Happy Tooth

When was the last time you left a dentist office and said, “My that was a very pleasant experience!”?  Well, that is exactly what I said this afternoon after my visit to the German Dentistry Center.  The center, and especially the doctor, were recommended to us and it couldn’t be more convenient, only a ten-minute walk from the apartment.  I had emailed them yesterday to see when I might get an appointment and was offered three slots today and two for tomorrow. I took the first one available today so at exactly 13.30 (this is, after all, a German office) I presented myself at the clinic and was greeted by name by Irina, the receptionist who had corresponded with me via email.  She gave me a short form to fill out and then offered to get me tea or coffee or water.  I was hoping for good Oktoberfest beer but settled for a glass of water.  She apologized for the delay, it was 13.40, but said an emergency case had come in and needed to be attended to right away. 

Irina then proceeded to ask me questions about how long I’ve been in Moscow and do I like it and where was I from, normal chitchat.  I then asked her about where she was from and within two nano seconds, she presented all 4’ 10” of herself to the chair next to me with a photo album. We went through it with great detail in case I had any questions about her mother, father, or three sisters. She was actually quite lovely and very friendly.  She asked if I had been to any other countries and I said I had and she asked how many.  I thought she was going to hyperventilate when I told her I had been to eighty countries.  She inhaled deeply and said;” I didn’t know there were that many countries”.   Very cute kid, born in 1985 if you really wanted to know.

The doctor came out in his whites and his white and pink running shoes, and introduced himself and invited me to follow him.  The office itself is really lovely with lots of light, modern furniture and nice paintings and plant work.  I used their bathroom and it was the cleanest WC I’ve seen in years.  The exam room was spotless and filled with modern equipment, not like the dentist we go to in Charles Town.  He got right to work asking questions and then, as the assistant got me bibbed and bathed in light, he took a look at the tooth.  “Ah, this is no problem at all!” he said to my great relief.  He explained that it was a pressure crack from uneven pressure from my upper and lower teeth and that the French bread was just the final straw and I was not in any way to hold it against the French.  He proceeded to file and buff the tooth and told me that perhaps in five or ten years I’ll want to replace it and if so, he would be happy to do it for me.  With that we shook hands again, said our goodbyes in German and I was off to Irina to pay.

He came out with the paperwork, looked at my insurance card and then came over to me and said, “This is my welcome to Moscow gift to you, no charge.  I look forward to seeing you sometime again.”  That was it, no charge for fifteen minutes of work. I was shell-shocked and now you know why I left the office feeling that it had been a pleasant experience.

Earlier in the day I went out for a long walk with the Embassy as my final destination since I had to pick up my passport.  Today is another beautiful day with high clouds, blue sky and crisp clean air.  The temp when Cindy left for work was 33 but by the time I left the dentist office it had warmed up to 55.  I got to the Embassy at eleven and I was sitting there waiting for them to process new visa pages for my passport when I looked up at the TV because I heard a familiar voice, and there was Nancy Bresell, our dear friend who is the head of the Department of Defense Education Activities in Europe. Seems they have an Armed Forces Network connection at the Moscow Embassy and she was doing a public service announcement about DoDEA schools and how they are there to serve.  It was so lovely to see a familiar face on TV.

Dinner last night turned out to be a dinner party. Cindy invited the elementary librarian and his partner who handles substitute teachers to join us for dinner. It was a charming evening since they are both well travelled and very funny.  I had made really nice veggie lasagna that was filled with eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, carrots, onions, spinach, ricotta, eggs, cheeses and secret herbs and spices.  I love to double bake lasagna. The first time is to allow everyone to get to know one another, hello pepper, this is onion and pasta, and I’m eggplant.  Once they have mingled for forty-five minutes at 350, I take it out and then rebake it about an hour before serving.  I also made a big salad of tomatoes, carrot, arugula and garlic with a tangy oil, balsamic dressing and served that with crusty hot bread.  It was a fun evening and I was up late cleaning up since we used all of our wine glasses, dishes and digestive glasses. At least everything is nice and clean now.

I’m attaching lots of photos to the online version of this blog since I remembered to take my camera with me today on my walk.  There are too many to attach to an email so you can just click here to see them online:

www.embeesmoscow.blogspot.com

And here is a fitting ending to today’s missive. Barbara Romig sent me this from the October 1 issue of The Week magazine.

An elderly South Carolina man fought off an armed intruder using a Swiffer WetJet.  Philip Graham, 71, and his wife were cleaning the kitchen floor when an unknown man in a ski mask, brandishing what appeared to be a gun, came through the back door.  Without thinking, Graham used the swivel-headed mop "like a cattle prod" and shoved the thief out the door, braking off the mop head.  "I hit him with the end of the pole where the Swiffer was and I just told him, 'You better get out of my house, you sorry SOB, before I kill you.'" The man fled in terror.

As Barbara said, “Perhaps there's a new slogan here - 'Swiffer - it's not just for floors.’” 

And my slogan is, 'The Weapon of Choice for those who want a clean getaway!” Ciao, Cindy and Wm

McDonald's in Moscow

Add caption

Large Polish Church near the apartment

Great Entry

Same Church

Cindy with the Architects of the Palace

Grave site of those killed in the 1993 attempted coup

Close up of Grave Site 1993

Chapel in Children's Park with Seven Sister in background

Huge Chess Board

Chipping Away

To mark the end of a truly lousy day yesterday, I chipped my tooth at dinner!  It was raining much to hard for us to walk to any restaurant so I made some mushroom and rice omelets, which doesn’t sound like something you could chip a tooth on, unless you consider that I served it with day old toasted crunchy French bread.  I must have chipped it on a crust of bread and then swallowed the chips.  The good news is that it doesn’t hurt, just feels funny. The bad news is that now I have to find a dentist in Moscow, always an adventure.

I miss not having some power tools here in the apartment.  Yesterday I purchased a shoe rack, some assembly required but no instructions.  This is a 24”x14”x14 two level shoe rack and it came in a box the size of a thick magazine. Thirty-two screws later and I’ve got blisters on my hand from manually trying to put the darn thing together.  It is done and it is beautiful. The Russians, like the Asians and other cultures, insist that you remove your shoes when entering a home, so you have to have a place for folks to place their shoes and a small stool for them to sit on to change.

Cindy found out something about Russian culture that answers a lot of my concerns.  In Russia, you only say hello to someone once a day. If you greet one of the Green Guys in the morning, do not expect to be greeted or to greet again if you encounter him in the afternoon or evening. I think they like to keep social contact at a minimum. One of Cindy’s colleagues, who had been working in Brazil, said that twenty percent of her day was spent in greeting, kissing, and handshakes. Must have something to do with number of hours of sunlight and temperature.

You’ll be pleased to know that The 54 Club has reconvened at the bus bench, none the worst for their ordeal, although it is very hard to tell what worst is with that bunch.  They were assembled for morning beers at about nine, despite the rain and chill. It appears that they might have gotten some new clothes out of the deal because they were looking and smelling a bit better than the last time I saw them.  I know that they were feeling better since they remembered to ask me for money.  

It is a cold, grey day with the temps hovering in the low 40’s.  I would not be surprised if the Ministry of Central Heating decides to flip the switch this week, since the long range forecast isn’t much of an improvement over today. In fact the weekend is supposed to be clear, bright and rather cold.  We had just started putting away our summer clothes and now we need to put away the light jackets as well. By put away, I mean we have to fold everything and place it in a big suitcase and slip it under the bed. We have very little closet space here. 

Who Loves Yuri?

The papers were filled with stories of the ousted Mayor of Moscow.  In typical Russian fashion, now they suspect that there might have been corruption during his administration. I’m shocked, simply shocked.  Here is a picture of Yuri in happier times with the contestants for Miss Massive Moscow.

Nothing I can add to this so adieu, Cindy and Wm

Rainy Day Moscow

We knew the good weather couldn’t last and it didn’t. Today is cold and wet and windy. Lots of trees shedding shade and they say the temp tonight will drop to 32, Dos Svidanya autumn.

I have just returned from the worst five hours I’ve spent in Moscow.  I made the mistake of taking the car to IKEA, which is normally a half hour there and another twenty-five back.  Today, I set an international land lack of speed record for the trip. Two hours there and two-ten back. My gosh the traffic was horrible, no doubt as a result of the rain, which was very heavy at times. I swear the Russians have the worst maintained vehicles of any country I’ve every driven in. There were no fewer than fifteen disabled cars and trucks, just stopped in the middle of traffic causing everyone to have to inch around them.  Then there is the common practice of parking where ever you find it convenient.  There is a big MacDonald’s that is on the side of the road and there were cars parked in the right hand traffic lane, so that the driver wouldn’t have to walk to far since the parking lot was full. This caused an even bigger jam, as everyone had to get over from the right lane to get passed these jerks.  Civility is not a concept that is catching on in Russia.

Well the inevitable happened today, Yuri the Mayor was sacked.  Only those who were deep in his pocket will miss him much. I’m sure he’ll retreat to his villa in Austria. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11424183

Last night we had a simple meal of boiled carrots, (I boil them with two thick slices of lemon so that they keep their color and have a zesty zip) basmati rice and pan seared tuna fillets. It was a pleasant change of pace from beer and brats.  I did some heavy duty shopping at both the Liberty Store at the Embassy and the Auchan that is next to IKEA.  Given the traffic, I decided I might never go back again so I got ten liters of that good Italian box wine and a six-pack of assorted wines in bottles.  I wanted to leap into the back of the car and crack open one of the boxes while I was sitting in mind-numbing traffic jams. Just as I was schlepping all the bags into the house, the rains came with a vengeance and just drenched me. A fitting end to a miserable day. I’m hoping we’ll go out to dinner since I can’t even thing about cooking.

That’s it, I’m too tired to even type and I need to engage my feet.  Ciao, Cindy and Wm

The 54 Club

Happy Birthday EllaMom!  (aka Ellamae, Cindy’s Mom)

Last night’s Oktoberfest dinner lasted much longer than anticipated.  We had invited two of Cindy’s colleagues to join us since they were each alone that night and between toasts with Oktoberfest beer and bites of homemade wurst, the conversation was mostly about AAS and it lasted a long time.  At one point I looked at Cindy and she seemed ready to fall asleep right there, so I stood up, paid the bill and ended the evening.  It was great fun, but we should have done it on a Saturday, not a Sunday evening.

This morning started with Cindy’s alarm, which she almost always beats, but she actually was sleeping through it and I had to gently wake her, since I don’t know how to turn the alarm off. She was beat, having been up for two hours in the night, so while she prepared for work, I made her breakfast and made the coffee particularly strong. Once she departed my Monday morning routine started with lots of laundry, a grocery run, and planning an afternoon walk while the weather is still lovely.  We are expecting rain for the next several days, so I want to make the most of this lovely window of weather.

While the laundry was cooking, I caught up on some of the international news and this article got my blood close to the boiling point.  Six months ago, with great fanfare, the Iraqis elected their lawmakers and for the past six months, these devoted servants of democracy have done nothing except collect their annual salary of $136,600, plus housing and transportation. Most have spent their time outside the country so as to be able to enjoy running water and constant electricity.   I guess the sacrifice of lives, money and time that the US devoted to bring democracy to Iraq was well spent!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/world/middleeast/27baghdad.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

I think I’ve mentioned the Boys on the Bus Bench before. These are the drunks who sit, sleep, and drink at the bus bench outside our living room window.  The bench is far enough so that we don’t get the smells, but close enough to get the noise.  Today, I have had to rename the group.  There now seem to be an equal number of women in the club so I’ve named them The 54 Club. The 54 refers to the number of the bus route servicing this stop.  I do believe that The 54 Club may have gotten some rather tainted vodka over the weekend. They have been particularly loud today, with two of them really yelling like crazy men; well, they are crazy, so I suspect that is normal.  When I went out to shop they were so hopped up on something that they forgot to ask me for money.  One looked like he thought he was on fire and kept jumping around hitting himself. This is really different behavior and it must have been noticed by the shop owners, who normally seem very tolerant, because one of them must have called the police who showed up in force with a type of paddy wagon and hauled all eight of them away.  I haven’t see that happen here before, other than with demonstrators who are demonstrating against something the government is for.  Ah, the excitement of urban living.

Ciao for now, Cindy and Wm

Tsaritsyno Park

Out trip to the Dacha was delightful.  It was certainly far more jazzy than the first trip where there were fifty or more people.  This event had only the ten members of the AAS board and about six senior administrators and their families.  The tables were set with silver and china and nice wine glasses.  There were lovely autumn arrangements on the tables as well as bottles of red and white French wines.  Unfortunately, I was driving and therefore was unable to enjoy the wines, but I certainly enjoyed everything else.  I had a chance to meet the board members who all seem to be wonderful folks.  Got to learn a lot more about the British and American embassies in Moscow since two thirds of the board are attached to the embassies.  Surprisingly, I also got to learn that Cindy will be playing in a quartet at the AAS Christmas Party! 

Today we got up and Cindy ran and I walked and we met when she was done and walked home together, stopping for an espresso at our local café.  Over breakfast we planned our day, which was to involve a long Metro ride to the Tsaritsyno Park. This park is located at the extreme southeast terminus of the Metro. It is a vast preserve of woods and lakes and walking paths along with a few palaces and churches.  I could write about it but it is best for you to see it for yourself.  First, here is some background:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsaritsino_park

When you have the time take a look at this site, it is fantastic and gives you a wonderful 360 view of the entire park. Make sure you click on the white arrows; they’ll take you to marvelous places:

http://www.360cities.net/image/russia-moscow-tsaritsyno-the-medium-palace#-85.99,2.23,70.0

We spent about two hours walking around the park before going to the Honey Festival that everyone raves about.  I hated it!  It was nothing more that hundreds of small tents arranged in claustrophobic alleys, where thousands of people were pushing and shoving to get at free samples of various honeys.  When I wasn’t fighting the throngs, I was swatting the bees and hornets that were also attracted to the honey.  My god, the Russians certainly love their expensive honey.

By the time we got back to our neighborhood we were plenty hungry so we tried a little Viennese café with outdoor seating. It was another picture perfect day and we had great salads and good Oktoberfest beer.   We’ll be going to dinner at the local Munich Beer Hall tonight to really celebrate Oktoberfest, just as soon as Cindy is done with her rehearsals with her new friend who plays piano (an AAS teacher).

All and all, a perfect Sunday!   Cindy and Wm

PS. For those of you interested, here is the exact route we took today.

http://www.mn.ru/columnists/20100923/188062605.htm

From CC:  well darn it all, now that I’ve seen that great Website with the white arrows where you can zip around the park I guess I could have stayed home today!  Ha – not really – as Wm said it was a fabulous day.  As for the music, I was so sure I’d mentioned the string quartet for Christmas to him but I guess not.  We haven’t met yet but I think 2 of the people are professional musicians and that is going to be so much fun.  I have two other musical things going with AAS teachers:  Duets with a violin player who is also in the quartet, and duets with a piano player.  I’m hoping that we can turn those duets into trios soon.

Marching Though Moscow

This morning I took Cindy on my famous walk number five, counter clockwise.  I wanted to show her how easy it is to get away from traffic and noise and yet still walk around town in sylvan settings.  We walked over to the Metro station and then up the stairs and over the tracks and behind the kiosks into a lovely little courtyard.  There was an adorable restaurant I wanted her to see and we think it might be Moroccan, but we are not sure and it wasn’t open, but it will certainly rate another visit. From there we walked between high rises, all of which had lovely parks and open spaces with kids and old people overrunning each.  We came to the NATI Tractor factory, right there in the middle of Moscow, surrounded by what use to be housing for the factory workers. Cindy took a couple of pictures but I can’t get them from her phone to my computer so you’ll have to settle for these. John Deere is not losing any sleep over competition from NATI.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtTH95Yn8s0

Moscow Harness Race Track

From there we walked through more neighborhoods until we came to the Harness Racing Track. It is simply amazing that this huge piece of open land is right in the middle of central Moscow. There were lots of trainers putting the trotters through their paces, with both single and double sulkies.  It was fun to watch them and to picture what it would be like on race day.  I then showed her the huge Hippodrome Building and the connected Royal Hall, which I’ve talked about before.  Absolutely beautiful buildings and grounds.

Hippodrome and Royal Hall

Hippodrome

From there we just walked behind large buildings where there were courtyards and mini-parks and lots and lots of falling leaves, very beautiful. We crossed over the big railway bridge and headed towards the music store where Cindy wanted to find some sheet music.  When we finally got there it was closed - only open on weekdays - so we consoled ourselves with some fresh bread and pastries at the French Bakery, which is right next door.

Our almost two hour tour ended with espresso at our local café and home for a quick sandwich using the fresh bread. We are going to the Dacha in about an hour and won’t be home until late so I’ll send this off now. 

From CC:  That tour guide sets quite a pace!  As we left the apartment building and headed toward the Metro station it was all I could do to keep up – this man was on a mission.  I finally came abreast of him and told him that it was clear that he was used to walking by himself.  After that he slowed down and our walk was truly amazing – words can’t describe the wonders and surprises of these neighborhoods!

Off to Dacha Ville, Cindy and Wm

Checking Direction

The dawn broke with great color about an hour after we were up and functioning.  I got Cindy off to work with a good breakfast and then started to plan my walking route.  There is a command performance tomorrow afternoon at the Embassy Dacha.  The AAS Board will be having their fall meeting and the senior administrators are ‘invited’ to join them for a BBQ at four pm.  The detailed map that was provided to Cindy made no sense to either of us so I decided to walk about and find out what they really had in mind with directions.  Good thing I did, since no one would have been able to get there using the map provided. Perhaps they just wanted to extend the invitation but didn’t want anyone to show?

I used to think that people stopped me for directions because I looked Russian.  I now think that it is simply a question of folks going about their business with no sense of direction.  I was stopped no fewer than six times today. Twice I was able to help since they wanted Metro directions, the other times I couldn’t do a thing and they continued their pinball routine of bouncing off of anyone they could see in hopes of getting someplace.

The day has been perfect and the walking was as fun as ever, but I must admit that I did very little long distance walking during my brief stay in the States and my but it shows.  My poor feet are hurting and my muscles are yelling, and I only put in two hours. Let’s hope the weather holds for a while longer so I can get back into a rhythm. One of Cindy’s colleagues who has been here a while sent an email suggesting everyone go to a park this weekend since it might be the LAST decent weekend before the weather turns.  That would be very sad.

By the time I got home I was dripping and had to hop into the shower again, just to be presentable for marketing.  I’ll wait for Cindy to get home and we’ll do the farmers’ market before dinner, just scout it out and do the real purchasing tomorrow morning.  Last night I just about cleared everything out of the fridge.  I made a very lovely broccoli soup with tofu.  It was filled with onions and garlic and lots of herbs and spices and on a cold rainy night it was just what we needed.  I made a salad to start, using up all the arugula.  Earlier in the day I had diced up two fresh tomatoes and let them mingle with some balsamic and olive oil and a touch of prepared Caesar salad dressing.  Before mixing up the salad I added two chopped up hard-boiled eggs and some fresh Parmesan to the tomatoes and then threw in the greens and tossed like crazy. I served that with thick slices of warm brown bread and the soup followed.

So, that’s it for now, we need to get a jump on our weekend.  Hoping yours is delightful, Cindy and Wm

Harvest Moon

The rains continue so I guess we’ll not get a shot at seeing the Harvest Moon and Jupiter. I hope that those of you with clear skies can go out and take a peek for us tonight. It should be quite the show.

Moon Over Sedona

I suppose I’m back in the saddle.  Did two loads of laundry, shopped and cooked, cleaned the floors, packed Cindy a lunch and made the bed.  Actually, I’d much rather be doing all of that than sitting in a hotel room or traveling cross-country in coach.  I’m still amazed that people would rather sit in a dark plane and watch third-rate movies on horrible screens as opposed to looking at the ever-changing landscape outside the plane. Everyone has at least two entertainment devices with him or her and they seem to be using them constantly. For me, there is no better entertainment than looking out the window while listening to Air Traffic Control communicating with our plane and those planes in the shared airspace.

Those of you who are frequent travelers will no doubt be aware of the fact that you can now check in online with some airlines and have them send your boarding card to your mobile phone or other PDA.  The problem is that the airlines never coordinated with TSA and now there are further unnecessary delays in getting though security because TSA doesn’t have the equipment to verify a boarding pass on a mobile phone.  At Dulles the other day, things were moving okay until five people had their mobile phones out instead of a boarding pass, and they each had to be taken to another area where there was one machine that could read their PDA. There was only one TSA agent working the line, so we all just stood there drop jawed at how inefficient this system was. When I got to the head of the line I asked about this process and he said that they thought there would be new readers coming in right after Christmas!

I had a major breakthrough yesterday at the market.  I was standing in the meat section along with all the other ladies and when my turn came I said, “one chicken” - in Russian of course - and by golly, she understood exactly what I said.  I was just thrilled.  The bird was a good one, on the large side so on the way back in the rain, I was thinking of what I could do with it that would be fun.  I’m trying to cut back on fried food so I thought of a nice recipe that uses only baking and boiling. I decided to cut it the old fashioned way, removing the backbone and neck before cutting the bird in pieces.  I then cut up the backbone into four pieces, scored the neck in about six places and threw them into a pot of water.  I added the end pieces of two onions, with skin, two carrots tops, the tops of three peppers, some peeled and chopped garlic and some salt and pepper and curry.  I brought it all to a boil and then simmered it for an hour.  Meanwhile, I patted the chicken pieces dry, arranged them on an oiled baking pan and sprinkled them with salt, pepper and herbs de Provence that I brought back from WV.  I cut the two onions in thick slices and arranged them on the baking pan and then cut the carrots into sticks and placed them next to the onions.  I sprayed the veggies with olive oil and placed the pan in a 400-degree oven for about fifty minutes.

When the ‘broth’ was done I strained it into a measuring cup and as luck would have it there was exactly two cups.  I returned that to the pan and brought it back to a boil and added a cup of rice and let it simmer for about twenty minutes.  While that was all working, I diced up three peppers, red, green and yellow, as well as a big, handful of garlic.  When the rice had about ten minutes left to cook, I threw all the chopped veggies in and stirred it around for a while to get the rice to release its starch and to give the veggies a chance to cook. The broth had given the rice a lovely color and texture, especially with the colorful veggies.  I then turned off the heat and covered the pan and let it all sit and absorb flavors for another ten minutes.  When the chicken was done I heated the rice again just long enough to let a walnut sized piece of butter melt as I stirred it all up and then I served it with the chicken, baked onions and carrots just as fast as I could.  Cindy is very happy I’m home!

The weather has turned even yuckier than this morning and I’m once again thankful that we have a garbage chute in the hallway.  Saves me from having to go out and get cold and wet.  I woke up this morning with a very tight chest and fear I’m working on another bout with chest congestion so I’m staying low today, keeping warm and drinking lots of decaf/herbal teas as I wait for laundry cycles to be completed.  I’ll think about dinner later, but I’m sure I’ve enough here to make something appealing and nutritious. 

From CC: His idea to add chopped vegetables to the rice during the last 10 minutes of cooking is positively brilliant – no added fat if you don’t count that chunk of butter; ha.  The flavors mixed together splendidly and it also involved only one pan. In Wm’s absence I actually did some cooking and I have to say that this kitchen is horrible - much worse than Bahrain.  I don’t know how he produces these great meals night after night, always without complaining.

Best to all, Cindy and Wm

Happy Autumn

Greetings from a cold wet Moscow.  The return trip certainly was an adventure.  As Cindy mentioned we had to turn back about ninety minutes into the flight. The way the pilot put it, the fuel cap was not put on tightly and we were losing fuel at a rate that was not going to get us to Moscow.  So back to Dulles we went, with leaking fuel and sagging spirits.  For some reason the pilot chose not to dump fuel, perhaps hoping that it would be a quick fix and we could get back into the air, but that caused us to land heavy. Planes are not designed to land with the same weight that they take off with - too much for the suspension, brakes and landing gear - so we were greeted with fire trucks and emergency medical wagons upon landing.  Inspections were done, which took quite a lot of time, and then we had to be towed all the way back to a gate since the brakes were an issue and no one wanted to take a risk; commendable. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again; we need the FAA to institute a law that says that all window shades must be up during take-off and landings.  This is a rule that most of the good airlines have instituted, with or without government mandate. Without being able to see outside, you have no situational awareness in the event of an emergency.  If there is a fire on one side of plane, you don’t want to exit on that side but if you can’t see, you can’t determine the best course of action.  It is just dumb not to want to have all the tools of survival available to you in an emergency.

We waited on the ground for another plane and another crew to be assembled. Our crew had timed out and they had bring in folks on short notice. By 10 pm, a mere five hours after our first take-off, we were heading back in the friendly skies of United.  These types of issues can’t always be anticipated but when you are flying very, very old aircraft - this one was twenty-five years old - you can expect things to break and malfunction far more often than on newer equipment.

We finally got to Moscow but because we were so late, my driver was unable to come and get me so I had to start looking around for a taxi. Cindy was on the phone with me the whole time, having consulted with her people at AAS, and she was able to direct me to the right desk to get an English speaking dispatcher.  This worked out well and I was optimistic that the driver would be given clear directions to the apartment.  Unfortunately, this was not the case.  The driver didn’t seem to know where the train station was, and I had to show him on his map. He spoke no English, which is fair enough if we hadn’t paid for an English speaker!  I had far too much luggage for his little car and we had to put some in the trunk and some in the back seat of his ancient Lada and were soon bouncing away from the airport heading to downtown at peak rush hour.  Three hours later, after his car stalled three times, pulling off the road for a toilet break - which he took next to the car - and my insisting that he follow my hand instructions as to how to get to the apartment, we made it.  Thank goodness for all my walks in the neighborhood which have enabled me to navigate all the back ways to get to the apartment.  Now I have all these Marlboros that I’ll have to save for another taxi ride.

Cindy helped me to unpack and by seven thirty we were all set to head out to dinner at the Georgian restaurant that is close to the house. We have tried to go there on several occasions but something always came up, so we were determined to try it last night.  It is really only a three-minute walk and the night was cool but delicious with the smells of autumn on the breeze that sent large yellow leaves skidding down the alleys.  We could hear the Georgian music before we even entered the restaurant.  I was afraid that we might not be able to get a table if there was live entertainment, but my fears were unrealized. The joint was empty and there on stage was a dark haired beauty belting out song after song to twenty empty tables. We were placed in the back of the restaurant in the no smoking section, which also meant less noise from the chanteuse.

We were given menus that were in English as well as Russian, something I’ve not seen before.  We ordered two glasses of Georgian white wine and some water and then paid close attention to the menu.  Neither of us was really that hungry so we ordered a cheese and yogurt dish, an eggplant dish, the famous Georgian cheese bread, and quail.  The wine was good but warm and Cindy went in search of ice and came back with a lovely glass ice bucket filled with lote, which is ice.  The first dish was a hand cheese rolled around some rather spicy filling and covered with minted yogurt; I thought it was delicious but Cindy found it too spicy, which is the opposite of what usually happens in restaurants.  Perhaps my palate is improving. The eggplant was heavenly. It was lightly grilled and then wrapped around a filling of crushed walnuts and herbs.  The bread was like a cheese pizza and neither of us was really impressed.  The quail, however, made up for anything that had been lacking with the bread. Two perfectly butterflied and grilled birds that were so flavorful and tender.  We shall now be going back often with the intention of trying everything on the menu.  The service was stunningly good and the waitress was a constant bundle of energy and smiles, very rare in the service industry. I think Cindy tipped her well; I was too tired to even count.

We got to bed late, too late for Cindy who had to go to work early. She was up and out at oh-dark-hundred and I slept until eight. I’m still groggy from lack of sleep but hope to make up for things with a few good nights of rest.  I’m hoping the rain stops long enough for me to make a run to the store for dinner ingredients. If not, I’ll make do with whatever is in the house or I’ll get soaking wet; we’ll see.

It is three hours later and I did in fact get soaking wet. Just couldn’t sit here in the house another minute and had to get out.  Nasty weather but I had the right clothes, well mostly.  My sneakers are soaking since there is very poor drainage here and the puddles are big and deep.  I threw my wet clothes and socks in the dryer and when they were done I slipped them back on and got all warm and comfy. 

Today was supposed to be Leave Your Car At Home Day in Moscow.  The plan was to have everyone take the Metro or other public option. Guess what?  It didn’t work. http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/10740/

And finally, here is one Moscow Theater where you’ll not find me!  Best to all, Wm

http://cathiefromcanada.blogspot.com/2010/09/moscow-cat-theatre.html

Home At Last

Hello, Friends!

William is home, safe and sound – after a rather arduous trip across the pond.  They took off from Dulles on time and got as far as Nova Scotia before having to turn around due to a fuel problem.   I’ll skip all the gory details but the next several hours were not fun; however, once he got to Moscow his trip from Domededovo airport to our apartment was unbelievable.  He tells me that his cabbie was the dumbest guy he’s ever met in his life … traffic was unbelievable and it took 3 hours to get here.  He called me from a street that is a 10-minute walk from here and it was still another half hour to get through the traffic in a car!  Yikes. 

It seemed like Christmas when he unpacked – more bottles of booze than I could count (or so it seemed – I really can count that high in more than one language), and key rings and office supplies and scissors and all sorts of things that we needed.   The best part was the rosin for my viola bow – our only mishap during the move was that my rosin melted in the heat somewhere along the way and was a crumpled mess.  I’m playing duets with a friend on Thursday so the timing is good.

Nothing else to report but Wm wanted you to have SOMETHING from us today.  Ciao for now – Cindy and Wm

Back to Mother Russia

Get Away Day

Well my bags are packed, all five of them.  I’ve three bags of things we need in Moscow and two little shoulder bags for duty free.  This will be quite a change from the one bag I’ve been carrying for this entire trip.  The trick is not to leave the airport in Moscow without them.

The tonic of a good night’s sleep and the knowledge that I’ll soon be in Cindy’s loving arms has but a spring in my step and I really enjoyed my morning walk here in the suburbs of Dulles.  Speaking of sleep, what do you suppose the odds are that I would be awaken five days in a row by garbage trucks outside my window?? If you guessed 100% you are a winner.  It is truly amazing but speaks well for the cleanliness of Dulles, Phoenix, and Sedona.

I met an older couple at the bar last night who had been bumped from their flight and were getting something to eat at 11pm.  Seems their daughter had arranged to get them on a United flight to Rome but the flight was oversold.  The kicker was that their daughter was the PILOT for that flight and still couldn’t get her parents on the plane.  They took it all in stride and decided to spend a few days in DC and then head back to Dayton since all the flights for the next ten days are full, especially to Munich, Oktoberfest, and Rome, only one flight per day.  Mercifully I’m already checked in and have my boarding pass for Moscow so I know I’m getting home soon.

I did find a place to purchase Marlboro cigarettes and each pack, each pack not carton, cost $8.50.  Remarkable.  This will be the biggest tip my Moscow driver has ever received. 

I was talking to another public member of one of the NBCC boards about what he did.  We were introduced and we both knew we had met each other but couldn’t figure how went or were so we started to talk about what we did, hoping for clues.  He is a creative designer who has worked on lots of diverse and interesting projects and is now getting involved in mental innovation and creative leadership projects.  I asked him if he helped designed any commercial products that I might have heard about and he listed a few and then said, “One of the products we designed for Proctor and Gamble really took off and has made them a lot of money.  Have you every heard of Swiffer?”  I’m sure my eyes glazed over and in one nano-second I was hugging him and saying, thank-you, thank-you.  Everyone at the table was a bit shocked until I told them why I was so happy to meet someone who had been involved in making my daily life so much more enjoyable.   (We finally figured out that we had met in San Diego five years ago when he had been participating in a creative leadership seminar being conducted by a friend of mine who had asked me to do a History of Wine and Wine tasting at the conclusion of the seminar.)

Skype is a wonderful tool for free international communication, but lately it appears that it is being taken over by those poor Nigerian princes who can’t seem to keep their finances in order.  If my Skype is open while waiting for Cindy to come on line, I’ll get three or four messages with requests for chats all from people whose message starts with Dear Beloved.  I suppose since it is free you can’t complain, but the filters on Skype certainly don’t seem to work well.

Ok, final check of luggage, comb my hair and I’m out the door for the Airport.  Back to Mother Russia!   Wm

Leaving Phoenix, Again

Happy Birthday Colin!

I’m back in Phoenix waiting for a flight to Denver where I’ll wait for a flight to Dulles.  Lots of waiting.  We had a nice board dinner last night and we all managed to get to bed at a reasonable hour. The smart ones are staying another night at the resort so they can rest and see Sedona.  I’ll do my resting in Moscow.  It’s a beautiful day here and I have a exit window so I’ll be able to see some of the beauty of the desert on the flight. 

Nice article on poetic justice in the local paper.  A saguaro poacher was killed when the saguaro he was trying to steal fell on him, crushing him under the ton and a half of cactus.  They are magnificent plants.

http://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_saguaro.html

I forgot to tell you that NBCC is the National Board for Certified Counselors and I’m what they call a public member of the board. The only one who isn’t a counselor.

I’ll leave you with this innovative concept on purchasing wine. 

http://www.drvino.com/2010/09/14/self-serve-tanks-wine-french-supermarkets/

Happy Sunday,  William

From Moscow with Love

Cindy’s turn

William has done a fine job of keeping you informed but I figured it was time for you to read something about Moscow.   It was my turn to do a little walking today and see the sights, and I also went to a concert.

The Moscow Conservatory is about a 40-minute walk from our house on a very nice street.  It goes right past the ITAR-TASS news agency and I don’t remember Wm mentioning that but I think I ventured a few blocks beyond where he’s been (in this particular direction) so he probably hasn’t seen it yet.  Imagine that, I’ve seen something in Moscow that will be new to him.  Then again the sculptured metal sign out front looks like is says HTAP TACC so who would notice?

As for the concert, a little ad was in the newspaper and I had decided to go even though I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to go along. At the very last minute as I was putting on my shoes, our upstairs neighbor (Jane) called and said she wanted to go, so off we went. The notice named a violinist, a cellist, and a pianist and I thought there would be trios – alas, there were actually two pianists and the first half we heard two violin and piano sonatas, and the second half two cello and piano sonatas.  The concert was free (what a treat) and the artists were fairly young, maybe graduate students.  They were EXCELLENT and it was such fun to hear them in a beautiful old ornate hall that looked like something you’d find in Salzburg or Vienna – or come to think of it, in the pages of a Russian novel!  The violin/piano duo played Schumann and Poulenc, and the cello/piano duo played Brahms and Shostakovich.

On the way back Jane and I stopped at the exquisite French bakery that has been mentioned in this blog and I bought some rolls and a croissant, and on the way out we splurged on ice cream cones.  They were VERY small but delicious.  We’d been told that Russian ice cream is very good and now I can vouch for that fact.

Last night I – along with 3 others - was invited to dinner at the apartment of a teacher at AAS.   The food was delicious – grilled salmon (they break the rules and grill on their balcony quite often), broccoli, home-made cornbread, and a wild mushroom/ wild rice dish that was fabulous.  Two of them had been with Russians the weekend before and had been hunting these very mushrooms.  I asked if they were able to tell the good ones from the poisonous ones and they said they deferred to their Russian host who is an expert.  Then they told me that the Russians have a saying to the effect that “you can eat any mushroom; it’s just that some you can only eat once.”

‘bye for now … Cindy

Red Rock Country

Greetings from Sedona, deep in the heart of Red Rock Country.  We arrived quite late here so did not have a chance to really look at all the buttes, canyons, rivers and cliffs that make this such a dramatic destination.  As the sun was setting we did get some lovely views of the red rocks and they are incredible.  We went right to dinner with the board of ten.  We had a big table outside but it was so dark we couldn’t read the menus or see the food that was presented.  It tasted fine, but I love to see what I’m eating.  We didn’t get done until almost midnight and the combination of wine and altitude knocked me out until six. 

I got up and walked up the big hill, we are in a resort in the valley next to the creek.  I was hoping to walk to some scenic areas but we are right in the middle of Ticky Tack Ville and I didn’t have the time for a long walk.  I can however, tell you all about rock shops, UFO shops, vortex shops and zillions of souvenir joints.  Supposedly we’ll see some of the main attractions on the way to dinner tonight and again tomorrow morning as we depart for the airport.  We have to leave at 7:30 in order to catch my flight.  I do hope tonight is an early one.

We met as a board all day and got lots done, which makes all the travel worthwhile.  The board is really taking shape and we are making great strides in getting our ducks in order to make lots of money for NBCC.  We were able to get everything done by 5pm so I have an hour to throw on some running clothes and take a long walk.  I need to buy three boxes of Marlboro cigarettes.  NO, I’ve not been inspired by the wild west to smoke, my Moscow driver made a specific request for these.  I can’t even guess as to what cigarettes cost, I’m sure I’ll be shocked.

Here are some stock photos of Sedona, for those of you that haven’t been here. 

Must go, wm 

Russian Cakes

Special Edition
Our dear friends Barbara and Rod Romig sent us this. It is amazing to say the least and I now have my first mission when visiting St. Petersburg. I’ve got to find and eat some of these Russian Cakes. Enjoy these fanciful confections with your morning coffee.    William

  After  looking at them, I couldn't believe they were  all edible.  These are all completely  edible cakes made by a lady in Russia.  Unbelievable!

All  you see below are cakes that can be eaten  without any part of it left.
No plastics or  any other artificial stuff is being used -  everything is edible.
All the cakes by Zhanna  from St. Petersburg,  Russia.

Departing Phoenix Heat

Friday, September 16, 2010

Made it to the reception with plenty of time to spare since it really wasn’t suppose to happen until 6:30, not 5:30 as I had thought.  Fear not, there a cluster of counselors having wine in the bar, so I joined them for ‘pre-cocktails”.  There are two board meetings this week and this board was the one that gives our foundation board a lot of money for the testing fees they charge counselors, so I was only too happy to sit and talk with them and thank they for what they do.  They are a great bunch, many of whom I’ve known for years and others I’m just meeting.  We had a grand time and then it was time for the serious planned reception so off we went.

The reception and dinner were delightful and lots of fun.  We ended relatively early and I was in bed and fast asleep by 10:30, exhausted from a long travel day.  This morning I actually went into the torture chamber that they have here at the hotel.  I think you might find it as strange as I did, that so many people would be in an exercise room at 5:30 in the morning.  And how pray tell did I know that?  The room is right next to mine and the weights area shares a wall with me and they make quiet a racket when they are bouncing off the floor.  By seven I realized that it was better to join them then fight the noise so off I went for an enjoyable forty minutes of sweating.  Walking around the grounds afterwards I was surprised at how pleasant the temperature was, in the shade anyway.  This resort has lovely views of downtown Phoenix and the airport.  Camelback Mountain is also clearly visible as are all the new development areas.  This town seems to be growing and growing at an amazing clip.  Must be all the Minnesotans who come to retire here.

Time to get dressed for the meetings and pack up my stuff for the trip to Sedona this afternoon.  I’m having lunch with Jeff and Faith Martin, dear friends who worked for DoDDS for many years.  They live somewhere near here and I haven’t seen them for years, so I glad we could work out a quick reunion. 

I’ve got to warn Cindy to be careful walking the mean streets of Moscow:

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=3&art_id=nw20100917112703708C624297&set_id=

As the temperature starts it way up to the expected 109 degrees today, I look at this photo to keep my cool.  Best wishes, Wm

Kremlin in the Snow

Phoenix Rising:Temperatures That Is

This will be a quickie since I just arrived at the hotel in Phoenix and need to get to a reception in thirty minutes.  Why does it take more time to go from Dulles to Phoenix then it does to go from Dulles to Paris???  Connections, that is the answer.  You can’t go from Dulles to Phoenix non-stop and still arrive in time to attend the reception.  I had to fly to Denver, wait ninety minutes and then the short hop to Phoenix.  Total travel time: eight hours!  I should be speaking and eating French.

The first leg of the flight was excruciating.  Seated behind me were three Somalis, a mother, daughter, and huge three year old.  The kid will no doubt be well known in Somalia in twenty years.  Based on his ability to kick my seat with great speed, force, and duration, I have no doubt but that he will captain the Somali Football team.  My repeated efforts to ask the mother to contain the child fell on deaf ears since neither mother nor daughter spoke English, French, Spanish, Italian, or German.  Yes, I tried them all much to the amusement of the flight attendant.  After two hours the trio fell asleep and I was able to drink water without getting it all over my shirt and pants.

Needless to say, I was in coach and somehow my seat had gotten changed and I was trapped on the window.  The second flight was only an hour and fifteen and it was a breeze, arriving a bit early and the hotel is only about fifteen minutes from the airport.  I stepped out of the airport and was hit like a brick with 106-degree weather.  Again, after Bahrain, I promised myself I’d never complain about heat, but I was tempted.

I’ve four more nights in the USA, four different hotels, in three different cities.  Boy, do I know how to have fun or what.

Ok, got to run and get cleaned up and ready for the reception.  More tomorrow when I’ll have a bit more time.  As they say in Phoenix, adios amigos.  Wm

http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/weekend/85001