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Moved to Twin Cities, worked construction, married, worked in computer hardware/software, divorced. Folks died in early 80’s. Moved to Northern VA. Studied philosophy and English. Worked in banking, started two high-tech start-ups, now manage government contracting for advertising firm. Visited Russia a few times in recent years and met my wife. She and her kids came here in 2012, and we got married. Now, somewhat late in life, I'm learning all that stuff about schools, tutoring the little girl in basic arithmetic, and finding ways for the teenage boy to find something other than PlayStation and the Internet interesting.
Through the years, learned SCUBA in Lake Superior (nuts) and under the ice (once is interesting), motorcycles (fun, but I quite after a few years), and skydiving in my 50's (the best!). Did much singing in various church choirs but haven’t touched the drums since HS for some reason. Besides Russia, I traveled some in Central and Southern Europe, and Britain – kayaking in Poland, hiking in Slovenia’s Julian Alps, drinking beer in Delphi, standing in awe in the rain in Edinburgh, and being scolded by provodnitsa (women conductors) on Russian trains for transgressions of etiquette that are still a mystery to me several years later. I may just be rude in any culture.
The wife and kids will go back to Russia for the summer (2014). While they’re gone, I’d like to have a long party . . . no . . . I mean drive back out to CO and do some hiking since I spent so many summers hiking and riding horses out in the Frontal Range but haven't been back there since 1986.
I go wander around Winnetka every few years, sometimes with my sister Anne. Our houses are still there, and the schools, and the beaches, and some of the shops. I don’t think they flood Indian Hill Park anymore in the winter, where I skated late into the evening while they played Tchaikovsky over the loudspeakers. Since I lived two doors from there, I’d just put on my skates at home and “walk” over. My playground was often the train tracks at Indian Hill Station, where’d we’d put pennies on the track for the trains to flatten, or play army (that was before high school). Or to meet my dad coming off the train from downtown in his suit and hat.