On the way to Gotse Delchev, we stopped in the town of Pirin. This woman starred in a movie called "Letter to America," filmed in Pirin. In the movie, she awakens someone from a coma by singing a traditional song from the Pirin mountain region. 

Condi Rice passed through town. There was a grand piano in the embassy, but no one asked her to play. 

Beli Iskar Lake. 

Easter trip to Rhodope Mountains.

 

Kamelia's house in Chelopech. Stara Planina mountains in the b'ground. 

Mio malko cote... Alas, the last shot taken w/ my camera, now in the hands of someone who probably can't even turn it on. 

First time snowing at Bez Bog (means 'w/out god').


 

My belated 29th b-day party. A healthy and interesting mix. 

Wine rich Melnik region.

 

Halloween party in Sofia.




 

Friendly Plovdiv statue. 

Rila Monestary. Really quite somthing. 

Best blogger in Eastern Europe, Joel Froese http://persistentitch.blogspot.com/ 

Oh, Sozopol! 

Penguin awareness event at the St. Louis Zoo. 

Blue Jays '95. 

Springer had two jobs... and he did them both well. 

Suck the head and pich the tail... then clear your nose. 

Jazz Tent at Jazz Fest 2005. 

Also, check out my blog on China...

http://pachildress@blogspot.com

The Big Man. 

From 'dis...











To dat...











To D'udda. 

Daph's uptown pad... my formal US base. 

The once seemingly harmless Lake Pontarchain. I used to catch catfish here. 

Baby Blue! Still cruising those Nashville streets. 

Testing two pictures at once. Pretty cool.
 

Nas zdravei, Govedarzzi! 

Whoa, Nanjing Road. 

My boy, Matt Roger, and his best girl, Joana. 

First snow in Sofia. Dobre doshli zima! 

Snow in New Orleans! Xmas day 2004. 

Nashville winter sky. 

In the Rila Nat'l Park forest. 

Here I am on a bridge overlooking the Iskar River, hiking in the Rila Nat'l Park. On this Sunday, a hazy fog blanketed the forest and surrounding cliffs, adding to the Park's mystique.

An enormously popular and equally tasty local dish--Zelnik. The green part tastes like a cross between spinach and artichoke, although it comes from an unfamiliar veggie. 

Local pensionaire in the town of Beli Iskar. She and her husband are nearly 100% self-sustained by a cow, this pig and a small garden where they grow veggies. 

Narrow, drawn-out features are typical in the portrayal of Orthodox religious icons, as shown in this painting of JC in the mosque of a small town near Sofia.

My apartment on General Gurko Blvd... a stark contrast to what you'd expect from the bldg. exterior and stairwell.

The eager MBAEC '05 class with Jack Behrman, program founder, in DC training. The next day we would all set sail for our respective countries: Bulgaria (4), Romania (2), Azerbaijan (1), Angola (2) and Kazakstan (1).