Yale Whiffenpoofs on the Millennium Stage

Washington truly has an abundance of riches when it comes to cultural performances, particularly when one considers that a fair number of these events are free of charge. The best series of free performances happens at the Kennedy Center -- the Millennium Stage offers a daily dose of arts: classical music, dance, contemporary music, etc, are all performed for free every single day at 6pm. Just keep an eye the schedule online, and make time to either go see the performance in person, or watch online!

When I saw that the Yale Whiffenpoofs - the country's oldest and probably best known American collegiate acapella group - were going to be performing, I immediately invited a couple of friends to join me.

It was a wonderful concert -- quite a few of their numbers gave me goosebumps. Of course, as a Latvian, I can really appreciate good choral performances! The entire performance can be seen online via this link. In particular I enjoyed their version of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Boxer" and James Taylor's "Carolina on My Mind."

If you ever happen to have the chance to see the Whiffenpoofs perform, I highly suggest not passing that up, although the entire group changes over every year, as only seniors can be members.

And if you are ever in DC and tire of the museums, definitely check out what's happening on the Millennium Stage -- and show up at least 15 minutes (if not more!) early if you hope to get a seat!

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!

Mēs Esam Garezers! - Garezers 50

We arrived in Dziesmu leja/Song Valley Saturday evening, marveling at the sheer number of people present - we hadn't seen it that full in years, and we sat higher on the hillside than usual, although I must admit that observing the audience adds a certain entertaining element to watching the show.

Waiting for the show to begin!

The program began somewhat unexpectedly with a woman standing in the middle of the dance floor announcing, "Man ir 50 gadi! - I am fifty years old!" This was followed by a man, clearly a fair amount older, striding out to announce that he is 50 years old. Next came a young girl, who also said that she is fifty years old. Then a group of folk dancers ran out to yell that they are also 50 years old. By this point I think everyone in the audience had understood the touching all-inclusive theme, echoing the celebration's slogan of "Kas ir Garezers? Es esmu Garezers!" - because we are all a part of Garezers, we were all celebrating our 50th birthdays! Appropriately, the evening's concert was titled "Mēs esam Garezers!" ("We are Garezers!").

With an impressive number of performers - both singers and dancers - from several cities and GVV, a varied program of singing interspersed with dancing, and a great thematic idea, the concert was a rousing success. Beginning with a string of dances to represent the atmosphere (Vide)....

followed by children singing and dancing to represent childhood days spent in Garezers (Bērnu dienas)...

which was naturally followed by a high school segment (Vidusskolas laiki), which featured the dance "Gandrīz tautas deja" (Almost a folk dance), choreographed by GVV graduate Margrieta Langina and set to the famous song "Gandrīz tautas dziesma" by the famous Latvian rock group Pērkons. The only video of this dance I could find is this one, but if you've never seen a folk dance set to rock music, I suggest watching at least an excerpt!

The sections that followed were on returning/giving back (Atdeve), friendship (Draudzība), family (Ģimene), and Permanence (Pastavība). Two dances which earned the most applause and which were most fun to watch were in the friendship section, and fortunately the performances by Toronto's folk dance ensemble Daugaviņa have been posted online: "Nerejati ciema suni", as well as "Laucinieku deja," (the group behind Daugaviņa is Milwaukee's Metieniņš) choreographed by another GVV graduate and former teacher Iveta Asone. It was particularly entertaining to watch some of the men dance, as a couple of them are well over 6ft tall and stocky, yet they were moving as lightly and happily as young children.

Another wonderful moment was the performance of "Ģērbies, saule sudrabota," jointly performed by the choir, the folk ensemble All Folked Up, and by several dance groups. Two of the more beautiful songs included in the program were the moving "Svetī debesis šo zemi" and the beloved "Saule, pērkons, Daugava."

Two happy spectators!

The concert closed with the always popular song "Gaismas pils," and then with the entire audience standing up, everyone - choir, dancers, spectators - holding hands, and singing "Pūt, vējiņi!" I'm quite certain there were a few misty eyes to be found. By this point we all knew - we are Garezers.

Then it was time to party! (Or bedtime for a few folk in our party, so they headed home.) First up: Bob & the Latvians, who have posted a three-minute video featuring snippets from both their Garezers-Palooza and Saturday evening performances. They were followed Latvian superstars Pērkons. Photographer Brita Brookes took some amazing photos of their performance. I was busy visiting with friends at the top of the hill -- we were so happy to catch up and observe the scene from afar that we didn't seriously contemplate going down to the stage and dance floor.

Catching up

View from the top of the hill

Happy on the hilltop - until one friend who'd ventured into the valley returned and excitedly exclaimed: "The view down there is so different! The music's great, and so is the energy. I say we go down and party like it's the 90s. Who's with me?!?" This was expressed with such enthusiasm that we couldn't say no. And she was right! Pērkons puts on an amazing show! Interestingly, while I don't count myself among the biggest of their fans, Pērkons' music has apparently been so ubiquitous in my life that I was singing along to many of their songs. 

Pērkons!

While they played a total of three sets, regrettably sis and I did not have the energy to stay that late. We were walking out of Dziesmu leja as they began playing their best-known song, Gandrīz tautas dziesma, so I sang and hummed along while we strolled back to the house, ingenious (thanks, Ks & N!) headlamps lighting our way on the dark country roads, which were otherwise only illuminated by many fireflies flitting about in the magical summer night.

What's an event in Dziesmu leja without a bonfire?

Music & Food in Boston

Boston is an iconic American city, and one that I enjoy greatly. With having family there and with the availability of relatively inexpensive and short flights from the DC area, I visit quite frequently. My most recent trip coincided with a Latvian concert I wanted to attend. It ended up being a low-key, relaxing weekend, with a heavy emphasis on good food.

Arriving mid-day on a Thursday, I took the T into the city (great travel tip: taking the Silver Line from the airport to any end-point in the T system is free!), and met a friend of a friend. Carla and I had been Twitter friends for a while; a friend and colleague of mine knew Carla from college and had mentioned Carla's love and study of chocolate.. Being a chocoholic, I was intrigued, so I looked her up and we began following one another on Twitter. Naturally, I brought her a few local DC area chocolates, Undone (my absolute favorite - the sea salt bar is amazingly good) and Salazon, to sample. She had plans to take me to a chocolate cafe, but it was lunchtime, and before we could enjoy chocolate, I needed savory sustenance, for which Carla chosen a wonderful little place called Sofra. The day's special was a chili with coffee and chocolate--clearly that had my name written all over it. The chili was flavorful, and the salad I ordered was incredibly fresh. 

Then we proceeded to L.A. Burdick, which is best known for its adorable chocolate mice and penguins, but it also has a small cafe. There we each sipped a decadent hot chocolate or mocha and a piece of cake (they only had one option that was relatively gluten-free, and it was average - the other desserts looked far more decadent). Much of the cafe had a European feel to it, but I found the uncomfortable seats to be a bit disappointing, although it might be their way of discouraging long-term sitting. On our way out, I picked up a few small truffles to take with me. We still had time to check out Harvard Coop, which is one of the more attractive American bookstores I've visited. Naturally, I found a book to purchase, but also nicer than average postcards to send to a Twitter friend and my youngest niece and nephew, who probably receive more postcards in a year than many people do in a lifetime. During our entire visit Carla and I were so busy chatting that I ended up not taking any photos. However - if you've never been to Cambridge and Harvard Square particularly, I can assure you it's a fun and rather photogenic part of Boston, and one I am always happy to re-visit. Carla and I eventally parted ways, but before getting back on the T, I stopped in at the very entertaining Curious George Store.

In the evening, I joined my family members in heading to the Latvian Lutheran church, which is located in a lovely part of Brookline. The Boston Latvian Choir has recently been an ad hoc group, under the leadership of the supremely talented Krissy Skare. A group of singer and musicians had come together late last fall, and held a Christmas concert to rave reviews. I only saw short video clips, but was duly impressed. Earlier this year, I received an email asking what Latvian songs about the sun I know. I shared a fair amount of information, and thus found out that the choir was planning a spring concert, and promptly booked a flight (yay for frequent flyer miles!).

The concert was titled "Lec, Saulīte!" or "Rise, Sun!", and featured a variety of sun and summer solstice-themed pieces, performed by the choir and ensembles/soloists/instrumentalists in varying combinations. The program was  entertaining, moving, and certainly one of the most fun Latvian choir concerts I've ever attended. I will mention just some of the highlights.

"Ģērbies, saule, sudrabota," a folksong arranged for mixed choir by Anita Kupriss, is a much-loved piece often heard at concerts and festivals, including the final concert of the Latvian National Song Festival in 2008. Anita lives in the Boston area, and sings with the choir, thus it was particularly touching to hear this song performed by a choir of which she is a part.

A performance that surprised me with its beauty was a viola solo by Silvija Kristapsone - it was a medley of summer solstice songs, arranged by her father, Māris Kristapsons. When one is accustomed to singing these songs or hearing them sung, an instrumental performance can show the melodies in a different light. Another lovely  solo, this one vocal, was Krissy Skare's interpretation of the well-known folksong "Saulīt' vēlu vakarā."

Krissy preparing to sing - accompanied by pianist Bret Silverman

The Latgallian folk song "Aizalaida sauļeite" as arranged by Iļģi but interpreted by the choir, was perfomed by the women, with instrumentals by several performers, was a huge hit. Anita Kupriss played the trompet, and while that's an instrument one doesn't typically associate with Latvian music, it worked incredibly well. I managed to record about a minute and a half of the song, and you can view that here. You'll notice how much fun the performers are having!

The biggest hit of the night was "Lec, saulīte!" by Raimonds Tiguls and Rasa Bugavičute. I wish I'd been able to record some of it, but I was too busy listening to and appreciating the gorgeous music. The audience loved the song so much that there were very Latvian requests of "Atkārtot!" (Repeat!) coming from the row behind me. Because the song is a bit lengthy, Krissy had the choir repeat only the second part. However, this song is so beautiful, and it was so movingly performed that the American woman who doesn't understand a word of Latvian sitting next to me - who doesn't understand a word of Latvian - was wiping away tears. For a version of the song as performed by a much larger group, you can check out this video of the grand finale of a 2014 summer solstice dance and music performance in Riga. (The composer Tiguls is the same one whom I saw in New York City when he performed with the choir Latvija. In the previous video he can be seen with a plaid scarf around his neck, and flowers in his hands. If you'd like to learn the words to "Lec, saulīte!" see this karaoke-style video.)

For the final piece, the choir had chosen a folksong called "Noriet saule vakarā," as arranged by Folkvakars. We were asked to sing and even dance along. I'm hoping no one has a photo of me singing and dancing in the aisle, but - boy - that was enjoyable!

Like I said - a fun concert!

The next couple of days were spent relaxing and eating. I had the chance to try out the Roslindale restaurant Redd's in Rozzie, the amazing Jamaica Plains dessert heaven FoMu, as well as Inna's Kitchen in Newton, all of which I would return to in a heartbeat! The paella at Redd's, the purple mu ice cream and mini gluten-free sandwich cookies at FoMu, and the buckwheat blintzes, iced coffee, and freshly squeeze orange juice at Inna's were - essentially - perfect. Also, service in all three spots was friendly and helpful (something which all to frequently cannot be found at DC area dining establishments).

My flight back to the DC area was on Saturday evening, as I wanted to be at the DC Latvian school's graduation on Sunday (the students graduating had been my students a number of years ago). And because clearly I'd not eaten enough during my visit, I made time to enjoy a crabmeat roll (on gluten-free bun!) at the airport's Legal Sea Foods before getting on the plane.

It might be a while before I get back to Boston, and I'm grateful I had this opportunity to visit - to spend time with family, and experience that fantastic concert!

Happy Friday, People!

Earlier this week I attended the Maris Briezkalns Quintet's performance on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage as they presented the world premiere of "Rothko in Jazz." The recording of the hour-long concert can be found here on the Kennedy Center's website.

Tomorrow is Independent Bookstore Day, a rather new phenomenon, but a great one! There seems to be no comprehensive website of all events around the country, but if you search for "independent bookstore day" and your area, or just look up your favorite bookstore's website, you might find the store has special events planned. I will be stopping by Washington's best bookstore, Politics & Prose, where the wise and amusing folks there have scheduled a full day of fun. Of particular note is the fact that all of the participating stores will be selling limited edition items such as this incredibly adorable baby onesie.

(Source: Politics-Prose.com)

Enjoy your weekend!!!

A Latvian Choir and Mikhail Baryshnikov

Latvia has many outstanding choirs, but one of the absolute best is the State Choir Latvija (aka The Latvian National Choir) with artistic director and conductor Maris Sirmais at its helm. When I heard they would be performing two concerts in New York City, I knew it was a great excuse to get back to that city. After consulting with extended family in NYC, I bought a ticket for the performance at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, and made travel plans.

On the evening of the performance my cousin, his wife, and I took the subway into Manhattan from their home in Brooklyn, then walked about a half-mile until the BAC, it being located a bit off the beaten path in the area known as Hell's Kitchen. Upon walking into the entrance of the center, much to my delight I immediately spotted my friend Līvija, who had traveled Philadelphia for the concert. We had not seen one another in quite a while, so it was an incredibly pleasant surprise to meet her.

As many people know, Baryshnikov was born in Riga. In his role of founder of the arts center that bears his name, he has been supportive of Latvian artists, thus was not surprising to see him and his wife in the audience of the relatively intimate theater where the concert took place.

The choir was comprised of slightly more than fifty singers, and filled the space with their incredible voices. The program contained mostly contemporary Baltic composers, and most were pieces I heard for the first time. Although the songs were all listed in the program with English titles, a number were sung in other languages, including Latvian, Estonian and Polish.

Photo credit: Kristine

This review does an excellent job describing the details! I agree that the less familiar composers definitely made an impression. Shall we just point out that Jēkabs Jančevskis was born in 1992, making him college-aged?

The piece that struck me the most was by Raimonds Tiguls, whose work I am somewhat familiar with, in particular the gorgeous Dod, Dievini!, which was sung at the Latvian Song Festival in 2013. Before the concert began I thought I noticed Tiguls sitting in the audience, and - indeed he was, as he participated in the performance of his piece by playing a unique instrument called the hang. Although this video features a different choir performing that piece, I urge you to watch (or at least listen to it), as you might also find it captivating.

Tiguls in white shirt on the right, Sirmais on the left in black shirt

After the end of the program and a standing ovation, the choir performed a rousing version of the folksong Rīga, Dimd!, then - after another insistent standing ovation - the evening was, like many Latvian events, closed with Pūt, Vejiņi!, a folksong that gained hymn-like status during Soviet Occupation. This video is of the performance of Pūt, Vejiņi! that evening - filmed with my not-so-new camera, thus I apologize for the less-than-stellar quality, but it is such a beautiful arrangement of the song, particularly the solo at the end.

My cousin, wife, and I had walked about two blocks back toward the subway stop before my realization that I had left my scarf in the theater. We returned, and I once again running into Līvija in the lobby, who told me that our friend Kristīne was also in attendance. While chatting with Līvija, I also met two other acquaintances, then went to find Kristīne, who was visiting NYC from Minnesota. It was so great to run into her, and as my cousin's wife had said while we were walking back to the center - I'd forgotten my scarf for a reason!

Overall, it was a magical evening, and I am grateful I could attend this performance. If you ever have the chance to see the Latvian National Choir perform, don't miss it!

A few weeks later exciting cultural news from Latvia: Baryshnikov is collaborating with Alvis Hermanis of the New Rīga Theater on a new play based on Nobel prize-winning poet Joseph Brodsky's poetry, with whom Baryshnikov was good friends. The play will run in Rīga in October, then tour the U.S. in 2016. Looks like I have at least one thing on my "to do" list for next year!

GVV Golden Anniversary (or: How I Partied in Michigan)

This year GVV (if you're asking "What's GVV?" - see here) celebrated its 50th academic summer with a weekend full of events and festivities.

I flew to Michigan on Friday, and spent that day visiting with family, which meant we weren't able to make it to the Friday evening campfire. However, on Saturday sis and I drove to Garezers, and immediately jumped into the events. We did hear that the campfire had been fun, with several well-prepared skits, particularly one by the current GVV principal and her two predecessors. The premise was that they had retired, and now all lived in the same retirement home, but just could not leave their time at the school in the past.

Garezers is a shareholder organization; it is owned by many different Latvian organizations - congregations, clubs, fraternities and sororities. However, part of its operating budget and financing for special projects comes from individual donations. One wonderful tradition that exists within the Latvian-American community is memorial donations. When a person passes away, family members select an organization to which donations can be made in their memory (often said to be in lieu of flowers, and usually listed in the obituary). In some cases it might be the person's congregation, in other cases it might be a scholarship fund in Latvia, in yet other cases it might be Garezers.

Earlier this year, some unexpected and rather severe environmental damage had ruined the patio area (which often serves as a gathering point) of GVV's largest building. Donations made in memory of  an individual who had recently passed away were used to rebuild the patio, and on Saturday afternoon the area was officially unveiled and blessed. I had known the individual, so I'd donated in his memory, thus it was nice to be present at the unveiling and see the good that these donations had brought.

Afterward we attended an art exhibit opening, something most people wouldn't picture when thinking of a camp in the middle of the woods. However, Garezers has an impressive art collection, which is actually the largest Latvian art collection outside of Latvia. There is also a nice gallery space where two different exhibits are held each summer. For this occasion, GVV graduates and employees were asked to participate in an exhibit. Twenty-one artists - both professional and amateur - were represented, with a wide variety of works. Some of them were for sale, and a couple certainly spoke to me, but I didn't break out the checkbook due to transport issues.

A selection of the artwork

Couple of prints by my old friend Laima

The painting is by Janis Kalmite, famous Latvian-American painter and longtime GVV teacher

My sister and I also had the interesting experience of being interviewed by our friend, filmmaker Māra Pelēcis. She is making a film about Garezers to be shown next summer when the entire center celebrates its fiftieth birthday. Māra already has two documentaries to her credit, one called "Starp Latvijam" (Between Latvias) and another called "Souvenirs: Healing After War." Because sis and I have spent so much time at Garezers, it was difficult to recall specific favorite memories, given that we have hundreds. I was also reminded that my talents tend to lie in writing more than in extemporaneous speaking.

We visited with some friends before meeting up with mom for the big anniversary event. The dinner, concert, and dance were all held in an outdoor area called "Dziesmu leja," which literally translated means valley of song. Basically it's an amphitheater slash basketball court. Well, this basketball court had never looked as lovely as it did that night! 450 people people were attending the dinner, and we were all seated at beautiful tables with white tablecloths and neat centerpieces. At times it seemed that rain might threaten our fancy outdoor dinner, but luckily the weather held out. We were treated to passed appetizers, and then a buffet featuring pulled pork and a multitude of delicious side dishes.

Just some of the 450 dinner attendees

Cute centerpiece - but a tad disappointing that sign is in English!

After dinner, the  high school and middle school students presented a concert; these concerts at the end of the fourth week have become a tradition, and it never ceases to amaze me how talented some of the teenagers are, nor how much they learn in four short weeks. One particularly impressive performance was a duet of "Manai Dzimtenei," an immensely beloved choral piece that I'd never heard sung by only two singers. Considering the singers are only 17 years old, they did a fantastic job.

Joint GVV and middle school choir

Once the concert was over, a swarm of volunteers descended to remove the tables and chairs. Voila - dance floor! It was time to get the party started!! Earlier in the summer, two GVV graduates had asked the others to nominate favorite songs from the Saturday night dances. Nominations poured in, and from that long list, we voted on our fifty absolute favorites. The music played at these dances seems to have been eclectic for years already; I showed the poll to a couple of American friends, and they commented that it was a strange mix.  The top 50 list can be viewed here. The DJ started with 50, and counted them down one by one. At the beginning only a few people danced, but as the night wore on and the songs became more popular, the number of dancers grew. It was awesome to see graduates of all ages out partying - those who graduated last year and are only 18 years old, and some who graduated decades ago and are in their 50s. At times the dance floor held 200 or so happy dancing Latvian-Americans.

Many of the top 50 songs will be familiar to most of my readers, but the number 1 song, "Rasputin" by Boney M, might leave you scratching your head. Therefore, I invite you to check out this video on YouTube, and imagine several large circles of people, standing shoulder-to-shoulder/arm-in-arm, kicking their legs like Russian dancers. That is an old GVV tradition, which apparently originated in the late 1970s when that particular song was actually well known, but the song and dancing have been passed down through the years.

It was late when Rasputin was played, but plenty of people were interested in continuing to dance and party, so the DJ obliged, and provided more music by playing songs that had been nominated but hadn't made it into to the top fifty. By 2.30am, my spirits were flagging a bit, however. I hadn't danced like that in very long time, and it was enormously fun, but also quite tiring (particularly seeing as I'm a morning person nowadays, meaning staying up past midnight is pretty late for me!). Two friends and I were staying in a rental cabin near the lake, and one of them agreed it was time to call it quits. We chatted and visited while washing up in the communal restrooms (always fun to run into old acquaintances at 3am!), then fell into our respective beds. Although I was exhausted, I was also wound up from the busy and intense day, which included meeting and chatting with scores of friends and acquaintances. So very wound up that I couldn't fall asleep....and so accustomed to waking up early in the morning (downside of having gotten into generally healthy habit of waking up at 5.45am many mornings in order to be at the gym by 6am) that I ended up sleeping very little. However, the next morning, while much of Garezers was still sleeping, I enjoyed the peace and quiet for a while by relaxing at the lake shore.

After a breakfast of champions (beef jerky, blueberries, some kind of energy type of drink sis had bought and left behind, gluten-free cookies) and more chatting and visiting with a couple of friends, mom swung by, and she and I headed to the church service. I am not much of a church-goer in my daily life, however, I almost always enjoy services at Garezers. Every Sunday a different person leads the service - typically out of the six or seven-week season, four or five services are led by Lutheran ministers from different congregations, one by a Baptist minister, and one by a Catholic priest. Services are almost always enhanced by musical performances - sometimes by the younger camp kids, other times by the GVV students. Plus, you are sitting in the lovely outdoor church which overlooks the lake!

A GVV choir adding music to the service

The rest of the day was spent in true Latvian fashion - hanging out, talking to people, and eating Michigan blueberries. (Although I will also mention that mom and I drove into the nearest town, Three Rivers, for lunch and I do not recommend eating at Brewster's - my meal was incredibly underwhelming. However, if you are in Three Rivers and are a bibliophile or reader in any shape or form, I highly recommend checking out Lowry's Books on Main Street, as it has a good selection of new books and an amazing assortment of used books.) 

It was a truly fantastic weekend to celebrate a wonderful institution, and I am grateful I could be a part of it.

Five pounds of Michigan blueberries - the best berries available!

Two Fun June Weekends

Last weekend I flew to Michigan to take care of my niece and nephew. This was a team effort together with my mom; the kids love Omīte, but they are at an age where they are a handful! My sister and brother-in-law were on a well-deserved mini-vacation. So I fed the kids goats' milk yogurt (which they loved!) and scrambled eggs and lots of fruit, and played with them, read to them, went on outings with them, and - in 21 moth old niece's case - changed quite a few diapers. We were blessed with amazing weather, so a fair amount of time was spent outside. My nephews loves sports, and he and I played football several times and basketball once. Two walks were also taken, as well as a field trip to the beautiful Meijer Gardens. In my quest to experience something new each week this summer, I had the opportunity to visit Clique Coffee Bar, located  quite close to Meijer Gardens. The drinks and cookies we had were excellent, meaning I will need to incorporate stops here into our family's regular visits to the Gardens.

This bear guards the entrance to the wonderful children's garden.

Just one of the many fun and interesting sculptures at Meijer Gardens

These are the Great Lakes!

This weekend was full of social activities. Friday night four friends and I went to a concert at the Artisphere in Arlington. The group I was interested in seeing was San Francisco's The Family Crest, which was the opening act for Mother Falcon. The Family Crest was fantastic, and afterwards I met a few of the band members, all of whom were very nice (of course, they might have been so friendly just because they were hoping to sell me a t-shirt or two!).

My favorite TFC song is "Love Don't Go" - I could listen to that several times a day, and the video is just fun. Earlier in the day TFC had recorded a "Tiny Desk Concert" at NPR, and I am looking forward to seeing that. Mother Falcon had recorded such a concert at NPR last summer. 

Thanks to B,C,K, and R for joining me - it was a very fun night! And thank you to B and C for the photos!

Very cool poster for this concert!

With B & C

The Family Crest performing

Saturday afternoon a friend from work hosted a housewarming party and cook-out. Given that this time of year the weather is typically hot and humid, it was bizarre to put on a cute summer dress for the party - and promptly freeze. The weather was unseasonably fall-like. I had a good time at the party, but was happy to return home and change into warm clothes! 

Sunday turned out to be a very busy day. After going to yoga in the morning, and having a friend over for brunch, it was time for the biggest Latvian party of the year - summer solstice/Midsummer's Eve/St. John's - whatever you'd like to call it. I celebrated with Baltic friends in a lovely location in Northern Virginia, thanks to the generosity and hospitality of some Estonian hosts. I will probably post some photos and write a bit more about it later, but in the meantime - Priecīgus Jāņus!

Highlights of 2013

We all love lists nowadays, don't we?

Best novels read:

• The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. (Adelle Waldman)
• Wonder (R.J. Palacio)
• The Fault in Our Stars (John Green)

Latvian novel I wanted to like but could not even finish:

• Latviesi ir Visur (Otto Ozols)

Loveliest state park visited:

• Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania

  

  One of 17 waterfalls seen during the 3.2 mile hike in Ricketts Glen SP

  
  

  
  

 Best new (to me) city visited:

• Greenville, South Carolina

Best "finally crossing off my bucket list" places visited:

• Yellowstone National Park
• Grand Teton National Park

Sunrise in Grand Teton National Park.

Best family event attended:

• Youngest niece's baptism

 Best non-family event attended:

• Andra and Aleks' wedding
  

  

  Old Latvian summer high school classmates - Aleks in the middle was the one getting married

  
  

   

Most interesting and thought-provoking documentaries seen:

• The Stories We Tell
• Miss Representation (highly, highly recommended for everyone, especially those raising children; it's available on Netflix)

  Most off-the-beaten-path place visited:

• Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho

 Best concert attended:

• TRIO: Smite Karkle Cinkuss at the DC area Latvian Center

 Trip that deepened my waterfall obsession:

• Shenandoah National Park, where two hikes included waterfalls

  

  Contemplating life at a waterfall in Shenandoah NP

  
  

  Best random find (although I cannot take credit for it):
• Mesa Falls in the Targhee National Forest, Idaho

  

  Upper Falls of Mesa Falls (view of Lower Falls is far less impressive)

  
  

  
  

  
  

Best random adventure I can take credit for:

• Visiting the Eastern Idaho State Fair 

New U.S. states visited:

•  Idaho
• Montana (although I definitely need to return to see more of it - particularly Glacier NP)
• Wyoming
• South Carolina (need to return to see Charleston and that side of the state)