St. Helena, California

Grandma.

Napa Valley is the most famous wine region in California. The entire valley is covered in vineyards, planted in neat rows, and sometimes there are poles between them with shiny ribbons fluttering in the wind.

• Why? - I ask Michael.
• They spray sulfide from the sky so it's visible where...

And the ribbons glisten in the sun, making it more visible from the sky.

The road leads to large gates; they open automatically, and we drive onto the vineyard grounds, then up a steep hill from where you can see the entire surroundings, and we stop next to the house. The house in the middle of the hill, surrounded on all sides by bright flowers and green trees, looks very picturesque. Behind the house is a pool with a small diving board, lounge chairs, and umbrellas.

A dog runs out from the open door and starts jumping around us, barking loudly at everyone: at me, at Michael, and at Natasha.

• Come on Rhyley! Good boy!
  A little old lady appears in the doorway; she smiles and looks at her guests with interest.
• Hello! This is Rhyley, he... he is good, he is a good dog.
  I look at Michael, then at her, then back at Michael and back at her... They look alike. And I have already seen her smile - Michael's sister smiles almost the same way.

In the first black-and-white photo from the album, there is a young woman in a long white dress with a veil, with short curly hair and glowing eyes, a true Russian beauty.

Olga Smirnova got married in San Francisco in 1949; she was 19 years old.

• I had to leave university, but I never regretted it. We were very happy.

The next series of photos - Olga is standing in the middle of the hill, her hair blowing in the wind, and she is smiling the same way.

• I am standing on the spot where our house will be. This very house we are in now.

In the next photo, the whole family is in the same place. Olga with her husband, and next to them on the grass sit five children: two girls and three boys, and one of them is Michael's father.

Olga's parents were mining engineers. They left Russia in 1917 - fleeing from the Reds. They lived in Yokohama, Japan for six years, then moved to San Francisco. That is where Olga was born. In 1928.

• And how many grandchildren do you have?

• Fourteen.

• And she remembers all our birthdays by heart. - Michael smiles.

• Wow! I couldn't even imagine that you have a real Russian grandmother!