Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia

A young friend, Nodar's nephew Iviko (Ivane), who was a few months old when his father died in a mountain car accident

I hesitated to post this fridgetop image from Easter (that's what the box at left is, Georgian Easter cake), but then decided, No, this is what was there.  The calf belonging to this head was another addition to our holiday meal

Cracked paint - you KNOW this is a favourite subject by now, don't you?

Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia

An old friend

Spring stream, slow shutter speed

Nodar's brother Sergo "toasting" the skin of a piglet prior to roasting the whole thing in the oven

Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia

Twin sisters Valya (r) and Valida (l) and their collection of Easter cakes - yum!

Rain catcher in Valya's garden

Small "sign" of improvements in Svaneti:  87 km (?) to Ushguli from Etseri, and 111 to Zugdidi

Nr. Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia

Some of the more than 10 varieties of wildflower I saw near yesterday's mineral spring, in the forest. Sorry, I'm not the person to ask what they are!

Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia

The front hooves of our mineral water-carrying horse

Who says a new paint job is good decorating? I much prefer it when weather has had a chance to age it somewhat. This is on an outhouse door - plenty of opportunities for sun and frost/melt to work their magic over the years

A fall image taken in spring - these were hanging at the house which hosted me for part of my stay in Etseri

Etseri, Svaneti, Georgia

Near the village where I spent Easter.  A mineral water spring, with delicious, slightly gaseous water, one of nearly 2000 in Georgia.  Well enough protected from livestock getting to it; but I took these photos of Valya in action after having cleaned up a whole large sack of plastic and glass bottles and metal tins from arond the site.  C'mon, Svans, I KNOW there's no garbage collection anywhere in your whole province; but at least take your rubbish away from such places as this, if you consider them holy!

Ushguli, Svaneti, Georgia

Mt Shkhara from Lamaria Church

Ice on the Enguri river

Window onto Chazhashi hamlet and Tamar's Winter Tower