One of the main roads we have to cross. Notice the two strips of blacktop? That is because the car tire when they are heated wear away the ice. Everything else is 8 inches deep in ice.

Leaving the park.

Donna Korateava, a new convert to the church. Her parents don't know because they will throw her out of the house if they find out. She caught up with us on our walk home

This is down the center of the park. Everyone comes here for their kids to play and the dogs to run.

This is the entrance to the park we walk through.

Another set of apartments we pass by. As you can see, there is an 8 inch deep layer of ice over everything.

This is a manhole that has no cover, right in the middle of the path. Someone did put some boards over it, which in some ways is worse, because you don't see the hole unless you know it is there.

These are some of the paths heading off in different directions.

Now we are in the 3rd and 4th blocks where we head through apartment blocks.





This is the next block of our walk. We have to cross tranvie tracks. Can you see the foot path through the snow. Everyone walks single file, so all you see is narrow tracks through the snow.


This is the scenery in the first block of walking home after church. Everywhere there are exercise bars for people to do their exercises on.


As you can see, everything is falling into the hole for the whole block.





This is one of the heating pipe that has sprung a leak. You can tell them all over town because of the steam clouds over them. This one is right behind our church, with the black fence the back of the church.



Dad, after he got his Iceshoes on and leaving the church parking lot.



President Sovchucks car with an electric heater on the engine so he can start it after church. You either have to do this or leave it running in -20F weather

Some more of the ice on the street in front of our apartment.

Elder Wilson sleeping. He is tired from cleaning the "Palace".

This is new years day at the Mission Home with some of the missionaries playing games.

This is the road below our apartment. There are two tracks for the cars and the rest is ice.

These are two ladies conversing at the gate of our park. Notice they are wearing fur coats. It is - 20.

This is one of the steam plants in Novo. They burn coal and you can see what they do to the air.

This is one of the steam pipes that carry steam to the houses. They are not under the ground and so have to make bridges over the driveways or roads.

Most of the houses will be buried under the snow before long. They have to dig a path to the door.

This is a road into another village.

Notice the path into the village. There is no road for cars.

Green is used a lot in Siberia. It makes a nice contrast against the snow.

A plowed road leading out into Siberia.

More villages on the way back to Novo.

Women shoppers in their long fur coats.

The children learn how at a young age.

Refreshments after the program. They use one long table, and everyone has their place and stands around the table and eats.

Christmas program in Tomsk.

More of our hotel.

Our hotel. 4 stars!

One of the little chapels that are everywhere.

More buildings in Tomsk.

More Christmas tree. It is -20 at this time.

Christmas tree ice sculpture.

Looking down from the bridge over one of the streams that go to the river.

One of the ice sculptures by the Christmas tree.

Ice fence around the Christmas tree.

Dad watching the kids feed the birds.

Kids feeding the pigeons.

One of the many beautiful buildings in Tomsk. I was not able to get some of the old houses made of wood.

The man in the orange is one of the thousands of snow shovelers of Russia.

The view of the corner outside our hotel in Tomsk.

The building opposite the Elder building. They are exactly alike.

The driveway below the Zone Leaders apartment in Tomsk.


Elder Kolpokov trying to make my computer work with the Christmas DVDs that the missionaries are allowed to watch.

The open spaces (of which there are a lot).

The ice on the inside of my window.

Our bus, with everyone out using the toilet except me.

The toilet stop, 4 hours into the trip.


Another village across the fields.


Another village.

On the way to Tomsk for Christmas. This is one of the villages.