Drawing about Pushkin # 1 

Drawing about Pushkin # 2 

We went to a Museum here in Krasnodar today. There are some lovely paintings inside. I had to pay 50 rubles per floor to take photos! Their were told by our friends that I am a journalist from America. 

Yes, Nathan deserves all the credit for taking such good care of Domo! 

Nathan and Domo spending their last night together. Nathan decided to send his sheep dog out to be with the sheep and goats on a farm just outside of town. Domo is going to be happy there. He can do what he is bred to do. Nathan can visit him whenever he wants... Domo is not very far away!

Tom got a little sweaty unloading boxes yesterday... and he was happy to find his pirate hat intact! 

Ponderings...

Joking about people who could "knock off" someone is something my family has done for long time. I do not think this is true... completely... I don't know. Our family in Chicago is very large. My father is one of 11 children and I have over 50 first cousins on that side of the family. However, here in Russia if one were to see an exchange of large quantities of cash on the street… one might get the idea that organized crime is involved. If one were to see someone printing money out of the back of a car to be used in a large transaction one might be curious about the ties this person might have. I am not saying that I have witnessed any of this because it might not be in my best interest to say that.

But one gets curious about such matters…

Where, oh where, have my walls gone! 

Pedestal sink with a squared basin was the hit of the day! 

Check out our new dual flush toilet! 

The toilet can do a small flush or a LARGE flush if needed! 

Bathtub being prepared for loading into Ervand's van! 

Bubble glass tiles are going in a narrow strip on the side of the balcony! 

Green glass tiles are going above all doorways; except the bathroom! 

Our tiles being boxed up! 

Fire fighting equipment on the side of the building that held all the tile! 

Apricot tree right in front of the apartment building! Kids pick them up, brush them off and eat! 

Babushka at rest! 

Babushka watching over the cats and the children playing around the apartments 

Cats being watched over by the babushka 

Boys watching traffic from the Children's Hospital  

This little guy saw me taking the photo; he popped back up but his friends all hid from the camera! 

Банная комната

My bathroom has no walls at all! This week walls, tile and doors are coming... so they say! Tom and I went on a shopping spree with Ervand to purchase some of the needed supplies for the bathroom. We picked up a toilet, bathtub, sink and doors. We also purchased two small air conditioners and are supposed to get a split system tomorrow. Erin and I had one in the apartment in Italy (a one bedroom) it kept the whole place fairly cool. We purchased timers for the smaller units one of which is going in the kitchen and the other in Spencer's room...opposite sides of the apartment.

More boxes are here from the States and there is construction going on upstairs. We are basically using one bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and living room. Spencer is sleeping with us in the bedroom with his dog in her kennel. Nathan is in the living room with his dog in his kennel. We can stay here until next week then we must go to another temporary home for about a week and then we hope to be in our new apartment. The guy who owns the construction company said the Bible promises us "persecutions" We did not laugh. The general contractor is trying to push everyone to get the job done faster but this "is not the Russian way" they don't like to use power tools. They prefer the old fashioned way. The sander kicks up too much dust... the gloves are hard to work in... the men have their own way to do everything and they do not want to hear about a new way or a different way.

Nathan and Spencer went to go see The Fantastic Four today. Nathan thought it was over too quickly but he liked the special effects. Spencer liked the Thing. They saw it in Russian when the DVD comes out we will see it in English. But today they went with Jody. He took them and another young man who just arrived from the States. Jody is a big comic book buff. He has a huge collection that he had to leave behind. It seems that everyone makes sacrifices to be here. Some of us gave up all kinds of treasures.... I'm sorry, I was thinking of all the Black Barbie dolls waiting for me in Kansas!

Sharp Mom Photos

Rome is not the last trip we will take... living in Russia will require us to leave the country every six months to keep our Visa's current. So, Tom suggested a photo blog so that this one does not get bogged down. Don't worry they will be linked so all you have to do is click!

But if you want to add it to your favorites the address is:
www.sharpmomphotos.blogspot.com

or click here to see today's photos

Up, up and away!


It is hard to know where to begin with all of my photos. So I started here. I actually took this out of the window of the plane! I will post pictures of all the places I have visited over the coming days! Enjoy...

Statue outside International Airport in Krasnodar 

Base of statue 

Inside the International Russian airport in Krasnodar