Destinations, Dreams and Dogs - International adventure with a fast-track family (& dogs) of Old World values, adopting the Russian-Italian-American good life on the go…!

Summer is almost upon us, and with it, my oldest son and I are expected to participate in some archaeological field schools.  These are often remote and rural digs, where one might be expected to camp, take cold (or no) showers, and use port-a-potties, cooking over campfires and being eaten alive by mosquitoes while working…

And a wonderful day was had by all.  That was a change!  Often, Mashenka tries to sabotage any celebrations, going into a downward funk, and she started heading in this direction, only to be reminded and pulled out of it.  Couldn’t all of the adoption issues just take a backseat for one day of fun?…

For all of you folks locked into school-year schedules, summer travel dates are looming on the horizon.  And with it, the terror of TSA agents, ready to grab and grope your children and the elderly.  It’s gotta stop. Name me one good reason why our country can’t profile, and pick suspicious persons out of a…

Upon occasion, I have required bodyguards.  Not that I required them at all, but those around me felt that I did.  Never mind that my husband is recognized worldwide, for that matter, Petya is known by name by many restauranteurs as they lead him to back kitchens for tastes of desirable delicacies.  For some reason,…

The other week, we had to drive from Point A to Point B and it necessitated traveling through the countryside on a route we had never taken.  Why in the world I imagined quaint villages to be awaiting our pass-through, I’ll never know.  Instead, trailers and junked cars abounded. It’s a mystery to this city-girl…

Happy Mother’s Day to those who get the raw end of the deal, to those whose families feel they never measure up, or to those who felt motherhood would be something that it’s not.  There’s the fantasy and the reality.  If you’re fortunate, the fantasy becomes the reality.  If you’re not, the reality is a…

Wasn’t it just a couple of weeks ago that our younger son headed out with us on a mini getaway and we arrived, to find him wearing the rattiest tennis shoes known to humanity?  Well, apparently I’m asleep on the job again…. (And all this from someone who just found that half of our daughters’…

The little guy is getting better, thank you for all of the helpful e-mails and well-wishes.  Our Scottie celebrated by going on a nature hike (carried, naturally, due to his poor paw), did more window shopping from his exalted and lofty position, and languished on grassy lawns whenever possible. Mashenka was strong enough to lift…

We’re taking a two-day break this week to get away from our usual 25/8 type of schedule.  The problem is, Misha the Scottie hurt himself on our very first day away. “Oh, look,” I enthuse as we enter the town that has few street names, and probably as many  points of interest, but is simply…

I have a husband who believes in buying American, primarily when it comes to automobiles, but really, it could be anything.  Not that he reads a lot of clothing tags, so it’s selective reasoning, but he has been known to reject apparel made in Myanmar (child labor), or Egypt (the Moslem Brotherhood)…. His reluctance to…