Morning weather report: 21, feels like 15. Projected high: a 37, but clear
Meanwhile back in Memphis: Overnight low of 42 (Brrrr!), heading back to 62 (better break out the winter jackets! (wanna trade?!?!?))
Before posting I did a quick check on the number of pictures we have taken in the past 38 days: 2,237! Granted, not all of them are "keepers," but if we do keep 1 in 10, then we have over 200 great shots. Several people have said that you just can't take enough pictures to document your stay in Kazakhstan. I have to agree. Be sure to bring a couple memory chips. Blank CDs and DVDs are pretty reasonable "over here," so you can back up those memories. Our camera also takes movies, which eat up some space, but help capture some of the sounds along with the sights. We passed on bringing a video camera in favor of upgrading our still camera. I think we made a great choice...
Two weather updates: 1) This morning’s low was a little colder than the projected 29 I expected. It was COLD. 2) This afternoon I went for a walk dressed for the projected 38, but ended up taking off the hat (knit one, not fur one!) and unzipping my coat half-way. I actually worked up a sweat during my two hour brisk stroll since I was a little overdressed. Doing a quick check of MSN weather before I started writing revealed “48, feels like 45.” I’ll believe that.
Heavy frost the past two mornings coupled with yesterday’s light snow has knocked the last of the leaves off the trees. Taking advantage of the “warm” afternoon, the leaf sweepers were out in force (anyone want to go together to send a shipping container full of leaf blowers for next fall? Sasha can be our in-country rep!).
With the exception of the botanical gardens and picnic spot, I think I’ve been by just about all the points of interest annotated on Jim & Jen’s map (thanks guys!). I’ll have a few more to recommend adding as well. Today I mostly wandered over to get a few pictures of places I had seen in passing. 
There’s an old Russian house which is now an art museum and is very picture-worthy. I hope to take the kids there, or at least to the Kazakhstan museum before we leave. I also took a few quick shots of the Dept of Vital Records where the kids’ new birth certificates will be prepared and filed (it’s also the place where we got their passport photos). 
Across the street is a nice piece of artwork, surrounded by a crumbling façade. Masha tells me that it the wedding chapel where most couples are married. 
From there, I headed over to the big flea market and made a lap of the perimeter in search of the German restaurant that Suzanne and Hilton mentioned. Didn’t find it, so I headed back toward the Iceberg to pick up some groceries, and “Shazaam!” as Gomer used to say. 
Right past the Jaguar children’s clothing, there it was. I’ll have to come back and try it, but tonight is a Shashlik night and I already planned to see Sahsa the Kabob Guy for some more of his fare.After a quick trip through the Iceberg and a side-trip to see Sasha, I headed back to the apartment to post the day’s events. The rest of my evening will be spent reading more of a book called, “In Search of Kazakhstan: The Land That Disappeared” by Christopher Robbins (not the Winnie-the-Pooh guy!). It has a 2007 copyright and mentions the wrong impressions Americans have of Kazakhstan, specifically due to a recent comedy movie. It is an interesting read so far and will probably only take a day or two to plow through. I’ll give a brief review when finished.
Tomorrow the kids are coming back to the apartment and I’m cooking dinner! Cathe and I really enjoyed the days when we could sit down to eat together at our apartment, “the place where we’re staying until we all go home.” Until tomorrow, До Завтра!
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