And Autumn Falls Upon Us

The 23rd of September was the beginning of Autumn in St. Petersburg. Average high temperatures plunged 25 degrees Fahrenheit overnight as the winds gusted to 40 mph. The river boasted white-capped waves, and winter coats fill the clothing stores in the Mall. The sun fought for air time with angry clouds spraying pedestrians with squalls out of the north and west. Walking in the brisk breezes was avoided wherever possible, keeping the cautious from shopping far from home.

This was a very dull week, so here are some random photos from the world around us.

Seen on our evening walk--a rolling ad for a Quest bar with pictures of some notorious characters once behind bars. A quest is where they put a group into a locked room and you have to solve puzzles to get yourselves out. КВЕСТ АЛЬКАТРАС is pronounced Kvest Alcatras in Russian. The words on the window say the area is 250 square meters [2700 sq. ft.], you have 100 minutes to get out, and a free bar is included with the admission price.

Sisters James & Bettinger, Dasha, Sister Kosmynina, Sue & Ken

We were glad to welcome the Sisters Trio and their friend Dasha as our Monday night dinner guests.

Wolfman Jack in the filmAmerican Graffiti

A blast from the past:  While channel surfing for easier language to understand, Ken caught the image behind a famous voice from our own teen-aged past in California. 

The film was made in Ken's home town and actually featured the 1956 DeSoto that was Ken's car when he got home from his mission and for three years through the first year of our marriage. 

[For those old timers like us who know the movie, it's the car that Richard Dreyfus is accused of scratching by the Pharaohs.] Ken passed it down to his then teen-aged brother and sister, who were also in the movie as extras--cruising San Rafael's Fourth Street and dancing in the high school gym. The movie came out in 1972. Pretty amazing that it's on Russian TV, in English, all these years later.

Palace Square and The Winter Palace at The Hermitage

Sue was asked to write a story for the Church Public Affairs in Russia about the St. Petersburg mission's volunteer efforts at The Hermitage over the past 20 years. She compiled a relatively extensive account, of course focused on the last two years.  An edited form will probably show up on the Mormon News in Russia website. We'll post a link when it does.

We have had such a quiet week that Sue has started on another personal project--sorting through her mom's computer files. Mom passed away last December. One of the grandsons took the hard drive from her computer and copied all the files and photos up to Google Drive. Now Sue is starting the laborious process of deciding what is worth keeping and sharing, and what should just be tossed. She's making folders for her sisters that they can have. She's making folders for her mom & dad and grandparents full of things that will be uploaded to FamilySearch profiles when we get home and have access to that again. Digital photos are so nice! If there is one with three people in it, then Sue can just make two more copies and put it into the folders for each of the three people.  

How quiet was it? Ken wasn't feeling well on Friday, so Sue went to do Hermitage service by herself while Ken rested and monitored the Mission email and finances from his home computer. The Mission Office did not get one single email the entire afternoon, only one phone call, and one visit from the courier service. 

Our front yard is being dug up. Evidently there is some problem in the storm sewer.  The hole is being dug by hand. Here are two photos from our balcony, five days apart.













The hole is now over 10 feet deep and they are shoveling mud into a bucket and hauling it up.  Quite a production just under our balcony window.

Saturday afternoon was a ward Elders Quorum activity at the bowling alley in the mall near the Spasskaya Metro stop. Here are a few action shots. The young man is the white pullover is Alex Plettig from Eastern Germany here on an internship in manufacturing. He is a second-generation member, a returned missionary who served just two years ago in southern Russia. He served as a translator for Ken in German and English.

Ken prepared some personal reactions and notes about the last writings of Nephi (in the the book of Second Nephi in The Book of Mormon). Here Nephi transforms himself from a chronicler of past history to a Seer, making predictions about millennial times. Here is Ken's latest compilation.