Georgia-Russia conflict III

It was a microscopic gesture, but my heart was in the right place. There I was at an ethnic grocery store buying a bottle of Georgian wine and 2 of Borjomi mineral water. I have been enjoying both while remembering the happy times when I was drinking them with my new friends in Tbilisi.

The whole idea of a flute choir seems ridiculous to most people. Sometimes it even does to me, but Tracy and I are playing in one. For us, it is fun and challenging. We play in a program of the Music Center called Get Your Chops Back.  This is the second year for us. Interestingly, the program caused me to buy a new flute (our second flute was deemed not repairable) and to take lessons. So there can be benefits for the music business. This year a saxophone group was begun. A guitar group is on-going. 

We will have five practices and then an Open Rehearsal as part of the Music Fest on Grand Avenue September 27. We will be under a tent in front of the Dorothy Chandler. 

Sometimes I amuse myself imaging volunteers in the office of some corporate bigwig trying to convince her/him to donate money for a flute choir.

The situation seems to be much worse for the Georgians than I first feared. They will live in fear of Russia for years. The western nations are supporting them with words and humanitarian relief, but they cannot/dare not stand up to Russia. Nor do I think they should risk armed conflict. Little Georgia is the victim.  The other former soviet states certainly are taking notice.   

I am greatly worried about the fate of the little country of Georgia. As most of you know, I visited there twice under the auspices of The Friendship Force. I stayed 2 weeks in 1990 in the home of the Meskhidzes, Tengis and Ada and their daughters Eka and Lika. Georgia was still under Soviet rule. I spent another week in 1998 after "freedom," staying with the family of Malkaz Dolidze, his wife Tamara (Dod0) Kezeli, and their daughter Nino. I have been able to be in touch with all these lovely people sporadically. Fortunately, some speak English and I have been trying eve since to learn Russian. (Sidebar comment: Russian is greatly out of favor now.)

In the past 15 or so years, Georgia has been supported and encouraged by the West. The current president, Michael Saakashvili, is US-educated. Russian has taken a dim view of all this. A few years ago Russia embargoed Georgian wine and sparkling water, both major exports. There was a messy period in the early 1990s when some areas thought they would be better off aligning with Russia. This is the root of the current hostilities.

The people of Georgia I have met are well-educated and, like us, want to raise their families, have decent jobs, and live in peace and freedom. The country could become a great tourist destination. The Caucasus Mountains are like our Rocky Mountains. The people are hospitable to a fault, and the Black Sea forms the western border.

The similarities between us was apparent in my first visit. Tengis and Ada are my age and the their daughters the ages of my children. To host me and my companion was a huge undertaking. Their apartment was small (about 600 sq.ft.), and they did not have a car. But they were rich in friends and kin. Dick and I would have done the same for our children if the situation had been reversed.

Maybe this post will be a small addition to the major story that is unfolding.

Not far from the Hearst Castle is a rookery where elephant seals congregate. This is a new place for them and apparently they like it as more arrive every year. Tracy and I stopped to see what we could see. 

Lo and behold, there were maybe 40-50 bull elephant seals. Most were snoozing on the warm beach and a few were pretending to be very fierce and practicing their fighting skills. Actually, in July and August they come on shore to molt, i.e. they shed their skin and hair and grow new. The docent there explained that they would be too cold in the water without that layer. The females and younger males come at other, different, times. January and February is the time the pups are born and mating occurs--to the accompaniment of real fighting. The docent said perhaps 1200 pups were born there last year.

The spot is immediately off the highway just below a small bluff. The animals are close enough to observe them closely. It is a really remarkable sight/site.