Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jig!

So as most of you know I am back in my cozy lil' house on Cottonwood. I am happy to be home, but am starting to miss (besides the friends I made) the quintessential Georgian traits, places, quirks, sights: Marshutkas, dodging traffic to go to my bakery across the street, mandarinis, totos, the metro, car honking, "chinese food", shurmas, lil ole ladies selling wool socks...

This is long overdue, but these are just a few of my favorite shots and memories, some you have seen, some not.
Thanks for checking this out while I was away. It was nice to share and maintain contact with y'all back home!


Within my first week in Georgia, I was sitting on the balconey of the hotel and these sniper guys just walk out of the attic of the building, no more than a block away! So I ran up to my room and snapped some shots of them! Later I found out that the building is the patriarch's house (head of the Orthodox Church) and it was a religious holiday and Saakashvili was visiting. They shut down the surrounding 3 blocks.


This is Ana, she was part of the family that we (the Perdues and I) stayed with in Svaneti. Neve and Ana, despite the massive language barrier played for hours in the garden. They created a mini-wonderland of leaf rivers, moss houses and Svan hat boats on the steps into the house. They really bonded. The international language of play.


Hannah and I went to convince grandma that Hannah could milk cows (she really is a milk maid), when I looked up the hill and saw these ladies coming home. Pretty cows and alpin-glow!


This is such a typical sight in Georgia. Warm, sunny, windless day....do laundry!

Surami

Surami Fortress in the middle of the town.


Our guide up the snowy trail. Sweet boy to take out time from his important afternoon of sledding.


A cute picture, but a sad story. See the wall behind us, how it looks wet. Supposedly the man who built it had a vision that he must build his son within the walls to save the fortress and in essence the people of Surami. Since that time the wall is wet, from the weeping son inside!


Freddy decided to take the quick way down! Yep, that's him cruisin' down!

Khashuri for Christmas

Fred and I were invited to Thea's family's home for Georgian Orthodox Christmas on January 7th.
We were treated like family and greeted with loads of yummy food!

We toured the town the next day....

Yep, Stalin is still there. I'm surprised Misha (Saakashvili) hasn't put himself up there.


This is one of 4 tractors given to Khasuri from the government. Misha went on some tirade about giving every village a tractor..then in the heat of the moment it turned into every person in Georgia...I don't think Georgians would like them, 'cuz they don't have horns.


This is one of the lovely churches in Khasuri, St. George's

The Bus and the Groomer

One of three brand spanking new groomers...um way better than the one's at snowbowl


Load 'em up!


Yep we just got outta that thing! Sweet!
That's our friend Ryan behind me.


They are building and building hotels, condos, and hopefully more bars!
We were hard pressed to see any sort of similarities to "ski resort life" akin to the States, but you can't bet the view.

The Skiing

Sweet old Soviet era, rusty chairlift.
Thank gosh that is not what they use today!
Check out that amazing plateau!


Freddy getting ready to ski down.
Look just to the right of his head...I was trying to capture the beginning of ice fog.
By the time we skied down and took the lift back up, the visability was very poor.
Weather in the mountains changes quickly.


Me chillin', trying to avoid getting run into by crazy Georgian skiers!


So beautiful!

Only in Georgia

Beautiful sunrise on New Years Day!


Fast food right next to the lift. That's Ryan displaying how
easy it is to get a Shaurma (kinda like a grilled Gyro, very tasty) with out taking off your skis.


Puppies! (and an another Niva shot)


Need a hat? Glasses? Coke? Fanta? Get it now!
Oh and check out the "line" for lift tickets.
Chaos.

Sweet Graffiti Shots (1 of 4)

The main street there is Rustaveli Avenue, when I was in the hotel I would take a bus on this route everyday to school. On this commute I spied this alley wall full of stencils! I have been trying to get there since this summer and finally dragged Freddy with me. I love it, most of the stuff on the wall I haven't seen elsewhere in the city. Unfortunately that Niva is always parked there...but there is another unintended Niva photo!


This is on the dumpster on the opposite side of the alley.
Possibly the official emblem of the stencilers?


Kissy kissy...hehe