tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81700744970479298552024-03-14T07:44:35.604+02:00From KLynn and Bob in Russia, with LoveScott Neunerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13930170582128898750noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-50943751502605898652012-09-23T16:56:00.000+03:002012-09-23T16:56:30.994+03:00Renewed Appreciation for America<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This afternoon after Church, KLynn and I invited three young African members to join us for dinner. All three of them joined the Church here in Moscow, and they are very nice young men. They all spoke at length about the extreme corruption that is endemic to their home governments, and how the leaders of their countries enrich themselves at the expense of the people. Each of them spoke in the most glowing of terms about America, and in particular about America's respect for the rule of law. They made the point that their countries are rich in natural resources, but the masses of people live in abject poverty because the government is so inefficient and corrupt. They compared their countries with Germany and England, which are not nearly as rich in natural resources, but where the people enjoy much higher standards of living. Listening to them gave me a renewed appreciation for our systems of law and education, which make possible the high standard of living we enjoy in America. It also made KLynn and me take pause to think about what we may be able to do, in some small way, to help some of these struggling countries. We have been richly blessed with opportunities for education and the financial security that comes with it. At this stage of life it's high time to start thinking about ways to use my legal training and our other resources to give back. The Church service we are doing in Eastern Europe is a good first step, and it continues to be very rewarding. I'm not sure what will follow, but this has been a life-changing experience. There is a lot more to life than trying to earn as much money as you can.<br />
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Earlier this week I went to Tallin, Estonia, for part of the Europe East Area Mission Presidents Seminar. I participated on a panel with other members of the Area Executive Committee to field questions from the mission presidents. I always enjoy the opportunity to go to these seminars and associate with the mission presidents. They and their wives are truly exceptional people, and they give great service. It's a rare opportunity to get to be a fly on the wall and listen to the instruction they receive from the Area Presidency and other general authorities. They are asked to do a lot!<br />
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By the way, since my last posting, which was quite a while ago, I had a biking accident here in Moscow near our home that resulted in a severe concussion. I spent a few weeks back in the U.S. recouperating, and I'm now mostly symptom free. It's good to have a thick skull.</div>
KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-19148601527114747762012-06-24T17:20:00.000+03:002012-06-24T17:21:08.109+03:00Anniversary / Birthday Trip to Czech Republic<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This last week KLynn and I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary and my (Bob's) 60th birthday. We spent four days in Prague and Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, and it was wonderful. I had heard so much about Prague I was afraid it had been built up too much in my mind. It wasn't. It really IS that pretty. Cesky Krumlov is a preserved medieval city near the Austrian border. It will spoil us for Disney World forever. A few pictures follow:<br />
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This is KLynn with St. Nicholas' Church and part of Old Town Prague in the background.<br />
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This is on the way to Karlstein, about 25 miles outside of Prague. It has a fairy-tale castle on the top of the hill to the left.<br />
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KLynn with Cesky Krumlov in the background. It is amazingly well preserved. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and well deserving of the distinction.<br />
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We hired this vintage Skoda roadster and driver to give us a driving tour of Old Town for an hour. It was a good way to see the city.<br />
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This is a shot looking across the Vistula River during our driving tour.<br />
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This picture captures the spirit of the trip. We had a memorable time. It's been a good 38 years.<br />
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This is a shot from the Charles Bridge. Prague has lots of tourists in the summer, and with good reason.<br />
</div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-29262390694315344872012-06-10T18:05:00.000+03:002012-06-10T18:05:14.294+03:00Concert at the Palace<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today, Sunday, KLynn and I went to Izmailava Park, to the old Tsar's palace built in the 1600s I think, for a musical program by a baritone singer friend of ours, and a guitarist / accompanist. The concert was very nice and the park grounds were beautiful. It is a hidden gem. Pictures follow.<br />
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This is a gateway to the palace grounds. The concert was in one of the wings off to the right. <br />
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This is walking back from the palace toward an Orthodox Church. <br />
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This is the pathway through the palace grounds. The onion domes in the background are the church. It had rained earlier in the day and the path was a little wet. <br />
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This is KLynn standing outside the church. (Headscarves for women are customary inside Orthodox churches.) <br />
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The old church in the foreground was built in the 1600s. The newer one is in the background.<br />
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Wednesday evening we went to the Moscow Conservatory for a fabulous concert of Beethoven's 9th Symphony performed by the Moscow State Orchestra conducted by Pavel Kogan (formerly the principal guest conductor of the Utah Symphony). We had dinner at a little sidewalk cafe before the concert, the concert hall was beautiful, the music was magnificent, and it was one of those near-perfect evenings. Summers in Moscow help you forget about the winter. There is much in Moscow that is beautiful. I'll miss it when it is time to leave. It is becoming home.<br />
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Friday evening we attended a choir concert at St. Andrew's Anglican Church performed by an expat women's performing group. They weren't professional, but it was fun. The president of the International Women's Club this year (wife of the Polish Ambassador) sang in the choir and invited us. She and KLynn are becoming good friends, and I'm glad we went. Saturday evening we had my office staff, their families, and some of the missionaries for dinner at the Pokrofsky Hilly Bowery - about twenty people. So it's been a busy week-end. Life is good.<br />
<br /></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-34453952688384299802012-05-27T07:52:00.004+03:002012-06-16T08:41:34.645+03:00Saturday in May<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Yesterday, Saturday, was one of our better Saturdays here, probably because we were involved in giving service. Yesterday morning we went to the Moscow Anglican Church about a ten minute walk from the Kremlin and helped to weed their garden in preparation for next week's service celebrating the jubilee of Queen Elizabeth's reign. The lovely old building was built in the late 1800s and looks like it's straight out of Devonshire. It was seized by the Communists for many years and returned to the Church in the 1990s. There has been an English church on the site since the 1500s, dating back to an agreement between Elizabeth I and Ivan the Terrible. An earlier building was burned by Napoleon. (He didn't much care for the British.) The pastor - an exceptionally nice man - told me that during the Communist revolution the Red Guards had a machine gun emplacement at the top of the Church tower, and the parsonage still shows bullet marks from the White Guards. <br />
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Yesterday afternoon we met one of my home teaching families at Red Square and took their four young children for a few hours while the parents had some time alone together. It was a win-win experience.<br />
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Late spring and summer in Moscow are as delightful as the winter is dreary. We are enjoying the long sunny days and green trees in the parks. KLynn is getting into the throws of her new assignment as General Officer of the International Women's Club, and she is still on the board of the American Women's Organization for the next few months. My work continues to be interesting and challenging.<br />
<br />
Bob</div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-84084804104653440562012-05-20T14:44:00.000+03:002012-06-16T08:44:21.949+03:00One More Cultural Video<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
At the risk of over doing it, I've added one more link to a folk dance video. No one should feel any sense of obligation to watch this, but part of the purpose of this blog
is to create a history of this time of our lives. With that thought in
mind I've added one more video link from the Moiseev dance
concert I attended a few months ago during one of KLynn's trips to the
U.S. I'm not sure in what concert hall the video was filmed, but the
"Summer Dance" was the opening number at the concert I attended. I
think it is one of the signature pieces of the Moiseev Company. When I
saw them perform this number it gave me a new love for the Russian
people and their heritage. When I watch this in future years I'll miss Moscow and think back fondly on our time here. Enjoy.<br />
<br />
Bob<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmeSoETCu-M">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmeSoETCu-M</a></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-87253217262995709552012-05-19T07:21:00.001+03:002012-06-16T08:42:24.826+03:00Friday Night Folk Dance Concert<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last night KLynn and I attended a dance concert at Tchaikovsky Hall by the Ukrainian
Academic Dance Ensemble. Rather than try to describe it I'll try to add
a link to a You Tube film of the "Hopak," their grand finale. The film
is good, but doesn't do them justice. Sometimes I really love living
in Moscow.<br />
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQlJ6hWhqdY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQlJ6hWhqdY</a><br />
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<br />
<br />
Bob<br />
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<br /></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-87600525921580067232012-05-12T10:39:00.001+03:002012-05-12T10:39:58.490+03:00More Spring Pictures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I uploaded a bunch of pictures from my camera this morning, so here are some samples:<br />
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These
first pictures are from the Kremlin/Red Square area a few days before
the May 9 Victory Day celebration. The above picture was taken on Red
Square at the opposite end from St. Basil's Cathedral.<br />
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This
is just outside Red Square. The equestrian statue is Marshall Zhukov,
the commander of the Soviet Army in WWII. His horse is stepping on a
Nazi Eagle. I'm told that after the war his popularity was so high that
Stalin demoted him to a factory superintendent or something like that to get him out of the
spotlight.<br />
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This is the "Eternal Flame" and tomb of the unknown soldier, just outside the Kremlin walls.<br />
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The
day these pictures were taken we were hosting Gordon Madsen (on the
left), who was visiting from Salt Lake. We went to a restaurant called
"Rasputin" located in an old monastery near the Kremlin. KLynn and I
had eaten there once before, on Christmas Eve our first year here. The
young couple in the picture are my assistant, Denis, and his then
fiance, now wife, Elena.<br />
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This
picture was taken at a park KLynn and I visited a few weeks ago. The
sign, in Cyrillic, is pronounced "Hot Dogi." Guess what they sell
there?<br />
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<br />
The
sign above this stand is pronounced "Grill." Reading signs in Cyrillic
often is pretty easy, but my speaking vocabulary is still
embarrassingly limited.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hUUPbW7hAXQ/T64LN924sZI/AAAAAAAAAeA/Ke6PXhyKHCU/s1600/Bob%2527s+Camera+May+2012+037.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hUUPbW7hAXQ/T64LN924sZI/AAAAAAAAAeA/Ke6PXhyKHCU/s400/Bob%2527s+Camera+May+2012+037.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Denis
and Elena were married last Friday in Moscow. That night they came to
our home for a visit and pictures. KLynn and I were honored.<br />
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<br />
KLynn
posed Elena for this, and I thought it turned out well. They didn't
have the money to hire a photographer. Denis is almost like family.
Elena doesn't speak English, but she is very nice. Denis is going to law school at night, and Elena
works in a bank <br />
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KLynn and I were hardly dressed for wedding pictures, but here we are.</div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-50820453986295886532012-05-09T18:39:00.003+03:002012-05-09T18:39:51.356+03:00Vicory Day May 9, 2012 (Russia though the back door)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Today Russia celebrates Victory Day, the day the Germans surrendered ending World War II in Europe. It is one of the biggest holidays of the year. Unlike many holidays in the U.S., the purpose behind this holiday is not lost on the Russians. There was a big military parade downtown, but KLynn and I drove to a park quite a ways from downtown, near my office, and were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves in the middle of a local celebration. It was far away from the pageantry of Red Square and was a genuine and heartfelt celebratory event. We felt that we were blessed to get a peek into the soul of the Russian people. I'm growing to love and appreciate them more the longer I'm here. A few pictures follow:<br />
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These two woman were some of the WORST singers I have ever heard, but their enthusiasm made up for what they lacked in talent. They sang period songs that were popular during the war. This was a little "side stage" and very few people heard them. It rained quite heavily earlier in the day, which I'm sure kept a lot of the expected crowd away.<br />
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This group sang Cossack folk songs. They weren't professional quality by any means, but it was the real thing and KLynn and I enjoyed them immensely. A couple of them spoke some English and we were able to visit with them. I felt they gave us a slice of real Russian culture. I appreciate how they are preserving their heritage.<br />
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The Cossack folk group consented to a picture with KLynn. I gave them my business card and they promised to send me their web site.<br />
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This booth paid tribute to a military unit. It was quite touching. <br />
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I particularly appreciated the old photographs of soldiers. <br />
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The helmet shows bullet holes, into which someone placed flowers. Virtually every Russian family lost multiple loved ones during the war. <br />
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These little boys played the balalaika. They were way cute. A lot of the children wore the old military style caps that were sold for the event. We bought some for our grandchildren of course.<br />
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The veterans are specially honored on Victory Day. This old gentleman was wearing his ribbons and carrying flowers that people gave him. I wonder how many of our Viet Nam veterans ever feel appreciated like this.<br />
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The girls wore the military style hats and the ribbons signifying Victory Day.,<br />
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This little boy took himself very seriously. <br />
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This is the main stage that was set up for the day. Here a group of young men were enacting scenes from the war period.<br />
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This is the audience in front of the main stage. The front was reserved for veterans and their widows, all of whom had flowers. Some wore their husbands' medals.<br />
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This is a group of folk dancers on the main stage. The sign on the back of the stage says Victory! KLynn and I are so glad we happened on this celebration. We won't miss it next year. If anyone plans to visit us in Moscow, May 9 is a good time to come.<br />
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Changing the subject, a few weeks ago KLynn and I attended a "town meeting" hosted by U.S. Ambassador McFaul at Spasso House, his official residence. It was an interesting event. As you can see, a lot of people were there and we were well fed.<br />
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This is a view of the chandelier in the reception room at Spasso House.<br />
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This is Ambassador McFaul speaking to the group. He is a very gifted speaker.<br />
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<br /></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-7862427604748941562012-03-31T11:50:00.004+03:002012-03-31T12:09:40.245+03:00Home Sweet Home<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iw3nl3CLVD4/T3bGx3ZNaWI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/x5k0IFh1u8w/s1600/014.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iw3nl3CLVD4/T3bGx3ZNaWI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/x5k0IFh1u8w/s320/014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725982536233740642" border="0" /></a>I thought I'd post a few pictures of Pokrovsky Hills, the town home community where KLynn and I live. It is one of the nicer areas of Moscow, and we feel very fortunate to live here. This is the pavilion and play area. A lot of young expat families with children live here, because it is built next to the Anglo-American School. (The picture was taken March 31, 2012.) We don't really live in Moscow. We live in an expat enclave within the city. It's gated, safe, and pleasant.<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_FYdeobNeA/T3bGxQs3j5I/AAAAAAAAAWA/qh830T9A9cY/s1600/031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_FYdeobNeA/T3bGxQs3j5I/AAAAAAAAAWA/qh830T9A9cY/s320/031.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725982525847211922" border="0" /></a>One of the advantages we have for much of the year is use of an expansive outdoor freezer/refrigerator just outside the sliding glass door from our dining room. (We're having guests for dinner this evening from the International Women's Club, so the drinks are "chilling" in the refrigerator. Last week it was definitely a freezer.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--UrqvVA0i1U/T3bGw4CCrPI/AAAAAAAAAV4/15ku7jEfip8/s1600/032.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--UrqvVA0i1U/T3bGw4CCrPI/AAAAAAAAAV4/15ku7jEfip8/s320/032.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725982519225134322" border="0" /></a>This is the view from the balcony off of our master bedroom. It's a beautiful view in each of the four seasons. Most Muscovites don't live like this. The great majority of people live in small apartments. KLynn and I are totally spoiled.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mC0E-7AT5dA/T3bGyRmwN5I/AAAAAAAAAWc/MhJOKLIWzqE/s1600/012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mC0E-7AT5dA/T3bGyRmwN5I/AAAAAAAAAWc/MhJOKLIWzqE/s320/012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5725982543269869458" border="0" /></a>Here is home sweet home, Pokrovsky Boulevard Number 27. We have enjoyed living here. It has truly become home, all except for the grandchildren!KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-7300923507061550312012-03-17T11:37:00.006+03:002012-03-17T12:41:35.087+03:00The Ides of March Plus Two, 2012<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Women's Day Troika Ride in the Forest (It sounds like more fun than it was).</span></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GNOiUGbzcpE/T2RP0jZYvYI/AAAAAAAAATc/Q9nQqocOkjA/s1600/Bob%2BCamera%2BMarch%2B2012%2B108.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GNOiUGbzcpE/T2RP0jZYvYI/AAAAAAAAATc/Q9nQqocOkjA/s320/Bob%2BCamera%2BMarch%2B2012%2B108.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720785190940884354" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbB6GKdffqo/T2RP1dWZpNI/AAAAAAAAAT0/-norBW6h8Uc/s1600/Bob%2BCamera%2BMarch%2B2012%2B106.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jbB6GKdffqo/T2RP1dWZpNI/AAAAAAAAAT0/-norBW6h8Uc/s320/Bob%2BCamera%2BMarch%2B2012%2B106.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720785206497617106" border="0" /></a>Ten days ago was a Russian holiday, International Women's Day. KLynn arranged for us, her brother Lary. and his wife, Marianne, to spend the day near Sergiev Passad, a monastery city about an hour or more drive from here. We met at a home with a group of other tourists who were enjoying a day outside of the city for the holiday. We followed our guide in the car for about 30 minutes out into the forest where sleighs ("troikas") were waiting to take us to a campsite about ten minutes away. They had a campfire going, hotdogs on skewers waiting to be roasted, and sundry things to drink, some of which were Word-of-Wisdom-permissible. We roasted hotdogs, took a few more sleigh rides into the forest, visited with the others in the group, and had a reasonably good time considering how cold it was. (What were Napoleon and Hitler thinking when they invaded Russia?) The woods were pretty, and we enjoyed the blue skies. Later that afternoon we returned to Sergiev Passad for dinner at the home of the tour guide's mother. The best part of the day was a lecture about the history of the area from the mother, who speaks excellent English. It is considered by many to be the most sacred spot of Russian Orthodoxy. KLynn and I had visited there our first summer in Moscow and toured the monastery and churches, which are beautiful. The monastery was founded by St. Sergei several centuries ago, and since Soviet times it has regained its earlier prominence in the Orthodox world.<br /><br />This last week we had the pastor from the Moscow Protestant Chaplaincy over for dinner. He is a delightful young man who just graduated from Yale Divinity School last year. He is a year older than our youngest daughter, Lizzy. He mentioned that he had told some of his parishoners he was planning to have dinner with us, which prompted mixed reviews. I'm constantly amazed at how much prejudice there is against the Church in the world. We enjoyed a lovely evening together, though, and we are looking into the possibility of joining resources in some of their humanitarian activities. The pastor and I are planning lunch next week with our area welfare director. Some of the Chaplaincy's projects are partially funded by the International Women's Club, which is how we made the connection. I hope this will be an opportunity to build some friendships with other faith based groups. There is much more that binds us together than separates us.<br /><br />Meanwhile, KLynn has now been invited to take a leadership role in the American Women's Organization. This is in addition to her work with the International Women's Club. She is busy almost every day doing good things and making good friends.<br /><br />The other day I spoke with one of the humanitarian missionaries in Istanbul. He reported that the Elders have now completed their initial language training and will now begin teaching in earnest. They have already started teaching some people, and there were half a dozen Turkish investigators in Church last Sunday. It's going to be great fun to watch the Church take hold and grow there. President Roth, the mission president, and I agreed to meet some day in Istanbul for the creation of the first stake. On a more mundane topic, we now have both of the rugs I bought in Turkey laid out in our townhouse here, one in the dining area and one in the living room. They are both exquisite and will be happy reminders of this period of our lives.<br /><br />It is now past the middle of March, and the thermometer has crept above the freezing point a few times for part of the day. We still have a lot of snow on the ground, and it still snows a few days each week. The days are getting longer, though, and spring will arrive eventually. I am still wrestling with some sticky issues at work. Ukraine and Kazakhstan are keeping me particularly busy right now. I enjoy my association with KLynn's brother Lary, and Marianne. They are faithful souls. Lary had a health incident this past week that gave us a scare, but it turned out not to be serious and he was back in the office on Friday.<br /><br />KLynn and I will be coming up on our two year mark here in another few months. Most days it seems like I just deal with a stream of frustrations and problems, and I often wonder if I am really accomplishing anything. Looking back, though, we can see some great things that have happened here, and the legal work has played some incremental role. I don't know how long KLynn and I will be in Moscow, or what will come after. I do know, however, that our lives have been altered by this experience already, and we will not be the same people when we return to the U.S. Among other things, my attitude about serving a senior mission has changed dramatically. KLynn and I are now planning to serve multiple missions. The biggest limitation will likely be how long the Office of General Counsel wants to keep me on board and whether we have other international opportunities (such as rule of law initiatives etc.) that would be the functional equivalent of serving a Church mission. There is a lot of work to be done, and it's a great ride - even better than a troika ride in the forest.<br /><br />BobKLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-23921927581201993852012-03-04T09:29:00.004+03:002012-03-04T10:13:18.828+03:00More from Turkey and Moscow<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JnsX_BPqn4I/T1MO45qKHSI/AAAAAAAAATE/puKC3W1Li1I/s1600/February%2B2012%2B010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JnsX_BPqn4I/T1MO45qKHSI/AAAAAAAAATE/puKC3W1Li1I/s320/February%2B2012%2B010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715928722776399138" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJhgE2QTqSk/T1MO4WLCgLI/AAAAAAAAAS0/XX3dL-vj3_o/s1600/February%2B2012%2B011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eJhgE2QTqSk/T1MO4WLCgLI/AAAAAAAAAS0/XX3dL-vj3_o/s320/February%2B2012%2B011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715928713250635954" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KbY_JlLF3EA/T1MO30llRtI/AAAAAAAAASs/CceuCCaTHeY/s1600/February%2B2012%2B008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KbY_JlLF3EA/T1MO30llRtI/AAAAAAAAASs/CceuCCaTHeY/s320/February%2B2012%2B008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715928704235161298" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-icQPXH-R8uw/T1MO5bE4EAI/AAAAAAAAATM/KBEFgmqJkBo/s1600/February%2B2012%2B013.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-icQPXH-R8uw/T1MO5bE4EAI/AAAAAAAAATM/KBEFgmqJkBo/s320/February%2B2012%2B013.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5715928731746832386" /></a><br />A few days after the last posting, I (Bob) left for Istanbul again and KLynn left for the U.S. to visit our daughter Rebekah and family in Chicago and daughter Lizzy and family in Durham, N.C. She enjoyed seeing children (grandchildren mostly) and the warm North Carolina weather and sunshine. My trip to Istanbul was for the Area Interim Mission Presidents Seminar. This particular seminar was expanded to include the area authority seventies and the two stake presidents (Moscow and Kyiv). They and their wives are an outstanding group of people. It is a privilege to be able to associate with them. I had a few small parts on the program dealing with legal issues, but it was mostly fun to be a fly on the wall and listen to our area presidency train the priesthood leaders. I have grown to admire and appreciate the members of the area presidency a great deal. They have been a powerful influence for good in my life. It is also useful to spend time with the mission presidents and establish personal relationships with them, so they are more than a voice on the telephone or a name on an email. A highlight of the week came on Thursday morning. I left the seminar to meet with our local counsel, Nuri Bodur, to discuss a number of legal matters. At the end of our meeting I invited Nuri to walk over to the new rented Church meetinghouse, which is near his office, and to meet the "young volunteers" (we don't use the term "missionary" in Turkey because it carries a negative connotation). Nuri and I had done a lot of work to help prepare for the volunteers' arrival in Turkey, and Nuri was happy to come with me. It was a moving experience for me to meet these four young men, knowing what they represent. I felt that I was in the presence of greatness. Three of them are from the United States (one from Kaysville) and the fourth is from England. They carry a remarkable spirit with them. I posted a picture of me standing with the four of them. A second picture of the young volunteers is with one of their teachers, Terry Smith (the older man on the left); a young woman who is a member of the Church and a native speaker who helps with their pronunciation; and Nuri, the young man on the right. Terry has lived and taught in Turkey for many years. The next morning at the seminar we sang "Called to Serve" as the opening song. As we started singing, President Roth (the Bulgaria Sofia Mission President) and the four Turkey Elders walked into the room and stood at the front. Several of the sisters in the room took out handkerchiefs and wiped their eyes. The Elders each then bore their testimonies in Turkish. Murat Cakir, the branch president in Istanbul and a native Turk, told me that after one week the Elders were at a second semester college level. They will do well. Murat established an LDS website in Turkey a few years ago, and he has over 1,000 referrals from people who have responded to his website asking to learn about the Church. I sat next to Murat at dinner one night and he shared his remarkable (I would say miraculous) conversion story, which took place many years ago. Preparations for the Elders' arrival in Turkey have been underway for a long time. Istanbul is a great city. I posted a picture of the Haggai Sofia, one of the city's great architectural gems. It was build by the Romans as a Christian Church in the sixth century and is now a mosque. (I also posted a picture I took last night of KLynn at our favorite Uzbeki restaurant. Sometimes it seems like we are living in a movie set.) I sat next to one of the mission presidents and his wife on the flight back to Moscow last Saturday. I shared some of my experiences about helping the Church to get more established in Turkey, and he with great solemnity told me I need to record it in detail. He's right. That will be a project for the next few weeks. KLynn got back from the States yesterday, and there was much rejoicing. I'm glad she gets to visit family, but it's not fun for her to be gone. One more thought, the Moscow stake presidency has asked the local members to fast and pray that we will be able to obtain land for new Church meetinghouses (a project that has been going on for years). I am not at liberty to post the details in a public blog, but this past week I could see and feel the affect of those combined prayers and fasting. I am optimistic that we will be successful. It's a privilege to part of this work.KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-36902124564606001192012-02-18T15:55:00.002+03:002012-02-18T16:33:47.974+03:00An Eventful WeekThis has been one of the more eventful weeks since we arrived in Moscow. For me (Bob) it began last Friday, February 10. I flew to Istanbul and met that afternoon with Church and temporal affairs leaders regarding preparations for the first proselyting missionaries in Turkey and other matters affecting the Church. Four young Elders from the Bulgaria Sofia Mission arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday the 14th. On Saturday morning we held the organizational meeting for the new Church legal entity in Turkey. I conducted the business of the meeting, which consisted of choosing officers and members of the board of directors and board of auditors. We needed sixteen Turkish residents to fill all the required slots, and we had just enough. The person who was selected as treasurer and a member of the board of directors is a young Turkish man who was just baptized a month ago. He became interested in the Church through the Internet, looked up the Istanbul branch and was baptized a few weeks later. I have the feeling he will become an important leader of the Church in that country. My participation in the meeting was something of a cross between conducting a business meeting at my old law firm, using Robert's Rules of Order to entertain motions etc., and conducting a sacrament meeting with an exceptionally large number of sustainings to Church callings. Everyone who attended sensed it was a historic moment for the Church in Turkey, and we all felt privileged to participate. Sunday morning I flew from Istanbul to Salt Lake City for annual training meetings. I arrived around midnight Sunday night and stayed with Mindy and family in Kaysville, which was wonderful. I met Rob and the girls for dinner Wednesday night, which was also a highlight. I tried to call KLynn regularly while I was away, but it was hard to find her at home. She was in the throws of final preparation for the Embassies of the World Dinner and Ball, which was last night, February 17. Her week was more eventful than she wanted. On Monday, four days before the event, the Russian Military Band, which was to provide music for the dance, cancelled. KLynn had to scramble to find a replacement. Fortunately, a few weeks ago someone recommended that she contact a German fellow here in Moscow who organizes events professionally. He stepped in at the last minute and booked a band which turned out to be fabulous. KLynn was pretty definite about the kind of music she wanted, and they came through perfectly. The music was lively but not overly loud, and the atmosphere bespoke a formal ball rather than a dance club. (It was WAY better than the U.S. Marine Corps Ball we attended a few months ago.) I left my Salt Lake meetings early to arrive back in Moscow yesterday afternoon in time for dinner at the Swiss Embassy. The flight to Moscow was delayed out of New York, my luggage was delayed getting off the plane, and there was a HUGE traffic jam on Lenningradsky Shosse, the main road into the city from the airport. By the time I made it home, changed into my tuxedo a drove down to the hotel to meet KLynn, we made it to the Swiss Embassy exactly when dinner was scheduled to start, at 7:00. It was a small but appreciated "tender mercy." We had a very nice time at the embassy. The evening began with drinks and visiting with the embassy people and the other guests. Seating at the long and beautifully set dinner table was assigned, and I was able to sit near the ambassador, who is one of the most charming men I have ever met. KLynn had to excuse herself from dinner early to go back to the Ritz Carlton Hotel for last minute preparations, but I stayed through the multi-course dinner and visits afterward. After dinner, without really trying, I found myself and the ambassador standing by ourselves for about ten minutes, and we had a good discussion about the Church. The ambassador spoke very highly about the Church's reputation in the business world. (He was a Swiss banking lawyer before becoming a diplomat.) I was able to tell him about some of the challenges the Church is facing in that part of the world, and he seemed interested and sympathetic. Around 9:00 I got a ride with some of the other guests to the hotel and I was immediately WOWED by all the activities KLynn had arranged. Before the doors to the ballroom opened the guests gathered in the large lobby on the mezzanine level. The theme of the evening was "Venetian Carnival," and many people wore ornate carnival masks (KLynn's was white with sparkles and feathers). A baritone sang to piano accompaniment, and there were mimes, jugglers, artists doing portrait sketches, and young ballet students from the Bolshoi Company (who provided entertainment during the dance) mingling among the guests. The atmosphere was festive, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. KLynn had borrowed a large greenery arch from our office building and decorated it with flowers, cloth, Christmas ornaments, etc. There were many other "KLynn-esque" touches that added flair. We didn't have a camera and don't have pictures to post now, but there were several media photographers present last night, and we'll try to get some pictures from them and post later. KLynn, as the organizer and unofficial hostess, was in exceptional form. She wore a new black dress she had bought for the occasion, and she was radiantly lovely. KLynn took me in tow and introduced me to several people with whom she had become acquainted planning the event. We had nice visits with the ambassadors from Iceland and Madagascar and their respective wives, and we briefly met the ambassadors from Colombia, Iraq (whose wife is from Finland), the European Union, and the new ambassador from the United States. The daughter of the Iraqi ambassador is a student at the Anglo-American School near our home, and she was one of the artists KLynn had doing sketches. At 10:00 they opened the doors to the ballroom and the dancing began. The Ritz Carlton Moscow, situated across the street from the Kremlin, is one of the most elegant hotels I've ever seen, and the ballroom was exquisite. KLynn and I enjoyed dancing together and visiting. Besides several of KLynn's friends from the International Women's Club, we met the wife of the ambassador from Angola and her daughter who had recently arrived in Moscow. They were dancing up a storm. The master of ceremonies for the evening was a young man from England who hosts a travel and culture show on local Moscow television and occasionally on the EuroNews Network. He was wonderful. He also has an excellent singing voice, and during a break for the band he sang songs from "Phantom of the Opera" and "Jekyll and Hyde." Three young ballet dancers also performed. Altogether the evening was a great success. I was immensely proud of KLynn. She is having a great experience here and having a strong impact for good, both inside and outside of the Church. Everyone she meets knows why we are in Moscow, and she is able to leave a positive impression of the Church with many people, including people of influence in their respective countries. By the time the festivities wound down at 2:00 a.m. KLynn felt relieved and gratified that her efforts had paid off so well. In a few months she will begin preparations for next year's ball, and who knows what else. On Tuesday KLynn is leaving for the U.S. to visit Rebekah, Lizzy and families, and I'm heading back to Istanbul for the interim mission presidents' seminar. And the beat goes on.KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-15831521686619192322011-12-10T13:54:00.003+03:002011-12-10T14:12:24.468+03:00Happy DecemberBob here: Here is a summary of the latest news. Last week KLynn was called and set apart by our Area President as a service missionary for the duration of her stay in Moscow. Her assignment is to serve as an ambassador for the Church to the diplomatic community. This assignment will be a great help to KLynn and give her direction. She was recently released as Relief Society President to allow more time for her work with the International Women's Club, which has been pretty demanding. She is doing a lot of good. The same day KLynn was set apart we left for Hanover Germany to spend the weekend with our son Rick, his wife Vanessa, and their three children. They and Germany are a breath of fresh air, and Rick and Vanessa were gracious hosts. We spent much of the time at the Christmas markets in Hanover and Celle, which were beautiful. Their five year old daughter, Chrissie, is picking up a little German. Her vocabulary and grammar are limited, but her pronunciation is native quality. On Thursday afternoon I flew to Kyiv to give a presentation Friday morning on the American judicial system for a group of law students and young lawyers as part of the Ukrainian Law Week celebration. It was fun to play teacher for a day, and a lot of the students wanted their pictures taken with me afterward. It's the closest I'm ever likely to come to achieving rock star status. They also gave me an exceptionally cool-looking plaque to hang on the wall. I'm not sure what it says, but I'm sure it's something nice. I can make out my name, sort of, written in Cyrillic, and I recognize the Ukrainian national emblem at the top, but the rest of it is pretty much unintelligible. I'm continually behind at work, but hopefully I can get caught up a little over the New Year holiday. KLynn and I have tickets for the "Old Circus" this evening. I hope we can get there. We hear political demonstrations are expected downtown, and who knows what that will do to traffic and metro. Americans have been advised to avoid the downtown area. Merry Christmas to All!<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-13173741286425033032011-11-27T13:23:00.004+03:002011-11-27T13:32:31.517+03:00Thanksgiving and IWC Winter Bazaar<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wZYADUFMja8/TtIQgI3xYoI/AAAAAAAAARw/CJJVsfm8lrM/s1600/Thanksgiving%2B2011%2BMoscow%2B002.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wZYADUFMja8/TtIQgI3xYoI/AAAAAAAAARw/CJJVsfm8lrM/s320/Thanksgiving%2B2011%2BMoscow%2B002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679620224390881922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Txd_Nb6seoo/TtIQeZ81YwI/AAAAAAAAARk/tyzdalEdzDA/s1600/Thanksgiving%2B2011%2BMoscow%2B005.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Txd_Nb6seoo/TtIQeZ81YwI/AAAAAAAAARk/tyzdalEdzDA/s320/Thanksgiving%2B2011%2BMoscow%2B005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679620194615780098" border="0" /></a>Here are this week's pictures. Top left is the expat Thanksgiving dinner at the Swisshotel. KLynn and I sat next to Ron and Gloria Glass, and other friends were further down the table. It was a nice evening. I will miss these people when they leave Moscow. The top right picture is KLynn and some of her lady friends from various countries. They are an exceptionally nice group of women. The bottom pictures are from the International Womens Club Winter Bazaar at the Radisson Hotel. KLynn was in charge of the raffle. They gave away 160 prizes, all of which had to be gift wrapped. KLynn had help from some of the sister missionaries. It was a huge event, with 70 embassies participating, selling products from their countries. It drew a crowd of thousands of visitors. All of the proceeds go to various charities. The bottom right picture is the booth advertising the Embassies of the World Dinner and Ball in February that is KLynn's next big project. The sister missionaries made a good impression on the others who helped with the Bazaar. The president of the IWC, the wife of the number 2 person in charge at the Indian Embassy, told some of the other organizers that KLynn can do anything because she has such great connections through her Church. It is partly true.<br /><br />This last week I attended a meeting of the temporary board of directors of the new Church legal entity in Istanbul. We are in the process of getting it fully operational. It's a good time to be here.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ry1aPxdWFo0/TtIQeHYcjXI/AAAAAAAAARU/5CkGf7F_z-Y/s1600/Thanksgiving%2B2011%2BMoscow%2B007.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ry1aPxdWFo0/TtIQeHYcjXI/AAAAAAAAARU/5CkGf7F_z-Y/s320/Thanksgiving%2B2011%2BMoscow%2B007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679620189631319410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--p7BYERR-Vs/TtIQeGC5zfI/AAAAAAAAARM/eVhPWqCqsRI/s1600/Thanksgiving%2B2011%2BMoscow%2B008.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--p7BYERR-Vs/TtIQeGC5zfI/AAAAAAAAARM/eVhPWqCqsRI/s320/Thanksgiving%2B2011%2BMoscow%2B008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5679620189272526322" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-28783662804129006142011-11-20T18:11:00.002+03:002011-11-20T18:19:03.279+03:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-id6WE-ySM-E/TskZf8yCGuI/AAAAAAAAAP4/tUABp4Kp88g/s1600/Venture%2Betc%2B005.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-id6WE-ySM-E/TskZf8yCGuI/AAAAAAAAAP4/tUABp4Kp88g/s320/Venture%2Betc%2B005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677096841959840482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ERKKrO2SXrk/TskZeVJegrI/AAAAAAAAAPw/gy9FosedGLY/s1600/Venture%2Betc%2B004.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ERKKrO2SXrk/TskZeVJegrI/AAAAAAAAAPw/gy9FosedGLY/s320/Venture%2Betc%2B004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677096814140883634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U5lSMw5rCBg/TskZeKBXjjI/AAAAAAAAAPc/tsw2kzE-9ys/s1600/Venture%2Betc%2B003.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-U5lSMw5rCBg/TskZeKBXjjI/AAAAAAAAAPc/tsw2kzE-9ys/s320/Venture%2Betc%2B003.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677096811154083378" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-25RABSlncmk/TskZeNsjwsI/AAAAAAAAAPU/b5cL_YfgvuM/s1600/Venture%2Betc%2B002.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-25RABSlncmk/TskZeNsjwsI/AAAAAAAAAPU/b5cL_YfgvuM/s320/Venture%2Betc%2B002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5677096812140544706" border="0" /></a><br />. These are some pictures from last Sunday. We had Lary and Marianne Walker (KLynn's brother and his wife), Chad and Bethany Packard (KLynn's cousin and his wife), and Venture Mahonda over for Sunday dinner. There is also a picture of KLynn and Festus (a recently baptized member from Nigeria) taken at Church. Venture and Festus both want to serve missions. Venture has now returned to Tanzania, and hopefully will be going to BYU this spring. He plans to go to the Temple in South Africa first. This morning, quite unexpectedly, KLynn was released as RS president. Our bishop wisely felt that KLynn was being spread too thin trying to do her IWC work on top of Relief Society. He told her that she had been "called" to her work with the IWC, and there were others who could serve as Relief Society President but no one else who could do what she is doing with the IWC. It was a little emotional, but I think KLynn feels it is for the best. She is SUPER busy with all she has going with IWC. She has also been an outstanding RS president, and she is loved by all the sisters in our ward. She's done a lot of good. This afternoon we went to a Christmas bazaar at the Italian Embassy. It was a bit of a madhouse, but KLynn wanted to make an appearance so the Ambassador's wife would know she was supporting the event. KLynn briefly introduced me to the Ambassador's wife, we had gelato and (wonderful) ravioli, and so it was a successful visit. Tomorrow I'm off to Istanbul for a quick trip, and Thursday we're having Thanksgiving dinner at a hotel with a group of expats. KLynn and I (especially KLynn) socialize a lot here, mostly with people who aren't members of the Church. It is a little different than our past life, but we enjoy it. We've met some truly outstanding people here. November is Moscow is pretty gray and drab. We're looking forward to visiting Rick and family in Germany and Christmas after that.<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-3875734176173515272011-11-12T13:13:00.003+03:002011-11-12T13:46:05.556+03:00Moscow Driving<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-65IXXnChvFo/Tr5IFDF1V6I/AAAAAAAAAOc/JF2giIcVqmM/s1600/November%2B12%252C%2B2011%2B002.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-65IXXnChvFo/Tr5IFDF1V6I/AAAAAAAAAOc/JF2giIcVqmM/s320/November%2B12%252C%2B2011%2B002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674051832099723170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0_i34gXizVs/Tr5IE3DAYMI/AAAAAAAAAOM/BJRJc7TizKI/s1600/November%2B12%252C%2B2011%2B004.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0_i34gXizVs/Tr5IE3DAYMI/AAAAAAAAAOM/BJRJc7TizKI/s320/November%2B12%252C%2B2011%2B004.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674051828866638018" border="0" /></a>So the other morning I was driving to work. As I pulled up to an intersection to turn left the arrow started flashing (meaning it was about to shut off). I stopped to wait for the light, and a few seconds later a full-sized bus rear ended me. The Camry absorbed the impact pretty well, but it made for a bad beginning to the morning.<br /><br />The latest on KLynn's adventures is that she now has a major role in the International Women's Club winter bazaar in a few weeks. She tried to get out of it, but the president "begged" her to accept, so she did. It is another big fund-raiser, with about 60 embassies participating. The embassies sell items from their respective countries, with the proceeds going to charity. It should be interesting. KLynn is in charge of gathering items from the various embassies to give away as prizes for a "lottery" they are running as part of the event. She sees this as another opportunity to give meaningful service, and at the same time build contacts with the embassy women, and hopefully create more goodwill for the Church. She is effectively on a full-time public affairs / government relations mission here and is having some pretty unique experiences. I'm way proud of her. KLynn volunteered me to "MC" part of the program. Here we go!<br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-12272646325549846492011-11-06T07:23:00.004+03:002011-11-06T07:34:06.066+03:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ewSOKEDFMFM/TrYM19XCNRI/AAAAAAAAANE/AHPJJcI3e9k/s1600/Marine%2BCorps%2BBall%2BNov.%2B2011%2B006.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ewSOKEDFMFM/TrYM19XCNRI/AAAAAAAAANE/AHPJJcI3e9k/s320/Marine%2BCorps%2BBall%2BNov.%2B2011%2B006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671734901863494930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RWn5wJLFQUE/TrYM1rCZQLI/AAAAAAAAAM4/5cwH201mLzM/s1600/Marine%2BCorps%2BBall%2BNov.%2B2011%2B013.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RWn5wJLFQUE/TrYM1rCZQLI/AAAAAAAAAM4/5cwH201mLzM/s320/Marine%2BCorps%2BBall%2BNov.%2B2011%2B013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671734896945086642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yNYhMHMtkXI/TrYM0ncSh9I/AAAAAAAAAMs/lFuqOY_i0uc/s1600/Marine%2BCorps%2BBall%2BNov.%2B2011%2B011.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yNYhMHMtkXI/TrYM0ncSh9I/AAAAAAAAAMs/lFuqOY_i0uc/s320/Marine%2BCorps%2BBall%2BNov.%2B2011%2B011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671734878800086994" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CeQuQ0sRato/TrYM0OWQSVI/AAAAAAAAAMg/dEkKIW49NK4/s1600/Marine%2BCorps%2BBall%2BNov.%2B2011%2B008.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CeQuQ0sRato/TrYM0OWQSVI/AAAAAAAAAMg/dEkKIW49NK4/s320/Marine%2BCorps%2BBall%2BNov.%2B2011%2B008.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671734872063887698" border="0" /></a><br />These are some pictures from the Marine Corps Ball, celebrating the founding of the Marine Corps. The ceremony presenting the colors was way impressive and patriotic. The food was good, but the dancing afterward was too much like a high school prom for our grandchildren.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-16548465902434912412011-11-05T12:35:00.002+03:002011-11-05T12:49:20.736+03:00November 2011 Report(Bob here): It's been way too long since I've added a post. Moscow is getting to be seriously dark these days. Next week it's not supposed to get above freezing for three days running, so winter is around the corner. Friday was a holiday in Russia, so I stayed home from work and enjoyed a day of relaxation. No one seems to know exactly what the holiday is to celebrate. It used to celebrate the Bolshevik Revolution I think, and they're trying to come up with a contemporary justification.<br /><br />Our life here is still interesting and busier than we'd like. I seem to deal with a constant stream of problems that arise somewhere every day. Some good things are happening, like we organized the first Church legal entity in Turkey a few weeks ago; and some things are not so good, like passage of a restrictive religion law in Kazakhstan last month. I've been traveling to the point that I needed to have additional pages sewn into my passport -- it feels like a small novel now.<br /><br />KLynn is now on the steering committee of the Moscow Chapter of the International Women's Club. She's the only American on the committee. She is in charge of the "Embassies of the World Dinner-Dance" in February. It's a charity fund raiser black-tie dinner hosted by 15 to 20 embassies around town, followed by a dance and silent auction at a downtown hotel. This kind of fell into her lap because some other women are leaving Moscow before February. She is more than a little stressed about it, but she'll do fine. This is supposedly one of the major "society events" of the year in Moscow and attracts a lot of high profile people. KLynn will be working closely with a lot of the ambassador wives and hopefully will be able to become something of a good-will ambassador for the Church. This is quite a change from the dairy farm in Idaho where she was raised. I think she's starting to go native here in Moscow. A few days ago she was going to an IWC meeting. She missed the shuttle bus from our neighborhood to the local metro station, so she caught a "gypsy cab," which is common practice here but to westerners it looks eerily like hitch-hiking. (We have a car, but Moscow traffic is unpredictable.) She goes shopping at a local market. She takes her little pull cart and gives candies to the families who run the booths there where she buys food. A lot of them are from Central Asian countries. They don't speak each others language at all, but KLynn has developed warm relationships with several of them. She is quite an amazing woman.<br /><br />Tonight we're going a the "Marine Corps Ball" at "<span class="il">Spaso</span> House," the residence of the American Ambassador. (It's a beautiful home. There are pictures on Wikipedia.) A neighbor who works at the Embassy was able to snag tickets for us. That will be fun. Our neighborhood here feels almost like Utah. The six-plex across the street from us is rented by the U.S. Embassy for employee families, and four of the six families are LDS -- Russian speaking returned missionaries. I walk to go home teaching.<br /><br />The highbrow stuff we do is about 5% of life. The rest is ordinary living. I put in long hours at work and fight traffic going and coming. KLynn keeps busy mainly with homemaking and a group of women from the international expat community with whom she has become good friends. Her best friends are from Honduras, France, Poland, and England. We've also made good friends with several young African men who joined the Church here in Moscow. Many of them were enticed to come to Russia by unscrupulous travel companies in Africa who charge exorbitant fees based on promises of employment and housing that are totally false. These poor fellows get stuck in Russia with no language skills and nowhere to go. A lot of them are attracted to the Church, where they find a friendly support group. We've had a lot of them to dinner, and they are a nice bunch of guys. Each of them has a story. We are also friends with a group of Filipino LDS women who do domestic work here to support their families back in the Philippines. (I ran into the cousin of one of them at the little LDS branch in Istanbul lasts month. Talk about a small world!)<br /><br />Our daughter Cindy and her family were here for ten days in October. Her husband Joshua just finished a medical fellowship in Germany and Austria. We enjoyed spending time with them. We've also seen our son Rick and family a few times since they've been in Germany. They're doing great, and it's been fun to try to speak a little German again. We're spending Christmas in Utah and will see four of the six children. It's hard to be away from them so much.<br /><br />I'm not quite sure where all this is taking us after the next couple of years that we'll likely be here in Moscow, but it has definitely changed the course of whatever will come next.<br /> <span><span style="color:#666666;"><br /></span></span><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-51174863227625625662011-11-05T11:54:00.002+03:002011-11-05T12:03:20.941+03:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zH3YsuDvuxk/TrT66ysquoI/AAAAAAAAALc/tiVGUQ8MfXc/s1600/KLynn%2Bat%2BHome%2Band%2BMarket%2B013.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zH3YsuDvuxk/TrT66ysquoI/AAAAAAAAALc/tiVGUQ8MfXc/s320/KLynn%2Bat%2BHome%2Band%2BMarket%2B013.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671433718714776194" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BfM4_gxqNeE/TrT66VkDC4I/AAAAAAAAALM/g66clrmsy5M/s1600/KLynn%2Bat%2BHome%2Band%2BMarket%2B005.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BfM4_gxqNeE/TrT66VkDC4I/AAAAAAAAALM/g66clrmsy5M/s320/KLynn%2Bat%2BHome%2Band%2BMarket%2B005.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671433710893992834" border="0" /></a>Here are a few pictures from home and a trip to the market. The baker gave free breads to our granddaughter, Thomasin, when she was visiting a few weeks ago. She had been standing up on a stand and staring at him baking flatbreads in a big open oven. Today he gave us a bag of goodies to take home. They are very nice people at the market. KLynn often brings little candies to give out as "thank you's" to her friends, many of whom come from central Asia.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d6dKMTMzISY/TrT65TlRVEI/AAAAAAAAALA/sr4DMNIL2uk/s1600/KLynn%2Bat%2BHome%2Band%2BMarket%2B002.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d6dKMTMzISY/TrT65TlRVEI/AAAAAAAAALA/sr4DMNIL2uk/s320/KLynn%2Bat%2BHome%2Band%2BMarket%2B002.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671433693182383170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2xYaIb9A0nc/TrT65ItLlDI/AAAAAAAAAK0/OKjohpRK-GE/s1600/KLynn%2Bat%2BHome%2Band%2BMarket%2B001.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2xYaIb9A0nc/TrT65ItLlDI/AAAAAAAAAK0/OKjohpRK-GE/s320/KLynn%2Bat%2BHome%2Band%2BMarket%2B001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671433690262770738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-78953395899580035192011-06-05T19:01:00.005+03:002011-06-05T19:48:30.272+03:00Report from the New Moscow StakeJune 5, 2011: (Bob writing)<br /><br />This weekend KLynn and I witnessed the creation of the first LDS stake in Russia. Elder Russell M. Nelson came and organized the Moscow stake. KLynn and I feel very privileged to be here at this time. It is now a Russian Church in Moscow. It was an unforgettable experience.<br /><br />Elder Nelson recounted how in 1985 President Benson assigned him to open the doors of the Communist countries for the preaching of the gospel. At the time, the Church was not well received, to put it mildly. Elder Nelson told how he and Elder Hans Ringer came to Moscow in 1987 and attempted to meet with the Minister of Religion of the Soviet Union. The Minister would not return their phone calls, so they went to his office and refused to leave until he finally agreed to talk to them as he was leaving for the day. The Minister of Religion said that to be registered the Church needed eleven members within a single political district. Elder Nelson asked if the Church could open a reading room or something of the sort to gain the required number of members, and the Minister responded, "No, you need to be registered to do that." Elder Nelson asked, "But how can we get the required number of members?" The Minister responded, "That's your problem." Elder Nelson and Ringer went to the Kremlin and sat down to think, but they couldn't see a way out of the "chicken and egg" problem. Then Elder Nelson told how the Lord accomplished it for them. Without going into the truly remarkable details, which are recorded in published histories, within a short time eleven people had joined the Church who lived within a single political district in Leningrad. This enabled the Church to establish a National Religious Association. The Vice President of the Russian Federation announced the registration of the Church at a concert by the Tabernacle Choir in the Moscow Bolshoi Theater in June 1991 - twenty years ago this month. Elder Nelson recalled other remarkable experiences he had in the early years establishing the Church in Russia. I took notes in my journal as fast as I could write. Elder Nelson's son, who was one of the first missionaries to Russia, came with him and bore testimony. Also present today was Elder Dennis Neunschwander, who was the former president of the Vienna Austria East Mission when the gospel was first being introduced into the Communist countries. The area covered by the Vienna Austria East Mission now contains 22 separate missions. Elder Neunschwander later became the Area resident of the Europe East Area. He is now an emeritus general authority, and he and his wife are serving an 18 month service mission preparing the history of the Church in Eastern Europe. Today was a faith promoting, exhilarating, and emotionally draining experience. KLynn did a beautiful floral arrangement for the podium, which added significantly to the meeting. There was a feeling of excitement in the air, as the members sensed this was a significant step in the advancement of the Church in this part of the world. As I looked at the large assembly of people gathered for the conference I thought of the hundreds of missionaries who have served here over the past twenty years, and the tremendous investment of time and resources to bring the Church to this point. There is much more work to be accomplished, but today was a great milestone.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-20879984923772834112011-04-26T08:10:00.002+03:002011-04-26T08:25:12.381+03:00Easter in Russia<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bEszGWb8t74/TbZVbHARtHI/AAAAAAAAAKk/jjDO9Xd7WV0/s1600/Easter%2B20011%2B007.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bEszGWb8t74/TbZVbHARtHI/AAAAAAAAAKk/jjDO9Xd7WV0/s320/Easter%2B20011%2B007.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599757110906827890" border="0" /></a>Some of the Philippine women and single sisters in our branch--for Easter dinner.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gocymWl_5ZE/TbZVa2e6UBI/AAAAAAAAAKc/_qYEU9-tXC0/s1600/Easter%2B20011%2B011.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gocymWl_5ZE/TbZVa2e6UBI/AAAAAAAAAKc/_qYEU9-tXC0/s320/Easter%2B20011%2B011.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599757106471915538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HVMfS1ldc8Q/TbZVamx6XKI/AAAAAAAAAKU/SSEQ4xa5TCA/s1600/Easter%2B20011%2B001.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HVMfS1ldc8Q/TbZVamx6XKI/AAAAAAAAAKU/SSEQ4xa5TCA/s320/Easter%2B20011%2B001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599757102256643234" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wRw2hpEcndY/TbZVafrueBI/AAAAAAAAAKM/e3ZA9zseaEI/s1600/Easter%2B20011%2B006.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wRw2hpEcndY/TbZVafrueBI/AAAAAAAAAKM/e3ZA9zseaEI/s320/Easter%2B20011%2B006.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5599757100351649810" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Russian Church by us. Midnight --Saturday night-Easter services that I went to. He would chant -Christ is Risen--to which we would say-- Indeed He has Risen--all in Russian of course!! It was<br />wonderful<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-796046649270784332011-04-16T22:06:00.003+03:002011-04-16T22:19:14.485+03:00Cemetery and Convent South of Moscow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--0qsbQWYe_0/TanqNn_KFxI/AAAAAAAAAKE/tOGMp_DjCYY/s1600/199.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--0qsbQWYe_0/TanqNn_KFxI/AAAAAAAAAKE/tOGMp_DjCYY/s320/199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596261531777636114" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7A-MzDIQ4Lg/TanqNZqU49I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/1LlRTlmwShE/s1600/198.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7A-MzDIQ4Lg/TanqNZqU49I/AAAAAAAAAJ8/1LlRTlmwShE/s320/198.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596261527932167122" border="0" /></a>This is a small church and the bell tower inside the convent. The bell tower <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5iC_uYC77CI/TanqNKMAVtI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/Da7SiSCet1g/s1600/202.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5iC_uYC77CI/TanqNKMAVtI/AAAAAAAAAJ0/Da7SiSCet1g/s320/202.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596261523778459346" border="0" /></a>was built in the 15 hundreds. The weird design is actually Yeltsin's grave marker. The other with the head on the stone blocks is N. Krushtoff's (I don't know how to spell it--and spell check isn't working!)grave. Bob and I used to be so afraid of him when we were little.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9r9_MlV0_EQ/TanqMjDhcjI/AAAAAAAAAJs/wBfJpPFAj-c/s1600/201.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9r9_MlV0_EQ/TanqMjDhcjI/AAAAAAAAAJs/wBfJpPFAj-c/s320/201.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596261513273897522" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-45783695310421583932011-04-16T21:47:00.003+03:002011-04-16T22:05:36.304+03:00"Spring" in Moscow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cH1izWhIzuI/TanlwHrxcQI/AAAAAAAAAJk/ufnjGCwZMXw/s1600/196.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cH1izWhIzuI/TanlwHrxcQI/AAAAAAAAAJk/ufnjGCwZMXw/s320/196.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596256626843676930" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-toVk6zvnpFA/Tanlv7ow_uI/AAAAAAAAAJc/FnQfvJQxJmw/s1600/156.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-toVk6zvnpFA/Tanlv7ow_uI/AAAAAAAAAJc/FnQfvJQxJmw/s320/156.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596256623609839330" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FCNrsZA9CvU/TanlvkUo7aI/AAAAAAAAAJU/e6C1Tkbjt6M/s1600/159.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FCNrsZA9CvU/TanlvkUo7aI/AAAAAAAAAJU/e6C1Tkbjt6M/s320/159.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596256617351409058" border="0" /></a>The first flower of spring--a little purple crocus!. Me at my market. This is the canal that I walk over on my way to market--this was April 14th--still frozen. This is a pond outside the Nov.... Monistary that we were at today--Saturday April 16th --starting to thaw a bit!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_NLGHcjnNEk/TanlvAmdDHI/AAAAAAAAAJM/9o8Iqx5HImE/s1600/200.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_NLGHcjnNEk/TanlvAmdDHI/AAAAAAAAAJM/9o8Iqx5HImE/s320/200.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596256607762451570" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-25518448555539061282011-04-16T21:32:00.002+03:002011-04-16T21:47:02.661+03:00Vienna<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rMV9DHO4ros/TaniwvbMCCI/AAAAAAAAAJE/I7ZyfbDYSfc/s1600/191.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rMV9DHO4ros/TaniwvbMCCI/AAAAAAAAAJE/I7ZyfbDYSfc/s320/191.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596253338976651298" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HMr7OZSaTyc/TaniwDp3J3I/AAAAAAAAAI8/nqKlZRwlupQ/s1600/166.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HMr7OZSaTyc/TaniwDp3J3I/AAAAAAAAAI8/nqKlZRwlupQ/s320/166.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596253327227037554" border="0" /></a>This was a Easter market--these are decorated eggs. This is a 14th century church--a cute dirndl and fun street--we took a buggy ride<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I9hMz_vAu44/Taniv1m5DdI/AAAAAAAAAI0/K2Lum6iKbaE/s1600/173.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I9hMz_vAu44/Taniv1m5DdI/AAAAAAAAAI0/K2Lum6iKbaE/s320/173.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596253323456482770" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cih3XSQSi9M/TanivnPmNXI/AAAAAAAAAIs/bDcnoZWMsiU/s1600/176.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Cih3XSQSi9M/TanivnPmNXI/AAAAAAAAAIs/bDcnoZWMsiU/s320/176.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5596253319600682354" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8170074497047929855.post-16931524455296798382011-04-10T17:40:00.003+03:002011-04-10T18:09:07.258+03:00KLynn's Big Birthday AdventureBob here: KLynn and I are totally spoiled living in Eastern Europe. KLynn's birthday is Monday, and to celebrate we took a three-day trip to Vienna, Austria. We left Thursday morning and just returned a few hours ago. It was WAY COOL! For a music geek there just isn't a better place. [At one subway station there is a pay toilet facility that features piped in Strauss walzes.] KLynn and I spent most of our time shopping for grandchildren, going to concerts, operas, visiting castles, and enjoying one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Last night we attended a performance of "The Elixer of Love" by Donnazetti (sp?) at the Vienna State Opera House. It was beyond amazing. The building makes every other opera house I've ever visited seem like a poor sister, and the talent on stage was equally outstanding. KLynn and I felt very blessed to be able to be there. The cab driver who took us to the airport this morning said the original opera house was destroyed by American bombers during the war, and the people of Vienna joined together to reconstruct it as close to the original as possible. Hurray for the people of Vienna! Thursday we attended a symphonic concert at the "Golden Hall" in the Vienna Musik Verein, which was just behind our hotel. I would describe that in equally glowing terms. Friday we attended a performance of the operatta "Die Fledermaus" at the "Volksoper," traditionally the opera house for the common people. It was great too! KLynn and I thought of her sister, Wendee, who sings an aria from that work. Vienna is an expensive city to visit -- think New York with a bad currency exchange rate -- so it will be a while before we go there again, but we will definitely want to go back in another year or two. Last but not least, we found this great little French cafe that was always filled with locals. We ate there a lot and brought some pastries home with us on the plane. Tomorrow it's back to work.<br /><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div>KLynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12086099319675969532noreply@blogger.com3