Alexandr, my late wife, Martha, was a rosarian (rose enthusiast) and we found that the varieties that handled the cold, fairly dry Colorado and Wyoming winters were the English Old Garden roses and the ones that derived from central Asian wild roses.  A lot of the modern varieties are very delicate.  There is one variety of yellow rose called Harison's Yellow (yes, one R) that you will see still thriving at old homesteads on the prairie that have been abandoned since the dust bowl years of the 1930s.  We used to say that the only things to survive the Apocalypse would be cockroaches and Harison's Yellows.

Alexandr, my late wife, Martha, was a rosarian (rose enthusiast) and we found that the varieties that handled the cold, fairly dry Colorado and Wyoming winters were the English Old Garden roses and the ones that derived from central Asian wild roses.  A lot of the modern varieties are very delicate.  There is one variety of yellow rose called Harison's Yellow (yes, one R) that you will see still thriving at old homesteads on the prairie that have been abandoned since the dust bowl years of the 1930s.  We used to say that the only things to survive the Apocalypse would be cockroaches and Harison's Yellows.

Alexandr, my late wife, Martha, was a rosarian (rose enthusiast) and we found that the varieties that handled the cold, fairly dry Colorado and Wyoming winters were the English Old Garden roses and the ones that derived from central Asian wild roses.  A lot of the modern varieties are very delicate.  There is one variety of yellow rose called Harison's Yellow (yes, one R) that you will see still thriving at old homesteads on the prairie that have been abandoned since the dust bowl years of the 1930s.  We used to say that the only things to survive the Apocalypse would be cockroaches and Harison's Yellows.

Alexandr, my late wife, Martha, was a rosarian (rose enthusiast) and we found that the varieties that handled the cold, fairly dry Colorado and Wyoming winters were the English Old Garden roses and the ones that derived from central Asian wild roses.  A lot of the modern varieties are very delicate.  There is one variety of yellow rose called Harison's Yellow (yes, one R) that you will see still thriving at old homesteads on the prairie that have been abandoned since the dust bowl years of the 1930s.  We used to say that the only things to survive the Apocalypse would be cockroaches and Harison's Yellows.

I was going to poke fun at you for accidentally hitting the submit key 3 times but seeing as I've done it I don't know how many times myself I figured I'd cut you a break. submitting it AGAIN 4 hours later and I gotta blow you a cyber raspberry!

PLLLLT!

WIKI has a good article about them with some lovely pictures. One of it's names is, "The Yellow Rose of Texas." Yeah, That one. 

I think I'll do some more reading and see if they'll grow this far north. 

Frosty The Lucky.

One of the biggest diamonds in the necklace of St. Petersburg. Catherine Park and Palace in Pushkin, former Tsarskoe Selo. Empress Catherine's favorite place. You can come here at any time of the year. The park is always beautiful.

Thanks for another photo tour of a Russian palace, summer home or. . . It's breathtakingly beautiful as they all seem to be. Is the plaque with the sailing ships on the white monument by the lake? I don't see anything I don't want to see in person.

Maybe some day.

Frosty The Lucky.

8 hours ago, Frosty said:

Thanks for another photo tour of a Russian palace, summer home or. . . It's breathtakingly beautiful as they all seem to be. Is the plaque with the sailing ships on the white monument by the lake? I don't see anything I don't want to see in person.

Maybe some day.

Frosty The Lucky.

Hi Jer! This is a bronze pedestal dedicated to the Battle of Chesma. As well as the column and minaret

I just read up a little about the Battle Of Chesma and holy mackerel what a victory! I'll bet there are monuments to that butt kicking all over Russia.

Thanks Alex, I always like to start the day with some good reading and that was terrific.

Jer

5 hours ago, Frosty said:

I just read up a little about the Battle Of Chesma and holy mackerel what a victory! I'll bet there are monuments to that butt kicking all over Russia.

Thanks Alex, I always like to start the day with some good reading and that was terrific.

Jer

There is also the Chesmenskaya Church in the city.

It's breath taking Alex and not what I expected from a church in Russia. It's elegant in it's clean simplicity, without the grand spires, domes, gilt and bright paint I've come to expect. It's still intricately detailed and everything is so well matched I find it stunning.

Thanks for another glimpse.

Frosty The Lucky.

Another remarkable place near St. Petersburg is Lomonosov, formerly Oranienbaum. The residence of Prince Menshchikov, a close confidant of Peter the Great. An abandoned house behind a fence, literally a couple of hundred meters from Katalnaya Gorka. My great-aunt, my grandfather's sister, lived there. She was born in the 19th century.

How long did it take you to walk around for a look at this residence? I could spend a week wandering around looking.

Frosty The Lucky.

It was cold. We walked for about three hours. In good weather, if we were to visit all the museums on the estate grounds, I think a day might not be enough.

I hear you, weather's cooling off here too, we have to maintain a pretty brisque pace to keep warm on walks. The leaves are almost gone, another month and we'll be using the indoor track and the dogs will have to stay home. 

I don't think I could spend only a day at an estate like that. Heck I have trouble looking through our tiny local museum in a couple hours.

Frosty The Lucky.

On 9/30/2025 at 9:19 PM, Frosty said:

I don't think I could spend only a day at an estate like that. Heck I have trouble looking through our tiny local museum in a couple hours.

Hi Jer ! With your approach, even a month wouldn't be enough to see even the main sights of St. Petersburg. The Hermitage and the Russian Museum alone would require about a week.

Now I really want to visit! Things everywhere need to settle down first though. <sigh>

I don't "just" look at art, I start from where the artist intended I look at it to appreciate the whole message, then move in to examine the details of what and how s/he tells the story. 

My forgings are intended to be held and felt as well as looked at.

Frosty The Lucky.

Autumn mood. Gatchina, October 2025.

Fall colors came and went quickly here, all but a few leaves are off. Sadly our trees have shades of yellow except one variety of aspen a couple hundred miles north and they turn pinkish orange. I have a Canadian cherry near the house that turns purple in late spring till the leaves fall off. 

We keep intending to take a fall colors RV tour some year, maybe someday. 

I love it when you post photos from your side of the world, the fall colors are always heart breakingly beautiful. In the last pic are those berries on the tree by the bridge?

Thanks for the photos Alex.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

Went to natural bridge state park the other day.   Thought I'd share a picture.

Nice. I LOVE natural bridges but moved to Alaska before I had time and money enough to tour the ones in the W. Are the bright things under the ledge people?

Frosty The Lucky.

6 hours ago, Chad J. said:

Went to natural bridge state park the other day.   Thought I'd share a picture.

An extraordinary place!

A little more of Gatchina Park.

Gatchina Park at night in the fog is as beautiful in a different way as on a sunny day. I think my favorite of the tower is from the lighted side though back lit is beautiful in a more eerie way like a mystery or horror story. 

Of them all I like the sunset(?) best though the swans and signets make me want to say Awwww.

It's easy to see why you walk in Gatchina Park so often.

Frosty The Lucky.

7 hours ago, Frosty said:

's easy to see why you walk in Gatchina Park so often.

Frosty The Lucky.

When I drive from the village to the city, the road passes by a park. It's 20 minutes. I have an apartment in Gatchina, and the park is a 5-minute walk from there. Whenever I have time, I always take a walk there.

I should be so lucky. I'd dearly love to have you show Deb and I around the park. Maybe someday.

Frosty The Lucky.

 

Jer, who knows? Maybe things will change for the better. I'd be happy to show you around.

And we'd love to show you around here though we have mostly big mountains, rivers and similar. Most of our human history is a matter for archeologists and legends though. 

Here's to better times.

Frosty The Lucky.