Fish Boil: It's a meal of boiled fish.

Door County, Wisconsin, July 1980. We treat my Godmother and her husband to a traditional Door County meal.

This Year's Banquet

Mr. Irene and I just attended the annual banquet hosted by Madison Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. Our friends V and her husband again joined us for the weekend. It was a great occasion.

The Madison Club once more decorated the tables in the tricolors of the Lithuanian flag.

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This year, Mr. Irene welcomed the guests.

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Guests enjoyed cocktails before the meal. Some of us eat the olives first.

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We had a great turnout.

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The chef is becoming expert at preparing Lithuanian dishes.

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We started out with a favorite: Šaltibarščiai.

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The kitchen remembered to serve the soup with a traditional accompaniment: boiled potatoes.

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Our featured speaker this year was Dr. Audrius Plioplys, creator of the Hope and Spirit exhibit.

In-Flight Entertainment

The Madison Kūčios Celebration

Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. and the Madison-area folk dance group, Žaibas, hosted its annual Kūčios gathering yesterday. It's a lovely event, and folks arrive from around the state to celebrate the occasion.

Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Each table featured a plate of plotkelės.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. It's a potluck affair. I made Christmas Fish. (See menu items and recipes here and here and here.)

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. We had several delicious herring dishes.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. That's my (first) plate. My favorite dish was the "Herring Under a Fur Coat."

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Santa arrives!

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Santa engages the children in the "Jurgelis Meistrelis" dance. Santa had push-ups on the mind.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. This Santa was so good that even his children didn't recognize him.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Santa had a tree decorated with straw ornaments.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Finally, it's time for the gifts!

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. Aww, bless.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 12, 2015. There's no free gift for the older children: each must recite a poem or perform a song before Santa passes along the prize.

Another, Annual Banquet

Mr. Irene and I just attended the annual banquet hosted by Madison Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. Last year, I got sick, and we were bummed out that we couldn't go. This year, we were delighted that my friend V and her husband joined us for the occasion. We had a great time.

Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. Our venue was the elegant Madison Club.

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. Guests registered with the greeter before they enjoyed cocktails.

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. The management again decorated the venue with the three colors of the Lithuanian flag.

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. Grab a seat before all the spots are taken!

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. Donors contributed items for the loterija (raffle).

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. My Mom knitted three hats for the raffle; she made this one out of a luxurious merino-wool-and-silk yarn. Yeah, Mom!

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. The chef prepared a Lithuanian meal.

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. My favorite dish was the Šaltibarščiai.

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. We also enjoyed a blueberry-enhanced Napoleonas.

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May 2, 2015. It was great to see my friend V— the friend I made because of the blog!

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 2, 2015. We also were delighted to meet V's husband. Thanks for a wonderful visit!

Bummeris*

Mr. Irene and I had planned last night to attend the annual banquet of the Madison Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. organization. We couldn't go because I got the flu! I haven't had a cold or other viral illness since 2007, so I was shocked when I developed feverish symptoms and spent three days in bed. It was a big disappointment.

Mr. Irene did, however, stop off at the venue to deliver the items he and I donated to the banquet's loterija. He snapped a few photos while he was there.

Madison, Wisconsin, May 3, 2014. Our gracious greeter checked in guests.

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 3, 2014. The raffle prizes included Lithuanian beer, some woven sashes, a woven tablecloth, two baumkuchenai, and a bottle of Polish vodka (our fault).

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 3, 2014. How nice!

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 3, 2014. Super bummeris: look what we missed. The chef again adapted some Lithuanian dishes for the service. This time, he added Cepelinai to the menu.

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Madison, Wisconsin, May 3, 2014. The guest of honor was His Excellency Žygimantas Pavilionis, the Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States.

Ambassador Pavilionis also spoke to WISC-TV. You can watch the clip here.

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*Lithuanians adopt English nouns into their vocabulary by adding declentive endings to the words. "Bummer" becomes "bummeris;" "basement" is "basementas;" and "blog" is "blogas."

Depict the Mayor "as the star he really is."

"Emails show Emanuel aides, producers coordinated CNN 'Chicagoland' scenes."

Annual Banquet

Mr. Irene and I last night attended the banquet hosted by Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. The centerpiece of the evening was a presentation by the Grandson of Aleksandras Stulginskis, the second President of the Republic of Lithuania.

 

Madison, Wisconsin, April 2013. The greeters warmly welcomed us.

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Madison, Wisconsin, April 2013. The venue decorated the tables with the tricolors of the flag.

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Madison, Wisconsin, April 2013. The chef delighted guests with a customized, Lithuanian meal. We started out with Šaltibarščiai. Note the appropriate side plate of dill-coated, boiled potatoes.

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Madison, Wisconsin, April 2013. We ended the meal with a chocolate variation on Napoleonas. One criticism: the dollop of orange marmalade was a downer because I expected apricot jam.

(Note: The Šaltibarščiai were so good, I decided to share a spoonful with the tablecloth.)

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Madison, Wisconsin, April 2013. No Lithuanian event is complete without a loterija.

UPDATE: Link to professional photos taken by Paulius Musteikis.

An Early Kūčios, with Friends

Mr. Irene and I were delighted recently to have been invited to a lovely Kūčios potluck. Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. and the Lithuanian folk dance group with which we used to perform—Žaibas—hosted the event.

Madison, Wisconsin, December 2012. Each table featured a plate of plotkelės that diners shared before the meal.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 2012. The spread included nearly every traditional Kūčios dish: herring, mushrooms, "Vinegretai," "Christmas Fish" (two ways!), smoked fishes, and Lithuanian bread.  (Compare our Kūčios table from last year.)

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 2012. After dinner, Santa Claus arrived with gifts for those children who were ready to sing, play an instrument, or recite a poem.

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Madison, Wisconsin, December 2012. Santa broke into a swoosh of Jurgelis Meistrelis moments after he arrived.

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Do you want to learn more about Kūčios? Check out these posts.

Related by Marriage: On the Town, Mojave Desert Edition

There were few entertainment options in the desert city of Barstow, California, for the U.S. Army men stationed in nearby Camp Irwin. In the early 1950s, there was a movie house and a few bars in the downtown area. Big cities were more than a couple of hours drive away, one way: Los Angeles was 150 miles to the west, following US Route 66, and Las Vegas was 150 miles to the northeast.

Camp Irwin, Barstow, California, Summer 1951. Mr Irene's Dad poses with two buddies from his tank instructors' group as the men prepare to head into Barstow. These two friends were both Italian-Americans from New York City. The man still dressed in fatigues was a sergeant, and he had a lead role in the instructors group.

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Camp Irwin, Barstow, California, Summer 1951. Mr Irene's Dad reports that the conversation went something like this: 

Man on the right: "Let's go into town, boys."

Sergeant: "To go into town, you need money, which I don't have."

A Milestone Birthday

In 1963, the former Displaced Persons living in our small, suburban enclave gathered to celebrate the milestone birthday of one of the group's patriarchs.

Suburban Chicago, Summer 1963. The guest of honor toasts his friends.

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Suburban Chicago, Summer 1963. Guests help open a gallon-sized gifts. That's the lovely Lily on the left. My Mom's best friend Donna, behind the men, is cleaning up the gift wrap. On the far right is Donna's husband, Vytenis.

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Suburban Chicago, Summer 1963. Everyone looks confused by a gift. Could it be something my Parents bought? Don't miss the plastic-covered chair in the background.

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Suburban Chicago, Summer 1963. The women enjoy the gift-opening. That's my Mom on the right.

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 Suburban Chicago, Summer 1963. The guest of honor and his wife relax on that chair.

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Suburban Chicago, Summer 1963. The hostess prepares to serve dessert. Will her one-person Chihuahua, Murzė, let her get out of the chair?