Seven days and counting...

Next week at this time I will be at 30,000 feet, as will Oscar! But this week this time I am at Ava's house. Her mom fixed 2 of my teeth and I made Cashew Chicken for dinner here, and hung out with some of their relatives.

I have been trying to squeeze in a lot of things these past few weeks and I finally made my way to quaint little town of Plevin to visit yet more of Avas relatives.

Avas mom, grandpa (A Joe Dassin fan) and Ava of course picked me up Saturday morning nice and early in her mom's brand-spanking new Peugeot 307, in a beautiful metallic green. It still had the "new car smell", and her mom timidly drove us the 200-odd Kms to Plevin.

Ava just put on Tracey Chapman....

We got there nice and early, around 11:30 and had a delicious Bulgarian spread, with Vodka of course! Nice way to break in the morning. Who did we visit you ask??? UNCLE and Aunt, and Christine who seems to be good at everything, like her cousin. These are the same folks who were at easter dinner and made me miss my own family. (Ava just snuck a photo!!!)

They are both artists and I took a photo of Yazd for them thinking if anyone in Bulgaria would appreciate a photo, it would be them. I think they did and I walked away with a gorgeous painting, which I feel a bit guilty about taking in return for a photo I have the negative for and I can reproduce endlessly. I always feel this way when trading work, but this time I really didnt expect to get an original piece of art back. I just wanted to give them my photo, but couldnt say no when offered.

So the artwork was done by Avas aunt, Antonia, and the Uncle (aka Mario) is a Iconographer. We went to the church which had 18 or so icons done by him, and then to the museum where he presently works as a restorator/ poster designer and overall promotions man, I believe. I being the "had-just-about-enough-of-museums" kinda gal, actually enjoyed this becasue I was with someone who could explain things to me. Then we went to a spaceship look-a-like building which housed a panorama circuling the entire building. And the most amazing part of it was that it was ONE piece of canvas. The paining was a war scene of the battle between the Bulgarians and the Turks in that same spot.

Well to make a long story short, I felt very at home and comfortable, as did Oscar who spent the whole day chasing Roxy, their female dog who wouldnt give him the time of day. Once again Oscar didnt get "lucky".

Well I will miss this entire family but especially with Ava, I know this isnt the end of our story. I want her at my wedding and she and her entire family knows it. I'll keep my fingers crossed so she can be there next summer.