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...during
the first several years of marriage until Anton joined the Army and
they were sent to one of the remote provinces far away from Moscow.
In that remote military base, they moved into a military barracks which
they shared with approximately 40 other junior officers, their wives,
and children. |
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This
1981 photo of Anya with her father and her grandfather (Lena’s
father) was taken when Lena and her husband were living in the military
barracks with 40 other families (all with children). Each family had
only one small room for themselves that was sparsely furnished with
only the minimum in basic furniture and eating utensils. |
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The
room had NO running water and the 40 couples—ALL with small children—had
to share ONE common KITCHEN located at one end of the barracks (down
the hallway from their rooms). More importantly, there were only 2 TOILETS
(also located at the end of the hallway) for approximately 40 adults
+ 20-30 babies. |
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And,
the barracks had NO HOT WATER—or showers or bathtubs—for bathing!
In order to have warm water to wash, people had to carry a pot of cold
water from the restroom and warm it on a small heater in their room.
Life there was rather difficult to say the least. In this photo, Anya
demonstrates how to ‘lick the spoon’ in order to avoid having
to wash it! |
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This
was Anya’s FIRST BOYFRIEND! (And, it would seem as if she were
tying to figure out whether or not she wanted to share her toy with
him.....) |
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Who
says that eating isn’t a FUN EXPERIENCE? |
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Anya
took an interest in playing CHESS at an early age... |
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...and
learned to take her first steps when she turned one year old (and Lena’s
life was never quite the same after that time). |
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During
the summer time, Anya enjoyed playing in the sand outside the military
barracks and... |
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...in
this photo Anya decided to sample what appears to be a bottle of wine
someone had at the picnic. |
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Life
at the remote military base in the summer was not too bad, but...... |
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...it
got *REALLY* cold during the winters in that isolated area of the Soviet
Union where Lena, her husband, and Anya were first stationed. Steve
refers to this photo of Anya as the “COAT with TWO FEET.” |
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Both
Lena and Anya had to wear warm fur clothing to protect themselves from
the harsh Russian winter temperatures and weather. |
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Inside
their one-room apartment (with no running water or toilet or kitchen),
Anya still loved to play with her dolls... |
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...but,
SUMMER TIME at the BEACH was a nice improvement over those extremely
cold winter months. |
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Lena,
Anton, and Anya enjoyed spending their summer vacations—far away
from their Army barracks where they were stationed—at the beaches... |
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...along
the Black Sea. |
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This
is a ‘professional’color photo taken of Anya as a preschooler
on a boat during one of their summer vacations to the Black Sea. |
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This
color photo taken during the same time frame depicts Anya together with
one of her friends from the Army barracks. After a couple of year’s
duty in that remote province, Lena’s husband received orders back
to Moscow and they were provided a very nice apartment located next
to a lake. |
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This
portrait of Anya as a preschooler is one of the only really nice color
“studio portrait” photos Lena has of Anya. |
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When
she turned six in 1986, Anya started grade school and, in this photo
(center), is wearing her traditional Russian school uniform. |
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Another
‘professional’ portrait of Anya in her school uniform, however,
better reflects on her true enthusiasm and interest in starting her
education! |
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This
(somewhat out of sequence) 1983 photo shows Lena (at age 26) and a friend
standing in Moscow’s Red Square in front of the Kremlin and Lenin’s
Tomb. |
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In
1990, when Anya was about 10 years old, Lena and her husband separated
and Lena assumed full responsibility for raising her daughter by herself.
In this 1990 photo, Lena and Anya were enjoying a short vacation in
Lithuania. |
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