Etnolocation

Whereas bats and whales locate each other through echoes reverberating through an oceanic surround, Latvians just send out smells of sausage and sauerkraut, and the hoardes quickly descend.

Case in point: Our own fair home town at the beginning of July - host to Canada's 13th Latvian song and dance festival!

First, Mudzuks prepares backstage and then belts her little heart out in the opening concert:


Meanwhile, Vecais checks out the translocated Laima's clock - and then makes a quick escape -- into or out from?-- the rooftop beer garden.



Nan and Mudzuks rocking out in the "Omama's Dance" during the New Choreographies competition (they got an honourable mention as audience's favourite):

Next, the All-Choirs' Concert with the brilliantly acoustics of Hamilton Place :

(note Kristina among the singers fixing her headgear)


That's better!

And Mamuks finally got to listen to the singing (instead of insistant complaints that "singing is boring" once M & V both found a comfortable enough position to sleep. (Dz Dz, randomly seated beside us, got a firsthand account of M&V at their whiny best - not even offers of candy from stangers did much to appease them)


And afterwards, while V waxes lyrical with Korijs about the fantastic arrangment and riveting conducting, M just wants to get the heck out of there.

Lastly, highlights from the Folkdance Extravaganza:

Eager specatators and gorgeously staged live music:

Mudzuks and her partner Kaiva spent most of their time in the limelight arguing about who had to be the "boy":

"Budeli," shadow dancers and fancy footwork:

the Grand Finale:

And lastly, three spectral apparitions disappearing through the bowels of the colliseum, leaving the ghosts of another song festival to await their next resurrection...

More fun than you can shake a stick at.

And with no time at all to recover from Jani, we headed out to K, D, T and E's place for an afternoon of sweet things and fun times:

Heading out:

Swing low... and a little lower....

Digging for fire and other ineffable pastimes:

And then came the pinata! (see, i told you there was shaking and sticks involved)

Everyone loves Kira's creamsicles. Everyone neeeds Kira's creamsicles.

Many Johns

As always happens this time of year, Mamuks is pleased to bring you the annual Janu reportage fresh from this year's Summer Solstice festival not long past. This time the celebration was affectionately referred to by Mudzuks as "Many Johns" (Jani bez mikstinajuma). Or, as she put it when we drove by the performance area with its by-then withered oak branches several days later: "The Johns (Jani) are all dead."

Here's the evidence - first off, the annual portraits:

2 N's + 2 E's:

The E-Three:

Watching the festivities:


Mazdzanitis hitches a ride ...


...and then finds himself a new horse.


The Pourers of Beer:


Vecais and Nanny have a "discussion":


Ellie gets her own Solstice headgear, courtesy of Mudzuks...


...while Vecais swaps traditional look for something a little more "viking chic":


Ligo, ligo!