This photo was going to be my exciting proof that Spring had arrived!! I had to search a bit on the north side of buildings, but not far from our apartment, I found this tree with some intact snow in the tree well. Looks definitely like the end, doesn't if?
That was on Wednesday, and then on Friday, I woke up ready to do my morning walk and found this at the Astana Triathlon Park where I am now walking every morning.
Walk with me on this snowy morning----
On the left is brick for people with baby strollers. In the center is the padded rubbery surface for runners (and me). On the right is asphalt for bike riders. Notice the center lane is covered with snow.
But, hang on......the city loves this park...so much so, that at 6:30 in the morning, there is a tractor with a spinning brush sweeping the snow off the center lane.....into the brick lane. But, don't worry, the tractor will do a lap and come back and brush the snow off the lane so baby strollers can be pushed forward.
You're probably wondering why I am not walking around the track at the school. Here's the long story. I walked on the track behind our apartment until snow covered the track deeply enough that I could no longer walk. At that time I decided to start walking around the school. I'd tried that during the summer in an effort to give me some variety, but I didn't like it - the road and sidewalks are bumpy, there are a lot of curbs to step over, and there are manhole covers (potential trip hazards) frequently peeping over the surface of the road - it was not a relaxing walk. But.......with the deep snow on the track, I didn't have much choice. I soon discovered that with all the snow, the unevenness of the route was gone and the manhole covers were hidden. So that's what I did from December through most of April. I only slipped and fell on this route twice - once when I slipped and collapsed on a spot which I later discovered consisted of a frozen pool covered by snow - I subsequently avoided that spot. The other time I placed my foot and pivoted to make a left turn and badly crashed onto the curb. So there are two good reasons to avoid this place - pools of frozen water and icy curbs.
When the snow melted from the track, I blissfully went back to the smooth surface, but the whole process became overbearingly boring. Seven and a quarter laps to make a mile, and I wanted to get in five + miles. It was like walking on a tread mill, in a dark room, with no windows, no iPad, no phone and earbuds - just me and a moving belt............. So I figured out a loop on nearby streets that would take me around several blocks - it was a 1 1/2 mile loop. And I did this for several days but got tired of always having to watch my feet to avoid normal hazards on sidewalks and streets.
Then I realized that a mile and a quarter from our doorstep, there is a world class triathlon track waiting for me to give it a try. I could blissfully walk, with my head held high, not looking at my feet and with no worries about tripping on a raised crack or on a curb. It took me four days to figure out which loops to take to make one continuous path, which equals about 7+ miles which I can do in 2 hours. Here it is on a snow free day. Perfect!!!
Monday was Dad's birthday. Last year I made a yummy breakfast for him...poached eggs, bread, and banana bread.
This year it was eggs goldenrod with homemade country gravy on toast and an apple. Not exactly like breakfast at Biscuits, but delicious anyway.
For his birthday dinner I chose a new Chinese restaurant which I had discovered on one of my morning mile and a half loops.
The menu was on a iPad, and here the serviant is helping him choose the picture of what he wanted.
I got this which was, probably beef, highly seasoned, fried and garnished liberally with little red peppers. Before and after. It was very tasty, indeed.
Turns out Dad got roasted lamb short ribs which were very tasty too. He avoided the jalapeno
peppers.
The fancy plates and the flower garnishes made this an expensive meal. We paid $24, easily four times what we'd normally pay at a Kazakh restaurant - but Dad is worth it! However, we won't come here next year.
We did do some humanitarian work this week - we do have to work sometime. We revisited a previous partner, Kamila, to see how she is doing....and to get some final documents that we need. She is doing fine but couldn't find the documents.
And..........................we waited the entire week for WAQYP, the wheelchair people, to email to us their Contact Information that we need to submit the project for approval. Sigh......nothing!
And - we went to English Club on Tuesday and Friday....like we always do.
After seeing Kamila we went to our District Meeting. We were famished and went into the little store which is in the basement below our church facility. We knew we could get some good junk food there. Well - - -we discovered that there is a new, tiny restaurant which took over the space that some women had rented and from which she was selling cleaning supplies and other stuff. How fun was this!! There are four small tables on the customer side of the counter.
The store has a lowered front door which you have to "fit" yourself through.
\Buying our food and then getting a drinkable yogurt from the little store.
And, voila, our lunch. Sausage and cheese sandwich for Dad, and I got a fried sweet bread thing.
An event occurred this Saturday in the school yard behind our building. It started with two big yurts being assembled on the brick 'parade ground'/meeting place. Here, on Monday, was the first sign of the event from our bedroom window.
the finished yurt and a steel frame being welded for a stage.
Two signs in both the old Uzbek alphabet and the new modern one with English alphabet. They are an invitation to come to Uzbek Sunday School where one can learn the Uzbek language, history, and traditions. I think it is a school held on Sundays (since there is no school on Sunday) where students can study the Uzbek stuff. It isn't a Christian Sunday School as we know it.
About 10:00 am hoards of people began to assemble. It was the school party for everyone. There were singers, dancers, musicians, wrestling, a comedian, tug-of-war, ROTC demonstrations - something for everyone. Oh - and it looked like kids were selling food, maybe cookies, but by the time Dad got out there, the food was gone. They needed a doughboy booth!
kids playing the Dombra, which is a revered, national, traditional 2-stringed musical instrument.
And a sleeping starfish baby.
By 3:00 the festival was over and by 4:00 the two yurts and tables and chairs were gone. By 4:30, only the steel framed stage remained.
Some photos with no particular dialogue
A sure sign of spring - painting the curbs white.
And I saw this on one of my morning walks - a great old soviet style trailer that Warren can 'trick out" into a comfy travel trailer. The sign says "For Sale" - literally it says, "I will sell."
We leave for Turkey Sunday morning at 2:30 am..........groan. Arrive Istanbul at 6:00 Get to our destination of Antalya at 10:00. Wish us well with prayers that an engine part will not break off of Turkish Airways #355 and smash into one of our windows.
It sounds like you have completely acclimatized and feel at home there. Thank you for sharing these great photos. I especially thought the traditional black and pink dresses were beautiful. Hope you made your trip safely!
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