A field of pretty yellow flowers.  This field easily reminded me of home.  What do you suppose the name of the flowers would be?  We call them dandelions in Missouri.  Very interesting-- the Russian dandelions look just like American dandelions.  This reminds me of how much American and Russian people are alike.

 Another observation:  after a big rain in Moscow a number of earth worms came out of the ground.  Granted that I did not formally do a  DNA test.  -- the Russian worms look like American worms.  So, now the question is-- did the worms first develop in Russia and then spread to the Western Hemisphere over the years? Or did the worm [and dandelion] first appear in the Western Hemisphere and then move to the East?  Or, did the two living things independently appear in each hemisphere?  Very interesting.  We could spend quite a while talking about this.

The little  single dandelion reminds me of a story.  I don't know if it is true or not but it does sound logical and one that could easily have happened in Russia.   It seems that one of the daughters of Peter the Great was walking across the courtyard one warm spring day.  She spied one single flower growing between the cracks of the cobble stones.  Very excitedly she called the officer of the guard.  The officer was told to have an army person stand by the flower to make sure that no one stepped on it or removed it from the ground.... so, what might be unusual about this order?  It seems that in Russia things "happen" but they do not "un-happen."  A hundred and fifty years later each day a soldier stood in the same spot that his great grandfather had stood.  No one knew why--- it was just an order that was never changed.  Is this called bureaucracy?

I wonder why they let the dandelions flower as we can see.  A bright yellow area.  I wonder if someone is not thinking about making some good home-made dandelion wine.  :)

The photograph below really "says very little"--- we just see a pile of leaves.  This picture is a spring board into making additional comments about what I saw and did not see in Russian cities.  Overall, Russian cities are clean.  Very little clutter of paper, vodka bottles or beer bottles as compared to what we see in America.  After a long and cold winter the people of Moscow are doing their spring clean up.   Graffiti.  Very little seen in Russia.  Again, as compared to all of the graffiti in North America, Russia is very clean.  Maybe the lack of trash and graffiti can be explained by Russian history.  If the mayor of Moscow says we want to keep our city clean, the people have this natural inclination to accept authority.

So, where is the story---  so I am walking around looking at the hats without any intention of buying one.  This dude says  "You like my hat?"  I say  "just looking".  He says  "I'll trade my hat for your hat."  I say... "say again."  He says "I trade you hats."  In the mean time he has one of the felt hats and is gently stretching it to make it larger.  He wants me to try his hat on... looks OK he says.  I am trying to think--- what racket does this guy have?  I am wearing a Wall-mart St. Joseph hat that I paid $4.95 for... it really is a good hat.  And this guy wants to make a trade... OK... when does he spring whatever on me....  I am not sure how I figured out  "this guy is for real.!"  So I give him my Wal-mart had and I keep his winter felt hat on.  Did he get a good deal?  Did I get a good deal? 

The measure of a good deal is whether or not both parties are satisfied with the transaction.  He now has .... well I was going to say that he is the only Russian that has a St. Joseph-Pony Express hat...he did not know that I had ten more that I had planned on giving to people in Russia, Germany and Wales. 

Look at that distinctive St. Joseph hat that my German cousin is wearing.  Actually, Carl's great, great grandfather and my great, great grandfather were brothers. We are "kind-of" like cousins.  Carl's people stayed in Germany and mine came to America.  I wanted to make him an honorary citizen of St. Joseph.

The white below is for two doors... and two very strong doors!  Behind the doors is a little room that would be about one-fourth the size of an American bathroom.  Sitting behind some very thick looking glass is the local money man.  Translation:  this is where we would go to make a trade of American dollars for Russian rubles.  The value of the dollar in Europe and Russia is very volatile.... the value goes up and down each day.  The value of the American dollar is much less than it was several years ago.  [We are spending more than we are making.]

Below is a very important place if a person goes shopping or is on the street.  What we have is the American "outhouse" but right on the street rather than behind the house.  Should it become necessary for a person to "relieve himself/herself" this is where the person will go.  The blue door open below is to the "office" of the lady in charge.  She keeps the toilet/water closet clean and dispenses tissue--- for a fee, of course.  I never found it necessary to use one of convenient outhouses so I have no idea how much it would cost.  Maybe only the equivalent of five cents American....  I didn't want to spend my money this way.  Generally speaking, however, it appeared that business was very brisk every where I saw the portable water closets.  Do be advised that elsewhere in the world it is very common to find a toilet without any tissue... be like a Boy Scout and always be prepared.

Another night we went to a gypsy presentation of the Barber of Seville-- it was different.. in fact so different that 30 Americans left at the half-time.

Well worth the time and money was our attendance at a production given at the Lenin labor hall in St. Petersburg.  Very interesting.  The building almost looked like someone's house prior to 1917.  Within the hall was an auditorium that seated several hundred people.  The program for the evening was Russian folk music and dancing.  Outstanding.  Without a doubt this was one of the highlights of the visit to Russia.  Dressed "for the period" were several people taking tickets, etc. At the intermission a buffet lunch was provided--- salmon, caviar, cheese, wine, etc.  With a little imagination it was possible to think for a while that we were among the aristocracy in the 1800's. 

"In style" Russians have a very unique shoe style.  I found it very interesting to see young women with very high heels and the toe area as described below.

In Moscow anyone can get anywhere on the subway system.  One little problem--- people have to get themselves to the underground subway stations.  Each day I would see what I consider "foxy women" walking to the subway station.  It would not be uncommon for a person to walk 15 or 20 minutes.  It would seem to me that this would be rather difficult with the extra high heels.  Some times the women are walking over cobble stones or cement that has many cracks.

I noticed that the younger Russian people -- both males and females -- wear a very unique style of shoes.  I call them "tinker bell" or "peter pan" shoes.  It is difficult to see in the photos.  The shoe or toe area is several inches longer than the foot.  On many people the toe are curls up. 

This is a shoe style that I have not seen before--- maybe it is in New York and Los Angles and just has not arrived in the Midwest.  Even in the summer I saw some ladies with what would appear to be boots... extend up to almost the knee --- and with the pointed toes.

In one commercial building I counted 12 shoe stores.  Each was very well stocked as  can be seen above.  Shoes are available for purchase -- the shelves are not empty of goods that people want and need.  Prior to going to Russia I thought a shoe store with merchandise to sell would be unheard of.  I do have to remember, however, what the relationship the cost for shoes is to the weekly income of the average citizen of Moscow.