Icy Beauty, Fun and ... Black Sea!

My favorite part of the cold is frost. Here is our courtyard last week-- the view from our balcony....

...and the Liteiny Bridge where I walk and run.

We have been able to get on the ice twice, though the extreme temps are hard to tolerate! Here, we are enjoying a free ice -rink in a nearby city park.

Eric and I enjoyed a night at a hotel built in 1723. Thanks to generous donors, and our teammate who babysat!
The view of St Isaacs was beautiful, though the -20C (just below 0F) was barely tolerable for the walk to our bus.

Two of our colleagues were married, and it was so fun to be together with a lot of our friends and their children. Ella (in the green tie) was having a great time posing with some Coody's, Latvalas, and a Toncheva!

I had the privilege to escape the cold for a few days and go with 13 other colleagues for a Women's Retreat to Sochi. It was a restful time of connecting with God and one another!

The view from our meeting room was endlessly changing. Notice the Olympic rings on the harbor.

Sunset on a stormy day on the Black Sea.