Aging gracefully in California

       Unlike my sister, I don't have the courage to take pictures of strangers so instead I photographed my
       favorite vintage buildings near where I work.  In donwtown Moorpark there is a street lined with old
       buildings that have been protected as historical sites.  And the city has done a great job of keeping
       them looking as if we were back in the 1890s'.

Aging Gracefully In Russia

  

There is no way to age gracefully in Russia.   Life is not easy here and it seems people age quicker.

Winter in the San Fernando Valley

Winters are not harsh in beautiful California, sometimes we do have to deal with strong winds but even on a windy day you can still enjoy a stroll along Balboa Lake in the San Fernando Valley

Winter In Russia

 

Lone Ice Skater

 

Icicles!

 

This Russian Orthodox church sits overlooking the Volga.

Shame on me for not having better Winter pictures, but in all honesty 

it has been way too cold to take the nice camera outside lately.  

Contrasts in Russia

 

Old and...................

 

new.  

These are the two biggest contrasts I see here.

Contrast from California

One of the best things about California is that you can be by the ocean and see the snow capped mountains on a winters' day!

                                 Snow on one side and the sun starting to set on the other side.

Indoor Play in Russia

 The winters here are long and harsh.  Indoor play is a way of life!

 

This is my oldest boy's favorite spot.

  

 

Thankfully the computer keeps them busy too.

 

 

.  

Indoor play in California

Part of our New Year resolutions was to play more games and one of our favorite is Connect Four, my girls always win, I guess their eye sight is better than mine!

Dinosaurs are always part of indoor play for my little one!  There's a big basket full of them!

Did I mention that my little one is a girl and not a boy!  She rather play with her dinosaurs instead of dolls!  I don't even think we have dolls anymore!

New Year In Russia

 

 

The New Year in Russia is the most celebrated holiday with family and friends gathering

for a big dinner, gift giving, setting of fireworks all night long, and a lot of drinking.  

New Year in Cali

No big parties for me, being a single mom means staying home with the kids, unfortunately my date (my youngest) fell as sleep before the ball dropped!



New Years Day is spent watching the Rose Parade and eating our traditional french toast with strawberries and whip cream breakfast!