Monday evening, 28 January 2013

It's a heat wave, 13 F.  No problems here.

I stayed home all of Saturday the 19th, working on some must-finish project, so when the following Saturday rolled around (two days ago) I just had to get outside and do something.  It was cold, about zero, but sunny.  We have wanted to see if we could see some ice sculptures at Gorky Park.  We had heard, somewhere, that they could be found fairly often there.  So, we did our chores, bought the groceries, and headed for the Metro.  About half of what you will see tonight are pictures from our little adventure wandering the Park and its environs.

I don't know how it works, but every time we go where there is statuary we see that our friends have been to Russia, posing for these works of art.  Judge for yourself.

The children who visited us in October will recognize some of these scenes.  We retraced the steps of that pleasant afternoon.

The other half of the pictures (the first half) will celebrate Andy's homecoming from Afghanistan.  We are so grateful for his safe return.  This is the result of prayers, fasts and blessings.  We give thanks to a kind Father in Heaven.

The family had arranged to have this sign made.  Everyone chipped in except Benjamin.

I keep wondering why this, and all the other signs the children made, refer to CW4 Grover.
Certified Warrior?  Chicken Wings?  California Wonderboy? Celestial Widgit?

Two babes, one of them a little more excited that the other.

A 3/4 happy family.

A moment very long anticipated.  I am sure the reality matched the imagining.

Who is that guy!?

An entirely happy family.

Truth in advertising.

They welcoming crew, minus Rod, dragooned into being the photographer.

The ward scouts (I think) put these flags in the Grover's yard.

A recent sunrise.  We notice when the sun is out.

We have not had so much snow, but of course it never melts, so they have to pile it wherever they can, to clear the walks and the streets.

This is one of the stranger things we have seen in Russia.  This is exercise equipment.  Whoever installed it did so in quite late November, just about the time winter was arriving.  Every once in awhile someone shovels the snow away from the base of the equipment so the occasional fool can exercise if he wants to.  In three months I think we have seen three people using the gear.

In addition to the exercise equipment complex the 'contractor' built a hockey rink.  Both are just outside our front door.  The rink makes at least some sense.

Marlene noticed this billboard on way to buy groceries on Saturday.  I think that is Ben skating on the left.

This statue is sitting at the entrance of what I think in an apartment building.  I asked Marlene if we could take it home but she pointed out this it would not fit in our luggage.

This is the happy Burger King patron--the same store we ate in when the children were here.

The entrance to Gorky Park.  It's about zero degrees, but who cares?

For Rachael.  The only ice sculpture we saw in the park.

Maybe Rachael was here?

Either this is Emily and Joe's new home or , 

this is it.

The park had several optical illusion thingees to look at and photograph.  These girls are all actually about the same size.

The shuttle has landed!  The shuttle has landed!

I don't know how they keep catching me modeling for these pieces.

We could not wait around for it to get dark, but if we had, the lights on this tree would have been lovely.

It is so cold in Moscow that they put scarves on the trees and hats on the snow cones.

I don't know why but this reminded me of Thomsen shrugging his shoulders.
Can't you see the resemblance?

Fletcher contemplating his next move ... south.

A symbol of a land of peace and plenty.

Dave Paull wondering why the latest club he bought off the internet is not helping his game.

Christ the Savior cathedral and Peter the Great's statue.  They are separated by the Moscow River.

For the girls in the family.  Hurry over on 30 April for your one chance.

I think the venue in the Olympic Stadium, where we watched the soccer game.

What will it be like to have 90,000 screaming teenage girls in one place?