Havin' fun in the Indian Summer Sun

Major event of the day: Bonding Day 8, Over the Hump!

I don’t know who had more fun, the children playing or the adults admiring the setting sun and fall colors while watching the children play.

Today was a milestone in our sleep-wake cycle. We actually slept until after 6 am. To commerate this noteworthy event, Cathe made a tasty pot of soup for lunch using some of the fresh produce from the outdoor market. Can you say YUMMY! It was perfect for a cool day like today.

We had a quiet morning, catching up on some reading, e-mail, and journal keeping. We weren’t sure if the representative form the Department of Guardianship would be coming today or tomorrow, so stayed flexible today. The plan was to go shopping for court clothing either today or tomorrow depending on which day the rep comes for her official observation.

Call from Masha: Rep is coming tomorrow, not today! There’s a children’s show coming to the theater this weekend, so Masha picked us up early so we could go to the box office to buy tickets. We will be going to the Sunday afternoon show, so we’ll pick up the kids and have lunch at the apartment before going to the show. Our attorney called while we were en-route to RBS: the kids can wear jeans to court, so we don’t need to go shopping after all. Instead, we went sight seeing today since it was a perfect Indian Summer day: Sunny and ~60 degrees.

Cold weather isn’t far off though. Morning temperatures have been hovering just over freezing. The birch trees are at the height of their color and are losing their leaves. The cottonwoods are also starting to change color. In a week or two all of the trees will be bare…

First stop was the Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church. Absolutely beautiful! It was built in 1801 and the old portion is currently being restored. The inside is very beautiful with several nice frescos and several altar areas. The caretaker allowed us to take a few pictures as well. We purchased a couple icons and prayer cards in the church store which are very beautiful and will be long term mementos of our trip. We also found little items for the children. As we were leaving, the church bells were ringing. Very nice.













We then crossed the River Ishim and saw many small dachas. They’re a quick get-away for the day when people want to escape the city. Most have little vegetable gardens as well. We headed north along the river, and then crossed again at the dam north of the city where the bluffs are. It was a good time to stretch our legs and look down at the river and across the countryside to the west. LG and LB enjoyed the view as well.



We then traveled north through the countryside and birch forest area, passing an orthodox cemetery nestled in the trees. Unlike cemeteries in the US the plots were marked off with posts and decorative chains and people had a place to sit at each site to visit their loved one. In addition, the trees were left in place and the family plots are worked in around them. It was very beautiful since the trees are now at the height of color, bright yellow.




We then continued north for several minutes. The Russian border probably wasn’t far away. We pulled off to the side of the road where we could look to the north. And down into a broad valley. Both kids had a chance to run and play. LB was showing off some of his gymnastics abilities, entertaining us with several back flips and cartwheels. LG did some cartwheels as well. Although Masha and Sasha didn’t say, we were looking into Russia from the hilltop. (it’s only 32 miles from downtown Petropavlovsk to the border, and we went at least 20 miles if not further).

The absolute highlight of the day came as we were heading back to Petro. Along the road was a harvested wheat field with a huge straw pile. Both kids wanted to hop out and play in the straw. We were reluctant at first, but Masha and Sasha insisted that it was ok, so Bill, Masha, and the kids trudged across the field while Sasha and Cathe guarded the car. What fun! Both kids were climbing and jumping and running back up as fast as they could. Sweaters and sweatshirts came off while the kids worked up a sweat. I don’t know who had more fun the children laughing or the adults watching all of the fun! Our Russian term of the day is: “Мама, Папа, смотреть!” (Mama, Papa, watch me!)

Sadly, the clock was ticking and they had to go back to the RBS. We did manage to get about an extra 45 minutes since we picked up the kids a little early and kept them a little long. It’s going to be hard to top a day like this one back home. Everyone had fun today, including Sasha who cracked a few jokes. What a great day!