Wednesday, June 26, 2013
A wedding in little Latvia
A
quick jump from Latvia 8,000 miles west, to mazā
Latvija or “little Latvia”…
Three
Rivers is home to the Latvian Center Gaŗezers, one of the focal gathering
points of Latvians in North America. In addition to various summer camp
programs for children ages 3 to 15, there are also a six week summer high
school program, a sports camp, endless concerts, art exhibits, theatre
productions and other events. Home to an art museum, a Latvian etnographic
museum and a Latvian scouting museum, Gaŗezers also has summer cabins for rent,
a beach, docks with boat slips available and a few dozen summer “cottages” that
bring Latvians to Long Lake all year round. My summers growing up were spent
there, a few winter weekends as well, and Gaŗezers is where I met my husband
for the first time and where our wedding reception was held. The pull to visit
is even stronger now, as my grandmother has a summer house on the other end of
the lake, and it is rare to drop in and not find a full house of
siblings/cousins/aunts/grandmothers/other visitors.
Our
trip north a few weeks ago was to attend the wedding of our good friends Iggīts
and Andra, who are neighbors of sorts, as they are currently living in North
Carolina (and Latvians in the Carolinas aren’t as numerous as my retelling of
our Jāņi experience might make it
seem!). The weekend for me brought frequent reminiscing of our wedding weekend,
as there were a few parallels. Location of course, also the Carolinas/Gaŗezers
experience, even details such as decorations and table setup. However, the
couple had truly made the weekend their own, and we enjoyed the laid-back,
family-friendly atmosphere along with the delectable food and great company. We
wish our newlywed friends all the magic and happiness in their life together –
we’re waiting for your visit to Greenville to continue our search for the best
fishing holes!
The
boys and I stayed on in the summer house for a few more days, as a big birthday
celebration was coming up that we just couldn’t miss. The boys enjoyed time with
their MI grandparents and practically lived in the lake; between fishing,
swimming, playing in the sand and hunting for turtles I managed to sneak in a
little light reading and a stop or two at Corey Lake Orchard, a wonderful local
source of the freshest produce southwest Michigan has to offer. There is a
healing property to relaxing summer days without the temptation of computers,
TVs and the responsibilities of daily life. The only thing that could have made
it better would have been if Roberts hadn’t had to return to Greenville to
work, and instead could have taken me out in the canoe for some fishing…
We’ll
be returning to Gaŗezers this summer to create more childhood memories for the
boys, but before then we’ll hop back those 8,000 miles to Latvia, where the
stage is set for the Nationwide Latvian Song and Dance Festival!
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Looks absolutely lovely, and the perfect place to create some childhood memories. Glad you had such a lovely time at the wedding too - there's nothing better than being there to celebrate a good friend's wedding. xx
ReplyDeleteExactly! And the boys will have more time there later in the summer, to make more new friends and give mom some time to relax... win/win!
DeleteIt looks like a lovely spot for your family to gather! It's so nice that you're able to share these types of experiences with your children.
ReplyDeleteWe are extremely blessed in that sense. And we have two great boys!
DeleteBoys got a good time with grandparents!
ReplyDeleteOu, you are on long trip to Latvia. Hope you will enjoy Dziesmusvētkus and visit to Riga, Latvia and everywhere, where you would like to go! After Dziesmusvētki you definitely have to write post about your feelings and emotions to be there between so much Latvians and back to your country!
It was something amazing Inese - hard to write about it, because I have trouble finding the right words for the feeling of belonging and magic we experienced. I'll have to try though, won't I?
DeleteThe boys look absolutely precious in their little suits!
ReplyDeleteI would hope so, they were custom made. ;) Just kidding, we're lucky to have some older cousins who have very good taste in clothes.
DeleteIt looks like you absolutely had a good time with your little ones and family in the Latvia. In fact, you have developed a special bonding towards this place (because of the important incidents happend in your life). Thanks for sharing the beauty of this place through your blog. I can be of help if you want to explore new areas for fishing or canoeing with family.
ReplyDelete