...the folks in this picture are connected through my friend Julia, whom I met when she and her daughters moved to Mansfied, TX, little more than 4 years ago (I met her daughter when she was in jr. high as the first Russian-speaking ESL student in the school district). In the photo are (l-r) yours truly, our Russian guide (Andrey), Neal, and Natalya (Neal's wife)...
Here're the connections: Natalya is good friends with both Julia and Andrey. During our city tour the day before yesterday, we were off the bus at one point to take pictures, Andrey was on the phone with someone and asked me if I knew a woman in Mansfield named Julia (kind of an odd question from a guy you've know briefly and who lives in St. Petersburg). He had been talking to Natalya, who--obviously-- is in Russia with her husband. We met inside St. Peter and Paul Cathedral yesterday (and took the picture outside afterward). But wait! There's more...
I actually had "met" Natalya at a store in Arlington, TX, when my friend Aleksei from Moscow was visiting a year and half ago and we were shopping there (I bought him a cowboy hat for his birthday) and it was Natalya who rang us up... Coincidence? (You decide for yourself.)
