[re Sunday March 14 - computer didn't cooperate last night to publish] The kids and Pasha went to Stone Mountain Park with my friend Melissa and Andrew and their girls, both adopted from Ukraine. The weather wasn't cooperative. When I ran errands earlier this afternoon I thought it was really chilly, with sprinkling rain and fierce wind. I should've worn a coat. Yikes.
When they got back they allreported they had a great time. They did more than just hike up the mountain. They did a specialized ropes course called Sky Hike. Pasha said he wasn't interested. he walked around the mountain and talked to Andrew. He said he really wished he'd had more time to explore the area on his own, more slowly and deliberately.
Alesia literally RAN up the mountain. This is why my brother's nickname for her is "Ninja Girl."
I am so glad Pasha saw Stone Mountain, though. It's one of the few things that really make Atlanta unique. He has said - and I admire this greatly - he doesn't want to necessarily just do "tourist" things - the museums, World of Coke, etc. He wants to experience America and Americans in a more authentic way. Tourist spots are not the way to get a real flavor for any country.
I remember going to a grocery store in England years ago and really enjoying it, just looking at the products and seeing how it differed from the US. I also got that feeling in normal Russian grocery stores, and open air markets. So I understand his feeling.
We had a bit of a disagreement this afternoon when he got back, about the kids' computer. It's got trojans and worms and can't really be fixed. My impulse is to ditch it and buy a new one. I want Pasha to help me with that. He wants to rebuild the old one. I don't think there's time for that before he leaves next week, and I really want his help, so I don't have to pay someone. keep in mind, in far eastern Russia, a DSL line is still a novelty.
I don't have photos of the day's adventures, but here are a couple of recent ones.
The kids at Fuddruckers the other night, with two other cuties that were adopted from Michael's orphanage, David and Kate -
This is my friend John and his son Reese, with Pasha and Michael on Friday night.
