Is that a Laada Niva I see in the garage next to the 100?
In 1999 my bride and I took a trip to Ulan Ude in Siberia, we had two daughters and her OB told me if I got her pregnant again I would be in deep trouble with her (the doc, not my bride), though our family wasn't complete and our trip was to gain a third daughter. I could wax on for hours about our trip, Aeroflot planes, the Tupilov 154 that I thought I would die in, having a US passport when waiting in line at the US Embassy (that was a wonderful feeling), and making new friends on the other side of the world, but I'll stick to the Laada for this story.
Our facilitators in Ulan Ude were a couple, the wife from Minnesota and the husband from Ulan Ude, he drove a Niva. While I was there the Niva was acting up and being a car guy I was compelled to do something about it. I asked if there was and auto parts store and he took me to an open market, not tents, just vendors with their wares spread out on the grass. I secured a rebuild kit for the Solex carb (which I was surprised by though it was probably from those East German relationships) and a set of front brake pads. I asked my friend Andre if he had any tools and from the look on his face when he answered I decided to pick up a Russian Leatherman, two screwdrivers and a metric crescent wrench. Two evenings later we had it running like a song.
I've always wanted to buy a Niva and give it to our youngest daughter though I've not yet found one on this side of the pond. I did see one in Bavaria on a recent pre pandemic business trip, I left my card under the wiper though no one ever called me. Too bad, I know she'd love working on it. I've answered the whole nature nurture question, my third Daughter, Galina, is exactly like me, though in much better ways.
All in all it was a fantastic trip and our daughter has made our family complete. I made a new friend in Siberia, Sascha, he owned the only Chevy Suburban east of Moscow, for many years after our adoption trip I would have prospective parents mule Chevy parts to Siberia for my new friend.
If I had one wish for prospective adopting parents it would be for them to know that weather they come from the womb or from a trip to a far away place there is no difference at all. My bride says the look on my face was exactly the same when I held all my daughters for the first time, even though one was a year old at the first hold. Funny how cars seem to have a connection in everything we do.
