Prekrasnyi Den'

Today we explored the mountain path behind the biostation, and were
greeted by a spectacular view. Although the hike was arduous, the
panorama from the top of Bald Mountain proved to be worth the strain.
One of the village dogs, named Anfisa, followed us all the way to the
rocky peak. We were able to see the entire valley, including the forest
and meadows we visited a few days ago with the botanists. Later,
Vladimir Munkhanov, our Buryat guest, got off the hydrofoil wearing his
Wellesley College hat! He visited Wellesley this past spring and
returned to us today to talk about the Buryat way of life, history, and
traditions. After the lecture, our friend Ada Ivanovna invited us to
tea at her cottage, where she has lived year-round in Bol'shie Koty for
50 years. She is pictured here in her garden, a bountiful space that
feeds her whole family throughout summer and winter. Her root cellar is
stocked with homemade jams, pickles, and preserves. She offered us some
of her own raspberry, red whortleberry, and blackcurrant jams to stir
into our tea, as they do here in Russia.
-- Nicole Uhrain and Meredith Ruhl

P.S. Gefeliciteerd Bubble en Vati! Heel veel kusjes, Katja