Daddy daughter Saturday morning muse.

Leavenworth Marathon

I ran the l-town marathon. It is my 1st and probably not my last! I finished in 3:42:48! I'm pretty darn happy with that! The picture is of me the next day after I picked the only pumpkin on my pumpkin plant wearing my race shirt and medal.

River Run Half Marathon. Grateful!

Today marks five and a half years since I started running again. I just completed my third half marathon and plan on running my first marathon in about a month. When I started running I knew nothing about injuries, but these last few years have taught me a thing or two about my body and the importance of planning and preparation. Youth has a way of covering a multitude of mistakes. But with age comes wisdom, and although I am by no means old, I have learned a thing or two. Stretching is way underrated, and nutrition is essential, but by far the most important piece of advice I have ever received is wear the right shoes.
Today I placed sixth overall, and achieved a personal best time. I wore custom orthodics and have finally found shoes I believe are right for me.

Thanks God for allowing me to find the right equipment to allow me to continue doing the things I enjoy.

Marathon Relay

It's time for my quarterly blog update. I ran the Wenatchee Marathon relay with Brandt Charles, my brother and my wife. We finished in a time of 3 hours and 50 minutes!

A new post for the new year!

I doubt that I have any readership after neglecting my blog for so long, but if I do check these out. It's my new house!

The Opera House

A friend of Greg and Brenda's, who is also an actress, treated us to a performance at the opera house in Rivne. I didn't understand a single word, but I still enjoyed watching the show. The building itself was also spectacular. It was very well preserved.

 

The lobby.

 

A ball room.

 

The main chandelier.

 

The curtain.

The Singers.

The dancers.

There was an orchestra too, but I don't have pictures of that.

Reupholstering

We took a day to help Greg and Brenda reupholster the bench seat in the kitchen/dining room in their apartment. I think it came out nice, and it was lots of fun!

 

Brenda and the fabric we used.

 

Befuddled.

 

Horns!

 

Greg and Oksie, master staplers.

Is she making sandwiches?

Nope, just seat cushions.

The finished product!

Hittin' the town!

Greg, Lisa, and I went for a walk to see some sights in Rivne. Below are some images of what we saw.

 

Inside a Mashrutka. This is how you get around in Ukraine.

 

Soviet era statue.

 

Ceiling of the train station. Notice the Soviet emblems, even after 18 years without communism.

 

Shady lane.

German military bunker. This was a hideout for one of Hitler's top generals.

Soviet war museum.

Kid in the park.

Greg and I witnessed an epic battle.

This sign reads, "Product of Ukraine."

We stopped for iced tea and water.

Orthodox church in Rivne.

In the church courtyard.

Driving Miss Hallyah

Our first day in Rivne, we tagged along with Greg to help a blind elderly lady go to the hospital for a check up on her eyes. Though she is blind, her eyes still bother her. We arrived at the hospital and waited for over an hour with her waiting to be seen. She wasn't able to be seen that day, in fact she had to stay in a room there for THREE DAYS before she was seen! The hour we spent with her was very eye opening. This lady saw her husband brutally murdered by the communists right before her very eyes after only being married 2 weeks. She was soon thereafter shipped off to Siberia where she worked in a labor camp for 9 years! While she was there she was fed a daily ration of a cup of soup and 300 grams of bread. Her crime... she married her husband. His crime... he was an educated man. And you thought you had it rough! My heart goes out to this woman who through all her suffering has not become bitter with life.

Remember...

Greg took Lisa and me to a recently forgotten memorial of  a mass grave where 17, 500 Jews were murdered by the Nazi killing machine. The victims were women, children, and elderly Jews made to march from their homes in Rivne to this hill where they were made to undress and march to the top of the hill. They were machine gunned into a ditch, buried, and forgotten until the fall of communism when this monument was erected. Anti-semitism has once again, over the last 18 years, caused this site to be purposely ignored. Weeds have overgrown much of the area, and vehicle access has been cut off due to the fact that grave robbers have been digging tunnels in attempts to retrieve gold caps from the remains of the people buried there.

This marker identifies the entrance to the memorial.

The gate.

These concrete slabs are imprinted with footprints symbolizing the death march.

This headstone surrounded by many small headstones cries out, "...never forget our brothers and sisters who are buried here!" The smaller headstones are engraved with the names of every one of the people murdered and buried here.

A marker on one of the actual trenches. The massacre was accomplished in less than 2 days.

Monument to Communism

The following pictures are from a park in Rivne that was used by the Soviets to parade their military strength, communist ideals, and otherwise bolster the public's view of the government. Back in the day it was kept up quite nicely, but since the fall of communism it has fallen into disrepair and neglect. Now it is a place for people to vent their revenge on a system that once oppressed them so harshly. 

Statue of communist soldiers defending the weak. (Rivne in the background, I believe that is the "New York" area, where 60-70% of the city's 300,000 residents live. The apartments, most made during the Soviet days, are brick with no steel reinforcement.)

Looted Soviet Tank, now serves as a garbage receptacle.

The tower, Vanchic, and Greg.

Soviet artillery.

More Soviet artillery.

Ukraine

Our first day in Ukraine was a long travel day. We left Lyss at 7:30 am on the train, then flew out from Zurich at 12:10 When we got to Kiev, 9 hours later, Greg and Brenda picked us up, and we drove around through the Capital city, but those pictures are stuck on my camera's internal memory. It was a fun time, but by the time we finally made it to Greg and Brenda's apartment, we were zonked! These are the only pictures I have available from our first day.

Cows!

A Wreck!

Gracie!

Montreaux

Montreaux, our last day in Switzerland before we left for Ukraine. Wow... that about sums it up. On the shores of Lake Geneva this train ride was nothing short of spectacular. 

 

 

This was our first look at Lake Geneva surrounded by the alps as we came out of the train tunnel. The hillside below us was blanketed with terraced vineyards, winding roads, and the occasional house. It took my breath away.

In Montreaux we visited the Chateau Chillon, above is one of the many massive fire places utilized at one time. The rooms were still permeated with the smell of burnt wood. 

Lisa standing guard to the prison room.