July 30

[This is my favorite view going down to breakfast every morning . . . ]

[Here is our cabin – available to us because Reetz comes every year and has been coming for over 30 years . . . ]

[The 9:00 o’clock morning flag raising – all the little kids come and sing the “birdie song” . . . ]

[The lake walk – while we can no longer walk all around the lake (some property owners no longer permit it), we can still walk part way.  Here Bill, and all walkers, are invited by the owner to spin the bowl of flowers under the kaleidoscope . . . ]

[Another lovely available view . . . ]

[We disturbed a local family at Turtle Bay . . . ]

[Turtle Bay, the end of our walk in this direction . . . ]

[Anne and Bill at the base of Turtle Bay without flash . . . ]

[With flash . . . ]

Meanwhile, back at camp . . . 

[Let’s line dance!  “The Biddies” join in . . . ]

[And baby makes three . . . ]

[“The Biddies” in their western motif . . . ]

[Well, howdy!!]

[You can’t get anymore “western” than a Hawaiian swimsuit . . . ]

[Reetz borrowed my camera (for this and the following two) to catch three generations of Longardners, the family’s 40th year at camp.  Baby Lena was my girlfriend last year – this year she threw me over for a younger, richer guy.  She’s learning!]

[New playground, though I did not partake . . . ]

[Meanwhile, back at the dance . . . ]

[Scott (the DOM) and Vicki (a/k/a, the Fort Wayne Dynamos), better known as Lena’s grandparents . . . ]

[Meanwhile, back at the dance . . . ]

[There were 9 teams signed up for the euchre tournament.  There had to be a play-in game.  By luck of the draw, it matched two of the camp’s perennial favorites – the Dreaded Callecod Sisters vs. the Fort Wayne Dynamos.  The Sisters were able to pull out a down-to-the-wire win, 10-9 and 10-9.  The Dynamos were unaware that by wearing their glasses on the top of their heads, the Sisters were able to see their cards by the reflection off the ceiling . . . ]

July 31

[Yes, we do field trips, too.  We have been here before for guided tours, which they apparently don’t do anymore.  But there are windows into their operation, and you can shop and buy cheese – so, we did . . . ]

[Back in camp, it was adult dinner night.  They hide all the kids somewhere – some go into town for pizza and bowling; some do outdoor weinies.  We get dressed up to the camp-degree possible . . . ]

[And have photo sessions on the patio . . . ]

[And then we eat – prime rib or almond-crusted haddock (some years walleye or cod) with twice-baked potato or rice with red or white wine.  I forgot to mention in the day one pronouncements that Kathleen, Anne, Bill, and Cassie were all first time campers – you do not have to be an IU alum to attend . . . ]

Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.  ~  George Carlin

Up Next:  Day 5

[The two-masted schooner building (?) in downtown Sheboygan . . . ]

[A little playground/garden adjacent to the schooner building . . . ]

[These are the smiles of people being goosed by hand chairs . . . ]

[Existing in the gloaming of noncontroversiality . . . ]

[The ladies enjoying the evening stroll . . . ]

July 29

[Up early, head to the beach . . . ]

[Dueling photos with Anne . . . ]

[Bill decided to test the water . . . ]

[I likely would have tumbled face first into the water with that move . . . ]

[Our final venue in Sheboygan before heading to camp . . . ]

[The Kohler Art Center, just as we did last year . . . ]

[Jami models before a see-through (or crawl-through) fireplace . . . ]

[Or an artistic facsimile of such . . . ]

[No explanation, but I thought it cool . . . ]

[Like daughter, like mom . . . ]

[The entry vestibule . . . ]

[Art in the vestibule (nobody can use “vestibule” just once) . . . ]

[Found this to be quite beautiful . . . ]

[OK, I finally had to acknowledge – members of the family tree?]

[Or theirs?]

[And, of course, the bathrooms.  If one arrives at Sunday morning opening, you are likely able to “visit” both the women’s and men’s facilities, acknowledged as having no peers . . . ]

[And shooting the entrance as we depart . . . ]

[Traveling through Plymouth (comparable in size to Alex) on the way to camp.  We have spent Saturday nights here as well . . . ]

[Staff introductions by song . . . ]

[All together now . . . ]

[Dos and don’ts for the waterfront . . . ]

[Opening night camp fire . . . ]

[Readings of the history of Elkhart Lake . . . ]

[Whoooooooooosh!!]

[I believe this was Katie on the left and Cassie on the right . . . ]

[A kumbaya moment . . . ]

[Attendance, and/or participation, usually begins to taper off with the arrival of mosquitoes. They were surprisingly quite polite this year . . . ]

Camping is nature’s way of promoting the motel business.  ~  Dave Barry

Up Next:  Days 3 & 4.  Apologies for the publishing delay – we had to settle some remuneration issues with our carrier, WordPress.

June 2

St. Petersburg

And now two days in St. Petersburg to see . . . everything!  On this day we would visit Catherine’s Palace, do a walking tour of the city beginning with a subway ride, and then an evening of Cossack folk songs and dances.  On the following day we would visit Peterhof Palace (yes, palaced-out) and explore the city by water.  Almost like in Vacationland USA!  On the third day we would rest. 

[Big Day!  A morning bus ride to Catherine Palace in Pushkin, about 30 km south of St. Petersburg.  Along the 40-minute drive route one can see such sights as this.  One would think this distinctive yellow building wearing red hats would be identified in the “literature”?  It’s not.  Must be an FSB (nee, KGB) building?]

[Nukes!]

[More colorful high-rises in the modern tradition . . . ]

[It’s good to know pizza is aways available . . . ]

[It appears we’re approaching our destination . . . ]

[Statue of Alexander Pushkin in Lyceum Garden, pretty much adjacent to Catherine Palace . . . ]

[Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, 6 June [O.S. 26 May] 1799 – 10 February [O.S. 29 January] 1837) was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era who is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet and the founder of modern Russian literature.  (Wikipedia)]

[We have debused and are approaching the entrace to Catherine Palace . . . ]

[Sasha displays his lollipop as we are invited to listen to the band playing American patriotic tunes . . . ]

[The Super gets into it with an appropriate donation . . . ]

[And now the Super welcomes you to the palace grounds.  As Professor Doctor Colonel Kiehne says, it’s the very essence of unmitigated opulence.]

[Let’s go in!]

[This was fine, shooting photos outside from the palace grounds . . . ]

[As with much of antiquity, undergoing renovation . . . ]

[A final look into the gardens before . . . ]

[Entering the building . . . ]

[It appears he has an “outie” . . . ]

[And going inside, places of these vintages, e.g., Versailles, et al, were not designed, or equipped, to handle large groups of tourists . . . ]

[It appears the Super has broken away from the crowd . . . ]

[Oh, did I mention “footies”?  Well, probably a good idea to protect the overly trod upon floors . . . ]

[The doll house version of the palace . . . ]

[Mass, forward!  The Grand Hall, or Hall of Lights, was a special occasion room.  At 1,000 square meters, it is the largest room in the palace . . . ]

[And a grand “selfie” room . . . ]

[Some of the ceiling appointments therein . . . ]

[Did somebody mention opulence?]

[Ready!  Set!  Photograph!]

[I don’t think this design pattern will work in our new home?]

[Just say “selfie”!]

[Well, uffda, there are mirrors everywhere . . . ]

[Two from the Super . . . ]

[It appears the table designer won a blue ribbon?]

[Didn’t paint get in their eyes when they did the ceilings?]

[It gets hot and claustrophobic going through such places.  A look out a window brings welcome relief . . . ]

[Crown molding on steroids . . . ]

[The Main Staircase.  TMI:  In the 1750s, when he reconstructed the Great Palace,  Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli placed the main staircase at a distance from the entrance gates, in the southern part of the palace, which was crowned by a dome and spire. In the reign of Catherine II Rastrelli’s main staircase was removed and instead, in keeping with the wishes of the mistress of Tsarskoye Selo, Charles Cameron constructed a new staircase of mahogany in the centre of the palace, in place of the Chinese Hall that Rastrelli had designed. In 1860–63 the staircase was reconstructed by the architect Ippolitto Monighetti. He produced a new one in marble stylized in imitation of the Rococo and decorated by elaborate carved balustrades and figured vases.   The stairwell occupies the entire height and width of the palace and is lit by three tiers of windows on both east and west. The white marble steps ascend from both sides to a central landing from which four flights rise to the first floor where the state rooms are located. The walls are embellished with moulded ornament and also decorative vases and dishes made of Chinese and Japanese porcelain (eighteenth- and nineteenth-century) – a reminder of the Chinese Hall that was located here in the mid-1700s. During the Second World War a fire destroyed the décor of the Main Staircase. Only the collection of porcelain survived in part, as it was evacuated in time, together with fragments of the marble vases and balustrades found among the ruins. To recreate the appearance of the stairwell, canvases were selected that match the previous compositions in both style and size. Today the upper landings of the staircase are adorned by restored marble sculptures of Cupid Sleeping and Cupid Awakening that were carved by Victor Brodzsky in 1860 by the order of Empress Maria Feodorovna, the spouse of Alexander II.  In the nineteenth century the well of the Main Staircase was decorated with a ceiling painting by Joseph-Marie Vien, The Triumph of Venus, and two smaller works by Guido Reni, The Rape of Europa and Galatea. These were destroyed when the roof collapsed during the war.  To recreate the appearance of the stairwell, canvases were selected that match the previous compositions in both style and size. The central painting of The Judgement of Paris, produced by the Italian artist Carlo Maratti, and Jupiter and Callisto by Pietro Liberi came from the stocks of the State Hermitage. The composition Aeneas and Venus by an unknown eighteenth-century Italian artist that is on the west side of the ceiling was a gift to the palace museum from the Leningrader A. Tikhomirov (eng.tzar.ru/museums/palaces).]

[This is the stock photo I didn’t get.  Which is why there will be a multiple-choice test on this later.]

[More “appointments”?]

[A generic ornate white wall clock . . . ]

[Eggos will be served precisely at 8:30 . . . ]

[A delft tile room heater . . . ]

[Help!  Let me out!  I wanna go to the gardens!  (Yes, I felt the same way in Versailles.)]

[Is there a restroom up there?]

[More room-to-room appointments . . . ]

[Catherine the Great in Portrait Hall . . . ]

[Da!]

[The Portrait Room . . . ]

[A sampling of portraits . . . ]

[Alexander I . . . ]

[Yes, we finished the makeover of our breakfast nook . . . ]

[Relief!  Outside again!]

[Pam also rejoices in the great outdoors . . . ]

[These appear to be known simply as garden statues . . . ]

[Hmmm, it was June 2, and we were in there?]

[Tom soaks in his surroundings . . . ]

[Let’s just stroll the grounds . . . ]

[Reflecting pool and building . . . ]

[Cameron Gallery . . . ]

[And again . . . ]

[Called a lake . . . ]

[Meanwhile, back at Cameron Gallery . . . ]

[Tom and Pam plot our next move . . . ]

[How ’bout a stroll by the lake . . . ]

[Grotto Pavilion on the lake . . . ]

[The Super appears to have discovered a large discus thrower . . . ]

[Is this an original Olympian?]

[This is kinda like No Name Pond at home . . . ]

[Our 3B guide for the palace . . . ]

[Pam Does Photos . . . ]

[In the Grotto . . . ]

[A terrific a cappella group was performing, or practicing, so shhhhhhhhh!]

[On the outside of the “singing” room . . . ]

[The Pavilion crowd . . . ]

[Was this looking in through a window?]

[We wandered far from the palace . . . ]

[What could it be?]

[The Super seeks some bas relief . . . ]

[Heading back to the boat to prepare for our next outing . . . ]

[There’s our bridge . . . ]

[There’s our boat and our bridge . . . ]

[And we’re off for our afternoon adventure, next in Part II.  Sasha has gathered us for a trip into the city on the subway . . . ]

Destiny may ride with us today, but there is no reason for it to interfere with lunch.  ~  Peter the Great

Up Next:  More St. Pete . . .

July 23

Taking a short break from blogging the Russia trip to . . .

Those familiar with this “not fake news” social media post are aware that once a month a few buddies from the Alexandria Class of ’65 have lunch together at some venue outside the confines of the Greater Alexandria Metropolitan Area.  It’s a never ending, but generally successful, quest to fight off the ravages of full-blown senior citizenship.  Today we visited Vining . . . 

[Vining is in Ottertail County and has a population of 78.  It is located 31 miles due north of Alexandria and 28 miles due east of Fergus Falls.]

[The statue above and below is next to our restaurant, and it’s creator will be introduced soon . . . ]

[Our place of fine dining . . . ]

[The boys outside . . . ]

[The boys inside . . . ]

[Bradley could hardly contain his excitement about the well-placed sign to his rearage.]

[The history . . . ]

[Burgers and broasted chicken . . . yummy!  We gave the restaurant 5 stars . . . ]

[Our host behind the bar – a one woman operation . . . ]

In 1989, Ken Nyberg seemed like just an average guy. He worked in construction, and in his spare time he would make little sculptures out of scrap metal, such as an arboreal “family tree,” or a dog.  Coffee so thick it defies gravity: a tribute to Ken Nyberg’s favorite beverage.  Then he decided to build an 11-foot-tall human foot.  “I wanted to make something bigger and better,” Ken explained. “And I thought, ‘A Big Foot. There couldn’t be many of them around. I’d hate to make something that there’s a lot of already.'”  Ken worked on Big Foot in secret for over two years.  [H]is neighbors loved Big Foot so much that they placed it in a permanent spot of honor next to the main road through town. “Now I can get by with anything,” said Ken (roadsideamerica.com).

[A clothes pin . . . ]

[Another town building, interspersed with Nyberg statuary . . . ]

[It’s knotty . . . ]

[Ken at work?]

[I thought the fork ran away with the spoon?]

[Mayo in the background gives perspective on the size of these things . . . ]

One of the sculptures in Nyberg Park is of Ken’s daughter Karen, a NASA astronaut who’s flown two missions to the International Space Station. Was she pleased with her father’s tribute? “I can’t really say,” said Ken. “I never discussed it” . . . ]

Ken’s astronaut daughter has flown two missions to the International Space Station (roadsideamerica.com).

[Pest control?]

[Spearfishing . . . ]

[Tow chain . . . ]

[I thought this was quite realistic . . . ]

[Was Mayo sexing?]

[Of global import . . . ]

[Yep, good form . . . ]

[And here’s the aforementioned coffee . . . ]

[Don’t mind if I do!]

[I was shocked when the figure to the right of the sign began moving toward us . . . ]

[And Big Foot . . . ]

[Before Christopher Columbus . . . ]

[And then we visited Nyberg’s “studio” about a mile out of town . . . ]

[And this is where we had just been.  The boys could now check Vining off their Bucket List.  The Super and I have been here a few times before . . . ]

There is a comfortable feeling in small towns.  It is salubrious.  ~  Andie MacDowell  [Editor’s note:  And whom amongst us doesn’t like being salubrious?]

Up Next:  Back to Russia . . .

June 1

St. Petersburg

When last we met, we were reviewing the extraordinary art of the Kremlin.  We now continue . . .

[Sasha pointing out a whole lot of big pictures hanging on a wall . . . ]

[Quite a reception . . . ]

[I’m stunned . . . ]

[A good reason for Russian relationships . . . ]

[Oh my, they rolled out the red carpet for me . . . ]

[Now becoming quite the familiar room . . . ]

[There was something about her eyes . . . ]

[That made me want to capture her from different angles . . . ]

[Across a crowded room . . . ]

[You may have noticed, I had a hard time focusing on the smaller identification plates . . . ]

[A Rembrandt, following an El Greco – ho hum . . . ]

[And another Rembrandt . . . ]

[Follow the crowd . . . ]

[The Tent Room (the roof) . . . ]

[A 2-person par-tay?]

[And throw in a couple of Rubens . . . ]

[Adam and Eve (before rent control) . . . ]

[An exterior garden, views available at no extra charge . . . ]

[As best I could discover, merely described as one of the oldest and largest chandeliers in the Hermitage . . . ]

[Hermitage Square, where it appears things may be happening for World Cup events.]

[Meanwhile, our inside tour continues . . . ]

[Obviously a warm Winter . . . ]

[Can be found in museums worldwide . . . ]

[St. George slaying the dragon, part of Catherine the Great’s collection.]

[Tapestry Corridor . . . ]

[I suspect this may be identifying an original brick wall . . . ]

[This must be something of substance – or just a place for a meet up wth Sasha?  Anyway, I couldn’t find out anything about it?]

[Now allemande left . . . ]

[I need a nap . . . ]

[No, really, I need a nap . . . ]

[A nap sounds good to me too . . . ]

[But until then, this is really exciting . . . ]

[Just look at those really big pictures . . . ]

[The Malachite Room . . . ]

[Another large unknown objet d’art?  I’m getting embarrassed . . . ]

[The Super didn’t care what his name was . . . ]

[In the entry area of the museum . . . ]

[They are not the Three Graces . . . ]

[They appear to be nameless . . . ]

[Back out on the street, a photographer shoots across the street between buses . . . ]

[At a bride and groom . . . ]

[With the Neva and the Peter and Paul Fortress in the background . . . ]

[Obviously a favorite photo op spot . . . ]

[Say сыр! (That’s Russian for “cheese.”)]

[The Russian naval flag on a peeling building amidst a bunch of wires.]

[Back on the boat for lunch. This is the Panorama Bar, about 3 doors from our room.  Every morning at 6:00 I was always the first to greet our host, on the left.  And I can no longer remember her name.  Arrrggggghhh!  She is from Novgorod, a city about the size of St. Paul, between St. Petersburg and Moscow.  Why do I remember that but not her name?]

[But lunch was in the Neva Restaurant.  Looks lovely . . . ]

[Looks addled . . . ]

[So much excitement in anticipation of the ballet . . . ]

[Yes, after a morning and afternoon at the Hermitage, we’re off to a real live Russian ballet . . . ]

[A comfy bus ride downtown . . . ]

[Vosstaniya Square is a major square in the Central Business District – the building is the Moskovsky Rail Terminal . . . ]

[We’re on the “main street” of downtown St. Petersburg . . . ]

[The street signs are on the side of the buildings . . . ]

[And this is Nevsky Prospekt, the Broadway of the city . . . ]

[Now this looks Russian . . . ]

[A big time street for shopping . . . ]

[Teens look the same everywhere . . . ]

[We’re getting close . . . ]

[But not yet . . . ]

[We’re still in the big city excitement zone – we’ll be walking through here in a couple of days . . . ]

[The Catherine Garden is the public garden in front of the Alexandrinsky Theater, between the Theater and Nevsky Prospekt.  The statue is Catherine the Great . . . ]

[Imperial Alexandrinsky Theatre . . . ]

[The Alexandrinsky Theatre or Russian State Pushkin Academy Drama Theater was built for the Imperial troupe of Petersburg (Imperial troupe was founded in 1756).  The theatre was opened on 31 August (12 September), 1832.  Since 1832, the theatre has occupied an Empire-style building that Carlo Rossi designed. It was built in 1828-1832 on Alexandrinsky Square (now Ostrovsky Square), which is situated on Nevsky Prospekt between the National Library of Russia and Anichkov Palace. The theatre and the square were named after Empress consort Alexandra Feodorovna. The building is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments.  (Wikipedia).  (This is a stock photo.)]

[Back to my photos . . . ]

[Led in by our Viking lollipop . . . ]

[We’re in!]

[Pam, being the most energetic, climbed to the top tier for a photo op.  I don’t have a copy of it because of my acrophobia . . . ]

[We seemed pretty high in tier one . . . ]

[This was the stuff we’d only seen on PBS . . . ]

[Impressive . . . ]

[Obviously, the local A-listers, a/k/a, the beautiful people . . . ]

[The ladies looked lovely . . . ]

[Just like at the AAHS Performing Arts Center, lots of mingling and photo taking before the performance . . . ]

[I got my ticket!]

[The obligatory chandelier shot . . . ]

[Still just milling around . . . ]

[Marina?  Marina is our assistant maitre d’ shipboard and is from St. Petersburg.  She’s also a hoot. This was her first ever ballet at the Alexandrinsky . . . ]

[The Super eyeballs the crowd . . . ]

[Still lovely . . . ]

[The guys looked lovely, too?]

[Thanks for getting these shots, Marina . . . ]

[And Pam must have wandered away to get a shot of Marina with us . . . ]

[Bravo!!!]

[It was Swan Lake, of course . . . ]

[After this big-time major league performance, I have to admit I was most impressed with the sets. OK, and with the dancers . . . and the orchestra . . . amazing.]

[All together now . . . ]

[The bus trip back to the boat, on which street?]

[That’s right, Nevsky Prospekt.  Just checking to see if you remembered?]

[Past the train depot . . . ]

[Back in our “neighborhood” . . . ]

[Aaaaah, the Akun.  Until tomorrow . . . ]

It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia.  ~  Sarah Palin

Up Next:  Still St. Pete

June 1

St. Petersburg

So, what do we know about Russia – and St. Petersburg, the country’s cultural and arts center?  A few useful pointers . . . 

[Places to be visited in the coming days . . . ]

[And now back to the amateur photographer.  Now that you know everything there is to know about President Trump’s favorite country (and Professor Doctor Colonel  Kiehne was reading a biography of Peter the Great), back to the more mundane.  Our first breakfast on the boat – original Russian pastry . . . ]

[And then it was safety drill time . . . ]

[First chance to get to know your neighbors.  Obviously, all English-speaking passengers coming from the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and maybe New Zealand (?) . . ]

[I heard they were serving mimosas . . . ]

[And now for our first off boat excursion – to the Hermitage . . . ]

[Passengers filed out to their appointed buses, all overseen by Karoline Landa.  She was the hotel manager, meaning she was pretty much in charge of everything that wasn’t involved with the operation of the boat . . . ]

[Here she was discussing the day’s events with one of our favorite guides, Sasha, and Margo Goncharova, the program director . . . ]

[Karoline collected all the boarding passes . . . ]

[And pretty much greeted us coming and going on all our off-boat adventures.  She endeared herself to me by remembering my name from day one . . . ]

[On the road again!  Going over the Big Obukhovsky bridge . . . ]

[A boat sighted at a stoplight . . . ]

[This guy must be local rather than national . . . ]

[Because although it’s a substantial statue, I can’t find anything about it?]

[And something well known is made here – I just can’t remember, nor can I find it?]

[The fishy restaurant again . . . ]

[They have wires in the sky . . . ]

[I like the ones that need no further explanation – other than it’s a 4-star hotel . . . ]

[Traffic on the Palace Embankment with Trinity Bridge, ahead, in downtown . . . ]

[Well, there are 5 million people here – gotta expect a little traffic congestion . . . ]

[Modern and colorful apartment construction . . . ]

[Nice views along the Neva . . . ]

[Stranded during a high tide?]

[Peter and Paul Fortress across the river (more further down) . . . ]

[Three-masted frigate near The Embankment of the Neva River . . . ]

[The Summer Garden is located where the Fontanka River flows out of the Neva River. It was founded in 1704 by order of Peter the Great, who was personally involved in planning it, and is laid out according to strict geometrical principles.  The Neva River end of the Summer Garden is bounded by a fence designed by the architect Yury Felten in 1773-1786. The Garden is also home to a Coffee House (designed by Carlo Rossi) and a Tea House (designed by Ludwig Charlemagne); in front of the latter is a statue of the great Russian fabulist Ilya Krylov by the sculptor Pyotr Klodt. The base of the monument is decorated by a bas relief based on themes from Krylov’s tales. (saint-petersburg.com)]

Ladies and gentlemen . . .

We are arriving at the Hermitage . . .

[Peter and Paul Fortress across the Neva from the Hermitage.  The Peter and Paul Fortress is the original citadel of St. Petersburg, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini’s designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress.  In the early 1920s, it was still used as a prison and execution ground by the Bolshevik government.  Today it has been adapted as the central and most important part of the State Museum of Saint Petersburg History. (Wikipedia)]

[Sasha’s 3C lollipop leads us to the Hermitage entrance . . . ]

[Inside, heading for the Jordan Staircase . . . ]

[The principal or Jordan Staircase of the Winter Palace is so called because on the Feast of the Epiphany the Tsar descended this imperial staircase in state for the ceremony of the “Blessing of the Waters” of the Neva River, a celebration of Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River.  The staircase is one of the few parts of the palace retaining the original 18th-century style.  The massive grey granite columns, however, were added in the mid 19th century. (Wikipedia)]

[Looking back down the staircase . . . ]

[This is a canned photo.  I don’t know why I didn’t get it except I may have been swept up in the crowd . . . ]

[The entrance ceiling . . . ]

[Sasha leads our group into the next room . . . ]

[A room with vases and chandeliers . . . ]

[You are here!]

[Chandelier in The Large Field Marshal Hall . . . ]

[Peter the Great’s Small Throne Room in the Winter Palace . . . ]

[A golden room known as the Golden Room . . . ]

[As a cruise ship group, arrangements were made to enter the museum before it was open to the general public.  Otherwise, we would have been standing in these lines.}

[Another selfie??]

[Russia’s commanders of the 1812 War against Napoleon . . . ]

[St George’s Hall (also referred to as the Great Throne Room) is one of the largest state rooms in the Winter Palace.  It is located on the eastern side of the palace, and connected to The Hermitage by the smaller Apollo Room. (Wikipedia)]

[The Golden Throne in St. George’s Hall . . . ]

[The Super with a floor, and a throne . . . ]

[Elizabeth . . . ]

[The Peacock Clock, the work of the 18th-century London watchmaker James Cox. On the gilt branches of an oak tree sit a peacock, a cockerel, an owl in a cage . . . ]

[Looking out on the surrounding gardens . . . ]

[The Peacock Clock, again . . . ]

[Giant malachite vase . . . ]

[Unknown, but then it appears they didn’t have anyplace to carry ID’s?]

[St. Matthew the Evangelist (?), St. Dujam, St. Anastasius, St. Louis of Toulouse and St. Mark the Evangelist – tempera on panel . . . ]

[A group of tourists looking at stuff – stuff you’re not likely to find in other places . . . ]

[A pair of Madonnas and child by Da Vinci . . . ]

[Generally known as ornate elaborate doors . . . ]

[An elaborate 17th century mantle clock . . . ]

[I wonder what the going rate for bath helpers is today?]

[College dorms, c. mid-1960’s, when the boy had to keep at least one foot on the floor.]

[Commissioned by Empress Catherine II in the late 1780s, the Raphael Loggias are the exact copy of the Gallery in the Papal Palace in Vatican City. The frescoes of the open loggias of the Papal Palace were painted after Raphael’s sketches. Their copies made in Italy by a group of artists under the supervision of Christopher Unterberger, took their place in the gallery of a separate building erected by Giacomo Quarenghi. The Loggias vaults are decorated with scenes from biblical stories, the walls are covered with paintings with ornamentation motifs, known as “grotesques.” (hermitagemuseum.org)]

[Small Italian Skylight Hall . . . ]

[Holding hands . . . ]

[This piece was purchased in 1785 by Empress Catherine the Great from the Lyde Browne collection . . . ]

[There seems to be some disagreement in the literature as to whether this is a “sleeping boy” or a “dead boy.”  I’m going to resolve it by saying he’s sleeping!]

[A popular depiction of Madonna and child . . . ]

[I somehow managed not to get an identifying plaque here – anyone?]

[It’s a Michelangelo – so it’s going to get 360 degree of photo coverage . . . ]

[Whom amongst us doesn’t enjoy a good lute player?]

[This was important enough for extended coverage by Sasha . . . ]

[So much so that we will break off Part 1 here . . . ]

[And pick up later with Part 2 next (obviously), a continuation of our adventures in the Hermitage . . . ]

[Ending with Adonis . . . ]

I don’t much enjoy travelling, but I have always longed to take a slow train to Russia. I’d like to go alone – like writers do – with only a pencil and piece of paper as company. I’d take my sketchbook and note down all the wonderful details of other travellers.  ~ Jane Birkin

Up Next:  Part 2

May 31

Helsinki to St. Petersburg

[In the morning, we ready to leave Helsinki for a high speed train ride to St. Petersburg.  Kiitos, Helsinki!]

[As you’ll recall, it’s just a short walk across the square from our hotel to the train station.]

[The train schedule, we’re the 11:00 on Track 9 . . . ]

[Seems like a civilized, stress-free depot . . . ]

[Here we go, Track 9 . . . ]

[Destination Pietari (St. Petersburg) on “flight” AE784 . . . ]

[The Super went directly to the bar car for a morning beverage . . . ]

[We’re traveling at a smooth 196 kph, or 122 miles per hour.  Will we ever see such in the States?]

[Watching the countryside pass by . . . ]

[Absent the bridge, very much like our Boundary Waters . . . ]

[I don’t recall the specific cities . . . ]

[But Vyborg was our first stop in Russia . . . ]

[The Super holds up the route – next stop St. Petersburg . . . ]

[But before we get to St. Petersburg, YOUR PAPERS, PLEASE!]

[Actually, they were quite nice . . . ]

Welcome to Russia

[We were greeted in St. Petersburg by Tatiana.  Of course . . . Tatiana.  Russian.  Statuesque.  Darkly alluring.  Wait a sec – is this some sort of dime novel?]

[Unfortunately, Tatiana was only with us on the bus from the train station to our boat.  Then she was gone.  Forever.  Dosvedanya, Tatiana!]

[Hi!  I’m in Russia!]

[Hmmmm, shopping?]

[You can identify a statue of Lenin from miles away . . . ]

[This at the Finlyandsky (Finnish) railway station, from which we just arrived . . . ]

[I have reason to suspect this is (or was) the St. Petereburg jail . . . ]

[Generic shot of . . . a parking lot?]

[There’s lots of new construction along the banks of the Neva River – this appears to be apartments or condos.  The Neva, incidentally, is the main river of St. Petersburg though it’s only 46 miles long – but it’s relatively wide and deep as it flows from Lake Ladoga to the Gulf of Finland.]

[Smolny Convent, a major landmark visible all along the Neva . . . ]

[St. Petersburg is 5 million, and growing . . . ]

[There will be several more shots of Smolny!  🙂  ]

[Not Smolny, but certainly renovation of a classic place . . . ]

[That I can’t identify . . . ]

[The buildings in St. Petersburg are usually yellow or light colored to improve the attitude of a populace usually subjected to dark or gray weather.  New apartments have all sorts of exciting exterior designs . . . ]

[Peter the Great Bridge near Smolny . . . ]

[A nice day for a walk along the river . . . ]

[More building exteriors . . . ]

[Not even our guides were sure about this – best guesses, a restaurant still under construction . . . ]

[Close to the boatyard . . . ]

[And ours is in there somewhere . . . ]

[Big Obukhovsky bridge . . . ]

[Cruise boats and the Big Obukhovsky . . . ]

The cruise . . . 

[And here’s our boat – Viking Akun . . . ]

[And we’re in – here’s our dining room . . . ]

[And our menu . . . ]

[And the outside the dining room, Tom checks a selection of hot beverages available 24/7, sometimes with cookies . . . ]

[There’s an option?]

[And this our room . . . ]

[Now where am I going to put these?]

[Yup, we had a balcony – usually used as a place to dry sink washed clothes . . . ]

[First food on the boat!!]

[After eats, we went out for a walk in “the neighborhood” . . . ]

[Tomorrow we will begin our assault on St. Petersburg.]

I took a speed-reading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.  ~  Woody Allen

Up Next:  St. Pete

May 30

Tallinn

[Continuing our trek, going down, down to Lower Town . . . ]

[Don’t look if you’re acrophobic . . . ]

[About midway down, there’s this door . . . ]

[A stairway gate between Upper and Lower Towns . . . ]

[Looking back up at whence we started . . . ]

[Still trending downward . . . ]

[St. Nicholas . . . ]

[And bottom in Lower Town . . . ]

[Unique public transportation (which we will partake of later) . . . ]

[Apartments . . . ]

[Ahhhh, my favorite kind of street – just follow your nose . . . ]

[Well, preferably wines . . . ]

[An Estonian toast?]

[Now we’re getting down to where the action is . . . ]

[Coming to you live from Town Hall Square, Old Town, the celebration of summer festival. Live music and dancing and general frivolity . . . ]

[Our guide is releasing us to our own devices, just don’t get in any trouble!]

[A “wine library” is a “wine library” anywhere in the world . . . ]

[Our group, with advice from our guide, begins looking for fine luncheon dining . . . ]

[Well, I think we’ll want to stay where the action is . . . ]

[There were an amazing number of performers and performances over this multi-day event . . . ]

[We’ll meet up again in a couple of hours . . . ]

[Remember, we’re 1D . . . ]

[The Super ponders lunch places . . . ]

[Looks fun?]

[But let’s stay out on the square so we can watch the goings on . . . ]

[OK, we’ll take this table – decent view of the stage . . . ]

[The Super plots our plot . . . ]

[Oh boy, pizza pie!!!]

[The Estonian national dish – well, at least for our purposes . . . ]

[Unfortunately, the camera auto-focused on the blanket . . . ]

[When I was trying to capture the “fun brunette” at the neighboring restaurant . . . ]

[Will you take our picture?]

[OK, it’s a selfie . . . ]

[When activities cease on the stage, the square seems to empty in a hurry . . . ]

[Remember the public transportation?  That’s what we’re riding when I took the following shots . . . ]

[Hanging a left here . . . ]

[Bunch o’ flags . . . ]

[Here’s the theatre . . . ]

[Hanging a right here . . . ]

[A lovely tree-lined street . . . ]

[Fortress wall . . . ]

[With turrets . . . ]

[“No meat!”]

[“Probably the best steaks in town!”]

[I hope you don’t think the capital of Georgia is Atlanta?]

[Finishing our train ride back at the main square . . . ]

[A couple shots for the DOM . . . ]

[Puhkaja, by Tauno Kangro, which means holidaymaker in Estonian.]

[Last photo in Tallinn . . . ]

[Arrived back in Helsinki to Bad Bad Boy . . . ]

[By Tommi Toija, in Market Square . . . ]

[And sights on the way . . . ]

[Back to the hotel . . . ]

[Off to Russia in the morning.]

For us in Russia, communism is a dead dog, while, for many people in the West, it is still a living lion.  ~  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Up Next:  Finally, actually, go to Russia?

May 30

Tallinn

We watched this documentary right before the trip, so we were excited to go to Estonia.  We left Pam and Tom to their own devices – they had been to Tallinn before so decided to do their own walking tour of Helsinki.

[The Helsinki ferry terminal – a beautiful place to start a beautiful morning . . . ]

[We’re heading out across the Gulf of Finland, 50 miles to Tallinn . . . ]

[And away we go . . . ]

[Helsinki, we shall return!]

[Two hours later and Tallinn is in sight . . . ]

[Judging from the skyline, we have modernity on the left and antiquity on the right . . . ]

[Our guide greets us on the bus . . . ]

[An offhanded guess would be . . . chimney?  (Chimney of old Tallinn power plant, 280 feet tall.)]

[Tallinn fortress in Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site . . . ]

[Late arrival, so we had to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up – uffda . . . ]

[The fortress is Toompea Castle, and dates to the 13th century . . . ]

[It is also the seat of Parliament . . . ]

[The Parliament building, a/k/a, Stenbock House, Government of Republic of Estonia, Toompea.  The two guys in the foreground were with our group, but they were at the end of their cruise – they started in Moscow and ended with 3 days in Helsinki . . . ]

[The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral . . . ]

[It is an orthdox cathedral in Old Town built in a typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is Tallinn’s largest and grandest orthodox cupola cathedral. It is dedicated to Saint Alexander Nevsky, who in 1242 won the Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipus, in the territorial waters of present-day Estonia.  (Wikipedia)]

[Meanwhile, the crowd gathers back at the Parliament . . . ]

[Shhhhhhhhhhh . . . ]

[Back to our walking tour, where we were joined by school kids (or little “chidrun,” as brother Cam calls them) on a field trip . . . ]

[With their teachers, taking all the proper safety precautions . . . ]

[The Super finds an Estonian friend . . . ]

[And so did I.  Her name is Liis!]

[St. Mary’s Cathedral, 13th century . . . ]

[It is the oldest church in Tallinn and mainland Estonia, and the only building in Toompea to survive a 17th-century fire . . . ]

[This memorial to Voldemar Panso, an Estonian director, actor, theater director, drama theater critic, and author, is located on the outside wall of the Estonian Music and Theatre Academy Drama School.  (waymarking.com)]

[More little chidrun . . . ]

[With teachers and backpacks . . . ]

[You can see the Nevsky Cathedral from everywhere . . . ]

[An open square amid government buildings and embassies . . . ]

[Beautiful courtyards through here . . . ]

[The Super attempts to decipher it . . . ]

[And now, the overlook.  That’s St. Olaf’s Church on the right . . . ]

[The Super says, “Cool, huh?”]

[This is Upper Town overlooking Lower Town, and yes it was a class thing . . . ]

[Did you get a shot of St. Olaf’s?]

[Not surprisingly, a hot tourist spot . . . ]

[Elbow your way to the railing, take your shots, and move on . . . ]

[As I posted on FB at the time:  What I’ve learned so far . . .
The Super can withstand a Dementor;
Although I know I packed all my hair maintenance devices, they somehow decided not to make the trip with me  (they weren’t at home either, meaning they must have been filched out of my checked luggage?);
I asked our server the first night how it felt to be a citizen of the smartest country in the world (Finland), she deadpanned, “I’m from Estonia;”
Our guide in Estonia was Russian;
Our guide in Finland is from Spain;
This was the hottest May ever recorded in Finland;
This is all the way of the world now kids, get used to it.]

[Oh, and here are the shots from the railing . . . ]

[And here comes another pod of tourists . . . ]

[Looks like fine dining could be had here!]

[We’re wending our way along more overlooks . . . ]

[And here with modern Tallinn in the background . . . ]

[St. Nicholas Church . . . ]

[Hi there, boys and girls!]

[This is either a maze . . . or a giant jigsaw puzzle?]

[OK, round ’em up, heading back down . . . ]

[The ever present and delightful Nevsky Cathedral . . . ]

[The fortress walls, lest it wasn’t obvious . . . ]

[We start down to Lower Town from here . . . ]

[Through the archway . . . ]

[A final salute to Nevsky . . . ]

[And came out the other side in wonderland . . . ]

[More Dementors . . . ]

[We’ll begin Part 2 heading down to Lower Town.]

Vladimir Putin signed a treaty this morning that formally absorbs Crimea into the Russian Federation. So if you felt bad because you didn’t know where Crimea was, don’t worry, it’s gone.  ~  Seth Meyers

Up Next:  Part 2 in Tallinn

June 15

Jeff, Tommy and Matt Vee, national music scene veterans and sons and nephew respectively of the legendary Bobby Vee, join forces with their family and friends as The KILLER VEES to celebrate timeless music classics from a wide variety of eras. Known as the “rhythm section to the stars” The KILLER VEES have toured and performed with a virtual who’s who in the music business: Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Paul McCartney, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ronnie Wood just to name a few! Coming from a musical family of the late Bobby Vee, the KILLER VEES are joined by Matt’s wife Julie Velline on vocals, McKnight Fellow and composer George Maurer on keyboards and guitar king Kurt “Lightning” Rodman. It’s going to be a high-energy rockin’ night!  ~  Carlos Creek Winery

[The SOLD OUT crowd readies for a night of classic rock and roll!]

[Julie and Matt survey the crowd before commencement . . . ]

[Sharing a table with three generations of the family Berg – thus, triple coverage . . . ]

[The Medicare crowd was pretty nimble on its collective feet!]

[Karin tried her hand at cub reporting . . . ]

[Same venue, one year ago . . . ]

[Polka . . . or electric slide?]

[The Super’s standing up front getting a shot . . . ]

[We were in the mezzanine . . . ]

[Did we mention we had food and beverages?]

June 16

[Anthony at the winery – as reliable as Old Faithful!]

[At CCW waiting for Anthony to start!]

[The Boys of ’65, sans Bradley who had health issues demanding his absence.  With Professor Doctor Colonel Kiehne and Little Mayo Johnson, filling in for Bradley were Dad Kiehne (at 96), the Super, and Jerry Kiehne, class of ’63 . . . ]

[Semi-regulars from Ashby and South Dakota completed our record-setting Anthony fan club . . . ]

[Then the Boys of ’65 went on a fine dining search and discovery mission to The Peak (a stone’s throw from the 2nd-highest elevation in the state), two time zones from Alexandria . . . ]

[But apparently I forgot that cameras are permitted inside . . . ]

June 17

Patchouli at Carlos Creek Winery – with good friends, good wine, good fun!

[Tucked in under the porch – kinda half inside and half outside . . . ]

[I don’t think we’d seen them in two years – they’ll be back at the winery twice more this summer . . . ]

[Joined by music aficionados, Deb and Paul Trumm . . . ]

A little video presentation, at no extra charge . . . 

[Bruce visits with his local fan club at the end of the first set.  We had subsequently been joined by music aficionados from Ashby, Helen and John Etnier . . . ]

[You’ve heard about the coming winery brewery?  Currently planned to be located on the chess boards . . . ]

[Instruments on break . . . ]

[“Ets” was delighted to hear The Sounds of Silence . . . ]

It seemed like we had a gully washer every hour all weekend!

Terra Guitarra WINS ZMR Best Instrumental Album of the Year!

June 18

We found Brad, released from his most recent medical situation, just in time to have lunch with the Kiehnes before they returned to their year-round southern escapes.  To our delight, we were served by the just graduated Josie Minnerath – Brad and I saw her play many times as a member of the Cardinal hockey team, No. 6.  There are no records of the event itself – I left my camera in the car and really didn’t feel like going back for it.]

Remember:  What dad really wants is a nap.  Really.  ~  Dave Barry

Up Next:  Estonia