Горный воздух - "Mountain Air"

After 10 years of not being on my snowboard, I FINALLY got to the Mountain!! 

Today was a a great day. Olyesya (CJ's nanny) was kind enough to come and watch the kids so Will and I could hit the mountain for a few hours. 

Renting gear is a tedious process and it never fits right so we bought gear here. We will be in Yuzhno for a while and I plan to go to the mountain often, so it would be a wise investment especially with the way the Ruble to Dollar is at the moment. 

Will bought a really nice pair of downhill skis and I bought a new board. Burton is very popular over here so I knew exactly what I was looking for and what sizes needed. It's been a long time since I was on a Burton board and the make of the boards have changed so much over the last decade. I almost felt like a beginner rider again. 

I was joking around with Will when he came home with his ski set. He conveniently matched his burnt orange boots with burnt orange skis with what appears to be a "Longhorn" on it :-) He went to both Texas A&M for undergrad and University of Texas for Law School. Perhaps his allegiance secretly lies with UT!!

We got to the mountain and it was extremely cold and windy. We did not last long. Maybe 1 1/2 hours. I had horrible gloves so my hands were frozen and I really just couldn't handle the wind anymore. According to my weather app the real feel outside is around -5 degrees Fahrenheit. It was really too bad. I am told that the views from up there are pretty amazing. Visibility was terrible so I did not get a whole bunch of pictures.

Riding the gondola up the mountain

It was interesting that the ski lift goes right over peoples houses. 

You an either ride in these 8 person gondola's or get on a chair lift

This sign over looks the city. Too bad visibility was terrible

This is a map of the runs. Not a bad little mountin

Olympic rings and flag are still here. There was an English speaking couple near by when I took this photo and they said the Olympic Torch came through here on the 2014 Sochi Torch Relay. 

Eastern Orthodox Epiphany Baptismal Celebration

I'm late in posting these pictures, sorry for that! Last Monday, January 19, was the Orthodox Epiphany Baptismal Celebration. Ash and I went and it was a great experience. Something truly amazing to see first hand. Watching these brave Russians step into the freezing cold water to pay homage to the baptism of Jesus Christ was very inspiring. 

We arrived just in time to see the procession. 

The priest then blessed the water to symbolize the Jordan River

I was amazed and did not realize that some many people were gathering the blessed water. Beautiful!

It was SO COLD!!! All these brave and devout Russians now reaffirmed their faith. Hop in and dunk themselves three times and make the sign of the cross each time. News crews were there filming the event and interviewing people as the came out of the lake. 

We stayed for about 45 minutes and then we all got a little bit cold. Hehe, I had her bundled up so good :-)

Pearl Harbor - USS Arizona, USS Missouri, & USS Oklahoma Memorials

As United States Navy Veteran and a History teacher this really hit home for me and was one thing I really wanted to see and experience. Learning about and teaching the events of December 7, 1941 are very different when your reading from a text book or viewing a documentary. Walking through this museum and going out to the ship was a very humbling experience. It was unlike any war memorial or even grave that I had ever been to. I remember when my mom would take me to see the Vietnam wall when I was younger and sadly it did not mean much to me as a child. To me it was just a bunch of names (my thoughts on the matter have changed drastically as I got older. I know that it is not "just a bunch of names"). 

 

As I stepped out onto the memorial and saw parts parts of the very visible ship below the water it became clear to me the devastation this country faced that day. For 1,102 servicemen, the USS Arizona serves as their tomb. It was an overwhelming experience and I'd be lying if I did not have tears in my eyes. I consider myself a very patriotic person and I love my country... I even tear up when I hear the National Anthem... So yes, this was a bit much for me. But it was beautiful and amazing to see first hand all this rich history that I can share with my kids one day. 

This was in the museum and is a replica of the memorial in Battle Ship Row

President Roosevelt's draft of his Declaration of War speech

You can still smell the oil coming out of the ship

All the men who died with the Arizona

Survivors who passed on later in life whose ashes have been put to rest back on the ship with the "brothers"

One of the anchors salvaged from the Battleship

God Bless America!

After the departing the USS Arizona, we drove to the Naval Air Station on Ford Island to tour the USS Missouri. Prior to boarding the ship there is a memorial dedicated to the men who lost their lives on the Battleship USS Oklahoma. 

429 men died when the ship capsized during the attack. The white pillars represent the men standing "At Attention". 

And there she is.... "Mighty MO"... USS Missouri. I knew that she served as the point of Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay at the end of WWII and served in the Korean War, but I was unaware that she served in Operation Desert Storm. This ship is positioned Bow to Bow with the Arizona signifying the beginning and the end of America's involvement in World War II. Her guns are raised, giving a final salute to the men resting in the Arizona. 

A statue replicating that ever so famous photo taken in NYC

Her final salute to the USS Arizona

The amount of artillery she fired in Desert Storm

The exact location where the Japanese surrendered to the Allied Forces on September 2, 1945. United States General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was first to sign. 

This flag flew from US Naval Commodore Mathew Perry's Flag ship from 1853-1854. Commodore Perry was the first to open up US trade with Japan. General Douglas MacArthur is also a direct cousin to Perry. The flag was flown during the Japanese surrender to show that the the Americans and Japanese were friends before and they can be friends again. 

One of the several sleeping quarters for the crew - I wanted Will to crawl in there, he refused :-)

Chief's rack

Mess Deck

I was a Master-At-Arms in the Navy so these two rooms were of particular interest to me

This Battle Ship was christened by the daughter of (then Missouri Governor) President Harry Truman. 

Whenever the ship was in port, Truman has lunch with the crew. Here's the menu.

Mess Deck for the the Chief's and Officers

View from the ship's Bridge

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz