In mid-august we decided to take a few days off for some much needed R&R. Our destination of choice was the absolutely beautiful Yosemite park and the nearby Mono Lake.

Being the photo-lovers that we are, it was only natural we were drawn to the strange mineral formations that can be found at Mono Lake. They say winter time changes this place into a more surreal spectacle, but we found plenty to see and enjoy during our time here.

In the nearby vicinity we were also able to see Bodie State Historic park. This is known to be one of the best preserved gold-mining ghost towns in the US. Residents have moved out over 50 years ago, yet the place looks almost the way did it back then.

It was interesting to check out how people lived seemingly not that long ago, yet it feels like a world apart.

One of the highlights for us on this trip was taking a spontaneous stop on a mountain overpass and witnessing one of the most amazing sunsets we’ve ever seen. It seemed to last and last, with colors changing over and over again throughout the entire sky. It was a humbling moment just to be standing in this sea of red and orange colors wherever we looked.

On the drive back we had one more night which we decided to spend in Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows. Boy were we glad we stopped by here! This is the one of the largest campsites in the park and it’s located on the east side, close to Mono Lake. It was so peaceful, warm, inviting and beautiful :)

Bears are regular visitors to the campsites in Yosemite and for this reason they have special bear-proof food lockers at each campsite. Food is not to be kept in cars or anywhere but in these containers. Apparently, it’s a common site to see these big creatures having their way with car doors and windows just to get to the good stuff.

We had so much fun during our small trip out to nature! It’s truly a pleasure to get away from our technology-driven worlds once in a while.

Mike and Natasha

Baby girl Dasha was born this Tuesday, August 21st!

My sister is a real trooper and the labor went very fast. Dasha is such a sweet baby and I love her so much already! I can’t wait to meet her when I’ll visit my family in October!

I am happy to share with you a few of the first official portraits taken by my sister :)

You can see Ira’s maternity pictures here.

Natasha

As many of you may already know, my sister Ira is expecting a baby. My family lives in St. Petersburg, Russia and it’s difficult to be so far away from them during this time. To keep me updated they send new pictures to me every couple of weeks. With each additional set I notice big and amazing changes in my sister.

Here are a few latest pictures taken by my talented mom. I cannot believe that we’ll meet the baby in less than a week now!

Natasha

While some of you may already know, I think a real announcement is in order. This particular announcement is about 33 weeks old now and still very tiny. :) My sister Ira is expecting which means I’m about to become an aunt!!

My whole family is very excited and we just can’t wait to meet the baby. My dad, who is still very young, is having a hard time getting comfortable with the title of grandpa. There’s a Russian joke that says “…while it’s alright to become grandpa, it sucks to have to go to bed with grandma!” :)

We are pretty sure it’s going to be a girl and I can’t seem to stop buying her summer dresses - they are all super cute! It’s usually cold in Saint Petersburg though and the baby might not even need ‘em.

It’s getting so very close now. Stay tuned for lots and lots of pictures as soon as the baby arrives!

Ira got married just this spring and you can read more about it here.

Natasha