Christmas in Washington

Join me on a short photographic journey to see a few Christmas decorations in Washington!

Norwegian Christmas tree at Union Station

The White House, of course!

Later...

A gift shop in the Smithsonian's Museum of American History.

This shop display featured vintage toys.

I loved Raggedy Ann when I was a kid!

A Christmas tree in the Museum of American History.

The National Christmas Tree during daylight.

The National Christmas tree all lit up.

Updating...

My break between jobs has come to an end, and I will have less time to explore, as well as less time to blog. However, my staycation was absolutely wonderful. So, a bit about what I have been up to:

Spending...time with friends. Lunches, dinners, a fun Hanukkah party -- I always love having the opportunity to spend quality time with people who are near an dear to me.

Watching...During AFI's European Union Film Showcase I saw two films: "Summer of Sangaile" from Lithuania, which did a good job of showing how difficult being a teenager is, though it was so very European that it was challenging to truly enjoy, and "A Royal Night Out" from Great Britain. This one was somewhat fluffy, but certainly enjoyable, particularly because it was based on the true story of then Princess Elizabeth and her sister Princess Margaret leaving Buckingham Palace on VE Day to celebrate the occasion out in the crowded streets of London.

Cleaning...I did some major cleaning and even a bit of purging at home.

Exploring...I have made a concerted effort to visit museums that I had not been to in the past. In addition to two museums, I also visited a botanical garden and took a special tour in a government agency. For more details, you will need to keep reading over the next several weeks!

Surviving winter...Due to the holidays, what with the preparations and parties, December is certainly easier to survive than January and February, when I will need to consult my Winter Wish & Plan List. However, I have already used my great Latvian cookie cutters.

Wonder - Exhibit at Renwick Gallery, Part II

One of the captivating things about the Wonder exhibit was its diversity. Strolling from one room to another, I was continually surprised by the materials used and the end result.

Have you ever considered using shredded tires to create art? I hadn't, yet the artist Chakaia Booker did precisely that.

Another fascinating material used - this by Jennifer Angus - and for an incredibly impressive effect: insects!

Yes, an entire pink room full of bugs!

A simpler material - small wood pieces - was utilized by John Grade to create this enormous tree trunk, which was suspended from the ceiling.

View of the trunk's inside.

The artist Maya Lin, best known for her very early career design of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial located on the National Mall in Washington, used glass marbles to create the Chesapeake Bay in her piece "Folding the Chesapeake."

The largest gallery holds yet another artwork which mimics nature, yet this in a truly surprising way. Walking into the gallery in which Janet Echelman's "1.8" is suspended from the ceiling, I immediately marveled at the beautiful colors and shape, as well as the fact that a number of gallery visitors were sitting underneath it on the carpet, beanbag chairs, and loveseats. 

My next surprise came when I read the sign describing this piece. Again, best to leave it up to the experts: Echelman’s woven sculpture corresponds to a map of the energy released across the Pacific Ocean during the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, one of the most devastating natural disasters in recorded history. The event was so powerful it shifted the earth on its axis and shortened the day, March 11, 2011, by 1.8 millionths of a second, lending this work its title. Waves taller than the 100-foot length of this gallery ravaged the east coast of Japan, reminding us that what is wondrous can equally be dangerous. (Source: here.)

I lingered for a while, but promised myself I would return in the coming months. On YouTube I discovered a great video - seemingly posted by the artist herself - of the piece and how its colors change.

While walking through the galleries on the museum's second floor, I had also noticed a sizable glass artwork suspended from the ceiling. I took a photo, looked on the walls to find identification, but did not spot any. Later I tweeted the photo at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, asking if it was a Chihuly. Imagine my surprise when a short while later the artist's studio responded that it is indeed a piece by famed glass artist Dale Chihuly, and that it's called "Slate Green & Amber Tipped Chandelier", and was donated to the museum by Barbara Lee Diamonstein-Spielvogel.

Wonder - Exhibit at Renwick Gallery, Part I

With its prime location across the street from the White House, the Renwick Gallery is easy to find. Being a part of the Smithsonian Institution's American Art Museum means it is also free to visit. For whatever reasons, however, in my 16 years in Washington, I had never visited this small museum. For the past two years it had been closed for extensive renovation, and reopened in November with an exhibit titled "Wonder," which I saw referenced on Twitter numerous times. Thus during my staycation I made it a point to finally make my way the Renwick, and am incredibly glad I did. Since then I have been telling all of my local friends they need to see this exhibit! Words do not adequately express how awe-inspiring and amazing it is.

The Renwick itself has a fascinating history -- it was the first American building built specifically to serve as an art museum.  Designed in 1859 by architect James Renwick Jr., who also designed the Smithsonian’s “Castle” and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, the museum was initially built to house William Corcoran's private art collection. However, the Civil War - as wars do - disrupted construction, and the building was even used by the Union Army. Finally, in 1874 the building opened to the public as an art gallery, although that did not last particularly long, as from 1899 to 1964 the Renwick was home to the U.S. Court of Claims. In the 1950s Congress even proposed that the building be razed, but in 1962 forward-thinking First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy led a campaign to save the gallery as part of her greater plan to restore Lafayette Square, which is behind the White House. Fortunately in 1965 the Secretary of the Smithsonian S. Dillon Ripley asked President Lyndon B. Johnson that the building be turned over to the Smithsonian Institution. That did occur and the Renwick Gallery was finally returned to its intended purpose as a museum when it opened in 1972 as home of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s contemporary craft and decorative art program. Now, after a two-year-long renovation, the gallery has re-opened once again.

As explained on Renwick's website, "To celebrate, we're transforming the entire museum into an immersive artwork with our debut exhibition, WONDER. Nine leading contemporary artists—Jennifer Angus, Chakaia Booker, Gabriel Dawe, Tara Donovan, Patrick Dougherty, Janet Echelman, John Grade, Maya Lin, and Leo Villareal—are each taking over different galleries in the building, creating site-specific installations inspired by the Renwick. Together, these installations will turn the building into a larger-than-life work of art." To be honest, I had little idea what to expect -- all I knew was that I'd seen a couple of intriguing and beautiful images on Twitter.

If you live in the Washington area, or will be visiting anytime in the next six months, I highly recommend seeing this amazing exhibit yourself -- as I can assure you that you will enjoy it, and that my snapshots do not do it justice! If you are in a hurry, you'll be able to see it in thirty minutes, but an hour is really all you truly need.

Untitled. Tara Donovan

Main material used here: Index cards!

The piece that has gained the most recognition - at least on social media - is Gabriel Dawe's "Plexus A1." Using only threads and light he created a magical rainbow.

Whether up close or from afar - a beautiful sight!

A ladybug "stuck" in the threads.

The next piece was all natural...

Shindig. Patrick Dougherty

Located above the gallery's stairs, Leo Villareal's "Volume (Renwick)" is best described by the text on Renwick's website: Only part of Villareal’s artwork is visible in the materials suspended above the staircase. This hardware serves primarily as a vehicle for the visual manifestation of code–an artist-written algorithm employing the binary system of 1s and 0s telling each LED when to turn on or off. This simple command creates lighting sequences that will never repeat exactly as before. (Source: here.)

Watching this was mesmerizing!

To be continued...!

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!

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!