Pâques en Ohio, volume 2

As our Easter celebrations were drawn out over a couple of weeks, I feel it’s only natural to post about Easter a month after the holiday. This year we started with a bang, participating in an enormous egg hunt and Easter extravaganza, and then decorated Easter eggs the traditional Latvian way (naturally, with onion skins and red cabbage). The opportunity to celebrate a Dutch Easter came about rather unexpectedly, but we took full advantage of it. Then we had guests from Chicago the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, and stayed very busy with Bulls games, tours of the West End and hiking trips up Paris Mountain, but as they departed for Chicago, we left for Ohio. It seems as the trip to Dayton is becoming an annual tradition; Ohio is pretty much the halfway point between Michigan and South Carolina, so Easter is a good opportunity to catch up with my husband’s side of the family.

4 generations!

There was an egg hunt in the backyard...

Picking flowers for omammīte...

Plenty of chocolates and desserts to satisfy a sweet tooth...

Late night games of Risk...

We had the traditional olu sišanās, and Roberts emerged victorious… or so he claims – the supposed winning egg went missing. Lauris and Mikus spent a dozen hours with their vecmamma Aija, reading books, enjoying the sunshine and discussing life. There was even a trip to a local dairy farm and creamery. The only thing missing was Easter paska, but after a fruitless search for farmer’s cheese extending to a 50 mile radius, I vowed to bring a cooler-full from South Carolina next year… if this lovely tradition of four generations gathering here in Ohio continues.

A liels paldies to our gracious hosts – we’ll see you again soon (on our way north this summer), although you are always welcome here in Greenville!