twenty-something years of "what have you been up to?"

Category: Uncategorized

  • oh, bea

    Oh bea

    Bea is a really mellow puppy and so she suits our family well. She likes to help out in the kitchen.

  • life with bea

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    Bea at 7 weeks

    For quite some time now, we have been contemplating getting a dog. I have always favored dogs although Dina and I had a cat and I found I love them too. Years ago, I discovered a rare breed of dog; the Portuguese Waterdog. I really wanted one but was not in a position to care for a dog given work schedules and the time needed to exercise such a breed. 

    Now we felt the time was right; the kids really wanted one and could help with walking and feeding it. Dina is at home a lot so she can care for it and I work right across the street. The question was, what kind of breed? We needed a little dog that could travel well on airplanes by being tucked under the seat in front of us. I was never fond of lapdogs. But my niece, Palina, has a small dog (Lola) that we are very fond of and it seems fitting since smaller dogs are easier to care for. 

    After much research, we decided the timing was right. During the Christmas break, we looked at differnet smaller breeds: Westies, Bichon Frise, King Charles Spaniels… and Melissa was very helpful in finding local dogs in the Sacramento area where we could look at pups. But it had to be the right dog with a mellow temperament and small size (under 15 pounds). She brought a litter of Lhaso Apso's to my attention. I knew nothing about the breed. Reading about them I discovered that they are originally known as the Tibetan Terrier (although they are not terriers). The Dali Lama and Buddist monks raised them for companionship and their calm temperament. They have keen hearing and alert bigger dogs in the temples when strangers or visitors are coming.

    This litter seemed perfect. A frail grandmother owned the female and her daughter owned the male. It was right after Christmas so we got the pick of the litter. One of the males was quite attractive. He had beautiful markings of black and white but he was a bit too frisky. The tawny female was the gentlest. She was curious and came over a few times while her brother chewed on my finger. She let me roll her over on her back without fuss and we observed the litter for about an hour and a half. She clearly won my over so I bought her and brought her home.

    We named her Bea (short for Beatrix) although there were many other names on the short list. She seems to be bright and learns fast. She socializes well with people and other dogs and the kids really like her.

    It was a long flight home from California but she did remarkably well in a carrier and she is now 9 weeks old and already used to the snow and her daily routines. Yesterday she played outside with Stefan and his friends while they built a "ski park" and slid down a steep hill squatting on their heels while she chased them up and down! We are reading lots of books and articles on dog training and raising a puppy. her Tyotya Tanya has given us lots of tips as well as how to make our own dog food. It's a lot of work but fun to have a puppy in the house!

  • Day 02 →

    Your favorite movie. Way too hard. It's either Dr. Zhivago because every frame is so gorgeous or…Trading Places because if it's on, I have to watch it, Peter and I quote it to each other all the time, it's part of our collective consciousness.. "You have it." Can you answer this question, it's hard.

  • now that it’s almost winter…

    Pictures from summer:
    Fam 1
    Pops memorial reunion

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    Mono Lake

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    Lundy Canyon

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    Bodie

  • hot wheels

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    After living here for a year, we decided to get our Land Cruiser running again. It served us so well in Africa. When we got here the battery was dead. I spent many hours trying to figure out where and how to get a new one and get the car insured and registered. It requires tons of paperwork. "Bureaucracy demands it!" Then there's the issue of insane Moscow traffic with gridlock and confusing road signs and roads. Occasionally a friend who has a car would take us to the bigger super markets or Ikea. Otherwise, walking and the metro suited us just fine. Especially when it's -7 degrees Celcius and there is hazardous ice and snow on the ground.

    But there are some occasions where a car would be great to have. The battery ("accumulator") took 4 days to get. First it took 20 questions with 20 phone calls: dimensions in metric, how many Am's, plates, cold cranks, filter sizes, fluid volumes in ml… Then they search for parts. How to get it? I ended up paying them 200 rubles ($6) to deliver. And finally! Instant start after a year in hibernation!

    But now there is still the issue of insurance and registration. The car needs to be inspected which means driving it to a mechanic. To do this though, you are driving it without a registration. You cannot insure the vehicle here until you have registration – so you're driving it without both registration and insurance. It must be perfectly washed inside and out for the inspection and it has to have a fire extinguisher and road side orange triangle and flares. These can only be bought at certain store locations which require someone with a car to take you there or a very long metro ride with multiple line changes. 

    On Wednesday I have an appointment for my inspection. Our friends had trouble because their tinted windows were "too dark" and they were told on inspection that they would need to replace all the windows. But a few extra rubles took care of that. Another friend had a blown engine replaced in another country before arriving here and the VIN# didn't match the engine block. It will be interesting to see how the Land Cruiser fares. 

  • r&r quiz

    How many jars of Trader Joe's peanut butter did I buy?

    Will I really use this much Stevia, ever?

    Why not try to pack a blanket, a set of sheets and a pillow?

    We have now bought three (3) camera chargers. Can I find a single one?

    Wine with a screw top won't explode in the luggage like wine with a cork?

    Is the other shoe packed already, or is it lost?

    Was the honey mustard/musical intrument/cleaning product really a good idea?

  • tears

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    Sf2 Peter and I drove into San Francisco over the Bay Bridge, Steven Stills sang Southern Cross on KFOG and I couldn't help but cry, it was all so sweet.

  • marble track #124

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    Karl and Stefan. These guys play together so well. They go to different schools, but today both schools have the day off for Victory Day.

    To do today: more minutes on iPhone so I can twitter. Pizza production. Figure out plan to watch Victory Day parade, 100 tanks and heavy gear, 1000 piece marching orchestra, military fly over amid fireworks. Nothing says peace like ballistic missiles.

  • rough re-entry

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    Back in Moscow. Depresssed. Kitchen demolished by people supposedly replacing counters. Mess all over the house. Kitchen sink on bathroom floor, microwave on toilet. Can I go back to Budapest?

  • nice in budapest

    Dina came on Saturday with Stefan. Camille stayed home with trusted friends so as not to miss school. It was a great reunion. We walked through the old city, had a great pizza lunch looking out onto the parliment building, shopped, drank some fine Hungarian wine, and visited the fine arts museum which featured an exhibit by Mucha. Wow! Great stuff!After another delicious meal at a mediterreanean restaurant, we took stefan to the zoo where we saw strange and exhotic animals, watched a bird show, and had ice cream and iced coffee.

    Our quarters are in a World Heritage site! Part of the old city that is walled in. The view is spectacular looking out over the pest part of Budapest and the Danube River. The old cathedral chimes it's bells from the bell tower every day and flowers are blooming everywhere.

    I was scheduled to go to a medical conference next week in Portugal but it was cancelled on account of the swine flu. The department feels we should stay put and prepare for the potential pandemic as well as decrease the risk of exposure. So Portugal is postponed until Autumn. I will be flying back to Camille with Dina and Stefan.