving Krasnodar 

Home at last!

Tom was waiting at the airport... I got a text message from Spencer and Nathan slept through it all!

I am so glad to be home. I need more sleep though. I got in at 4:05 am. I got about four hours of sleep before my language lesson started at 2 pm. Lena was merciful on me... she stopped when she saw my eyes glaze over! I have been hearing Italian spoken for the past three weeks. So, when Lena first started asking me questions I said "Si" instead of "dah" for yes. Tom thought it was pretty funny. I did make one switch last night on the bus to the plane... I knew how to ask people to move over for me... I did not say "skoosi" (excuse me) I said "isvenitchyeh".

Germans drink coffee after dinner but Russians drink tea... it was interesting on the plane to see who wanted tea and who wanted coffee. The flight attendents would switch from German to Russian when asking but they seemed to already know the answer!

The guys have opened all of their presents and seen most of my pictures. I have over a thousand photos... hope you are ready for Rome! I promise to weed through and not post EVERYTHING!

oops, I did it again!

Auntie Martha & Uncle Fred got a phone call from Rome at 6am....
I guess I just was not paying attention to the time!

I knew she was going to check out my blog today with my Aunt Betty and I did not want them to worry about the robbery. So in my zeal after purchasing minutes for the cell phone I just called.

Today, I just chilled with Rhianna, we ran a few errands and them came back to the air conditioned apartment. It is hot today. If you plan a trip to Europe July is not the month to come!!!

The woman working here just took Rhianna from me... they really love babies. It is such a blast to watch the reactions... They just stop everything and run to the baby!

I am heading over to the church where Erin is rehearsing... there is a young woman there who just began studying at the conservatory in Moscow and she wants to meet me. We will most likely exchange numbers and keep in touch. What a way to meet another American who lives in Russia... being introduced by an American in Rome!

Traffic Jam for Lunch!

What happens when you combine lunch hour traffic, a city wide public transportation strike, a tour bus and a delivery truck? Today I was out to buy gifts for my guys and like most of Rome I had to walk. There is a strike going on today. The buses and the subway are shut down. When I got to the intersection just past the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore... there was a huge mass of cars that could not go anywhere. I walked through the intersection to the other side and saw the driver of a large tour bus just sitting there smoking a cigarette. It seemed an odd place to take a break. Then I noticed that just in front of him was a truck making a delivery to a store. The bus driver could not move so he decided to smoke. However, the people in the cars behind the huge bus could not see the smaller delivery truck so it appeared as if they were all being held hostage by the smoking bus driver! The intersection was full because here they do not keep the intersection clear for when the light changes... they just go when they think it is their turn! As soon as the delivery was completed the bus driver tossed the cigarette and moved on. It was a sight; but at least the bus driver was not stressed!

I found the gifts I wanted for everyone and finished taking pictures. It is hard to believe that I am going home in two days. I am looking forward to seeing my guys again. And I am sure they would like to eat something else besides frozen pizza!

Slow day!

After the excitement of yesterday I decided to take it easy today!

I did go to St Paul's Basilica yesterday. It is called St Pauls Outside the Walls. It is second in size to St Peter's. It has a picture of every single Pope on the wall inside... there is a legend that says the world will end when there is no more room on the walls. There are 8 spots left!!!!

Swarmed and pickpocketed

Be very careful on the Metro! One way to pick the pocket or purse of someone is to swarm them as they attempt to get off at a stop... so guess who was the lucky winner of this local custom!! Me... thank God, Erin had the baby and she got off safely, they swarmed me and did not let me get off and when I got off at the next stop my purse was open and my cash was gone. They got around 240 Euros. If Euros are still worth about a dollar and 24 cents then whoever these people were did okay for themselves! I was not hurt and I am not angry I just cannot believe it happened to me. The last time I was robbed I was in fourth grade and someone stole my purse at the bus stop. I remember they took my lunch money and my principal gave me 2 dollars. I do not think anyone here is going to pay me back. The Pope just left for vacation and I think the President is still in Scotland!

"The tearing down is almost over!"

The 2 Stage Russian Remont process is nearly 1/2 complete! (Stage 1: Tear everything down. Stage 2: Decide how to build everything back up.) I'm really getting the hang of this style of remont & frankly I kind of like the process!! It certainly allows for a free-flowing style of remodeling - making adjustments and changes at anytime. For us creative types, ideas spring up during the process, giving birth to more ideas. Obviously this can get out of hand & some structure & a plan are needed, but it sure is fun!
I've stuck to the strict orders from Alida, however, for how she wants things for our flat. We've talked about any changes so there will be no surprises when she returns from Rome early Monday morning.
All the old aluminum wiring has been removed & is ready to be replaced. 2 wall corners by the kitchen need to be shaved 45 degrees, & the lower balcony wall in the living room is to be removed (that's an 'in process' decision!). Then the plumbing added in kitchen & bathroom, bathroom wall can be rebuilt & floors tiled. Windows were paid for today...they should go in in a few days.
It will be interesting to see if we will be able to move in by late next week as we have hoped!

exterior & interior concrete walls of bathroom are removed & broken into chunks, sitting in these white bags, ready to be carried down 4 flights of stairs! The pipes remain in same place as they are connected to the flats aboce and below us. 

interior bathroom wall is gone - new bathroom will be slightly larger & one room w/ one door! 

exterior wall & sink are gone - floor tile is now being removed  

view out of balcony 

workers will remove the lower balcony wall on left to open up balcony & living room into one room. 

Tom is chalking the corner where he wants the workers to 'shave' the concrete by 45 degrees. 

floor tile will come up next in kitchen 

entrance to kitchen 

window in master bedroom will have stained glass window of Lillies designed & installed. 

In Nathan's room we'd like to build a 'mini-loft' for Nathan's bed w/ studying, writing & Domo area underneath.  

In Spencer's room, we will build a platform w/ roll out bed for space saving. 

Column Of The Flagellation

I woke up with the world's worst backache... if you are over fourty think carefully before climbing stairs on your knees.

Rhianna and I took a walk today so I could stretch. I found one a Basilica I had been to before and photographed it from a different angle. I crossed the street noticing ahead of me an interesting sign. It was for another Basilica... yet it was so plain and seemed out of place. As I waited for it to open I came to realise it was one I had wanted to visit but was not quite sure how to find it.

Entering from the side you miss the grandness of the front of the church. That is intentional. The church is set back from the street. They are not really looking for tourists to find them; only the faithful. There are brochures inside that say NOT FOR TOURISTS.

This church is known for the mosaics it is filled with. At one time it was a major Basilica... due to the column of the Flagellation being here it was a major part of the Passion week. Easter is not a time for visitors; the church is closed to tours.

As I took photos and comtemplated in this church Rhianna began to vocalize! She even had a little gas and not from the pleasant end... Spencer tells me I can never show myself at this church again! Erin said that they must now change the name to the church of the Flatulation!

Even with as much pain as I am in today I know it does not compare to that which Christ endured. Oh, the church is named for one of the daughters of Senator Pudens. He is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:21. He was a very wealthy man and when he died his daughter devoted her life to the Christian martyrs and this church is dedicated to her.

I found it interesting that I would visit this little church after visiting the stairs. Jesus was taken to the column after using the stairs...




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Flagellation of Christ
The scourging of Our Lord by command of Pilate, after He had appeared a third time before the civil court and before He was condemned to be crucified. The Column of the Flagellation of Christ is a famous relic; half of it is in Jerusalem, the other half was brought to Rome in 1222 by Cardinal Giovanni Colonna and placed in his titular church, San Prassede (Saint Praxedes), where it still remains. Among the many masters who have represented the subject of the Flagellation of Christ in art are: Alberti, Bellini, Duccio, Ferrari, Fra Angelico, Luini, Palma, Rembrandt, Romano, San Sepolcro, Signorelli, and Velasquez.
New Catholic Dictionary

From Tourist to Pilgrim

Santa Scala... Sacred Stairs. These are the stairs that Jesus is said to have climbed up and down at the palace of Pontius Pilate. No photos are allowed here. Faithful pilgrims climb the stairs on their knees. The stairs number 28. They are marble stairs covered in wood. There is a small glass cover over each of the blood stains of Jesus. The stairs were brought here by Helen the mother of Constantine. When you reach the top of the stairs you will see the chapel called the Holy of Holies. I cried, prayed and sweat all the way to the top on my knees. It was not easy... First, I prayed for the strength to make it! Then I began to pray for my family, our work in Russia, our extended family in the States and the friends we have left behind. It was humbling to know that because of being led to Russia I am now in Rome. Plane tickets to Rome are cheap from Russia, from the States not so much... I know that my being here will have an impact on our work and on our family because my being here has had a major impact on me!




Tom, we already have one set of double doors, right... maybe we should just do one door on that side! It looks like alot of progress is being made.

I hope your guests had fun with their projects this afternoon. I am sure that you are a good teacher and that everything came out beautiful!

Tonight Erin is singing in a concert at the Basilica San Clemente. We saw a commercial for her concert this afternoon during the news! I have to get back to the apartment for her rehearsal before the show!

If you tear it down...will they build it?

We continue to press forward with the remont with the aid of our translator. I hate to see what would happen & how things would look without Tonya! Hopefully this week the concrete floors will be patched & leveled, the aluminum electrical system will be replaced, the plumbing replaced & walls repaired! It's a tall order in any country...things seem to move slower here in Russia. Windows are scheduled for Spencer & Nathan's rooms. Then we hope to see new floors (& maybe doors) in next week. Alida should be home then. We were given a grace-filled reprieve from our land-lord & lady to stay in our temp housing thru July 26! Otherwise. we would have had to move out of temp housing for 2 weeks & then into our flat. No more moving until we go into our permanent housing!
Here are photos from Saturday - I was surprised that the workers didn't work on the weekend. I've posted a couple of photos that have been 'doctored' with 'Paint' program to show future changes to give an idea of what things will look like. Enjoy! Alida, there is a door question on one of the last photos.

Alien picture painted on local fence that Nathan wanted posted. 

Workers set up table for breaks; a large jar of babushka's cherries, chi & Nescafe` instant coffee, & sunflower seeds. S-flower seeds are a delicacy here & sold, unsalted, on the street by babushkas in rolled up paper cones.  

Used to be a cabinet at this end of the balcony filled with jars of cherries, jam, mushrooms, cacti & large, metal milk jugs! 

New windows & door are needed for balcony. Coltheslines are barely visible outside the window! 

More to be disposed of...I think the bundles of wood came from the balcony cabinet!  

Kitchen (de)contruction continues! 

NATHAN - King of the Rubble Hill? 

Discolored & unlevel concrete floors will be fixed.  

Nathan's ceiling maps the old walls placement. 

Alida, if you can picture the changes here...& decide on how many doors to our room. 

Maybe a cozy alcove in our bedroom?