Our co-workers just recently saved a puppy off the street and now we miss Kenya. If you remember we also rescued her (from the dumpster by our building), had her for just over a year and then decided it was best to give her away as she was a bit big for our apartment and we were completely unsuccessful in potty training her. She is now a guard dog at our friend's parents' house out in the village. Anyway, it was fun while it lasted and she sure was a smart dog:). Hope our co-workers have better luck with the potty training thing.

I have been going to the "car market" on Saturdays trying to sell our van before we leave. So far not too many people interested in a 1990 Toyota Lite Ace 4x4. But this beauty (pictured above) was getting quite a bit of attention; a '92 Nissan Safari all suped up for off-road with a sort of mini camper on the back. Yours for only $25,000cad:)

Or, the 1990 Toyota Lite Ace 4x4 for just $5000.00cad. 7 seater, 6 sun roofs, rear seating folds down to make a bed or up to create enough room to haul a horse:)

If you are wondering why we are trying to sell a van we just bought a few months ago, well, buying tickets to fly home to Canada, paying to keep a place here in Russian and paying for a place to live in Canada all at the same time is the main reason. But, if it doesn't work out to sell it, we will trust that funds will come from some other place for those expenses and we will find somewhere to store the van until we return in July.

Just a nice picture of Erin and Huddy

Almost life-size. No, Erin did not shave off her eyebrows, its the lighting.

An unstarvable pioneer woman

Neil’s Harbour Bread from the cookbook “Food That Really Schmecks” by Edna Staelber

If David was a woman he would want to be like the one described by Edna Staelber in her cookbook "Food That Really Schmecks". Read back in 2001, it still inspires him to bake bread every now and then.

“Bread making is a grand thing to do. Kneading is a kind of revelling: it makes one feel like a primitive, pioneer woman – unstarvable, self-sustaining and joyful.”

This is a picture from earlier this summer. Out in the village where we lived for six months they had a special ceremony to consecrate a water spring. This ceremony can be done by either a shaman or a Buddhist monk/lama. In this case they invited a lama to come and do the honours. An alter is built from wood and offerings of milk products, honey, fry bread, roasted flour, and juniper branches are placed all over it and then it is lit and the offerings completely burned up. Strips of cloth (prayer flags or "chalama" in Tuvan) are also tied to the wooden fence that surrounds the spring. While the fire burns the lama reads/chants prayers in Tibetan while the people sit around, well actually behind the lama, with their hands open, palms upward. Our friend Saiid (in the white sweater) prefers the old beliefs of shamanism so, although he was very helpful in setting up the offerings (which also takes place in shaman ceremonies) he did not participate in the prayer part which is strictly Buddhist. Many Tuvans are both Buddhist and shamanist blending the two together almost as if they were one, but some, like Saiid, hold that shamanism is the true "religion" of Tuvans and all other religions, Buddhism included, are foreign.

I have a confession

Erin is not in many of the pictures on this blog but that does not mean that she is always behind the camera, it’s just that she is the only one that gets behind the camera. So what does Erin do when she is not taking pictures? (This is David posting by the way, in case you think Erin has gone crazy and is talking about herself in third person.)

I have a confession; while I am off on my wild adventures (and while I am home) Erin is quite busy with:

The kids - each day Erin homeshcools our 3 kids; that’s grade five, grade two and grade one all at the same time without any homeschool moms’ club, or public libraries, or book stores that sell English books, or zoos, or fun safe parks, or swimming pools, or craft stores.

Ready for the first day of school

English club – every Friday evening we host English Club in our living room; last week we had 37 kids and young adults show up. Erin cleans the house, organizes, calls everyone ahead of time, plans the lesson and games, teaches the lesson and makes snacks for everyone to boot! She has been doing this for the last 3 years.

Language and culture study – Erin is studying two languages and two of the hardest on earth; Russian and Tuvan. She strives to put in 20hrs/week of language and culture study; meeting with her language helper 3 or more times a week, practicing around town and studying on her own. She meets new people, starts friendships and endeavours to deepen those relationships in these languages with cultural insight and sensitiveness.

Erin with her language helper learning to shop in Tuvan

Guest speaking – Erin is often invited to be a guest speaker/teacher at one of the local schools or colleges. She has shared about Canada, family values, taught cooking classes and judged English/beauty contests.

At home – Erin works extremely hard at taking care of me, the kids and our apartment; considering the limited availability of household and grocery products she consistently comes up with tasty interesting dishes for both us and whatever guests we might have over at the moment (unexpected spur of the moment usually) be that nomad herders from the countryside, horse thieves or world renown musicians. She has made our little apartment home, people feel comfortable there and she keeps it up year after year.

Our family adventures – I don’t always go on these alone, we try to do as much as we can as a family. Sure they are a lot of fun and full of adventure but what about the lack of privacy, kitchens, bathrooms, baths, washing machines, dignity, people that understand you or a solid roof over you and soft mattress under you? What about having to provide for your family with a one burner gas stove or a cooking fire fuelled with cow dung for a month? Not to mention the fear for your children of sickness or injury in a very isolated area. Imagine being in a situation everyday where it would be culturally offensive to refuse your most disliked foods and then imagine that you have not even imagined the kinds of foods that you would dislike if you only had the chance to be offered them and the nerve to try them.



breaking up the blood clots for a nice smooth blood sausage

Friendships – Erin has one female friend in a 5000km radius with which to share her joys and sorrows, with whom she can hang out and just be herself around who speaks her language and understands her culture. Not many people know what that is like. But she does whatever she can to maintain the connections. She has faithfully kept up this blog since 2005, she tries to give our families and friends a glimpse into our lives through her pictures and commentary; stretching the mind of what one thought was possible (to eat:), and bringing a little bit of colour and joy from our side of the world to the days of those who visit our site on the other side.

Just in case anyone was wondering who the star of this blog is.

Attempts at a Family Picture