Day 7 pm Party Poopers

Reality

Romantic fantasy....See? I am not even sneezing in the midst of this field of dreams.

I have wreath envy. There were baskets of daisies laying around, but we weren't sure if you needed to pay for them or if it was a community thing like the candy people throw off of trucks in a parade. Also, we had no idea how to weave our own. We saw a few for sale, but they were not as pretty as some of the other styles that I saw on other people's heads. So, even though my sweet man offered to buy me one, I waited for a better selection and did not find one. Maybe that's like trying to find the perfect Christmas tree on Christmas Eve when they are already picked over? Except they looked fresh, so we maybe a local could tell us the next time we happen to be in Riga during the summer festival (ha!)

Scraggly wildflower style

Rosette on the side.

This reminds me of what I see vendors weaving in Charleston from sweet grass

People who apparently know what they are doing

 

We tasted some traditional desserts and cheese with seeds in it (but I can't taste a thing with my allergy nose). The Latvian kids loved it, Laurel picked out the caraway seeds, Andy declined altogether. We bought carbonated water by accident and now have extra for the Latvian kids, as Laurel and Andy do not care for the extra bubbles.

We learned that ordering sausage pizza means pizza with hotdogs cut up on top. The fried object Will chose for dinner off the kids menu was most likely a chicken cutlet. She said chicken, looked like pork to me. Not a crumb of food is ever left on their plates...down to the garnish.

I think this Midsummer Festival is kind of like how we treat New Year's Eve. It is not really set up for kids. You know. You may know people who actually fly to NYC to see the ball drop and party the night away. But you yourself might be the kind of family that celebrates early and watches the whole thing from your living room on tv...or you may even get into your cozy pants and call it a night long before the festivities are over in other parts of the world. We are the Latvian equivalent of the latter. 10:55pm here. They just lit the bonfires. We are glad the kids are bathed, in bed, and only whispering behind our backs instead of outright talking.

There will be no naked running into rivers, jumping over bonfires, or searching for the magical fern "blossom" that only blooms on a Midsummer Night. We Davises are in our jammies typing away on our electronics...that's how we celebrate nature's goodness (or St. John's birthday).

(Hint: the fern blossom thing is just an excuse for couples to go off by themselves in the woods. Ferns don't really bloom. Might need to try that one when we get home. Alone time, people.)