Cost cutting in Vlad

I think we're really becoming Russians...or is Morrie just realizing he can practice his cost cutting methods even here! Yesterday after we left the market after buying a kilo of mandarins, he suddenly stated that he could buy almost a pound of mandarins for the cost of using the public "tyalets" downtown. I'm wondering if he plans to stick around home more and eat more mandarins.
Yesterday we visited the university where Morrie taught before and they're happy to have him back. I checked in with the Russian studies office and will join Annette and Karyn as a student there next week. Today is the last day of finals and then they have a week off.

We're meeting Vasilisa soon to get on the train to Nahotka. We'll be there for the weekend and are anxious to see that little group of friends again. There is a new addition since our visit two years ago, baby Ivan. Ivan Shackleton was the first worker to come here so is very dear to these friends.

Daily life in Vlad...without the workers!

We've gotten into a bit of a routine now, but that will all change on Monday when Annette and Karyn get back from Hong Kong. Now we have some quiet time in the morning, following our coffee in bed, of course. Then we putter around the apartment doing some cleaning, checking e-mail, etc., study a little Russian. We often go to the windows to watch cars sliding down the hill or spinning up the hill and are glad we don't have a car! We can see the bay with lots of little black dots, ice fishermen trying to catch a few little fish. Morrie thinks they look like the surf fish Otis Easley used to catch in the Pacific. He caught hundreds and these fellows just pull them in one at a time.

Usually in the afternoon we go out for a walk and do our grocery shopping. That is pretty much a daily thing. Today we walked to the bay on the other side of the peninsula and watched brave souls jumping into a hole in the ice. Sounds a bit fool hardy in a Speedo! Anyway, we're settling in and will send pictures one of these days. The two men came to install the DSL Sat. One of them carried a brbrief case and did paperwork while the other one strung a wire and plugged it in!

We're finally here!

We finally made it to Vladivostok last Thursday after spending a day in Moscow with Martin Roest. He was there alone, as Wayne, his companion, had gone to Latvia for visa work. We spent the day going out to have mtg. with a group of ladies, one of whom was Elena, the Russian lady who started in the Work last year. She was there visiting her daughter. Anyway, we were sure glad to get to our destination after about 23 hours in the air! Annette and Sandra met us at the airport, we had that night together and they left the following day, Annette for Hong Kong and Sandra for Nepal. So here we are alone! We just have a dial-up connection so won't try to do much more "blogging" right now. When we get our broadband hooked up we'll send pictures!

I'm still learning this process...where are you when I need you, Kim?! Guess I posted the
without including the picture.....just a little sample of our time together. Jake is in the back
of the top left picture, Spencer is next to him. In the front row are Boede, Ivy and Marly.
They're all growing up!

The holidays are over and things have quieted down. We had lots of fun as you can see from the pictures. The weather cooperated by supplying lots of snow for the kids to play in...even the big kids! Jake, Spencer and I had a great day of skiing. The new cousin, Owen Meyers, was the center of attention and gave the girls a real, live doll to play with.

We're starting to get serious about planning now with a departure date of Jan. 12.