It was a beautifully cool evening last night, and we had our first family dinner outdoors! Despite freezing temperatures predicted for next week, spring is on its way!
Nadia and I spent the day together, mostly shopping and packing or organizing our household items for shipping or sale. We are moving to Cairo in August and will be making a transition visit this spring. We are deciding what to ship to our permanent home in the USA, what to pack as excess baggage to Egypt, and what to sell. We are also downsizing while becoming empty nesters in the next few months. I find the fewer things in my life, the better I can enjoy experiences and my relationships.
We are keeping our Soviet and Bohemian vintage crystal glassware that Nadia bought in the famous Yangiabod flea market here in Tashkent. They are distinct and make great conversation pieces for dinner parties when I am making drinks for guests in USSR glassware. Most of the glassware comes from the Gus-Khrustalny Glass Factory located 200 kilometers due east of Moscow in the thick forests of the Vladimir Oblast. The socialist economic system meant that profit was not the prime motivating factor, so the glass produced has exquisite details and craftsmanship. I was thinking about the origin of the term “crystal glass”. High-end glass is produced using lead oxide, which refracts light brightly and, when flicked with a finger, gives that distinctive tone. The lead is not dangerous unless you store liquids in the glass for long periods. Some of it also came from Bohemia, the western region of the Czech Republic.
I walk Obi every day in the neighborhood and last night he ran into one of our neighbor’s dog (above). The black Setter/Spaniel mix dog is always by himself. The owner opens the dog gate and he usually trots by our house as he has several routes in the neighborhood. He never barks and usually ignores or hides from Obi. They actually spent some time sniffing each other last night. I hope Obi can develop a friendship with the dog. I love walking Obi as it gives me a chance to explore new neighborhoods and get me outside. I snapped this sunset photo of Mazza Chicken (below). We never eat there but it is popular in our mahalla.
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