Lifting My Spirits With Silly Pictures

My grandfather passed away yesterday, just shy of turning 99.  Given his age, this was not unexpected, but it's always sad to lose someone you love.

I had been planning to post these pictures for a while, and decided that today might be a good day for a lighthearted blog post.  Plus, I'm traveling soon, and hope to come back with new pictures and stories.

I had never seen such a quantity or variety of artificial trees before moving to Astana.  I'm also not really sure why they seem to be so popular here.  Maybe it's because many parts of the city don't have a lot of "natural" trees, since Astana is young and a work in progress.  Anyway, check these out:  an artificial floral tree and an artificial fall-themed tree.

There were other artificial trees with flowers in other colors nearby.  What's odd here is that there are real trees in the background.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but in addition to orange lights, this tree is covered in artificial maple leaves.

Also, check out these critters!  I photographed them near Astana's circus building.  I don't plan on seeing any circus shows that incorporate animal acts, but I don't mind taking pictures of these sorts of animals.

Finally, a sign that reminded me somewhat of home.  Our Russian-speaking friend who was with us that day said this was for English classes.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend, everyone!