Fish.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015

BW likes to fish. And when we go home in the summer, the men in his family travel to Wisconsin to spend a weekend on a big boat, fishing their hearts out.

Unfortunately, it was a bum year; these are the only fish they caught:


BW also tried fishing in North Dakota. Not even a bite.


Stupid fish.

In an effort to fill BW's fish-less life, I did a simple Google search: "Fishing in the Czech Republic".

I had no idea!

There are fisheries, guided tours, fly-fishing, youtube videos, stocked ponds, competitions, equipment for hire... there's even a Czech Anglers' Union. We don't have poles or tackle here, so the possibility of renting them for a day is a welcome find.

This article from expats.cz has a lot of info on where to go (though it's from 2011).

In February, we spent a few days in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic and ate at an excellent freshwater fish restaurant called Malostránský Pivovar, in the town of Velké Meziříčí.




Hopefully, thanks to Google, before long BW will be able to catch his own fish for dinner in the Czech Republic!

How to find peace at the International Peace Garden

Saturday, August 22, 2015

The International Peace Garden, situated on the US-Canadian border in the Turtle Mountains (a "mountain" in North Dakota being a generous description), is an apt place to unwind, reflect and practice mindfulness. Here's our guide on how:


1.Wind your way through the floral wonderland. We can't gush enough about the kaleidoscopic beds of colorful blossoms and buds. The park plants over 150,000 flowers each year and was established during the Great Depression to give jobs through the Civilian Conservation Corps. It's humbling to be enveloped by that much beauty.



2. Read sages of the ages in the Peace Chapel. The walls are inscribed with quotes about humanity, peace and justness. While it was admittedly dismaying to note the sore lack of female voices on the walls, it was lovely to read quotes by Gandhi, St. John, Eleanor Roosevelt and more in the soft glow of sun through gold-hued windows.



3. If you camp overnight, be wary of weather reports. We planted ourselves in a 1991 pop-up camper for two nights, and while the days were tolerably windy, at night we had gale-force storms that A) whipped the door open at 3 a.m. and let in a starving cloud of mosquitoes and B) were howling so loudly and forcefully we thought we might wake up in Oz the next morning.


4. Pay homage to the 9-11 Memorial. Wreckage from Ground Zero was brought to the IGP to commemorate those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The design is meant to promote reflection, understanding and forgiveness. It's a simple but profoundly moving place.



5. Relax among the cacti. Aside from vast outdoor flowerbeds, the new Visitor's Center has an extensive, almost otherworldly-looking, indoor cactus garden. Being from the north, we haven't been privy to many of these prickly friends, so it was especially intriguing.



6. Take advantage of  harps and hand bells. The world-renowned International Music Camp, which hosted students from 76 countries last year, is stationed at the IPG. We got to take in a recital of world percussion, harps, hand bells, watercolors and acrylics. Let's not mention nodding off during it thanks to a couple of sleepless nights - see #2.


7. Take a spin through the North American Game Warden Museum, which I wrote about earlier! It houses information about wildlife, lots of confiscated hunting trophies, art, books, memorials and more.

That should do it. A few parting shots from our peace garden camping trip with the North Dakota parents...











Linking up with:

A Hole In My Shoe

Two Homes: USA vs CZ

Thursday, August 20, 2015

Obviously there are loads of cultural differences between the United States and the Czech Republic. Czechs are politely quiet on public transport; Americans aren't. In restaurants, American servers smile and introduce themselves; Czech ones don't. Etc. etc.

This post isn't a meta-analysis of cultural norms and mores; it's just a silly look at parallels between things we've experienced in both of the places we consider 'home' in light of our just having returned from our annual American Midwest visit.

Skylines

USA: There's something oddly comforting about the glass-and-steel panoramas of big American cities, like Minneapolis, MN, pictured here. There's a constant buzz, a constant aliveness, to them.


CZ: Unlike pods of skyscrapers, the tall buildings in Prague are scattered all over the place. I love how these dames on Old Town Square preen themselves in the street lights at night, spires all a-strut.


Movement

USA: What movement? Seriously, you have to deliberately plan exercise into your day or you end up in this Mobius Strip of sleep-sit-drive-sit-repeat. It doesn't help that we're so dependent on our cars. 


CZ: Without even trying, we are fairly active. We walk to catch public transit, to visit a park, to buy groceries, to get to work, etc. Got to work off the heavy Czech food somehow.


Bachelorette (Hen) Parties

USA: A bunch of ladies gussy themselves up and parade their bride-friend around a city, usually through bars. For my sister's bachelorette, we dressed up as candy, ate pizza in a tiki lounge and went dancing. FYI she's supposed to be cotton candy, not a pink unicorn.


CZ: While I've seen a couple of Czech hen parties in Prague, they do not seem nearly as prolific as in the US. I'm guessing this is Western culture seeping in... sorry! We did throw one for dear Czech friend BB, at the swanky Cafe Louvre, where we donned 1920s frocks and played billiards.


Special Needs Accessibility

USA: Here's me rolling my brother through a splash park in Grand Forks, ND. I'm thankful for the fact that many places accommodate for wheelchairs. Also, his group home is great about hauling him to different places, because he's now too heavy for me to lift into a vehicle! (Ironic because he was just over a pound at birth.)


CZ: I have no idea if Prague has anything like the contraption above, but there is a lack special needs accommodation in the city. Yes, Prague is old. But in the new metro station that connects travelers to an airport bus, there is no escalator! Just 32 steep steps! An elevator has been installed, but it brings travelers to a different exit and they must cross a busy road to get to the airport bus. Face-palm.


Kiddos

USA: I can understand them when they talk! 


CZ: I can't understand them when they talk (unless they attend my English-speaking school). Funny how kids are pretty much the same no matter what corner of the world you're in!





The museum that dad built

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Childhood was interesting. I had things like orphaned baby owls and moose as pets. We ate roadkill. Drunk men called our house at 1 a.m. wanting to settle bets over wildlife knowledge. I learned how to identify ducks and cross a barbed-wire fence holding a 12-gauge shotgun.

If you haven't guessed it by now, my dad is a retired North Dakota game warden. While working, he had one of the biggest coverage areas of any warden in the United States. And, man, did he work long hours; he is the epitome of a passionate conservationist - and a great dad.

Hit a deer on the road? He cleaned it up, hoisting a couple hundred pounds into his pickup.
Needed hunters' education? He patiently taught you, making classes fun with pelts and jokes.
Had a wildlife question? He answered hundreds, no, thousands, of phone calls every time of day.
Poached out of season? He nabbed you, in his gentle and courteous way.
Got in an accident? He responded, helping on the road until an ambulance arrived.
Required animal test samples? He got them, often storing things like deer brain in our freezer.
Felt down-and-out? He listened; he helped; he gave the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it.
Wanted a museum built? He raised the money, even procuring exhibits for the darn thing.

A museum?!

Yep - dad was instrumental in getting the North American Game Warden Museum to come to fruition. Isn't it regal? It opened in the International Peace Gardens (on the U.S./Canadian border) in 2005 but this was my first time seeing it; it was one of the few things I wanted to do on our trip home to the U.S.


From the museum's web site:
"With human populations exploding, our planet is becoming crowded, polluted, more civilized, less wild, how can natural gifts be preserved for future generations? 
WHO'S PROTECTING THE GREAT OUTDOORS?
On the front line of natural resource protection, often working alone, routinely facing dangerous situations are GAME WARDENS. Risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives for conservation, they are NORTH AMERICAN HEROES.
Our project, the North American Game Warden Museum, has two missions: 
- to HONOR these heroes and 
- to EDUCATE the public about their work and the natural resources they protect." 


It was closed the day we arrived, but dad, being an honorary lifetime member, got access. The place was all ours, and it's fascinating.


Inside, there's an extensive collection of confiscated animals and skins, as well as educational exhibits, an assemblage of official badges and pins, a reading nook, art made by game wardens, a conference room and child-friendly activities.




The museum is hoping to expand; this is evident in the storage space, which has a slew of in-progress projects.


I found a photo of Claude Dallas, the infamous mountain man who murdered two game wardens in cold blood in 1982 in Idaho. Apparently, he was released after 22 years for good behavior (although he escaped from prison and was on the lam for a year).


Outside, there are somber memorial markers for the men and women who passed away in the line of duty, organized state-by-state.


You can also purchase a memorial paver; these are displayed in long rows around the whole museum.


Here's dad's!


If you go, drive straight north of Dunseith, North Dakota, until you hit the Canadian border or straight south of Boisssevain, Manitoba, until you hit the American border.

Days and Hours of Operation :
  • May (weekends only) 11 am - 4 pm
  • June 1st - September 3   11 am - 5 pm
  • September 4th - September 16   11 am - 4 pm
  • Winter hours by appointment only in coordination with the
         International Peace Garden.



(Linking up for Travel Tuesday.)

Only 4 more years to the next Prague Quadrennial

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Good morrow to you, sir! Art thee a theater-goer? Then thee must cometh to Prague! Thither art 1) many inexpensive theatrical opportunities and 2) some of the world's most meritorious scenography. Tis a silver bow. 

(Credits to Shmoop's online Shakespeare translator, which is good fun.)

Being lovers of all things thespian, colleague Scottswoman and I dove into the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, the largest scenography (stage/costume/lighting design) event in the world! As the name states, it's held in Prague every four years, and it includes performances, workshops and exhibits all over the city, put on by groups and schools from 78 countries. 


I attended 8 years ago and, boy, the whole thing has swelled into a massive cesspool of creativity and innovation. (Mamet in a digitally-produced rainstorm, anyone?) This year's event was June 18-28 and the theme was SharedSpace: Music Weather Politics.

We started with lunch on top of DAMU: The Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. A woman spilled leek soup all over me when she tripped down the steps, but, hey - a person could be covered in worse things!


I enjoyed the costume exhibits, which were often accompanied by photos of their use in plays.


A soundscape made by freezing microphones in blocks of ice and recording the subsequent melting/dripping.


A mobile stage, built in a courtyard of the Naprstek Museum. 


A number of exhibits we saw had stage dioramas, some of them just conceptual and some with proof of performance. 


A courtyard break with olives, outside of one of the city's many palaces-turned-exhibition venues.


If I remember correctly, this macabre design was Brazilian. 


One of our favorite exhibits was a Canadian collection of outhouses decorated on the insides with various genres and periods.


Drama and scenography books for sale! I had to sit on my hands to avoid emptying my wallet. 


A Prague Castle view from the book room.


My junky phone photos don't do this spectacular event justice. Come in another four years and see it for yourself. Fare thee well! 

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