August 11 - Penza

Yesterday we found out that there’s a paper recycle booth by the dumpster we’ve been walking to

My objective now is to go through to collect as much paper together as I can

Mom is going through closets to donate clothes

Mom finally finds grandma’s bank documents

Back to the bank when they open

Lida meets mom at the notary and I go home

Sorting through more papers

Trial trip to the recycling place with a small box yields 20 rubles. Yay!

Lyuda wants to go on a walk through Penza center, mom wants to inquire about adding grandma to grandpa’s gravestone

Lyuda drives us to the central marketplace parking lot

There’s a whole block of funeral services businesses in log cabins with badly remodeled interiors

At least there’s AC

Owner explains the logistics of adding an etching to a gravestone and how busy they are

I’m grateful for a bit of AC and listen until he says his coworker is sick with COVID and he is really tired

Rather stand out in the sun than chance getting covid

We walk the main street in Penza

Lyuda and mom are there for shopping, I’m there for Lenin square

There are so many people out and about

In the fountain square a bunch of teenagers are volleying around a volleyball

Keep walking to a new church

Mom falls asleep on the park bench

We walk back, stopping for ice cream at two stores

Randomly run into Manuykin family on our way back

By the time we walk back to the car, it’s dark

And the parking lot’s gate is closed

It closed an hour after we parked lol

Lyuda talks the guard into opening it for us

We drive to pick up Anya who was doing standup at Sputnik

Lyuda wants to walk there too, I’m tired but at least it’s cool out

We get internet tomorrow!