Finished vacuuming the pool. Now doing Pinot Noir. Yesterday is 20 years since I arrived in Sheremetevo airport (2nd of 3 visits) -- Aug.13, 1991 Tuesday to visit colleagues in Tomsk. Next day buddy and I walked around Moscow going to bookstores, one cool book I bought was Notes of an East Siberian Hunter, Cherkasov, fresh off the press, but I waited too long to buck to translate it, internet tells me Stephen Bodio, naturalist, birdwatcher, falconeer, has already had a guy do a first draft on it, shoot, let another one slip thru my fingers, dang. His blog website querencia (Sp. for lair). Wait, this has to do with Swimming Pools in a sense, just wait.
That night we took the Siberian Express out of the Kazan station. 2.5 days, arrived Saturday noon. Sunday friends gave me a tour of old town, first time I saw pot growing wild there, what a trip first time, then saw bunches of it growing along the pier by the river a block from city hall. Whatta trip. But 8 yrs later, 1999, less was growing there, only 2-3 plants. That night we had a great dinner with vodka shots and went to theatre/ballet. Next morning, Monday, I arrived in the Institute, people huddled in small groups whispering, I asked what, said there was a coup. So three unusual days, then it was all over with, so I got to see it like an ordinary Soviet citizen. One month followed, fun. Hey, I had a housekeeper and my own private sauna and dip pool.
On 1999 trip, another conference like 1990, indication of future conferences at Lake Baikal. So by and by want to take in one of those. Want to swim in it. A polar bear can do it. It's on the cold side. OK, Mr. Market, do your thing.
