Christmas in the Washington, D.C. Latvian Lutheran Church

Christmas 2015 was a bit unusual for me, as I was still in Washington on Christmas Eve; other years I had always flown to the Midwest before that, seeing as we traditionally celebrate the holiday on Christmas Eve itself. Last year, however, various reasons caused me to buy a flight to Michigan only for Christmas Day, but that meant I was able to attend the Christmas Eve service in Washington's Latvian congregation. It was an absolutely beautiful service, with a gorgeous vocal solo by a singer who used to sing with the Latvian National Opera choir, and with the congregation's hymns accompanied by both the organ in the balcony and the grand piano at the front of the sanctuary.

As we sang the last song, Silent Night, the sanctuary's lights were turned off until only candles and the Christmas tree remained illuminated.

May you and yours have a peaceful and beautiful Christmas!

On the Road to...Arkansas!

In my quest to see something in each of the fifty states, a while back I convinced a friend (who happens to be an artist, as well as Latvian) that we needed to visit Bentonville, Arkansas. Fortunately she agreed, and we quickly planned our trip for the beginning of June. Why did I pick the small city of Bentonville as our destination? Because it is home of the less-than-five-year-old art museum Crystal Bridges, which boasts an impressive collection of American art housed in an interesting new building located on beautiful wooded grounds featuring trails and sculptures. The museum was founded by Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton. The Walton Family Foundation has provided a great deal of funding for the museum, which is an independent non-profit organization, while Walmart itself sponsors general public admission -- meaning the museum is free to visit.

My friend L lives in Houston, Texas, and our plans entailed me flying into Dallas while she drove there from Houston. Incredibly fortunately, my flight was on time, my suitcase also arrived, and we were on our way! When I'd left the DC area, the weather had been overcast and gray, but in Dallas I was greeted by blue skies and dense white clouds. There's a saying that everything's bigger in Texas -- and even these clouds looked big!

From the airport we drove north through the eastern side of Oklahoma. The drive lasted approximately 5 1/2 hours, and our way we stopped for a roadside picnic that L had lovingly prepared. 

A well-rounded meal: sandwich, potato salad, mango, tomatoes.

Oklahoma was not the most exciting state to drive through, though the eastern side was not that terrible either (I have heard from people who have driven through the state from West to East or vice versa that such a route is quite dull). The vista was enhanced by a very large man-made body of water called Lake Eufaula, though the terrain was generally quite flat. Thus, arriving into Arkansas was a welcome surprise -- it was hilly and incredibly green.

After checking into our hotel near Bentonville, we drove to the museum with the intention of eating dinner at its restaurant and getting our first glimpse of the collection. Our meal took so long that it was closing time when we were done eating, but we were glad to have visited in the evening, as not only was our dinner memorable, but the museum looked stunning at night.

Photo credit: L.

More posts to follow about our fun trip!

Mmm, European Rye Bread

Living in the Washington area, I'm fortunate in that I can purchase both Storye Latvian rye bread and Black Rooster Latvian-style rye bread locally. Many other folks around the U.S. are not so lucky. Thus I was intrigued when I heard about the Kickstarter campagn to bring European rye bread to a wider audience. The very cool thing is if I you back this campaign with a donation of $20 or more, your reward -- if the project is fully funded -- is bread shipped to your house! I backed the campaign, but it needs quite a few more backers in a very short period of time, as it will expire on Saturday May 14 at 8pm Eastern time. Knowing my readers are fans of quality cuisine, I figured I may as well spread the news.  So, follow this link and contribute. Remember -- with Kickstarter, your credit card will be charged only if the project is fully funded!

Looking Back to 2015, Looking Forward to 2016

2015 will soon be seen only in the rear view mirror, and recalled in memories and via photographs.

Washington Monument at sunset

Highlights from my year include:

- A fantastic long weekend (way back in January!) in Charleston, South Carolina, which you can read about in this post, as well as in this one.
- I love having visitors! In the spring, my blogging (and real-life!) friend Liene and her family were in the Washington area, so we checked out the enormous Udvar-Hazy Center.
- For Easter, family members visited and much fun was had.
- Spring included an amazing several days in New York City, enjoying a variety of culture - such as the State Choir of Latvia and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as exploring Brooklyn in detail.
- Summer's biggest event was Garezers' 50th anniversary, which was so rich and full of experiences, that several posts were necessary to describe it all: intro and art exhibit, an evening movie and nighttime fireworks display, a daylong music festival called Garezers-Palooza (with a second post about that in Latvian), and the closing event, as well as a bit about the church service and market.
- Other summer activities included a wonderful weekend in Boston, visiting Havre de Grace for the first time, checking out the new Japanese Garden at Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, and celebrating mom's birthday with an outing to Grand Haven.
- A fall visitor for several days meant that there was more time for adventures: a cider brewery, a visit to Mount Vernon, wine, history and autumnal delights in Winchester, as well as a foliage drive and hike in Shenandoah National Park.
- At the beginning of the year I had made the decision to read more, and to make more arts and culture related outings. I did quite well on this resolutions. According to Goodreads, this year I read 39 books, far surpassing my original goal of 21. Honestly, a few them were barely books - more like essays - but given how little the average American (though I certainly never claimed to be an average American, ha!) reads nowadays, 35 or so is still a sizable number. Only one did I write a review about here, and in another post I mentioned a few others I had read. Among books that I enjoyed this fall were Elizabeth Gilbert's "Big Magic" and Moises Velasquez-Manoff's "An Epidemic of Absence: A New Way of Undestanding Allergies and Autoimmune Disorders," as well as Iris Carmon's "Notorious RBG: The Life and Time of Ruth Bader Ginsburg."

Washington Monument after sunset.

While there are many more memories I could mention and blog posts I could link to, I will stop now so that I can devote time to writing new posts, and planning for 2016!

May your New Year be full of love, friendship, successes and many adventures!

Piparkūkas - Latvian Christmas Cookies

My mom's piparkūkas have always been the best - thin, crispy, flavorful, and a lovely shade of brown. A number of years ago when a friend and I decided to finally dive into this important tradition, I requested mom's recipe. It turned out to be one used in the Milwaukee Latvian community, and had been passed down by Puķītes kundze (Mrs. Puķīte). The original recipe is what I call "church-sized," as it requires three pounds each of butter and brown sugar, three bottles of corn syrup, and an enormous amount of flour. I have modified it for a more reasonable one pound each of butter and sugar and one bottle of syrup. Originally the recipe called for seven spices plus grated lemon and orange rinds. After my first experience grating rinds, I made an executive chef decision to cut them from the recipe.

Several years ago another friend asked that I teach her how to make "my" dough. She had never made piparkūkas from scratch, and thought my cookies were always delicious. Thus the annual dough-making party was born. After skipping the last two years, I once again joined several friends in their home where we worked to prepare two batches of "regular" dough and one batch of gluten-free. If one is accustomed to making something such as chocolate chip cookie batter, for which one can rather quickly throw together all the ingredients and soon after have freshly baked cookies, one might not understand why a work bee is necessary to make piparkūkas.

Ilga and I (with spice bag in hand) work at the stovetop. Thanks to Ilga for the pic!

Seeing as all good things take time, the piparkūkas process takes a couple of hours; if doing it on your own, it can get a bit tiresome and boring. The very first step is sifting all the flour for the recipe. The next step is slowly melting the butter, sugar and syrup together while also incorporating the spices. Next, while this caramelly gooey and fantastically scented mixture is still hot, one slowly incorporates approximately 2/3 of the flour. 

Then remove the pot from the stove, cover it with a clean dishcloth and place it in a cool spot -- outside, for example. In our case we used this time to eat dinner - a lovely Latvian-style meal with ham and potatoes. (The leftover ham was later cut up for use in pīrāgi.)

Once the dough has cooled, one has to incorporate the remaining flour with a couple of other ingredients, and this involves the old-fashioned roll-up-your-sleeves method of kneading the dough. So, as you can see, the process is relatively time-consuming and certainly best done with at least one friend.

Guntis & Cameron take on the work of kneading.

Below is the full recipe in Latvian. If you desperate for an English-language version, let me know!

Milvoku Annas Puķītes piparkūkas (t.i. „ļoti garšīgas peperkūkas”) –
Dainas/Vašingtonas versija

8,5 – 9 krūzes milti izsijāti (loti svarīgi, ka visi milti tiek īsi pirms mīklas gatavošanas sijāti)
1 lb sviests
1 lb tumšais sīrups „Karo” (dark corn syrup). Var arī mēğināt izmantot medus/”molasses” kombinācīju.
1 lb tumši brūns cukurs (tas dod tumšāku krāsu nekā gaišais)
2 vai vairāk tējkarotes krustnagliņu pulveris (clove)
2 vai vairāk tējkarotes muskatriekstu pulveris (nutmeg)
2 vai vairāk tējkarotes ingvērs (ginger)
2 vai vairāk tējkarotes kanēlis (cinnamon)
2 vai vairāk tējkarotes “coriander”
2 vai vairāk tējkarotes “cardamon”
2 vai vairāk tējkarotes pipari
___________________________________________________
Visus produktus – atskaitot miltus – uzvāra kopā ar garšvielām lielā katlā, vāra uz zemas uguns un iznāk karameles sīrups (t.i. līdz cukurs izkusis un visas garšvielas kārtīgi iemaisītas).
Kad viss savārīts, tad vārošā iekuļ 2/3 miltus. Atdzesē apmēram stundu vai ilgāk ja vēl par karstu (vislabāk katlam pārklāt tīru trauku dvieli, un katlu ielikt garažā vai izlikt ārā). Pieliek 1 sakultu olu, 1 tējkaroti cepjamo pulveri un apmēram ½ paciņu raugu, (vislabāk ir olu sakult bļodiņā, tur klāt iemasīt pulveri un raugu) un to iemaisa un tad ar roku iemīca atlikušos miltus.
Mīklu izveido 4-6 bumbās vai kukulīšos. Satin vaska papīrā katru atsevišķi (netīt alumīnija papīrā – tas pielīp), ieliek plastikas maisiņos un glabā ledusskapī. Kad grib cept, tad izņem un tur istabas temperatūrā pāris stundas. Mīkla lieliski rullējas un neplīst vai nedrūp. Cep uz viegli smērētām pannām, 350 grādu krāsnī (tikai kādas 6-7 minūtes, atkarībā no cepumu biezuma un lieluma). Ļoti ārti cepas un sadeg. Jāuzmana!
Vēl piezīmes:
• Mīklu var ledusskapī droši vairākas nedēļas uzglabāt. Vislabāk ir ja mīkla vismaz vairākas dienas ledusskapī stāvējusi pirms cepšanas – kaut kā tad garšvielas visas kopā labāk savijas un izceļas.
• Izceptas piparkūkas uzglabā “Tupperware” vai līdzīgā kaste/bļodā ar ciešu vāku.
• Oriğinalā recepta pieprasa 2 tējkarotes no katras garšvielas, bet īstenibā garšīgak ir ja pievieno 3 tājkarotes no katras. Ja lieto novecojušas garšvielas, tad droši pievieno vismaz 3 tejkarotes. (Jaunākām/svaigākām garšvielām ir izteikti stiprāka garša.)

Latvia's 97th

This year Latvia celebrated 97 years since it declared independence on November 18, 1918. The Washington area Latvian community marked the day on November 15th.

May as well take a photo while we're dressed up!

The day began with a flag-raising outside the church, then most proceeded to the church service, while the Latvian school gathered for a small event of their own. The students were fortunate in that we had special guests - musician Laima Jansone and singer Zane Perkone, who later performed for the entire community, but in their time with the school, they engagingly educated us about the kokle.The type Laima plays is from Latgale, while the kokles we are more accustomed to seeing here in the U.S. are from the Kurzeme region.

Later the concert itself was absolutely fantastic. Afterward I did have a brief chance to chat with the performers; Laima was very interested to learn that my grandfather had made kokles here in the U.S.

As is always the case, following the concert everyone greatly enjoyed the reception - complete with champagne and many delicious hors d'ouevres. And as is often the case, I was one of the last to leave. It's always nice to see friends and acquaintances, and have an opportunity to catch up. 

At the tail end of the reception...

Although from my photos it may seem that only women were present at this event, I can assure you there were quite a few men, as well. But clearly they were not as photogenic!

Garezers-Palooza Music Festival

While there were many wonderful things about the Garezers 50 weekend, one stands out as a particular blessing and bonus, as it's not something that can be planned - outstanding weather. The entire weekend was sunny, dry, and not too hot. Like most summer camps, Garezers has little indoor space, and certainly none to accommodate enormous crowds, such as the over 1,500 people who had turned out for this celebration. As one of the organizing committee members honestly told me, "We had no Plan B" if it had rained, so we can all thank whichever Latvian goddess or god is responsible for weather, as they apparently realized how imperative good weather was for this momentous event!

On Saturday practically all events were held outdoors, where we all relished the sunshine. The morning official opening ceremony and subsequent panel discussion about Garerers' future took place a tad too early for some of us (and would have involved too much passive sitting for the kids!), and regrettably I did not make it to the Grasis Pavilion for that, as I was interested in the panel discussion. However, a very full day stood ahead of us - we were heading to the Atbalsis area for the first ever "Garezers-Palooza" music festival! While for many years Atbalsis was an independent entity, the fact that it recently became a part of Garezers was welcome news, and it was the perfect setting for this day-long event. In the spring volunteers had built a large addition to the main house's porch, and that served as the stage, while in the future the porch will be the perfect settings for parties and many outdoor meals.

Lini entertaining with their folk harmonies

Happily we arrived early enough to snag seats in the shade and enjoy the first performers, my good friends Lini, whom I know partially due to time spent at 3x3 camps in Garezers. They entertained with songs from their recordings, as well as new pieces. Lini was founded in 1994 in the Twin Cities, and has several recording to their name, but due to one member now residing in Latvia performs infrequently, so it was a rare treat to hear them. Their songs from a beautiful 1996 recording can be heard on YouTube. Two of my Lini favorites are Zviedzi zviedzi and Silta saule, karsta saule.

A couple of the other groups - Bob & the Latvians (founded in 1985, and very popular in the late 80s) and Frikadeļu zupa (founded in 1975, with performances and one record released in the late 70s) - had not performed in a very long time, thus it was also a fantastic treat to savor their music. Additional performers were the always popular Čikagas Piecīši and Adam Zahl, as well as the supremely entertaining rapper/hip-hop artist Delete who may have been performing his last show according to a rumor I heard. He was once part of the duo Latvian Syndicate, best known for their song "Riga-Detroita". Delete is a child of Garezers, and I particularly liked his artist bio in the printed program, where it stated that when in Garezers Delete likes to splash in the lake and visit Kantīne (the little store beloved by the camp kids for its candy and ice cream selection).

Frikadelu zupa

While adults listened to the music and chatted with one another, kids could keep themselves entertained in several large inflated "bounce houses," as well as a variety of games that had been set up on the lawn. Our appetites had also been considered in the planning, as a food stand was selling sausages and pulled pork sandwiches with sides and drinks. Many people came prepared for an all-day music festival - with their own seating, coolers full of drinks and snacks, hats, and sunscreen, and certainly a good percentage of us spent at least several hours in Atbalsis.

The atmosphere was relaxed and very social - it was wonderful to see a friend or acquaintance wherever one turned. I was able to catch up a bit with several friends I had not seen in a couple of years. At the same time, it was almost frustrating that the weekend was so short and the acquaintances so many, as there were many with whom I chatted for only a minute or two. Of course, as someone who tends a bit more towards introversion (while needing a decent amount of social interaction), I am also not the type of person who can just chit-chat all day long, and occasionally these short superficial conversations can be disappointing. Amusingly, I did have one exchange that afternoon in which an acquaintance and I seemingly read one another's minds: we saw one another, smiled, greeted one another while hugging, then - without launching into the typical "How are you?" exchange - almost simultaneously sighed, said "Yeah...", smiled again and then parted ways - having fully understood one another, while at the same time each having been glad to run into the other.

Having spent the better part of the day at Garezers-Palooza, and with both the kids and some of the adults having become restless and needing a bit of a break, we headed back to the house for some quiet time and dinner. The weekend's biggest event was taking place that evening, so the opportunity to recharge our batteries was appreciated.

"Satiksimies Garezerā!" - Movie & Fireworks

Other than seeing many friends and spending time with family, the part of Garezers 50th anniversary celebration to which I was most looking forward was the documentary film made by Māra Pelēcis. While many Latvian celebrations include concerts, social get-togethers, and even art exhibits, this may have been the first time that a professional film was made specifically about a Latvian-American organization.

For those who had supported the film as sponsors, we had an opportunity to attend a reception with Māra, her co-producer Cory McLeod, and the film's artist Linda Treija before the film's premier. Held at "Sēnītes" (aka little mushrooms, which in reality are over-sized mushrooms next to benches), we had a chance to chat with them, see Linda's original art which she drew specifically for the film, and enjoy a glass or two of wine.

With Linda

Linda's sketches & drawings. SPs represent!

Catching up with a friend, and being photo-bombed by her son.

The outdoor movie night took place in Dzintari. While walking from Sēnītes to Dzintari, I was awed by the setting sun: a bright orange orb, its golden rays reflecting beautifully in the calm lake.

There was already a great deal of  commotion. Two large screens had been set up - one on the main volleyball court, the other on the kids' beach. Volunteers were selling popcorn, much to the delight of the many children in attendance. Families and groups of friends kept arriving, with blankets and chairs in hand. I know that some of us were a bit afraid that too many folks, being social Latvians who have not seen one another in a long time, would use the screening as another opportunity to chat, but our fears were unfounded. After some short introductions, when the movie began, the audience was silent. It seemed that even the active kids who were playing on the jungle gym during the movie realized they needed to be quiet!

Popcorn eaten, just waiting for the movie to begin!

The film is titled "Satiksimies Garezerā!", which means "Let's meet in Garezers!" A slogan used a couple of decades ago, it is both an accurate slogan and title, as that is precisely what why we travel from around North America to this specific lake in southwestern Michigan - to meet others like us. Once the movie began, for the next 80 minutes the audience, as we say in Latvian, "dzīvoja līdzi" or immersed itself in the experience. There was laughter and much spontaneous applause, there was even an impromptu sing-along to a song in the film. I was most touched when the narrator mentioned Garezers' founder Rev. Vilis Vārsbergs, with an old photo of him appearing on screen, and the audience broke out into applause. After all, without his idea, vision and work, we would not have experienced that meta moment - sitting in Garezers, watching a film about Garezers and about ourselves. Rev. Vārsbergs passed away in the spring of 2012, but his widow, his children and grandchildren were at the celebration.

By all accounts, the film was a huge success, and did an excellent job of showing what Garezers is, and why it is so meaningful to many people. Later I heard a few viewers complain that they would have preferred more about Garezers' history to be reflected in the film, but as Māra explained to me, such a goal would have been difficult to accomplish while keeping the viewers truly engaged. History in the movie was explained via interviews and old photographs, and as Māra said, no one wants to watch a film featuring "talking heads."

After the movie, it was time for something else unusual -- a professional fireworks display, courtesy of donors who specifically funded that. The launch area was behind the pond known as Dūņezers (next to Ods, for those who know Garezers geography well), thus many of us watched from the beach or from the side of the pond. I certainly had never been so close to such an impressive display, although at such a close distance and on a small lake, the noise was at times overwhelmingly loud.

View from side of Dūņezers. Photo credit: Edvīns Rūsis

Other people watched from their lake house balconies, or from boats out on the lake. 

View from the lake. Credit: Ērika Sensnovis

Pretty! Photo credit: Edvīns Rūsis

To many it was a festive and fun conclusion to an enjoyable day. However, there were concerns among some viewers about the environmental impact of the fireworks, as well as how the money (provided by donors specifically for this purpose) could have been utilized for other needs.

After trekking back to the house, it was midnight before anyone got to bed -  incredibly late for a 6 year old and a 2,5 year old, and even a bit too late for others! However, the day had been a memorable one, and yet another day full of Garezers fun awaited.

*Special thanks to Ērika and Edvīns for kindly allowing me to use their photographs!

Kas ir Garezers? Es esmu Garezers!

The Latvian Center Garezers celebrated its 50th anniversary in grand fashion over the July 4th weekend. The celebration's slogan was "Kas ir Garezers? Es esmu Garezers," which I decided to use as the title although my post is in English. "What is Garezers? I am Garezers" perfectly sums up this place which has been so important to many North American Latvians. Thousands of people have played a role Garezers' history, and many of us have filled various roles. Garezers would not exist if not for the founders and their vision and perseverance, the countless volunteers who do everything from build buildings to stack chairs to paint walls to shelve books, the children and teenagers who attend the programs, the parents who drive them there and foot most or all of the bill, the summer employees who work tirelessly with little pay, the full-time employees who work tirelessly through the year, the visitors who attend events or spend weekends or vacation time in a Garezers cabin or tent, the shareholders who own Garezers, and the many donors who support it.

Given how important Garezers has been in my life, I had every intention of attending the celebration; it had been on my calendar for two years, and although July is a difficult time for me to take time off from work, I'd made plans to make sure I would be there. As I kept hearing about more and more friends planning on participating, and as I pitched in with some volunteer work in the weeks leading up to the big event, I felt like a little kid waiting for Christmas!

Due to schedules and other considerations, I drove to Michigan instead of flying. The drive between DC and Three Rivers, Michigan is not an exciting one, and at best can be done in under ten hours. I left home at 7.10am,  and was pleased that traffic moved smoothly during the entire trip. Amusingly, my sole "delay" was when I ran into friends at an Ohio service plaza. They, too, were on their way from the DC area to Garezers! When I mentioned this to an American friend who also travels frequently, he observed, "You run into all sorts of people. I don't think I've ever run into someone I know while traveling." Well, this is what happens when one is Latvian and one knows people everywhere! The rest of my roadtrip was uneventful. With only a few quick stops on the way, I happily drove into Garezers at 4.45pm.

My sister, brother-in-law, little nephew and niece, mom, and I all rented a private summer home in the nearby "Ciems Latvija" neighborhood. I arrived to find my eldest niece and her husband setting up a tent and fancy sun shade in the backyard, and after everyone had settled in, they provided us with a delicious dinner of grilled meats and various side dishes (fresh meat purchased from Food Dance, and sides from Water Street Coffee, both in Kalamazoo). The weather was absolutely perfect, and we relished sitting outside, enjoying the late-setting sun, crisp Michigan countryside air, chirping birds, and even fresh blueberries from the backyard bushes.

Post-dinner relaxation

The weekend's first event--a beach party sponsored by the American Latvian Youth Association-- took place that evening, however, I was too tired from my long drive, and too relaxed after dinner and playtime with kids to seriously contemplate going. Unfortunately, that meant I missed a performance of the group "All Folked Up," which by all accounts was great.

Friday morning my eldest niece, a friend, and I volunteered at the event's registration table, a fun way to help out while welcoming some of the many visitors arriving in Garezers for the weekend. 

x 2 = 50! Retro mug at the house.

For some folks Friday was a day of sports - many individuals participated in the First Arnis Skulte Open golf tournament in the morning, while in the afternoon there was a East Coast vs. Midwest soccer match. My day, however, was more culturally oriented.

I spent part of the afternoon visiting Klinklāva Art Gallery to see the special exhibit, which featured an enormous variety of pieces, all of which were for sale. Some were donated, others had been provided by the artists. For your viewing enjoyment, below are a number of photos; I only apologize for not knowing the titles for these works.

Painting by Girts Purins

Metal sculpture by Gints Grinbergs

Painting by Janis Kalmite

Painting by Sasha Kinens

By Evalds Dajevskis

Painting by Sasha Kinens

Metalwork by Gints Grinbergs

Painting by Margarita Kovalevska

This is but a tiny selection of the many works that were exhibited. For a final bit of art as I finish this post (I will continue description of day 1 in the next post!), I spotted the adorable dancers below on the wall of Zemitāni (one of the GVV dormitories). They remind me of characters from the Richard Scarry books I loved as a child!

More from Ziedins' exhibit "Travels in the Imagination"

Good news! After figuring out how to manipulate the photos that were being finicky and which I was unable to include in my original post, I am now able to share a few more photographs from the art exhibit about which I recently gushed. The exhibit is on view until July 26, and I'll point out that the Katzen Arts Center is closed on Mondays, while Tuesday through Sunday it's open 11:00am to 4:00pm.

"Bust" 1980s

"Box: Beverina." 1988

The artist's desk.

Exhibit description

Katzen Arts Center

Latvian "Street Art" in Garezers

Last summer, while visiting Garezers for the GVV 50th anniversary weekend, I photographed a few other things to share with you in addition to photos of those events. Now that summer has arrived, and slightly over 100 North American teenagers are getting ready to attend GVV, it might be a good time to finally show you those photographs!

My dear friend Linda Treija has been teaching art to the Garezers' program participatns for quite a few years, and she continually comes up with wonderful public art projects for the students to work on. Below are three relatively small pieces, which, while not large in size, are quite powerful. For those familiar with GVV buildings, the first two are on Kronvalda zāle, while the third is on the wall of Vecā vidusskola.

A relatively new building in the GVV territory is Avoti, named after GVV's founding father Eduards Avots. The building contains classrooms, and the hallway has been beautifully decorated with an enormous mural featuring characters from Latvian literature and various famous authors. Piecinieki tiem, kuri visvairāk atpazīst! The mural was not quite complete when I visited, but it looked fantastic nonetheless, and I look forward to seeing the finished product. These kids have got some talent!

If you do visit Garezers (and don't have kids attending GVV) sometime this summer, I highly encourage you to venture past Dzintari, baznīca and kantīne to the GVV area to see this art in person. In addition to these pieces, there is a large older mural inside Kronvalda zale. It was completed in

If you do visit Garezers (and don't have kids attending GVV) sometime this summer, I highly encourage you to venture past Dzintari, baznīca and kantīne to the GVV area to see this art in person. The other wonderful things to visit in the immediate vicinity that are well worth your time are three museums. If you think, how in the world can there be three museums in the middle of the Michigan woods, and you have never taken the time to them, then you have no idea what you're missing! The Klinklavs Art Gallery, located on the second floor of Kronvalda zāle, is home to the largest collection of Latvian art outside of Latvia, and will be hosting an amazing art market during Garezers' 50th anniversary celebration next week. The O. Grīns Folk Art Museum, located next to the art gallery in Kronvalda zāle, has a beautiful and impressive collection of folk costumes, knitted mittens, jewelry, and much more - some it recently crafted, while other pieces were brought to the U.S. from Europe by post-war refugees. The Latvian Boy Scout & Girl Guide Museum is the most recent addition, and exhibits information and artifacts reflecting the history of Latvian scouting. Bonus tip regarding visiting these spaces: they are air conditioned, which can bring welcome relief and respite on a hot summer's day!