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Dense
pink fog was slowly filling up the hollow of Dolotzo
Lake. First rays of morning sun were touching hills,
trees and Russian houses darkened by age. My village
of Shanevo was waking up slowly. I could hear the creaky
sound of rowlocks, water splashes made by a lonely fisherman's
boat in the Lake. The rooster is crowing somewhere far
away, in the other village across the Lake. There are
no more roosters in Shanevo I had this dream so many
times. The same dream over and over again. Sometimes
in this dream I'm going back to old times. Strange animals
are wondering around. Giant trees are hanging over the
lake. Does not look like my village But I know that
this is still my Shanevo.
This map of the Lake Dolotzo was made by my Father and
my Granfather many years ago. I always was thinking
that I can find a treasure using this map. It looked
to me like a map from Adventure Books. Our family house
is marked by large purple arrow. Small green arrow -
an island in the middle of the lake. I have spent a
lot of summer days on that island.
The Lake Dolotzo is 3 km long. The widest part of the
lake is 500 meters. One end of the lake is "sharp".
I think this is the reason why the lake got its name.
Doloto is a sharp metal instrument, Dolotzo is a small
Doloto. The lake as deep as 30 meters in some places.
The color of the water is brown-black Put your hand
into the water and hold it 10 inches down you won't
be able to see it. The water in the lake has healing
qualities. All your cuts will be healed if you washed
them with this water. Tea made in Samovar is very tasty,
especially if you add some local flowers in it. But
only those who tried this tea can appreciate it.
Sometime back in history this lake and my village was
local center. Russian Orthodox monastery was situated
at the lake. Lutvanians destroyed it in 17th century
(o, these Lutvanians!). My Grandma Nastia told me that
monks hid all monastery treasures in the big church
bell, then sealed the bell and hid the bell itself.
According to the legend they dropped it into Dirt Luka
silty, swampy part of the lake. What got into Dirt Luka
lost forever, people say. It was a rumor though that
the bell was not sank but buried under the crooked (curved)
pine tree on the village cemetery. Giant pine trees
are still growing. That's all what's left of that old
monastery. I remember very vividly that old crooked
pine tree, hanging over the dirt road. I always shrivel
walking that road at night. Big trees waiving their
heavy branches like claws they are mourning and groaning
and creaking.
Shanevo is elevated high on the hill. The entire area
is a big hill called Valdaisky Height. It is known in
Russia as the Zone of Anomaly. You can feel the presence
of special energy in steep old hills and abrupt cliffs.
These curves of the land remind me of a woman's body.
When I'm in Shanevo I always feel the presence of woman
origin of this land. As you can see on the map Shanevo
village is situated on a plato. Rivers are going down
to North and South from this elevated area. Famous river
Volga the symbol of Russia takes the beginning a little
further down the map, only 60 km from the village. Shanevo
is surrounded by marshy land. A very small lake Yaichko
("An egg") very well known in this area for the great
quantities of blueberries, cranberries and "moroshka"
berries. Several rivers take their beginning from this
vast marsh area including Yavon River, mother-river
for Dolotzo lake.
Famous Russian pilot the hero of the war against Germans
in 1942-1945 had his plane crash in this marsh. With
his legs broken he was crawling through the marsh for
several month eating only pinecones and drinking water.
For a long time the fuselage of his plane was seen stuck
out of the marsh, locals say. Other sight of anomaly
is in 1 km from the village an old mine. It housed a
strategic weapon with the atomic warhead. From my best
estimation this head aimed toward to North Carolina,
US.
I have to say that Shanevo people didn't have electricity
until 1970s. They were using oil lamps, they were making
bread in mason stoves and washing themselves in old
style bath houses with firewood heating and no ventilation
(method "po-chernomu" or "black method" because of the
color of the bath house walls).
Civilization came to Shanevo on the wings of a military
rocket. This rocket was a big secret, so everybody was
told about it. To insure the secretness of the object
they build a bus stop at the sight. Once I saw that
secret rocket! They lift it up for maintenance, and
the nose of the rocket stuck out threatening USA! Once
a week they were delivering new team of service men
to the sight by helicopter. The helicopter was flying
low above the village, roaring to the amusement of locals.
In the middle of 80th this secret rocket was disassembled
as part of demilitarization agreement with US. The only
left was that old mine. Parts of the equipment soon
were taken apart by locals to be sold for color metal
scrap. Then 30 meters deep mine was filled up.
For the unemployed locals roaming around the village
former military base is the source of all kinds of treasures
and often the only source of income. They sell scrap
metals to those "city guys" who buys up. The repertoire
of "goodies" can easily be extended by aluminum forks
and spoons stolen from the houses of "dachniks" people
who goes to the city for winter and leave their houses
unattended.
Sometimes locals call their village Shenevo ("Shee-nio-vo),
but usually they say Shanevo (Shah-nio-vo). They like
"Shah" solid, well grounded sound. I found the meaning
of the word Shanevo in the very well respected Dal's
Dictionary of Russian language "Lasy, scatter-brained
loafer". Strangely enough long time ago very industrious
people lived in Shanevo village. It was the only village
in Russia during serfdom times (abolished in our country
in 1863) where serfs paid ransom and freed themselves!
40-50 houses could be counted in the village in the
past. These days, after numerous fires, war, soviet
experiments in agriculture only 14 houses left. Most
of them belong to "dachniks" people from Moscow and
St'Petersburg who come to Shanevo for summer. At night
big bears come to the village. You can easily catch
a wild rabbit in your yard. Once locals found a dead
lynx in the shack. Wild animal was trying to hide from
hunting wolves and died from wounds No need to mention
snakes they are everywhere. Watch your steps! Peaceful
image of the Dolotzo Lake with my blue boat for fishing.
So as you can see Shanevo is a backwoods. You can hardly
find such a backwoods in the middle of the Russian plane
Last spring the oldest local Babushka died in Shanevo.
Her name was Pania. She was buried on the village cemetery.
But it is not easy to get to the cemetery, as it is
not easy to get to Shanevo itself. Streams, marshy valleys,
mad hollows on the roads make it really hard for regular
transportation to get through especially in Spring.
You can get to Shanevo only if you REALLY want to. It
was so muddy spring time that it created a problem how
to get to the cemetery to bury Babushka Pania. Tractor
had no chance to make it. Locals decided to go by boat
across the lake. Her little coffin was placed in the
Serega's boat. People from Shanevo and their neighbors
from nearest villages got into other boats. They were
pulling Babushka Pania's boat behind them on the string.
This medieval looking procession took the coffin to
the cemetery on the other side of the Lake.
I can imagine mythical someone who conveys the souls
of the dead to the other side. But in this case it was
not Leta River, but Dolotzo Lake, and it was not Kharon
rowing the boat but Serega with no teeth. He lost them
all during winter fishing.
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