Long Weekend

Happy belated July 4th! Unfortunately, my July 4th was a lot like my July 3rd and July 5th. America's Independence Day is not a very big deal here. But I celebrated in my mind. I would have liked to make a Martha Stewart-y cake in the shape of the American flag, with white icing and cherries or raspberries for the red stripes and blueberries for the blue part. But baking is a little beyond me right now. A different, strange oven, the metric system, trying to translate ingredients, my own fundamental cooking difficulties (where is my mom or Sally when I need her?) ...And we were not at home this weekend. On Friday afternoon we left for that retreat place that we went to the first weekend I was here. We only got back a few hours ago; Monday was a holiday so it was a three day weekend.

Speaking of cherries...

We stopped by the grandparent's house on the way to the camp site to pick up green peas, raspberries, and cherries. I had to take a picture. There was a whole other basket, just like this one! Two beautiful baskets just brimming with perfect cherries. Awesome.

Of course one basket tipped over in the car, but we managed to salvage almost every single cherry.

The boys enjoyed the weekend. They ran around outside, biked a lot, played in a sand and gravel pile, and attempted ping pong and badminton, though the ball/birdie rarely crossed the net more than once in succession.

A very nice couple, good friends of Eva and Jan, stayed with us, too. They do not speak English, so when we were all together it was five minutes of Czech conversation summed up in one sentence for the American girl...and repeat...but we had a good time together. I am discovering that you can say a lot with a smile. And gestures. More with gestures.

I had a good time, though it was certainly a long weekend. There is no internet access and the nearest town is over 5km away (how euro am I?), so it is a little isolated. I was on duty quite a lot, so I am worn out. And I get most homesick on the weekends. Not entirely sure why, but everything seemed to remind me of something or someone at home. Anyway, I am glad to be back in my village and very excited to have internet and skype!

I went for two runs over the weekend and actually had a great time! Part of why I enjoyed running was because the views were so incredible.

I ran the road from the camp site to the tiny town.

It was a one lane dirt track with waist high grasses and wildflowers on either side.

There were blue mountains in the distance and incredibly picturesque hay stacks dotting the fields.

I took some videos to share with you. They might be a little redundant, shaky, or spinny but it was so gorgeous! forgive me.

It was hot but there was a nice breeze--you can hear it shooshing through the wheat(?).

Here is a view of the nearby town. Besides an ugly water tower or whatever that thing is, it was very scenic. The first building with the red roof is part of the train station. All the windows are broken in the top part.

Another reason I enjoyed the runs was because they were rare moments when I could do something totally for myself and be completely relaxed. I was with the children almost constantly and had very little "Cameron time" this weekend, so these minutes of independence and privacy were very much appreciated.

At the end of the dirt road there was a rather dilapidated train station. A lot of the train stations in the small towns I have driven through are in an attractive state of disrepair. To add to the small town cuteness, look for a chicken daintily stepping between the rail ties.

Although it is still difficult sometimes to communicate with the boys, it is amazing how quickly they pick up words and phrases. Here is a video of the four year old speaking brief English. ("Cameron, push please.") He had just gotten off of his bike. I don't make them wear helmets all the time...

Progress! He learned "push" pretty early because of the swing in the backyard. He is a funny one--sometimes he will say lots of English words or even sing phrases, (his latest favorites are "close the door! open the door!" with his voice rising and lingering on "door," and "brush your teeth!") but sometimes he refuses. Then he will look at me and say "No, Cameron." (Everyone here says my name Cam-ur-ron, not Cam-ron or Cam-ren.)

I had a free hour on Sunday and went to the lake behind the house. Another lovely spot.

There is a metal rowboat and a narrow dock, just wide enough to sit on, eat cherries, and read.

I was planning on taking the boat out on Monday afternoon, but as soon as I started unlocking the padlock that chains it to the dock, there was a burst of thunder. Figures. I decided that it would be really embarrassing to get struck by lightning on this tiny lake in the middle of the Czech Republic, so I locked the boat back up and headed for the house. It started to rain soon afterwards.