Augusta Arts Festival

Festivals are pretty much the same sort of thing whether you are in Austria or Czechia or here. Most have tents with or without stages, food, and music and dancing, and maybe some art and arts and crafts. The Arts in the Heart of Augusta Festival that we went to this past weekend to read our stories had it all. As with many festivals the purpose is to celebrate and to showcase local culture, and because of the fairly large immigrant populations in Augusta, it has the flavor of both an arts and crafts fair and international food and music festival. The cost for admission is just $5 for the entire weekend, and this entitles you to peruse the artists' tents, enjoy the music and dancing at four or five stages, and to buy food from the 30 booths offering food from 35 different nations. This availability of such a great variety of cuisines is one of my favorite things about my own country as is the fact that we all exist peacefully together. It is also, dare I say it, heartwarming that many of us also take great pleasure in learning about those who aren't at all like us. So, we watched a lot of Irish performers and some Indian dancers, ate a whole lot of good food, and Bram and I got henna tattoos.

Mmmmm, Power Tools

Here are the before and after photos of the closet for which I made and installed shelves yesterday. It took about two hours, including the trip to Lowe's,which is exactly like OBI or Bauhaus, except there is no cafe in the store where you can have a drink or a meal. I live an easy walking distance from the Lowe's and a Home Depot, but I never walk or ride a bike to them because there are no sidewalks, and people drive more like they're at the Lowe's Motor Speedway than on a trip to the Lowe's store. In this area, there are people who call in to the newspaper to express their heartfelt convictions about the fitness of NASCAR drivers to be President of the US (and I thought we couldn't sink any lower than the current one). I have noticed that both Lowe's and Home Depot have all of their signs in both Spanish and English now, as do a few of the other stores, and I am quite happy about it because now a trip to these stores is a free language lesson.

BEFORE no shelves AFTER shelves and drawers

It doesn't look like much, and really, compared to building (from scratch, all by myself) the doors for the garden shed a couple of years ago, the work was both less demanding and less satisfying. Learning and writing the code necessary to present these photos as they are here, side-by-side, with text, was actually more time consuming and in its way, more difficult than both. You know, I think those ready-made drawers should be replaced with something, better, don't you? Maybe next week...

Na Naše Boty

We don't wear shoes inside our house now. At the door inside the garage we have a place for us to remove our street shoes and to change into our house shoes. If you are Czech, this habit is no great thing. Because the inside of a garage which does not face the street is a bit more private than a garage that faces the street, our original place for the shoes was simply a chair and a small bench on and under which we put our shoes. Then last Thursday morning, a neighbor's dog stole one of Thomas's good walking shoes, so Thomas agreed that it was time to buy a proper cabinet na naše boty. We were very lucky to find not only a little cabinet with doors for our street shoes, but a small thing with drawers for the house shoes, too. And three (3) bookcases for a great price at Goodwill. Goodwill is a non-governmental organization which helps people by offering them job training. The benefit for those of us lucky enough not to need this training is that we get to buy what Goodwill sells. Such a store is called a thrift store, and while most of the items sold there are used, many are still new, like the cabinets and bookcases we got this weekend. Think of it as a really well-organized yard sale, with these exceptions: the prices are higher, though still low, it is open 6 or 7 days a week, it is all indoors, and the profits go to benefit the needy. Ever wonder what happens to the stuff that Americans don't sell in their yard sales? Much of it ends up at Goodwill,the Salvation Army, or a similar place. So, we got all of this furniture which was unassembled and in boxes, and I have been very happily engaged in assembling the drawers and two of the bookcases. Honestly, if I could make a living at working with my hands, I think that I would choose it over other jobs I have had. At the end of the day, there would be tangible evidence of my labors.

Weights and Measures

In the South, when we share the products of our garden with someone,unless we are talking about huge gardens and sharing huge amounts, the term of measurement that we use is "mess". A mess of anything is about as much as one might cook for a family of four people for one meal, though it means more if you're talking about a bigger family. A mess of beans for us, for example, looks like what is in the colander on the floor in the picture here. Those beans on the floor around it are also called a mess, such as that which is made when the bag of frozen beans falls out of the freezer and breaks open on the floor. To include both of these uses of the word mess in one sentence, you could say, "Janet made a mess on the floor with a mess of beans." Mess used with "a whole mess of..." means a lot of something and applies both to things you can count and things you can't. As in, "Janet's mom put a whole mess of beans into a whole mess of bags, and one of those bags fell out onto the floor."

Labor Day Weekend

This past weekend was a long weekend because Monday was Labor Day. We had to find something else to do with ourselves because our elaborate plans for a nice long camping trip fell through because it was supposed to rain. We have only gone camping once, and we didn't actually go camping; we just slept in the tent in our backyard. It stormed and rained all night, and that is how we knew that our tent leaks and that we were not going to risk three such nights. So instead, we stayed home, watched movies and read, and I worked on the blog and the site I am webmastering for George Singleton. I got word that I won second prize in a literary competition, and was almost too excited to sleep because I now have enough money for a ticket to Prague. We went to White County to the McConnell farm in the mountains of northeast Georgia on Sunday and hiked around and played in the creek all day Monday. The McConnell boys are extremely fond of building rock dams on the creek, and they will spends hours at it. In fact, this interest in moving rocks has been going on for four generations now, and messing around with the rocks isn't limited to building dams in the water. Bram's grandfather once spent a summer hauling creek rock up the hill to build a nice long wall. I confess, I enjoy it, too. It is a soothing activity which gives me time to think about things.

On the way home it seemed an approriate celebration of Labor Day to stop by Babyland General Hospital, "one of the Travel Channel's top ten toylands" and to witness the birth of a baby doll. As you might imagine, Bram wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it, and he made a point of saying to the adults who spoke to him that he was only there under duress. You can't blame him; it is a doll factory, after all. These toys, called Cabbage Patch dolls, were originally created and hand sewn in Cleveland, Georgia, by Xavier Roberts, who called them "Little People" dolls. They were never cheap, and these days if you want one, you don't buy it, you adopt it for a fee. The adoption fee for a handmade Cabbage Patch Kid ranges from $170 to $350 (from 3570 to 7350 Czech crowns). And you have to sign papers and swear an oath to promise to be the best parent you can be to it. Mass produced versions with plastic heads go for $50 to $80 (1000 and 1600 crowns). A few very special ones have been known to demand a $25,000 adoption fee. That's five hundred thousand Czech crowns! Amazing, isn't it? And all I can figure is how many of these dolls equals one trip to Prague. Babyland General really is a cute little museum which offers as part of the free tour the chance to watch the birth of a real Cabbage Patch baby. Each of these dolls is given its own unique name, usually by a child who is present, and a birth certificate. The baby we saw being born was named Aiden Zeke, and there were lots of jokes about the "A to Z" baby who will have everything. You can see the most exciting moment of the birth in the video here. Let me know if you would like to see the entire ordeal.

THAT'S IT!

It has been over 100 degrees (38 Celsius) for almost a week now. This is in the shade, on the cool side of my porch. The humidity isn't so high, only 39%, so that brings the heat index to only 111 (43C). I give up. The air conditioner is ON!

Back to School: Signature Water and Dancing Cow

Today was Bram's first day back at school. After we took him to school and walked him to his class, we drove over to the office supply store to get a couple more things. On the way we encountered a dancing cow and a girl hawking (ie trying to "sell") free chicken biscuits at the Chic-Fil-A. We didn’t take advantage of the free offer, but while we were stopped at the traffic light, I took video of the person dancing around in the cow suit. And here it is for you to see the ridiculous lengths we capitalists will go to for a buck. Or what silly American jobs there are. Or the kind of silliness that will make me laugh. In case you’re wondering, I didn’t get the free food because although the sandwiches at Chic-Fil-A are really really good, I can’t afford all of the fat and calories right now, even if they are free.
The school served signature water at the Parents' Club picnic yesterday. Signature water is bottled water with customized labels and is usually called private label water. People here buy it for company and school functions, health clubs, and weddings and other parties as a way to promote something, to raise money, or to commemorate some event. It's quite popular these days. It costs from about fifty cents to a dollar and half per bottle to have it made, depending on how many cases of it that you buy. In Czech crowns, that is between 10 and 30 Kc per bottle! So, what do you think about that? Yes, I know. I think so, too. And that is one more reason why I miss you so much. Now, if you will pardon me, I have to go calculate how many of these bottles equals one air ticket to Prague.

Flea-Tech: Violence Rules the Day

First of all, don't call it Flea Tech; they hate that and it isn't a very respectful moniker for the Federal Law Enforecement Training Center (FLETC). We spent the day with our friend, Federal Agent Sharkmon. That still isn't his real name; I have seen his ID, but I don't want to compromise his identity as an agent, so he is Agent Sharkmon.
The very first thing we had to do was to report to the weapons clearing area. We weren't carrying any, and Sharkmon has a special 'red gun' that it isn't necessary to clear. In fact, it isn't a real gun, but all of the trainees have to carry it at all times. A real gun and the right to carry it as a federal agent have to be earned. Our tour started with our providing personal information which we are sure will go into our FBI files, or will be used to start new files on us. Who am I kidding? Of course we already have files!
One of the first things our guide told us about is the cardinal rule of law enforcement: Technique is good, but violence rules the day.

It is kind of one upmanship in aggression. While you have to know the time tested techniques when dealing with a ne'er do well, sometimes retaliation in spades is your best defense. I'm serious! But we still laugh like hyenas when we hear it.
We drove down streets with names like Gunpowder, Firearms, Bunker Lane and Legislative Drive to see firing ranges-- a lot of them, with their jagged rooflines and smokestacks designed for maximum sound proofing and venting of noxious fumes. We also saw buses, trains, automobiles, and a Fed Ex plane, all de-comissioned and put into service as training vehicles for all manner of federal force activities, from anti-terrorism scenarios to customs inspections and border patrol. In some cases these are the same. It was especially interesting to see the facilities for training border patrol agents because I have never gone from one country to another by car. I could see how America must look to millions who come the US. America isn't so much a shining paradise on the other side of a gate as it is a shining gate through which not all may pass to a possible land of milk and honey.
We had a great time touring the training center because Lee is such fun company. He has a great sense of humor and is eager to share what he knows (and he knows some cool stuff). However, the fact that we were entertained by our tour guide doesn't in the least diminish the seriousness of what goes on here. The men and women who sign on to serve their country this way take their jobs very seriously, and they train hard, very hard physically and mentally to be good at what they do. And in the end, as the monument to fallen officers attests, they barter their lives in complete faith that they are making this a better place for all of us.
As Winston Churchill said, "We sleep safe knowing there are rough men ready to visit violence in the night on a moment's notice."

Wednesday: Casino Cruise

Gambling other than the state-run education lottery is illegal in Georgia and in most other states in the US. If you want to gamble at Blackjack, Roulette or Dice tables, or to try your luck with a slot machine (called one-armed bandits), you have to travel to another state. The nearest one for Georgians is North Carolina. Those casinos are located on Native American Indian reservations which are not subject to state law. To escape state prohibitons against such gambling on the coast, it is possible to take a boat 3 miles from the shore, beyond the long arm of the law, and this is what a casino cruise is all about. Such a cruise from St Simons usually costs only $10, and it includes a dinner, a light snack, and access to more than enough opportunities to lose your money. Thanks to my mother's sharp eye for a bargain, we had coupons from the local newspaper for a free cruise plus $10 in match play. Match play means they match your initial bet. You put down your $10; they add their $10 to it, and if you win, you have to give back the money that they put with yours. If you lose, well, then you are out $10. Dinner included soup, salad, a soft drink, and either a hamburger or sandwich with pasta or potato salad. Alcohol was extra, but as Wednesday is Ladies Night, alcoholic drinks were only $2. Thomas and I had no idea how to gamble in a casino, so we spent nearly the entire time sitting in chairs on the top deck of the ship, enjoying each other's company and the night air. Surprisingly this pleasure wasn't diminished at all by the ship's literally spinning in place once we reached the three mile limit. Apparently, it isn't necessary to go one inch beyond three miles, so gambling cruises don't. When we did finally brave the casino, we spent (i.e. blew/wasted) $10 on the one-armed bandits. I would like to say that I found this entertainment fun, but I can't. What I feel when I am risking my money (even a dollar for a lottery ticket) is more anxiety than excitement. Watching others lose their money is a bit scary for me, too. Our time on the deck, with the view, the fresh sea air, and the gulls, pelicans and few dolphins that we saw made it worth the effort, though. I think we'll do this again, maybe in the fall when the weather is cooler and we can take a day cruise, maybe bring binoculars, a book, the iPod, purchase a few drinks....

Sunday: Crabs

Do you know the meaning of "crabby"? Since I was feeling especially crabby and ill-tempered yesterday, I thought it would be a good day to go crabbing. We rode in the back of my father's new truck to the pier. It is now illegal for children to ride in the backs of trucks, but when I was a kid, it was THE way to go anywhere in the summer. In fact, children were expected to ride in the back because trucks cabs were smaller and un-air-conditioned. More about trucks later.
To go crabbing successfully requires basically the same supplies and skills as mushrooming: a basket and the ability to distinguish between those we eat and those we don't. The crabs we eat are Blue Crabs (they are blue). It is illegal to take whole Stone Crabs from the waters (though you may take one claw, if it has two). They are easy to recognize because they aren't blue, and they look a bit inflated. Hermit Crabs are the ones with the shells on their backs. You can throw them back before or after you watch them crawl around for a while. Hermit crabs are sold as pets at the shell shop in the Village.

When we arrived at the pier, my aunt and uncle had already baited and set out the baskets, so all Bram had to do was haul up the baskets and pick out the crabs. It wasn't a very successful crabbing expedition. We caught only one large Stone Crab, which we are obliged by law to throw back, and a whole lot of Hermit crabs. Granted, we had a lot of fun playing around with the Hermits and talking to family. It's always nice for me watch my mom with her sisters, and Bram had a fun time with his cousins.