hi to everyone

especialy to those whom i have not seen for a long while )))

above it all

click for a larger view

Yesterday we made a air balloon flight!!!

The balloon was giant, 7-story high, the basket was attached to the balloon - kinda small, only for 3 people. We got up to 1500 feet, we taken to different direction with the wind :)
It was beautiful sunrise!
We picked a leaf from the top of the tallest tree!

Pictures are coming soon :)

Funny Thing Happened

Nadia Bakhireva and Anthony Liguori

Yesterday we went to see a musical Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum to Hickory Community Theatre in Hickory, NC. It was wonderful performance directed by Pamela Livingstone! Very bright, very funny and dynamic. The energy level was excellent, decorations and costumes creative; overall it was better than many professional productions i have seen in NC theaters! Next year the theater will celebrate it's 60s anniversary. Anthony Liguori was singing the leading part. Anthony is Nadia's voice student. She was very proud of him! They have met after the performance for a discussion. I took my camera out :)

You can click on each picture for a larger view - images copyrighted
all photos ©n.tuchina-2008 all rights reserved permission required













v

Andrew and Sasha

Today I went to picture Andrew and his daughter Sasha. Andrew asked me to make some photos so that he can send them to relatives who can't come for a visit at this time. Here are some of my shots. Sasha is so lovely! She is absolutely beautiful child. She can dance, she plays flute, she is an ice skater and a swimmer. Andrew does an excellent job on raising Sasha, he is truly a wonderful father. They both are so happy, it's a pleasure to watch them together.

You can click on each picture for a larger view - all images copyrighted
©natalia.tuchina-2008 all rights reserved permission required

nadia and the horse

click on the pictures to see the horse better :))
we were driving in the country, and could not pass by this modern

multicultural fest

we had a funny event in downtown today - multicultural festival for kids from Mexico
they were making sombreros out of newspapers, and stamping their "passports" like as if they travel from country to country

i was asked to represent Mexico (why not! :)
o, where is that picture of me in the sombrero made out of The New York Times :)))

but i was the photographer
and here are the pictures click here

spring

We have geranuim plant in the hanging basket in the back yard. We bought it in the store (beautification project :)

Guess what - a little bird made a nest in the basket! Now we have a beak sticking out of the basket. They have a lot of activity in that basket. I am at work, Nadia was hanging washed cloth in the yard - the bird doesn't seem to mind. The bird is sitting there, on eggs, warming them up. Soon we'll have a new generation! :)) Our neighbours have two bird houses, but no one lives in them. If i were a bird, i would not rent there either. One bird house is fire-truck red, the other one is yellow like i don't know what - very yellow :)) And our basket is nice, green, you can easily hide the nest in it. Good choice! :))

I wanted to picture the bird, but she is very swift - she got away from the photo-session :))

elephants are painting!

i was thinking in the beggining that it is some kind of trick - how the elephant knows how he looks like? is this true??? :)

+

Mitropoli Lavr has died this morning...

take nothing for granted

This is how fast everything can change - pray on your way!





This video was made by the road camera.

brrrrrr :)))

фото ©pochitai-2008 all rights reserved

This morning i woke up, look out the window - someone was sleeping under my window... It didn't get better when i took a closer look :)) Mama, what is it??

на нас выпал снежок!

фото ©pochitai-2008 all rights reserved

В нашем южном городке Винстон-Салеме выпал снег! Это было просто чудо. У нас снег раз в три года случается, но такого пушистого я вообще не помню. Красота бело-синяя, всё в солнце! И откуда только американцы сразу санки повытаскивали? Я ехала на работу и сделала первые два снимка прямо из машины в нашей лагуне (на работу опаздывала и не смогла погулять с фотиком...) Думаю, рвану в ланч. Я там у дороги хорошего снеговичка заприметила.

К ланчу от снега только снеговик и остался :))) А уж ко времени ехать домой той же дорогой не стало и снеговика, одна морковочка лежала у дороги... Жалко было, ведь так быстро стаяла его жизнь... Теперь каждый день там проезжая о нём думаю, о быстротечности жизни :)

луна в тени земной

Завтра вечером полное затмение луны (это я сама себе напоминаю...) Следующее только в 2010 году, так что не забудьте выйти на улицу (это я наверное себя на вы называю ))) Для нас тут, кто на восточном времени США, тотал начнется в десять вечера 20-го февраля... обещают что луна станет красной и бирюзовой.

молитва о страждущем себском народе

молебен о сербском народе в деревне Кернерсвилль, Северная Каролина фото pochitai 2008

Сегодня после литургии в нашей сербской церкви отслужили молебен о сербском народе. Отец Драган сообщил, что получил имэйл от Вл Митрофана Епископа Восточноамериканского отслужить молебен о сербских людях как духовный ответ политическому давлению в связи с объявлением Косова независимым государством. Отец Драган сказал пламенную проповедь на сербском языке.

"A moleban (prayer) service will be held for all of those who, in their own names and in our behalf, are keeping Kosovo and Metohija, that true cradle of the Serbian people, culture, state and spirituality."

Помоги Бог сербам! В Косово 120 тысяч сербов, косовцев раз в пять больше. Из 143 церквей православных там осталось только 40, всё снесено и разрушено!






в алтаре фото pochitai 2008




Престол фото pochitai 2008





отец Драган, сербский священник, служит Божественную Литургию фото pochitai 2008




мальчик со свечкой фото pochitai 2008

В штате Северная Каролина, США, среди хлопковых и табачных плантаций, находится небольшой храм общины Сербской Православной церкви. Службы проводятся в простом жилом доме. Белый маленький трогательный домишко. С православным крестом на крыше.



Общине нужен дом. Как и его прихожанам - сербам, которые уехали с родной земле не по своей воле и имеют статус "перемещенных лиц". Священник прихода, отец Драган Зарич, родом из Сербии. Он священник уже в пятом поколении - его деды и прадеды были священниками. Он служит по старому стилю, на церковнославянском и сербском языке, проповедует на сербском, говорит и по-английски.

Сегодня в приходе Св Василия Острожского в деревне Кернерсвилль в штате Северная Каролина после Божественной Литургии, которую отслужил отец Драган, был отслужен молебен о страждущем сербском народе. Епископ Митрофан, глава Сербской Православной цекрви в Восточной Америке, направил послания всем сербским приходам послание о необходимости братской молитвенной и духовной поддержки сербам в Косово. Молебен прошел с большим духовным подъемом. Вместе с хористами сербского прихода (на церковно-славянском языке) пели члены хора Свято-Троицкой Русской Православной миссии города Чапел Хилл - прихода Русской Православной церкви Заграницей, которые также приехали специально поучаствовать в молебне.

Священник отец Драган прочитал эмоциональную проповедь о том что есть "демократия" в понимание православной церкви. Он сообщил, что Православная церковь - третья в CIA списке основных опасностей, грозящих США (первым с этом списке - Бен Ладден). "Но нам бояться нечего, - сказал отец Драган. - С нами Бог! Да поможет он нашим братьям и сестрам на родной земле!"

Saviour of Everyone

Kids in Nyack, NY can study icon painting - for the first time in 50 years of the Holy Virgin Protection Parish School history! Iconographer from Moscow Ekaterina Piskareva has started teaching kids how to paint an icon. The first class assignment was to pain Christ the Saviour - the classic icon. Eighteen students of the class paint each an icon. Then all icons were brought to the church for a special blessing ceremony.



Protopriest George Larin, Rector of Protection Church, expressed his profound gratitude to Ekaterina Ivanovna before the rite of blessing the icons "Savior Not-Made-By-Hands," painted by 18 students. He noted her unique talent in passing on her love for the holy art to the young students, which should help them pray before every icon.

I am so happy for kids and for Katia - she lives by what is important. Here is Katia (on the far right) with her students - each kid holds the icon that he or she made.

Ekaterina can be contacted though this website - www.piskarevarestorations.com
More pictures here.

i just think i remember

© Любовь Пименова

i was fascinated with this picture.
it stopped me
like as if i saw myself in the mirror
and then i found old picture of me at the age of 5
and i put them together
and it was strange and really cool...


© my mom :)

of course i am not happy with something :))
either something wasn't given to me yet, or taken away already :))
either i am planning or looking up in the sky
i remember that wooden donkey... but may be i just think i remember


also we were making dolls out of grass...

nothern lights

this is me on Valaam island in my cell
with the map of the sky on the background
many waters run by since then...

my sun

ocean sunset - аll rights reserved ©pochitai-2006

I went to the ocean. Good it was. Here are my pictures of the sun.
The sun is big above the ocean. Cosmic, majestic, grand, and powerful.


ocean sunrise - аll rights reserved ©pochitai-2006





ocean sunset аll rights reserved ©pochitai-2006




beach-house - аll rights reserved ©pochitai-2006




sunset аll rights reserved ©pochitai-2006




ocean sunset - аll rights reserved ©pochitai-2006




sunrise аll rights reserved ©pochitai-2006