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!

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!

Washington Area Christmas Markets

The diversity of ethnics groups and traditions represented in the Washington area is one of the major benefits of living here. Craving Peruvian, Ethiopian, or Korean cuisine for dinner? No problem! Want to be friends with people from diverse backgrounds? No problem!

A Christmas-time tradition for many European groups is the Christmas market. This year was my third time attending the Finnish bazaar, which I described in detail last year. I also swung by the Norwegian bazaar one Saturday; it was smaller than the Finnish one, and photographically not as impressive. The food did smell amazing - I was particularly tempted by the advertised warm rice pudding! 

After many years of hoping to make it to the Christmas market organized by the German School of Washington, this year I was finally able to attend, and I must say it might be my new favorite. Because I speak German and have spent considerable time in Germany, those Christmas customs are near and dear to my heart. 

I arrived at the market at noon, and while bee-lining for the lunch line was able to hear snippets of German Christmas carols sung by the children's choir -- the same songs my German immersion elementary school choir sang years ago. The lunch options were bratwurst or Leberkäse, plus sauerkraut and potato salad. A perfect-looking German roll came with each meal, but you could also purchase a large Bretzel (pretzel) for only $2. My bratwurst, sauerkraut and potato salad came to $10, and my meal was very filling, though next time I would skip the potato salad - it wasn't that exciting.

After lunch I wandered outside, where I was tickled to find a half-dozen traditional market booths -- the type one sees at outdoor European Christmas markets.

The most popular booth was selling glühwein ($3), while others offered crafts, Lebkuchen (gingerbread) or cinnamon nuts. Additional stands outside were selling crepes (also hugely popular), non-alcoholic drinks, and chocolate-covered fruit. The last one was my personal favorite, as one of my recollections from various markets in Germany were the vendors who sold fruit such as strawberries, pineapple or bananas covered in dark or milk chocolate. This stand was a fundraiser for one of the middle school classes, so the confections were not quite that specific, but the kabob stick with fruit pieces drenched in chocolate I chose was absolutely delectable.

Typical middle schoolers, right?

Heading back into the school I swung by the impressive dessert table (which even included a couple of gluten-free options), but I had already used my calorie allotment for mid-day! The school's large multi-purpose room had many tables with various vendors from the Washington area. Additionally, out in the main hallway were two incredibly popular vendors: Binkert's German Meat Products from Baltimore and the Swiss Bakery from Northern Virginia. The sausage scents overpowered the bakery scents, but the variety at both stands was astonishing, and the crowd was snapping up many of the items.

One stand was selling gorgeous wreaths.

Wurst!

Of course, the Latvian congregation's bazaar is an annual tradition, and is always held on the first Sunday in December. My post about last year's can be found here.

I hope you are enjoying plenty of pre-Christmas festivities in your neck of the woods!

15th Annual National Book Festival

Occasionally before I go somewhere I think to myself, "This will be a great post for the blog!", but then the place or event or my experiences aren't all that wonderful. That is what happened with the National Book Festival, where I truthfully had hoped to see and hear at least a half-dozen authors, but real life intervened. Thus this post is shorter and less exciting than I had hoped!

From its beginnings on the East Lawn of the Capitol on September 8, 2001, when approximately 30,000 people attended the first National Book Festival hosted by First Lady Laura Bush, the Festival quickly grew and moved to the National Mall, and later begun its close association with the Library of Congress. Since 2014, however, the Festival has relocated to the Washington Convention Center, which - while not as picturesque and iconic as the Mall location - does have some benefits, such as air conditioning and actual restrooms. 

I had attended and enjoyed the festival a number of times when it was located on the Mall, but had not attended in recent years  When I saw the impressive list of 175 authors who would be at this year's festival, I made definitive plans to go.

The Festival is enormous and very well-attended. With the Convention Center being so immense and spread out, and with getting a later start than planned, I was able to see only a couple of authors in whom I was interested, plus spot two famous writers as they were being interviewed by C-SPAN's Book TV (slogan: "Television for Serious Readers").

William McCullough

Tom Brokaw

I also visited the exhibit part of the festival - the Library of Congress and several other organizations had tables full of information and freebies (all the paper bookmarks one would ever need!), and each state had a booth with varying amounts of information.

Hawaii's booth even had musicians!

The local bookstore Politics & Prose was selling books by the many authors appearing at the festival, and most of the authors had designated times for signing books. Lines for the more popular writers formed early and were lengthy.

The only author whose entire presentation I heard was Stephen L. Carter. Interestingly, somewhat recently I had picked up one of his novels - and had not been able to finish reading it, as the writing did not hold my attention. However, I knew a bit about him, and was interested to hear him speak. He is an excellent public speaker, which is not surprising given that he is a lawyer by training, and his "day job" is professor at Yale Law School. Carter is an incredibly accomplished individual: after earning a bachelor's degree from Stanford and a law degree from Yale, he clerked for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. He has written numerous non-fiction books, as well as six novels! It's difficult to comprehend how one person manages all of this, but he does, and he even spoke about writing being tedious - that he has even spent two weeks writing just one sentence!

Stephen L. Carter

One of many stands in the festival's exhibit portion was for Free Little Library, which is a wonderful initiative encouraging individuals and organizations to build and set up tiny libraries on their front lawns. People can both leave and take books from these little repositories. A good friend of mine here in the DC area put up a Free Little Library in her yard, and was kind enough to share a photo of the lovely library she has created - complete with Latvian "ausekli" or morning stars. Note also the gnome who lives underneath, complete with tiny picket fence.

A friend's Little Free Library in the DC suburbs.

Bibliophiles Unite!

Having been born into a family of readers, it's not surprising that I am a bookworm. In third and fourth grade I often tried to read a novel while sitting in class when I found the subject to be uninteresting--much to the chagrin of my teachers, of course. Two of my part-time jobs while in high school and college were in bookstores--best employee discount EVER!--, and nowadays one of the few things I enjoy about flying (other than it being an expeditious mode of transit when needing to travel several hundred or more miles) is the general peace and quiet in which I can read uninterrupted.

Nowadays I am a member of Goodreads.com, a site on which a reader can keep track of what she has read, what she would like to read, as well as rate the books and write reviews. The site also incorporates a social networking aspect to it--the reader can befriend or follow other readers to see their lists, ratings, and reviews.

At the end of 2014, Goodreads informed me that I had read 19 books during the year. I was disappointed in this count. Therefore I set a goal to read at least 21 books in 2015. Given the cold weather we had this winter, plus having gotten back into the habit of reading more regularly, I have already surpassed that goal by several books. I also made a conscious decision to read more works by authors who happen to be women or not Caucasian.

The majority of books I read are contemporary novels or recent non-fiction, with an occasional tome thrown in that doesn't fit into either category. This year some of the choices I've enjoyed most were:

Novels

• Me Before You (JoJo Moyes)
• The House at Riverton (Kate Morton)
• Cambridge (Susanna Kaysen)

Non-Fiction 

• 10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in my Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works (Dan Harris)
• Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science - and the World (Rachel Swaby)
• We Should All Be Feminists (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
• The Opposite of Spoiled: Raising Kids Who are Grounded, Generous, and Smart About Money (Ron Lieber)
• Men Explain Things to Me (Rebecca Solnit)
• White Field, Black Sheep: A Lithuanian-American Life, about which I wrote about previously.
• Bad Feminist: Essays (Roxane Gay)

Although my Latvian language skills are quite good for someone born outside of Latvia, unfortunately I find it difficult to read anything other than children's books in Latvian nowadays. (Honestly, even some of the kids' books are cringe-inducing, with stereotypes that should no longer be used in this century.) I have found much current Latvian literature to be unnecessarily complex and artsy - I prefer my reading to be simpler.

Years ago, however, I read a great many novels by Latvian-American writers; a friend reminded me of this recently when she recalled seeing me - a 10 year old - at camp reading a novel, Homo Novus, by Anšlavs Eglītis. Maybe returning to a book I last read a couple of decades ago would be a simple way of reconnecting with Latvian literature.

However, between books borrowed from the library or friends, and books purchased new or used, I always have stacks of items "To Be Read" -- and that does not even include anything I have purchased on my e-reader and have not gotten around to reading! 

While reading itself is a pleasurable activity, meeting authors and hearing them speak can be fascinating. With that in mind, I plan to attend the National Book Festival at the Washington Convention Center on September 5. This year's theme, courtesy of Thomas Jefferson himself, is "I cannot live without books." Could there be a more appropriate slogan for a festival featuring more than 100 authors in one day and attracting up to 200,000 attendees?

I love this poster!

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?

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!

European Month of Culture

May is the European Month of Culture in DC, when the European country embassies organize a variety of cultural events. May 9 was European Union Open House Day, during which all of the EU embassies are open to the public for six hours. I spent most of the day at the Embassy of Latvia, first singing with my folk music ensemble, then helping answer visitors' questions about the historic building and about Latvia itself. Wearing my folk costume means that I also had my photo taken many, many times.

The Embassy of Latvia also hosted two well-known writers one evening. Poet Liāna Langa and novelist Nora Ikstena read some of their work in Latvian, and translator Margita Gailītis read the same pieces in English. Between that evening, and the after-party following the open house (in which they also participated), I had the pleasure of getting to know all three women a bit. It was interesting to hear that the London Book Fair will be featuring the three Baltic countries in 2018, which means there is currently a special effort underway to translate more Latvian literature into other languages, particularly English because that is a gateway to other languages.

Liana Langa on the left, Nora Ikstena on the right

My signed copy of Ikstena's "Life Stories"

To attend this year's Eurovision-viewing party, a friend and I made our way to an embassy-lined cul de sac and the Embassy of Austria. While the party itself was not quite as comfortable (sitting on a hardwood floor!) or well-organized as last year's, we had a lot of fun enjoying the contest itself and cheering for Latvia's entry, the singer Aminata with her song "Love Injected." While Sweden won the contest, Latvia finished in a very respectable sixth place out of a total of 27 countries who made it through to the final. 

Cheering on Latvia with our mini Latvian flags

Although we were not gifted with handy Eurovision post-it notes this time around, we did each receive a nifty Vienna pen. If this type of Eurovision-viewing party continues, then next year's party would be slated to take place at the Embassy of Sweden, which is housed in a beautiful modern building on the Potomac River in Georgetown - I hope I will be able to attend!

Life Interfering with Life: Spring Plans

Does it sometimes seem that living life interferes with enjoying life? The daily requirements of work, errands, and chores often overshadow the memorable and truly enjoyable moments, particularly in the long dark winter months. Now that daylight saving time has begun, and the spring thaw has finally arrived in  Washington, I am greatly looking forward to the coming months and various events, trips, and happenings planned for this season of renewal.

Gerbera daisies for sale at market in Brussels

Groningen, the Netherlands

A grand European trip (such as my trip to Latvia and Lithuania in May 2014, or my journey to Belgium and the Netherlands in March 2012) is not something I can afford every year, so this year I am making a concerted effort to attend more cultural events. In addition to the play "The Widow Lincoln", which I saw recently, next week I will see another play - this one with a big name actress. Next month I will travel out of town to attend a concert, and also welcome friends and family visiting DC. May means European Union Open House Day (scheduled for Saturday the 9th), and also the Eurovision Song Contest viewing party, plus hopefully a trip or two.

In the Eurovision Song Contest, Latvia will be represented by a woman with the unlikely name of Aminata Savadogo, whose background is representative of the international and multi-cultural times in which we live: her mother is of Latvian and Russian descent, and her father is from Burkina Faso. In case the video below does not appear on your screen, this is the link.

On a more traditional note, this commercial is currently airing on Latvian television. The three women are from a folk music ensemble called Suitu Sievas, and they are trying to convince - via folk song - the slightly surprised man that he can take care of many tasks online instead of waiting in line at various state agencies.

Hope you have fun plans for the spring!

The Indignity of Winter, Mary Todd Lincoln, & Two Chocolate Cakes

This month is one of ridiculously freezing temperatures, too much snow and ice, too much stress at work, but fortunately it is also a month of celebrations.

A sheet of ice: great if you are ice skating or bobsledding, but if you are driving a car, then it is less than ideal. On a recent Saturday night I had taken Metro into downtown DC to see the play "The Widow Lincoln" at Ford's Theater. The theater is best known as the location of President Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865, which was 150 years ago. To mark the occasion, Ford's Theater and museum are organizing a variety of special events, one of which was commissioning the play about Pres. Lincoln's widow in the aftermath of his murder.

While my friend and I were relishing this new work and the superb acting by the all-female cast, a short but intense snow squall moved through the area - followed by arctic temperatures. When I returned to my car parked at the Metro station and proceeded to drive home, I was unpleasantly surprised to find roads in terrible condition - some were pure ice. Many smaller cars or those with older tires were having trouble - tires spinning, rear ends fishtailing (I particularly had to chuckle at the expensive sporty BMW convertible which might be fun on a sunny summer's day, but was clearly outmatched by the conditions), and I, too, had a few scary moments.

That experience led me to avoid driving on Sunday morning, when I should have traveled to my favorite bakery to pick up a chocolate cake. Having spent a few too many moments deciding which cake to order, then finally choosing the luscious sounding 'Chocolate Decadence' torte (five layers of flourless chocolate cake and four layers of chocolate mousse with a chocolate ganache glaze!), I was quite upset that my investment might go to waste. However, I did not think it was a wise idea to risk life and limb just to retrieve a small cake! Instead I stopped at a grocery store for a replacement dessert -- also chocolate cake, of course -- and then met seven girlfriends for a lovely birthday brunch at a wonderful restaurant, Mon Ami Gabi. After brunch we enjoyed cake and coffee at a friend's apartment. Luckily I'd been able to contact yet another friend who lives close to said bakery, and she was kind enough to run over to pick up my cake before the store closed. I then drove to her home, where she, her husband, and I enjoyed some of the torte, which indeed was decadent.

Thus ends the tale of two cakes, although the indignity of winter just continues... However, many areas (hello, Boston!) are even harder hit than the DC area, but thoughts of moving to San Diego definitely surface in my consciousness with some regularity.

Another weekend consisted of more celebrating (again interrupted by weather, so plans had to be altered somewhat) at a cabin in Virginia wine country thanks to another friend whose birthday is this month. The weekend consisted of much food, wine, mimosas, laughter, games, music, and watching the Academy Awards.

Apologies for the text-heavy post--clearly photographing hasn't been high on my list of priorities!

Latvians Love Art (or Does Art Love Latvians?)

Latvians love culture of almost any shape and form. Theater performances in Rīga can sell out weeks in advance, music is everywhere, even the smallest town in Latvia has an art or music school, and literature is held in high regard.

The house my parents bought when I was thirteen came with a billiards table in the basement. My parents owned so many paintings that some of the pieces were hung close together on the basement walls, leading me to call that space our "pool hall/art gallery." Their love of art was passed down to me, and I am happy to now own numerous artworks by Latvian artists.

Most of the pieces have been purchased in Garezers during exhibits there. Almost twenty years ago an extensive exhibit of paintings by arguably the best known (in the U.S.) Latvian-American artist, Jānis Kalmīte, was held in the Garezers art gallery, and most of those pieces were for sale. This was soon after he had passed away at age 89, leaving behind a lifetime's worth of artwork, mostly oil paintings. At the time, I was a college student with few extra funds. Yet I fell in love with one of the less expensive works, and arranged with the gallery director to pay in two installments. Unframed, it cost $150. A few years later, my parents had it beautifully framed as a birthday gift.

Kalmīte is known for his many variations of the Latvian farm building "rija." Almost every Latvian community center in the U.S. has one hanging on its walls, and many Latvian homes do, as well. My parents knew Kalmīte, as they worked together at Garezers, where the artist taught Latvian art history. The summers after my sister and I were each born, Kalmīte invited my mother to stop by for a visit sometime. When she did, he instructed her to pick out a painting - his gift to the newborns. What a nice friend to have! 

Christmas cards that Kalmīte sent to friends often contained small watercolors or sketches. My parents received several of those. My mom had a couple of the tiny watercolors framed, and I was the lucky recipient of one. The third work I have by Kalmīte is a simple sketch, with the words "From the Garezers sketch book" inked on the front, and a short letter penned on the back. In the letter, written in the spring of 1985, he writes about working at Garezers that summer and of a recent trip to and exhibit in Germany. He finishes: “Tātad - uz redzēšanos, un sveicieni kundzei un princesēm." Translation: Alright then - see you soon, and greetings to your wife and the princesses. Yes, my younger sister and I are the royalty to whom he refers.

Three other works I own are by my dear friend Linda Treija, an artist who grew up and was educated in Latvia, but has lived in the U.S. for two decades. She and I met years ago at 3x3 (an all generations camp) in Garezers (where else?). One work was a commission - I asked her to illustrate one of my favorite folk songs, Lempim bija pieci dēli. The other two are illustrations - one of a man in folk costume from the town of Talsi, and the other of a girl in a folk dress from the Lielvārde area. These were created for a wonderful book written by folk costume expert Liena Kaugara. My reasons for purchasing these two specific pieces: my current folk costume is from Talsi, while as a girl I wore one from Lielvārde.

Several years ago the Garezers gallery organized a big art sale, and I purchased two small pieces. One, by the Latvian-Canadian artist Visvaldis Ķiķauka (try saying that three times fast!) was already nicely framed and matted, while the other was in a cheap old frame. The pieces have similar themes and colors, so my idea was to display them together once I'd gotten the one painting framed. Several years later I finally did have the piece matted and framed, and I absolutely love the result, although I've decided that they work better in different spots, not grouped together.

This summer, in conjunction with the Garezers 50th anniversary, the art gallery there will be holding yet another art sale. My good friend Līga Ejupe is the curator and director of the gallery, and she provided the following flyer with information. If you are interested in donating or selling a piece on commission, please do contact her. If you are interested in purchasing Latvian art, then visit the gallery in Garezers this summer between July 3 and July 12!

Somber Sunday: Last Day in Lithuania

Given some of the sights we were to see, it was only fitting that the day dawned gray and drizzly. On our way back to Latvia from Palanga, I had planned one stop of cultural and historical significance, but by looking in our Baltic countries' guidebook, Bryan found two more historically significant sites. Adding another stop of personal significance in Latvia (plus a ballet performance in Riga that evening!) meant we had a full and thought-provoking day.

Our first stop was a tad difficult to find - the GPS initially led us into the parking lot of a factory, but once we found the correct location, we were grateful we had. Plunge is a small city which had  a substantial Jewish population for many years. Tombstones in the old Jewish cemetery indicate that the earliest Jewish inhabitants were in the area already in the 15th century. In the 1930s the town had six synagogues. Tragically, upon the Nazi occupation of Lithuania, a total of 1,800 Jews from Plunge were executed. We visited the spot where this tragedy occurred, and where a fitting memorial has been built. It was difficult not to cry while visiting the memorial, as the people - men, women, children of all ages - killed in cold blood were innocent individuals whose only crime was being of a certain religion. A formerly lovely peaceful forest became an unintended resting place for human being murdered by other human beings. Even more sadly, such tragedies occur still today in situations where one group (based on religion or ethnic group or political beliefs) decide to kill members of another group. This is a very difficult for many people - including me - in the modern first-world to wrap their mind around.

These useful signs usually helped us find our way in both Latvia & Lithuania.

On the left - mass grave, on the right - names of all the victims.

One of several wood sculptures depicting the horror

Many people don't have a good understanding of the horrors that the Baltic countries experienced during much of the 21st century, having to live through a Soviet occupation for a year from June 1940 to June 1941, then through the Nazi occupation from July 1941 to the fall of 1944, then the Soviet occupation which lasted for far too many years, ending only in the early 1990s. (Note: the dates I use are a bit approximate, as I'm using the ones which Latvia specifically experienced, but the dates for Lithuania and Estonia are very similar.) However, there are not necessarily that many overt reminders of this history to be seen while traveling around the Baltics. But, when an American traveler does come across local history in a place like Plunge, s/he is reminded of how fortunate the United States has been to not have experienced either a war on its land recently or the terrors of totalitarianism.

We continued our exploration of the Lithuanian countryside by driving toward the small city of Telsiai. Nearby is the village of Rainiai, where on the night between June 24 and 25, 1941, between 70 and 80 Lithuanian political prisoners were tortured and murdered by Soviet forces. These prisoners had committed "crimes" such as owning a Lithuanian flag or belonging to the Boy Scouts, or they had been arrested for being active in politics or similar transgressions which were not acceptable to the Soviets. In 1991 a small chapel was built in memory of the victims. There is more information available about the Rainiai massacre online, including on Wikipedia, but I do not suggest perusing while eating lunch - the details are truly gruesome, which is why I am not even including a link!

The final stop in Lithuania was one of the country's best known sights - the Hill of Crosses near Siauliai. The majority of Lithuanians are Roman Catholic (whereas before WWII the majority of Latvians and Estonians were Lutheran), and the Hill of Crosses has been a holy site for many years, dating back at least until 1831. During Soviet days authorities had tried to remove new crosses, and even bulldozed the site several times. Each time, however, people kept coming and bringing more crosses.

My previous visit was with some family members way back in the early part of this century - 2002. It was interesting to see the changes the area had undergone, as it's been made more tourist friendly. A decade ago I remember driving right up next to the hill, and parking in a small dusty lot. Now there's a visitors' center with restrooms, a parking lot (which, naturally, quite a few visitors do not use, because there is a fee - so many cars and even buses park on the side of the road), and a paved walkway (complete with small lights for those who chose to make their pilgrimages at night) leading you to the hill.

Naturally, the hill itself has more crosses than when I last visited, but it is as bizarre as ever. Maybe Catholics have a greater appreciation of it, but I find it slightly kitschy and tacky - crosses are piled everywhere. However, it's clear that for locals this is an important site. During the short time we visited, we noticed three young women in long white confirmation dresses coming to place crosses or rosaries at the Hill. You can spot one in the first photograph.

After a lunch break, we made our way back into Latvia. A stop at the famous Rundale Castle was not in the cards, instead a quick stop in a cemetery outside of my father's birthplace, Jelgava, was necesssary, and then we continued on our way to Riga.

That evening we attended a ballet performance at the Latvian National Opera House. A performance in this historic and gorgeous venue is a must for anyone visiting Riga for the first time! Tickets for the opera are no longer the great deal they once were, but tickets for ballet performances are still very reasonable for those us visiting from places like the States. Our tickets were about $14; here in the D.C. area a ticket to a movie in most theaters will run about $11 or $12. For this particular performance, the least expensive tickets, which sell out very quickly, were only 4 Euro or just over $5.

The performance, "Tris Tiksanas" (Three Meetings), featured three new choreographies set to modern music by Latvian composers Peteris Vasks, George Pelecis and Rihards Durba (of which Vasks is by far the best known). I cannot say that I loved any of the pieces, but the dancing was good (when that actually happened - one piece featured far too much running!), as was the music. One piece had the piano on stage, so I enjoyed watching the musicians play while the dancers danced. The music for another piece was featured vocals by three women with fantastic voices in addition to the instrumental music.

Judging from the audience at the ballet, one would think that 85% of Riga's population is female, and that the few men have nothing dressier to wear than a pair of jeans. However, an arts event - particularly one in the beautiful opera house - was a good way to begin a week in Riga and relaxing way to end the day.