Season II, Episode 9: Crocodile Tears

We awoke early and were able to finish packing without waking Ashton Beau. Sergei arrived right on time and we carried the bags down and loaded the car. I had paid the hotel bill the night before so all we had to do to check-out was return the key.

We got in the car and started for the Orenburg Airport, about 20 to 25 minutes west of Orenburg center.

In all of the time leading up to this moment I though I would have a mixture of two feelings as we started our journey home with Ashton Beau: (1) eagerness to get on our way and get home and (2) terror at the prospect of traveling thousands of miles with a 13 month old boy. I felt neither; just a melancholy emptiness watching Orenburg go by thinking that I would not see Sergei, Natalia, or Olga for a long time, if ever again.

We arrived at the Orenburg Airport and checked-in at the counter. Because our baggage was over-weight we had to go to the cashier to pay an excess baggage fee. DW got into what was a long queue for the sole security check point while Sergei and I went to the cashier nearby.

The middle-aged surly looking lady in the cashier's booth did not look up or greet Sergei when we approached. She did not even acknowledge our presence. Sergei said something to her in Russian and he translated her reply to me as something like: “I'm in the middle of doing something and when I'm finished I'll deal with you.” We waited until she finished whatever she happened to be doing, slipped several hundred Rubles under the window to pay our excess baggage fee, and the joined DW in the queue for the security check point.

IMHO, the vignette our experience at the cashier epitomizes the difference between Russia and the West. Can any of you image a desk agent for a Western airline making you wait to give her money to pay a bulls**t fee that is pure profit to the airline while she finished some other routine task? Yeah, right!

We said our good byes to Sergei as e approached the check point and he helped us go through. Once through successfully we waved to each other and said good bye one more time. Then he was gone and DW, Ashton Beau, and I made our way to the waiting area.

Luckily for DW and me, Ashton Beau was quietly content in his Baby Bjorn the whole time. We did not wait more than another 20 when someone announced it was time to board the aircraft. We walked out of the terminal and about 150-200 yards across the ramp to our aircraft, ascended the stairs, and found our seats.

I had the window, DW and Ashton Beau, the middle, and a large, perspiring, and malodorous Russian gentleman, the aisle. When Sergei and I were at the ticket office a couple of days before, I asked him to tell the ticket agent that I wanted to buy three tickets. What I should have said was I wanted to buy thee seats. Live and learn. We got lucky when the crew closed the door and there were enough empty seats for our new acquaintance to move. Sitting next to a 13 month old probably didn’t have much appeal for him. I’m sure he was as happy to go as we were to see him leave.

Ashton Beau stayed with me from taxi, take-off, and then for about a 45 minute nap. We had bottles prepared for him for both take-off and landing to help him adjust to the change in cabin pressure. DW took him when he awoke, about the time the cabin crew was serving drinks and something for breakfast. At first we did not realize that Ashton Beau had soiled his diaper. For some reason the aroma of something among the breakfast fare so resembled the smell of baby poop that we could not recognize the what Ashton Beau had recently produced.

DW got up with Ashton Beau to take him to the smoking lounge, oh, I mean lavatory, to change his diaper. I don’t know about other aircraft in Russia, but they didn’t have a changing table in the forward restroom of our Orenburg Airlines Tu-154 that morning. The resourceful mom she is, DW managed to get Ashton Beau’s diaper changed in less than half the time it took the gentlemen before and after her to finish their cigarettes. Moreover, whenever she wants to fend off unsolicited motherhood advice, usually from her MIL, all she has to do is reference her prowess at changing in the Orenburg Airlines lavatory. Just try to top that.

After our aircraft landed in Domodedovo Airport in Moscow, we boarded a bus to the terminal. Exiting the bus we me a gentleman from Alabama who lived in Orenburg and was working there fro John Deere. His wife was Russian, from Omsk if I recall correctly, and they were expecting their first child in a few months. It was good to speak with another American and we joked about how his thick his Russian sounded with a thick southern accent.

We collected our bags and soon met Pasha waiting for us outside of baggage claim. Pasha took us to his car and we left for Ashton Beau’s medical exam. I had e-mailed Pasha a few days before that we would arrive on Friday morning and asked him if we could get Ashton Beau’s medical exam finished just after we arrived. He arranged it and said it was actually on the way into Moscow center from Domodedovo.

After about an hour we arrived at what I’m pretty sure was the Filitov clinic [Клиника Филитова]. It’s a huge compound of many buildings. We went inside and waited for five to ten minutes before gentleman cam out in surgical scrubs and introduced himself as Dr. Boris. I regret I cannot recall his surname. He put Ashton Beau on a table and spent the next ten minutes examining him. When Ashton Beau gave a little whine and some crying during the examination, Dr. Boris admonished DW when she stepped into comfort him. He said “don’t fall for those crocodile tears; it’s amazing how quickly they learn how to manipulate you.” The exam was brief and Dr. Boris did not identify any problems. I paid his assistant, she gave the certificate for Ashton Beau’s visa application to Pasha, and we left. We were at the clinic for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Our next stop was the photographer’s. Ashton Beau needed color photos for his visa application and the photos of him from our first day in Orenburg were black and white. Pasha took us to a studio on the Leningradsky Prospekt and a gentleman there shot Ashton Beau’s visa application photos for 300 Rubles. By this time Ashton Beau clearly needed to visit a changing table. Luckily we were not far from our final destination, Pasha’s apartment.

We drove to Pasha’s apartment and Pasha took us up and unlocked the door. DW and Ashton Beau went inside to “take care of business” while Pasha and I unloaded the car. I got my exercise that day carrying our bags up to the fourth floor. Then Pasha showed us about the apartment, how the appliances in the kitchen, the washing machine in the bathroom, the television, DVD player, stereo, and computer worked. Pasha also showed me how to lock and unlock the doors to his apartment. This is no mean feat. Each door had multiple locks and I had to turn the key 720 degrees in the right direction to lock or unlock the door. Try doing that with your hands full of 13 month old and groceries.

After finishing the apartment briefing, Pasha took me out to show me the neighborhood. First we drove southwest to the end of Chernayachovskaga Street [ул. Черняховского] to the Airport Galleria [Галерея Аэропорт] mall. We went past the mall to a tunnel under Leningradsky Prospekt. We followed the tunnel until we turned off to the left into the entrance to the Airport Metro station. After the Metro station Pasha took me inside the mall. We passed stores and the food court on the second floor. Then we got to the grocery store on the first floor next to a coffee café. I stowed my bag a in a locker and we went in to shop. I bought fruit, nuts, juice, бифидок, bacon from Holland, tomatoes, and romaine lettuce. As we exited the mall we also passed a little booth selling French candies that Pasha said his wife liked a lot. I made a mental note of that for future reference.

We got back in Pasha’s car and headed back to his apartment. We made one stop at a stand along the street to buy a loaf of bread. Pasha said this was the tastiest and freshest bread in the neighborhood. After buying bread Pasha dropped me off at his apartment and we were on our own.

While DW unpacked and attended to Ashton Beau, I made lunch - BLT sandwiches. That was good, except I forgot to buy mayo at the grocery store. It was still good; we hadn’t had bacon for quite a while (very rare in Russia). We approached the lettuce and tomatoes with some trepidation because travel guides usually recommend not eating the outer parts of fruit while traveling in Russia. They also say don’t use the tap water, even for brushing your teeth. We brushed our teeth with tap water at least twice every day on both trips. We ate the lettuce and tomatoes with no problem too.

A while later all three of us headed back to the mall on foot. It was about a ten minute walk from Pasha’s apartment. We first stopped for coffee at the café and then went into the grocery store. DW knew what she was looking for in the way of baby food so I waited to buy that until my second trip with her. We also loaded up on palmyeni (a sort of Russian ravioli), broth mix, a couple of frozen pizzas, and Coca-Cola Light (Diet Coke).

We returned to Pasha’s apartment and Ashton Beau took a nap while I wrote the earlier episodes of this season on his computer and DW took some time to relax. Then Ashton Beau woke up, we fed him, and then DW and I and supper of palmyeni and vegetable salad composed of olives, tomatoes, and cucumbers, a popular summer dish in Russia. Before we knew it was time for all of us to go to bed.

Sergei, DW, and Ashton Beau by the cashier's booth at the Orenburg Airport.

DW and Ashton Beau waiting to board our flight to Moscow.



Seating in the Orenburg Airport waiting area just vacated by a throng of pasengers headed to board our flight to Moscow.

Part of the Orenburg Airport departure waiting area.



Vendor selling her wares in the Orenburg Airport departure waiting area.



More of Orenburg Airport departure waiting area.



DW and Ashton Beau exiting the departure waiting area to board our flight to Moscow.



The walk accros the ramp from the Orenburg Airport terminal to our aircraft.



Boarding our aircraft. Note the two stairways to expedite boarding. It makes boarding go a lot faster.



The Orenburg Airport control tower.



Looking back at the Orenburg Airport terminal. Don't try taking photos on the ramp at the airport. I almost got my camera seized for some of these.



Nungesser and Ashton Beau in the air flying to Moscow.



DW and Ashton Beau in the air flying to Moscow.



A view of the ramp from beside our aircraft after disembarking at Domodedovo Airport.



The bus that takes passengers between the terminal and their aircraft at Domodedovo Airport.



DW and Ashton Beau exiting the bus for the terminal.



Dr. Boris examining Ashton Beau.



DW and Ashton Beau leaving the clinic building where Dr. Boris's office was located.



Ashton Beau testing out his playpen/crib at Pasha's.



Ashton Beau approves his playpen/crib.

Season II, Episode 8: What Parents Do

We had a whole day (Thursday) in Orenburg with Ashton Beau before we were scheduled to depart for Moscow on Friday. This was a good time for him getting used to DW and me and vice-versa. We fed him and he played a lot. I changed my first “poopie” diaper. Ashton Beau was captivated by Baby Einstein DVD's.

We decided to go out for lunch. Toria had suggested OrenPizza and I had seen it as we drove from the regional government building to the hotel the day before. It was a 6-8 block walk and the weather was sunny, but not too hot. I called Natalia. Her daughter answered the phone and I told her that we were going to OrenPizza. I also told the ladies at the hotel front desk that we were going to OrenPizza and to please relay that message to Natalia if she was looking for us. We loaded Ashton Beau and his stroller and headed out.

It was a pleasant walk. DW and I used a little teamwork carrying the stroller up and down the stairs to and from the tunnel under Marshal Zhukov Street. Once we did it once or twice, we had it down pat. OrenPizza is in a basement through several doors. Again we navigated the stroller up and down and through the doors. The whole time Ashton Beauregard was easy going. It must have been the novelty of all that was going on.

OrenPizza is a good place for an American who speaks a limited amount of Russian. You order at a counter and behind the counter photos of the various pizzas they serve. It's point-and-order. Same thing with the beverages in the in a cooler with a glass door.

We ordered, sat down, and about ten minutes later a waitress delivered our pizza. The restaurant was not crowded. When we entered there just were two young ladies having lunch and chatting. About half way through lunch, a contingent of six to eight more ladies came in. It looked as if they all worked together. No one paid any special attention to us. A few of the ladies looked at Ashton Beau and smiled. I think children just draw attention. However, all of it was positive.

Near the end of lunch Natalia arrived. We didn't need anything and there was no where for us to go or anything for us to sign. She was just checking-up on us. She seemed almost surprised to see the three of us leisurely enjoying a pizza in the mid-afternoon.

Natalia left after about ten minutes and we departed shortly after her. We walked back towards the hotel. There was a sporting goods store along the way so we stopped in to check it out. Pretty much like a sporting goods store back home, but more focused on outdoors sports instead of field sports.

After returning to the hotel we took stock of our baby supplies and made a shopping list of what we needed. Instead of waiting for Natalia to come pick-us up, I headed out to the stores.

First, I went to the dairy to buy some more бифидок. Then I returned to the baby store in the basement to buy some more baby food. With all of that finished, I stopped in a grocery store to buy a box of apple juice and drank it on my walk back to the hotel. When I returned, I spent most of the time playing with Ashton Beau and watched him in amazement. DW fed him and a while later Natalia called to say she would pick me up to go to the passport office for Ashton Beau's passport.

Natalia arrived around 5:00 PM. We drove about half a mile into the old part of Orenburg to the passport office. Natalia said the office was very busy because many people applying for passports to go abroad on summer vacations.

She said she had planned to take me back to the dairy while we were out at the passport office, but she'd spoken with the ladies who operate the dairy and they told her I'd already been there. She was a little surprised that I’d preempted her.

We drove to the passport office, a red brick building in central Orenburg, entered and waited in a large hallway. While in Russia, whenever we had to go to an official office, we usually waited between 20-40 minutes. I was glad I had my Blackberry or a book, etc., to pass the time. We found that typically the waiting area would be a hallway, sometimes with a chair or two, often with none at all. The passport office was typical, a large hallway with a pair of chairs. After the typical wait, Natalia told me that we were summoned.

The office we went to was typical too. Long and narrow with two desks and a chair at the end of a desk. Natalia instructed to sit down in the chair. A lady handed me Ashton Beau's passport and I examined it to ensure everything was correct (e.g., transliteration of his name into Russian, date and place of birth). When I finished I signed a receipt, Natalia and I walked back to the car and we were on our way to the hotel.

On the way back Natalia asked what we would like to do for supper. We decided to go out and get Ukrainian food in about an hour. This was Ashton Beau's first time out and he was not all that pleased. We were discovering that he does not mind being harnessed into his stroller when it's moving, but he really dislikes it when stationary. Reclining the seat usually helped. Then there was the mid-supper poop diaper change on the bathroom floor. At least the bathroom was pretty clean. You who are already parents can picture the scene.

The food was disappointing, but soon it was time to go. Sergei arrived to pick us up and we went back to the hotel. We were pretty sure we had enough diapers, but the flight to Moscow could be long and who knew how many unexpected delays we might encounter. I decided we needed to add to our reserves, just in case. On the way back we stopped to pick-up some more diapers at the 24 hour pharmacy just around the corner from the hotel. Sergei and I went in and even with him there to translate, we could not seem to get Huggies or Pampers size #3. They said they were out. I bought size #4 instead.

After I we got back to the hotel we tried the size #4 diapers on Ashton Beau. They were way too big. So I went back to the same pharmacy to try again. The same ladies were there. With no interpreter I asked for Pampers, size #3: “Pampers dree pahjolista [Pampers трипожалуйста]” Two of them went back into the stock-room and reappeared in less than a minute with a package of Pampers, size #3. I have no idea what was different between my earlier visit with Sergei and my visit less than an hour later. It was too late for a delivery of diapers while I was at the hotel. I’ll add that to those mysteries about our time in Russia that I’ll never really understand.

I returned to our hotel room, packed up my stuff and collaborated with DW in packing up Ashton Beau’s. Then I hopped into bed to catch some sleep. Our plane was at 8:00 AM and my alarm was set for 5:00 AM.

In the next episode, Nungesser, DW, and Ashton Beau fly to Moscow, visit Dr. Boris, and check-in to Дом Паша.

DW and Ashton Beau at OrenPizza.

DW and Ashton Beau outside of OrenPizza.



DW and Ashton Beau strolling back to the hotel from OrenPizza.



Nungesser and Ashton Beau on their way back to the hotel from OrenPizza.



DW and Ashton Beau in front of the sporting goods store.



DW in front of stairs leading down to a tunnel for crossing Marshal Zukov Street in Orenburg.



Nungesser and Ashton Beau at the tunnel under Marshal Zhukov Street.



The russian version of a disabled access ramp on the stairs to a street crossing tunnel. Where I come from, that would be an "E" ticket ride. Don't try this with your stroller either! The tracks are far too wide apart. Well, actually I'm told they are inteded for hand-trucks and dollies full of goods, not people at all.



The lobby by the elevators on our floor of the Hotel Orenburg.



More of the floor lobby.



The hallway from the lobby to our room.



The HQ of the Orenburg Gas Company, a big natural gas producer, one of Orenburg's main industries.



One of Orenburg's 24 hour pharmacies [24 Час Аптека].



Entrance to the dairy where Nungesser went to buy бифидок.



The doors to the dairy store.



The windows in the dairy story. Place and order and pay on the left, pick-up on the right.



A .5 liter carton of бифидок (sour milk, pronounced "bifeedock") purchased at a Moscow grocery store. The dairy had store sold fresh бифидок in glass bottles.



To get to the baby store for baby food, diapers, etc., go under the arch-way, then to the door under the green awning. This is Orenburg style out-of-the-way retail.



Now go through the door under the green awning.



You've always wonder what's "behind the green door." Well, its this dimmly lit corridor leading to the baby store.



Ahh! The wares of the baby store. Well stocked, just a little off the beaten path.



Store lockers. A lot of Russion stores, especially grocery stores, insist that you put your bags in a locker like these before you enter the store. Know where they are first and you'll avoid the security guard telling you to go back to them.



Nungesser drinking apple juice at an Orenburg bus stop.



Ashton Beau entertaining Nungesser while he waits for Natalia to go to the passport office.



Ashton Beau climbing about.



The Orenburg passport office building.



Entrance to the Orenburg passport office.

Season II, Episode 7: Gotcha Day! Sponsored By Nungesser & Son

We soon left the hotel once again for the baby home. It was me, DW, Natalia, Olga, and Alexander behind the wheel. In the car I reminded Natalia that sometime that day we would need to go to Alpha Bank to exchange dome travelers checks for rubles. Sergei had told me that Alpha Bank was the place to go in Orenburg to cash traveler’s checks. Natalia and Olga we both extra pleased because I said it in Russian.

We arrived at the baby home once more and went to the now very familiar music room. Moments later one of Ashton Beau's caregivers arrived to deliver him. DW approached her and she handed Ashton Beau to DW.

Instead of a profound or sentimental “Gotcha Day” moment, to me it was really like any of the other many days DW and I had come to visit Ashton Beau in the past. Part of this I think is because the really of big events doesn't usually live up to the anticipation. The other part is that we had awaited Ashton Beau in the music rooms so many times already; we had become comfortable there, lowering the level of anxiety. And we were not taking him outside the baby home for the first time either. We had done that two days before for his passport photos. The full, and profound, reality would not sink in until later, much later.

We lingered for another 15 minutes. Alexander left for another exam at school and Sergei arrived to take his place. Nothing against Alexander, but it was only fitting that Sergei drive us from the baby home.

Our first stop was the Alpha Bank back in Orenburg Center to cash some travelers checks for more Rubles. DW, Natalia, and I went in. Ashton Beau stayed with Olga and Sergei in the car. On the wall behind the teller I noticed a Federal Reserve poster about the security features on the new U.S. paper currency. The text was all in Russian, but it just felt good to see something published in the USA hanging on that wall in Orenburg, Russia of all places.

I don't think they cash many travelers checks at the Alpha Bank. It took a long time, about 20 minutes. They had an American Express travelers check sticker on the window, and we presented American Express travelers checks. It was still a big imposition. I don't know whether it is easier t cash a travelers check elsewhere, like in Moscow, but it was like staging the Normandy invasion to do it in Orenburg. With the relatively sheltered places we went and the prevalence of ATM's, if I had to do it over again, I'd forget the travelers checks and just take cash, An ATM card, and credit cards (Visa and Master Card are much more widely accepted than American Express, Diner's Club, and Discover).

After cashing our travelers checks we went to the airline ticket office to purchase our tickets on Orenburg Airlines back to Moscow. Gotcha Day was a Wednesday. Natalia said that we would have Ashton Beau’s passport by Thursday evening, so we bought tickets on the Friday morning flight.

Then we went to get baby supplies. First we stopped at a special diary to pick-up some sour milk called бифидок (pronounced “bifeedock”) in glass bottles. Then Natalia and I went around the corner and through a side entrance to the building, down into the basement, along another dark corridor, and into a little baby store to buy baby food (we already had a pretty good stock of diapers and wipes). Next it was across the street to a grocery store to buy food, water, and other beverages for DW and me.

Our shopping completed, we returned to our hotel for some family time. We put Ashton Beau on the floor and let him crawl around and explore his new surroundings. Natalia told us that she had requested a crib for Ashton Beau. Unfortunately, they did not have a crib. Instead there was a chair that folded down into a small, toddler like, bed. We wedged it into a corner and the set up padding and other obstacles to prevent Ashton Beau from escaping and falling out of his bed. Luckily, the bed was perhaps a foot off the ground so he would not have far to go if he fell, plus we used extra pillows and blankets to pad the floor around his bed.

Soon it was time for supper. Luckily, however, our room did have a pretty good size refrigerator and hot water heater. This was a big help in preparing Ashton Beau's meals and snacks.

One of the caregivers at the baby home had written down Ashton Beau's schedule and menu for us our first day in Orenburg. Sergei had translated it for us. Supper was pureed baby food and about four ounces of бифидок from a bottle. He also ate some sort of milk and yogurt porridge that was powered and then mixed with water. Having several of those disposable GladWare containers in a variety of sizes with us was very helpful, especially for mixing Ashton Beau’s porridge. Ashton Beau enthusiastically ate his supper.

Allow me to digress here on whether to take a stroller to Russia or buy one there. We took a travel stroller and were glad we did. If we didn't we probably would have bought one in Orenburg. First, in our hotel there was no good place to set Ashton Beau for feeding. His stroller worked well. Second, when we needed a secure place to set him down, his stroller fit the bill nicely. Third, with his stroller we could go out for walks to the store, to eat, or just to stretch our legs. The stroller held Ashton Beau, his compliment of baby equipment, and our groceries, etc.

From Chicago to Orenburg we collapsed Ashton Beau's stroller and checked it with our other checked bags. We didn't really get any looks or questions about why we had a stroller but no child. The only time anyone noticed was when we checked-in at Lufthansa at O'Hare in Chicago. The desk agent saw the stroller and asked if there was another person in our party. We explained that we were on our way to get him. She was delighted and that was the end of it. This is sort of like our response when people asked why we were going to Russia:

“We’re going to visit family.”
“Oh, you have family in Russia?”
“Yes, our son lives in Orenburg.”

On our return, Ashton Beau's stroller got checked with the other baggage on Orenburg Airlines. They just don't have gate check yet. Lufthansa gate checked the stroller with no problem - a good thing because Frankfurt is a big airport.

To keep the stroller collapsed while checked, I wrapped a three foot length of StrapAll around it. StrapAll is like Velcro on steroids and is great for all sorts of stuff besides keeping a stroller folded-up while in the baggage hold of an aircraft. Don't go to Russia without it regardless of whether you take a stroller. I got mine at REI.

We took six small plastic spring clamps. We used these to attach things to the stroller like a small sheet to block-out the sun. I also attached them to the stroller handle so I did not have to reach down as far when pushing it. You can get spring clamps at any hardware or home improvement warehouse store.

We also got a small battery power fan from Safety Central. The blades are soft foam so they would not hurt if Ashton Beau touched them while in motion. The neck was semi-rigid so it could be bent to point to just about any angle. The other end had a spring loaded clip so we could fasten it to the stroller. We took a couple of these fans for me and DW to use too. I really recommend them if you are traveling to Russia in the hot months.

BTW, we also took a Baby Bjorn. Ashton Beau loved it and it was great at the Orenburg airport and other places. It’s very light and easy to pack.

After supper we took Ashton Beau out of his stroller and played a while longer. Then he went in for his first bath. Not a pretty scene; sort of like bathing a feral cat, but at least he does not have claws and just a few teeth.

Soon it was time to go to sleep. As one might expect, there was too much to be interested in for Ashton Beau to be interested in sleep. We all got in our respective beds. DW was out like a light. I was still awake so I put in a DVD with some episodes of Deadwood. On the fist episode I did not turn off the lights or plug my headphones into the DVD player. Ashton Beau was awake alternating between scratching at the textured wallpaper and watching Deadwood with me. During the break between episodes I got smart. I turned off the lights, plugged in my headphones and angled the screen away from Ashton Beau. Fifteen minutes into the episode, he was fast asleep. When the episode ended, I brushed my teeth and fell off to sleep too.

One of Ashton Beau's caregivers bringing him to his parents in the music room on Gotcha Day.

The official Gotcha Day hand-over to DW.



DW and Ashton Beau on Gotcha Day.



DW playing with Ashton Beau on Gotcha Day.



Nungesser & Son - Gotcha Day.



Ashton Beau contemplating the absurdity of his attire.



Ashton Beau and Sergei - Gotcha Day.



Natalia, Olga, and DW entertain Ashton Beau with a lion puppet.



DW and Ashton Beau leaving the baby home.



DW feeding Ashton Beau in our hotel room. Please pardon the mess. Note use of the stroller as a feeding chair and the refridgerator.



Another hotel room shot with a feeding. You can just see the glass бифидок bottles (the smaller clear ones with no label) atop the fridge.



There seems to be a lot of consternantion about bathroom facilities in Russia, so here is a shot of the bathroom in our Orenburg hotel room.



Ashton Beau eating porridge in his stroller from one of those GladWare containers.



Ashton Beau on his temporary bed.



Stroller accessories: batterery powered fan, a roll of StrapAll, and spring clamps, all ready for action.