Jānis Rātminders

Jānis Rātminders—Teacher, Poet, Translator

(December 8, 1812—October 8, 1880)

My friends, if these songs of mine

Should meet with your approval,

Then I’ll dare to go on singing,

And tell more of Juris:

What a man he’s become

And what good he’s done.

Then I’ll write down a second chapter,

Which will be superior to this.

In my spare time I’ll happily seek

To gather more verses and sing even better.

This my mind is set on night and day,

To give my brothers what they need.

God, let me experience

From my countrymen this joy:

That, both near and far,

Their liking for book-reading should increase.

Then the people’s ignorance will end,

And whoever writes will rejoice.

                       

Stāstu dziemas  (Story Songs)

Riga, 1850

For Janis Ratminders, there was no greater joy than sharing his faith in God and love of learning with his fellow Latvians and his poetry exuded both of those qualities.   But he was the product of three worlds and his daughter Augusta—our great grandmother—would depart for yet another when she left her family for a new life in America.

Janis was brought up on the Zeikari farmstead just north of the village of Vecpiebalga, some 130 kilometers east of Riga.  The farmstead sits on the windward side of a knoll that is the height of land to the west of Alauksts Lake.  A short walk on the driveway down to the main road (P30) from Vecpiebalga to Cesis to the north, affords a panoramic view of the lake with the iconic white birch rimming its shore.   To the west, the rivelet which becomes the Gauja River—the longest entirely in Latvia—winds through the fields from its source in Kaive, then north and east and again north and finally west on its meandering route to the Baltic Sea. 

The 19^th century Latvian landscape Janis was born into was not yet Latvia, but a part of the Russian Empire since the end of the Northern War which relinquished Swedish control of the eastern Baltic littoral in the 1720s.  And yet the countryside was populated by Latvians and Germans.   As the Latvian novelist Matiss Kaudzites once noted, in these days the terms Latvian and German were equivalent to peasant and landowner, as the dominance of the latter established centuries before continued through the 19^th century.   At times the German presence was oppressive, but the influence of Swedish kings and Moravian brethren, along with the German Lutheran church, resulted in an increase in the literacy rate among Latvians.  Literacy and refined culture were the domains of Germans and most education was conducted in German.

Janis Ratminders (Johann Rathminder in the German-language church records) was the third of four sons of Andzs and Marie Rathminder to reach adulthood—one sister did as well—and the second so named after an older sibling who died in infancy.   The family lost  2 infant daughters, as well.   Janis and Andzs were popular names in the Vidzeme countryside—Janis’s paternal grandfather was also Janis and his oldest brother was Andzs.   Though he was influenced by all his family, it was his brother Andzs who has the most lasting and profound impact on his life.  Andzs, 7 years older than Janis, was intelligent and multi-talented and when a teaching position became available at the local parish school, Andzs was chosen at the age of 18.  He would become a legend in Latvian education as he continued in the role for 63 years, one the longest and far-reaching in history.  So it would be Andzs who would teach his younger brother Janis and mentor him in his own teaching career for years to come.

After completing his training under his brother’s tutelage, Janis sought further experience in Riga, the commercial and cultural center of the eastern Baltic region.  Before long he secured a position teaching in the manor of Sasumuižā (Zasulauks) on the Pardaugava area of Riga across the Daugava River from the city center.  By 1837, he secured a position at the St. John’s parish in the old city, and he would continue there until the year of his death—over 42 years.  Longevity was but one of his accomplishments as he took a prominent role in the literary movement in the Latvian language and what became known as the "National Awakening,” which brought Latvian language, culture and literature onto firm footing alongside German and Russian influences.  To say Janis was a member of the Latvian intelligentsia of the mid-19^th century would be accurate, but fall short of describing his overall contribution to the national movement.

His literary connections most certainly were enhanced by his association with Pastor Hermans Treijs, the St. John’s parish leader, who himself was a prolific writer.  Treijs had began in 1832 to publish a weekly newspaper "Tas Latviesu Lauzu Draugs” (Friend of the Latvian People) and continued its publication to at least 1846.  Once Janis began work in the parish school, he also became a regular contributor to the publication with stories and poetry written under his own byline and with pseudonyms of JR and 49.  Examples of his work dating back to 1840 are on file in the National Library of Latvia, including “Good work, bad salary” and “Christmas message to students” in 1842, collaborations with Ansis Leitans on “Songs for Ludwig Schulz” and Pastor Hermans Treijs's “Christmas Greetings” in 1844 and “Poems for Karl Hieronymus Schirren” in 1847.   This collaboration would represent the beginning of a life-long friendship with Leitans which would further his writing career.

A collection of his pieces written for “Tas Latviesu Lauzu Draugs,”  including “Pretzels from Father” and “Grandfather’s Life,” became the basis for his publication in 1850 of “Stāstu dziesmas”(Story Songs), a book of poetic stories centered on a young Latvian lad named Juris.   The stories take the form of parables which emphasize the virtues of hard work, education and faith, leading to an honorable life. While some historians mark the date of the first Latvian-language publication of poetry by a Latvian as that of Juris Alunans’ “Dziesminas” (Poetry) in 1856 but Janis was clearly 6 years ahead of Alunans.  Between 1850 and 1870 the percentage of such publications in the region went from single digits to 50 percent as the new generation of educated Latvians followed the lead of Ratminders and Alunans.   A biography of Janis Ratminders after his death by J. R. Kalniuks suggests that “Stāstu dziesmas” was widely read and admired, though it has been largely forgotten today.

The publication of Alunans’ work and the establishment of the Latvian language newspaper “Mājas Viesis” (The House-Guest) by Janis Ratminders’ good friend and collaborator Ansis Leitans in 1856 marked the beginning of the first Latvian National Awakening which extended into the 1880s.  Janis was a significant contributor to Mājas Viesis, along with fellow teachers Juris Caunitis, Mikelis Ciritis and Janis Katkins. Mājas Viesis was authorized by the new Tsar of Russia, Alexander II and became the first Latvian newspaper founded by Latvians and edited by Latvians.  It evoked a sense of pride and excitement in the Latvian identity.

Soon after the founding of Mājas Viesis, a succeeding generation of “New Latvians” came on the scene, having all been educated at Dorpat (Tartu) University and given the opportunity to publish their writings in the new weekly paper.  Now legendary figures such as Krisjanis Valdemars, Juris Alunans, Krisjanis Barons and Atis Kronwalds met regularly to discuss political, cultural and literary issues that were of interest to ethnic Latvians.  This group was a reflection of an earlier regular gathering of intelligentsia including Janis Ratminders, Ansis Leitans and others, often at Janis’s home, in the late 1830s and into the 1840s.  While this early group met often, its progress was blunted by Tsar Nicholas I who felt threatened by a number of national movements in the Empire and directed local representatives to limit its meetings.   Over the long term these intrepid Latvians influenced the next wave of the national movement. 

The name Latvia (Latvija) became commonly used by 1862 and in the late 1860s the seeds of a new organization which became known as the Riga Latvian Association were sown.  Janis, though not as active as in his younger days, was involved in the formation of this organization and wrote lyrics for a song, "Kas mūsu spēks, / Kas mūsu pūles" (In our power, In our efforts), with music by Juliujs Purats, which was dedicated to the Association at its founding in 1868.  By 1873, with the first National Song Festival, the Association was a well established body in support of Latvian Nationalism.

In September 1846, Janis married Maria Louise Jacobsohn, daughter of Adam and Maria Magdalena Jacobsohn who were long-time members of the St. John’s parish.  Janis and Maria had 10 children over a period of 16 years.  Our great, grandmother Augusta Dorothea Rathminder was the third and was named for a descendent of Gotthard Friedrich Stender, an 18^th century Latvian grammarian and lexicographer.  Although Janis was active among Latvian language intellectuals, he also shared the trait of many of those, in that he was immersed in German language and culture of the day as well.  Augusta was more influenced by the German side of the house, as evidenced by her love of German romance novels, chiefly among them “Ingo” by Gustav Freytag, the source of our grandfather’s given name as well as that of his sister Freida.  To his death my father always referred to her as his ‘German’ grandmother.

Janis kept in close contact with his brother Andzs until his death in 1880.  An interesting anecdote surrounding their relationship revolved around the hiring of the great Latvian nationalist orator Atis Kronwalds as a teacher in Vecpiebalga.  Andzs knew of Kronvalds stature in the national movement, but wanted to be assured that this great young voice of Latvia was a well-rounded individual, versed in history, philosophy, the arts and religion, so he consulted with his best resource in Riga, his brother Janis.  On Janis’s recommendation Kronvalds was hired and served in the Vecpiebalga parish school until his untimely death at the relatively young age of 37 in 1875.

Janis retired to new home on Slokas iela (Woodcock Street) in Agenkalns area, not far from Zasulauks manor where he first worked on his arrival in Riga.  He is buried in the Martina Cemetary across the street from his home.  He never returned to live in Vecpiebalga, and some speculation surrounds the possibility that his heart was broken by a childhood sweetheart.  Still he expressed his fondness for home in one of his best-known poems,  Rītu nebūšu vairs mājās  (Tomorrow, I’ll Be Home No Longer):

Tomorrow I’ll be home no longer

The moment of parting is near.

My legs already walk the path

My thoughts remain right here.

Climbing the hill over yonder

I’ll gaze back into the dale.

I’ll look down upon the place

Where my joy once set sail.

Then with my heart saddened

I’ll continue to walk the line.

My beloved, though not beside me,

I’ll hold forever in my mind.

But when the cold winter ends

A wondrous spring will be revived.

Then I can go forth again

And my legs will gladly oblige.

Then I’ll happily return

To where love sings its song.

I’ll begin a joyous new life,

And my sorrows will be gone.

And then on Midsummer’s Eve

I’ll adorn your door with birch leaves.

I’ll pick flowers for you, my beloved

Through all the hills and valleys.

The Corn Field Loop

I’m spending a week in Orono, taking a course called Seminar in Non-Fiction Writing at the University of Maine and making sure I take the opportunity to schedule at least a couple runs on the beautiful network of trails around and about campus.  Today, I ran from Shibles Hall over to the athletic stadium, did a mile on the crazy- blue synthetic track and then headed in the direction of the Corn Field Loop.  It’s pretty much the same course we ran in my only cross country meet here as an undergraduate.   That was fall of 1971 and I remember it well.

It was our annual Bates vs UMaine dual meet, which rotated each year between Orono and Lewiston.  I’d missed it as a freshman, but made the trip as a junior.  It was early in the season, and we weren’t expected to be too strong, having lost 3 key team members through graduation, one who dropped the sport and another who flunked out of school.  Still, a new crop of 4 freshman offered promise.  Walt (our coach) had high hopes for a few of the younger guys, but didn’t seem to expect much from me.  I did not excel as a freshman and was injured most of my sophomore season.  I have to say I didn’t think he liked me, either, but it was hard to know with him. Nothing he ever said inspired any confidence in me.

The race started with a lap on the track and then headed in the general direction of the Corn Field Loop.  Much of the area was in agricultural use in those days, where a relatively new recreation center now stands, just south of the cornfield itself.  The Maine team outnumbered us and seemed intent on overwhelming us with a brisk early pace.  After about a mile I could count three of our guys—Emma, Joe and Bill—out front, and at least 12 of the opposition strung out ahead of me.  It was not looking good for the visiting team.  Walt called out from the sidelines to a couple of my teammates near me, “get goin’Norm!” and “move up, Wayne,” but no exhortation for me.   

We veered right through a wooded section where—10 or 15 meters to the right, in the undergrowth, but plainly evident—an undergrad and his girlfriend were studying the “birds and bees.”  (Does anyone use that expression anymore, besides people like my wife who ACTUALLY DO study ‘birds’ and ‘bees?’)    We kept running of course, Woodstock was two years earlier and we’d all seen the movie, if we hadn’t been there personally.  (Overheard, after the race: “Did you see those two in the woods?”)

Back in ’69, my best friend on our high school track team offered me a ticket to Woodstock, but I opted to stay and work extra shifts at my summer job in the dining room of the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs, NY—it turned out to be more than I bargained for when my coworkers were stuck in the traffic jam coming home from the festival and I had to cover a couple more days of their shifts.  All turned out well, as I saw B. B. King, The Who, and Jefferson Airplane a week or so later at Tanglewood in Western Massachusetts—still the best concert I’ve ever seen, but more on that later.

So, back to the race:  as we began to circle the Corn Field and passed Walt one more time, he was now yelling at Norm and Wayne behind me to catch me and pass the UMainers in front of us.   (Thanks for the vote of confidence, Coach!)   Whether it was my reaction to his lack of support or just the summer’s weeks of conditioning finally kicking in, I was the one who began moving up through the field, picking off one Maine runner after another.   By the time we returned to the final lap on the track and the finish line, I was on the heels of Daley and Warner, the top two Maine runners, and not far behind Emma, Joe and Bill—1-2-3—at the front.  Two teammates followed close behind me and we easily outscored the host team.   My sixth place finish was, by far, the best ever in my running career and even earned a mumbled “Good job, Charlie” from Walt.

Today’s run had none of the excitement.  It was pretty idyllic actually—clear skies for the most part, except for a few puffy clouds, the humidity of the past few days gone, a couple of young white-tail deer—a doe and a buck—grazing in the field where crops used to grow.  A mile or so from the finish, I met Rich Kent, my writing instructor, heading out for his evening run.   (Good job, Rich!)

This reminiscence doesn’t exactly qualify as the glory days of my college career.  I was never a great collegiate athlete, although I competed all four years in cross country and Nordic skiing.   I even had a few better performances—a 9:56 two mile indoors on our 10 and ½ lap to a mile, 4 turns per lap, clay/cinder track stands out, we beat Maine again in dual track meet, by one point, maybe my third-place point?—and certainly some worse performances.   And I always considered myself a skier who ran cross country, anyway.   Still, this dual cross country meet was the first time that I knew I could be competitive and it made all the difference.  I’ll never forget it.

-----------------------

On the drive home, I plug a CD into the deck, and it’s just like on the lawn seating at Tanglewood in 1969, as I wake up from the second half of The Who’s set:

Sounds of airplanes buzzing overhead, crowds cheer, then ohhhhh, then ahhhhhh.  Melodramatic organ music fades in and out.   More airplanes overhead... Then we hear the final lines of the 1933 production of “King Kong” —

“Well Denham, the airplanes got him.”

“Oh, no.  It wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.”

A pause, followed by the master of ceremonies:  “Ladies and Gentlemen—The Jefferson Airplane!!”

Cue Spencer Dryden on the drums—Ratta-tat.  Ratta-tat-tat-tat.  Ratta-tat.   Ratta-tat-tat-tat-tat…etc

Cue the Great Jack Casady on bass.   Dum dum… dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum.  Dum dum…. Dum dum dum dum dum dum dum dum 

Enter Grace Slick and Marty Balin singing at times in unison, at times trading lines back and forth, as the rest of the instruments join in:

do away with people blowing my mind
do away with people wasting my precious time
take me to a simple place
where I can easily see my face
baby, baby I can see that you're fine
know I love you baby, yes I do
know I love you baby, yes I do

Marty:   “3/5’s of a Mile in 10 Seconds!!” *

It’s frenetic and electric and the crowd is going wild!  Then Jorma Kaukonen rips off a fantastic lead with Casady churning away on bass—Jorma is great but true rock aficionados know that Jack carries the day.  What a great opening number!   

But wait!  There’s more—Paul Kantner, Casady, Dryden and Kaukonen begin an extended intro, jazz-tinged and quiet at first, but gradually building up to Grace Slick’s riveting performance of “Somebody to Love.”*

“Don’t you want somebody to love…”

Check out “Bless Its Pointed Little Head”*—Jefferson Airplane’s best live CD—for the full experience. 

Or better yet, load it on your iPod and run the Corn Field Loop.  You’ll be flying!

   

Katahdin

Beth and I returned to Baxter State Park last weekend with the goal of climbing Mt. Katahdin. Arriving Saturday afternoon at Daicey Pond we were greeted with an outstanding view of the mountain. Too bad we didn't climb that day!

The occasion was significant for me in that my first climb of Katahdin was in August of 1961. Our family had been to Baxter in 1956 and my father and older brothers spent a day on the mountain, but I was too young at the time. My mother, younger brother Phil and I stayed at the campsite at Katahdin Stream Campground and according to my mother a distinguished gentleman came around with a photographer in tow, and we had our photo taken with him--Governor Baxter in the flesh.

In the years that followed, I bugged my father for the opportunity to climb the mountain myself. He insisted on a number of shorter training hikes each summer before a major climb and this year was no different. We always started with Cathead Mountain in the spring and would climb a variety of lesser peaks in the southern Adirondacks that had fire towers at the top. Hadley, Spruce, Crane, Prospect, Wakley. We climbed most of them. By August, during our summer vacation to Wells Beach, Maine, we were ready for Katahdin.

I don't remember much about the climb and other than talking about the Hunt Trail and asking dad how far we had to go, I'm guessing we talked a lot about the Yankees and the incredible home run competition between Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. By August 11th, the Yanks were on a 9-game win streak in which Mantle had 44 and Maris 42. Overshadowed was Whitey Ford's 20-2 record, quite amazing in itself. Mantle was my favorite. Maris had come from Kansas City the year before and would always be the outsider who didn't come up through the Yankees farm system. (It was only after his death many years later that I and many others appreciated Maris for his record-breaking 61 homers that year, breaking the Babe's long-standing record-with an asterisk). The Yanks would win 109 games that season and go on to win the World Series over the Cincinnati Reds.

The weather was great and the view to the South Basin and Chimney Pond was awe-inspiring. I'll never forget that.

After our climb, we bought a postcard to send to my mother--the view of the mountain from Katahdin Stream Campground.

The weather for my return hike on Sunday didn't quite match my first experience on the mountain but I was pretty happy to be able to make the return trip after fifty years. It's a tough climb, no matter which trail you take and how old you are.

Maybe the Yankees will make a return to the World Series, too. At least Mark Teixeira (32) and Curtis Granderson (31) are hitting homers at a high rate and CC Sabathia (16-6) is leading the league in wins, although the RedSox seem to be dominant when it counts this year. You never know with the Yankees and RedSox.

DJ 3K

Back in 2009, when Derek Jeter was going for his club record 2,722nd hit to pass Lou Gehrig as the all-time leader for the Yankees, I came up with a couple dramatic scenarios that seemed to fit in well with the broad brush of his career. It turned out less so--just an opposite field hit over the first base bag. Leading up to today, the anticipation for hit #3,000 has built month by month, week by week, day by day (as well as the pressure, Derek admitted after the fact) with the added suspense of a 15-day injury break. Today's drama couldn't have been better if it was written for a movie script. Five hits in five at-bats, the second of the five a long homerun to right field for #3,000, and the last (#3,003) a game-winning single up the middle. Congatulations, Derek.

For sure, the #1 Yankee fan, up in heaven, is pleased.

Political Courage: Lessons from Latvia

The sub-text to the headline of Frank Rich's recent article in New York Magazine reflects the political reality for President Obama: "The president's failure to demand a reckoning from the moneyed interests who brought the economy down has cursed his first term, and could prevent a second." Confronting Wall Street over the crash of 2008 and bringing the responsible parties to justice has apparently not been on the President's agenda and many Americans wonder why.

Overseas, an interesting political situation has developed this spring in Latvia, the tiny Baltic country in Eastern Europe which has suffered through the same economic downturn. President Valdis Zatlers' (pictured above with President Obama) first four year term ends today and he was not elected for a second. Instead, he took quite a different route when it came to dealing with his country's oligarchs.

Despite putting his second term in jeopardy, he used the powers of the office of the presidency to dissolve parliament for its failure to waive the immunity of two of its members and a mayor of one of Latvia's largest cities, in an anti-corruption probe. The single-chamber Saeima responded along party lines in electing Zatlers' rival, Andris Berzins, in last month's presidential election. Tomorrow, Berzins will occupy Riga Castle and be Latvia's new President.

Zatlers' political future has been the source of a great deal of speculation, as he has remained silent on his plans until he is out of office. The future for Latvia includes a referendum vote on July 23rd to ratify Zatlers' dissolution and trigger parliamentary elections in September. Most Latvians I spoke with during our recent visit feel the referendum will pass by a large margin. They are less sure of any major change in September, but its evident that they feel at least the parliament will have heard their voice. Zatlers may take a greater role in the coming weeks.

With the current economic situation in America and consistent high unemployment, the controversy over the federal budget and deficit is coming to a head with an impending vote to raise the debt ceiling. Massive funding cuts to safety-net programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are threatened, with the continuation of tax cuts and loopholes benefitting the millionaires and billionaires and corporations who park their assets overseas rather than invest in America. These American oligarchs and their puppets in Washington must be confronted and the time is now.

I can't help but think that what is needed from the White House right now was demonstrated in Riga Castle by the President of a small Eastern European country who put his the integrity of his government above his own political needs and risked his second term with an audacious act of political courage. Hopefully, President Obama will take a cue from President Zatlers and act based on the needs of the majority of Americans.

Jāņi and Other Reasons to Celebrate Latvia

Beth and I recently enjoyed a two week vacation in Latvia, Estonia and Finland last month, featuring some entirely new experiences for both of us including celebration of Jani deina, the Latvian midsummer festival. Learning the traditions of my ancestors was fascinating and fun.

Our trip was highlighted by a number of occasions to spend time with my Latvian relatives, many whom I had never met. While Estonia and Finland were great fun and worthy of return visits, the Latvian stage of our trip was transformational.

This was my 5th trip to Latvia over a six year period (Beth's second) and continued my research of our ancestors, Oscar Wilhelm Maddaus and Augusta Dorothea Rathminder Maddaus, who emigrated from Riga in 1883 and settled in Brooklyn, NY. The research has uncovered some of the extensive portfolio of art produced by Oscar Wilhelm's father, Johann Karl Ludwig Maddaus--11 works are extant that I have been able to document. His paintings and lithographs are held in 4 art museums, three in Latvia and one in Estonia, and serve as alter-pieces in 4 Lutheran churches. While not considered an important 18th-century artist, even by Latvian standards, his work is well-represented.

More complex, and no less extensive, have been the results of the research on Augusta's family. Born to a Latvian father and German mother, Augusta's family name is Rathminder in German, Ratminders in Latvian. Her father, Janis Ratminders, grew up in Zeikari, a hamlet overlooking Alauksts Lake in Vecpiebalga, in the Vidzeme highlands. For some unknown reason, Augusta mis-identified her father as Andzs Ratminders (Janis' brother) and only within the past three years have I been able to discover his true identity. But then, as they say, the fun began, as layer upon layer of Ratminders history and ancestry unfolded. Not only was Janis an interesting figure in his own right--teacher, poet, translator, journalist--his family included some fascinating individuals.

Andzs, his brother, was headmaster for 63 years at the school in Vecpiebalga and taught or hired a number of significant Latvians over the term of his duty.

Lize, his neice, had many suitors, including Andrejs Pumpers, the author of the epic Latvian poem, Lacplesis (The Bearslayer). Eventually, in her 40s, she married Matiss Kaudzites, co-author of the first Latvian language novel, Mernieku Laiki (Time of the Land Surveyors), still a classic. Matiss and his brother Reinis, fashioned characters from those in their community, most notably the heroine, Liene, based on Lize.

Other members of the Ratminders family left another legacy, the resilience to survive the World Wars and foreign occupations in the 20th century which ravaged Latvia until it's 2nd and current period of independence, beginning in 1991. Notably, it is the progeny of Jekabs Ratminders who survive today. The Ratminders name is history--the descendants are Ozola, Avens, Zarina, Snips and Neimane--and over the past year I've been introduced to many of these 4th and 5th cousins through the serendipitious acquaintance with a Latvian school teacher named Mirdza Zommere.

Not only has Mirdza introduced me to her school in Vecpiebalga, but she introduced me to her long-time friend, Anda, a descendant of Jekabs Ratminders and my 4th cousin, and since the first introduction many more. The history of my ancestry and the knowledge of Latvian traditions have enriched my life, but learning of the existence of and getting to know Ratminders relatives has been an unexpected, and treasured experience.

Tragedy in Tuscon

Saturday’s shooting of 19 innocent people at a strip mall in Tuscon, Arizona is disturbing and troubling, and to quote journalist Luke Russert, is an “ugly stain” on the political landscape of America. The incident, at a community outreach event organized by the office of Representative Gabrielle Gifford’s of Arizona’s 8^th Congressional District, left the Congresswoman critically wounded and 6 people dead, including a member of her staff, long-time Federal Judge John Roll, and 4 others, among them a 9-year old girl.

Most troubling, was the inclusion of Representative Gifford’s name on a list of 20 in the cross-hairs of a prominent conservative political action group during the recent elections. While no evidence connects the PAC and the shooter, the rise of inflammatory political rhetoric in our country over the past few years certainly is a contributing factor.

The time has come when, as Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik stated, that we, as a country, do some “soul searching” and set aside the “vitriolic rhetoric’ that leads unbalanced people to claim the innocent lives of citizens of this nation.

It’s time to end the ad hominem attacks on politicians, whether it’s President Obama and other leaders in Washington, DC or Governor Lepage and his new administration in Augusta. Justification by way of the first amendment does not excuse abhorrent behavior. Civil discourse benefits both the viability of the State of Maine and security of the United States of America.

The time has come, as well, for those vocal advocates of the 2^nd Amendment right to bear arms to take a leadership role in establishing conditions that will limit the future events in which a semi-automatic weapon is in the hands of a mentally unbalanced individual. The memories of Columbine and Virginia Tech, and so many other senseless massacres, are now joined by Tuscon.

Those gun-rights advocates, who know the infinitely more than the rest of our citizens about the power of their weapons, have the inherent responsibility to see that they don’t harm the rest of the population. It’s time for them to act, for the benefit of our country.

The victims of the Tuscon shooting are in our thoughts and prayers.

Apkārt Alaukstam

First held in 1984, the Apkārt Alaukstam (around Alaukst) is a 15 kilometer ski race circling Alaukst Lake in the central Vidzeme parish of Vecpiebalga. It has grown to one of Latvia's biggest races with nearly 1,200 skiers participating in 2010.


Unfortunately, I was 10 days or so late to ski in the race, but not too late to ski the loop. Prior to my visit to Vecpiebalga, I indicated a desire to ski while I was there and my contact at the school made the arrangements. Maris, the physical education teacher, was enlisted to take me out skiing and we hit the trail within a couple hours of my arrival. He seemed delighted as a matter of fact but, the more I thought about it, I would gladly give up my afternoon duties to go for a ski, too.


We circled the lake from the south end in a counter-clockwise direction with Ilgars, Maris's friend leading the way. They quickly established their superior conditioning (considering the great snow conditions they had all winter and the marginal skiing in Maine, I was happy to concede) and after learning I was 10 years older, they gave me alot of slack. We met year 10 student Matiss about a kilometer out and he stayed with me most of the rest of the loop. I took it as a sign of respect that he escorted me around, but found later that he had done 2 laps the day before!

The terrain undulated gently through most of the first 12k but just past an area I later found was my ancestral home (Zeikari), a formible hill rose up before us. Ilgars, Maris, and Matiss skied, seemingly effortless, up the long climb, while I dragged along to the rear, but they waited at the top to share the sweeping downhill toward the finish.







Later, after a shower and a hot cup of tea with honey, I slept soundly, waking the next day with slight soreness in my legs and shoulders, and well adjusted to the new time zone.

Latvia--August 2009

Our trip to Latvia last summer is now 3 months into history and so far I've intended, but not followed through with, posting blog entries to document it. I have the picture above set as background on my laptop desktop as a reminder. It was taken from the observation tower of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Old Riga, looking north toward the mouth of the Daugava River in the Baltic Sea.



The week-long stay was my second to Latvia (my first was in 2005) and Beth's first and once again I was determined to search for more details of my ancestors' lives there in the 19th century. In 2005, the search concentrated on my Great Great Grandfather Johann Karl Ludwig Maddaus, an artist and art teacher in Riga. I was also looking for a connection to Andzs Rathminder of Vecpiebalga, presumed to be my Great Grandmother's father, but nothing could document their relationship.



Fortunately, in spite of Russification, two World Wars, German repatriation, the Molotov-Ribbentrop pact between Stalin and Hitler, Nazi Invasion and near 50 year Soviet occupation, Latvia has been independent. Even more miraculously, a fair amount of historical information is available and my ancestors had profiles that warranted modest recording.



A recent breakthrough was the internet access to Raduraksti which consists of digitized records from many of the churches that were active in Latvia in the 19th century. Thanks to some hunches I followed in my search, I was able to find my Great Grandmother's baptism record and her parents names: Johann and Marie Rathminder. Johann's name in Latvian is Janis Ratminders, and he was the younger brother of Andzs Ratminders. Why my Great Grandmother mis-represented her parentage is unknown, but the clarification has opened up new insights to her up-bringing.



Our visit included viewing 9 of Johann Maddaus's paintings in a variety of locations including The National Art Museum in Riga, an exhibit at Rundale Palace, and churches in Garkalnes and Tirza, and a church in neighboring Paistu Estonia. We were taken to the site of Johann's burial plot at the Great Cemetery (Lielie Kapi) in Riga and to another church in Carnikava that once had an altar painting he painted. Both were obliterated during Soviet times, but were among those restoration projects which have been prevalent in Latvia over the past 18 years.



We visited Bauska, Baltezer's, Garkalnes, Carnikava, Vecpiebalga, Gaizinkalns, and Tirza, and met some of the most wonderful people, many of whom I had contacted by email prior to our arrival. We were treated with tremendous hospitality everywhere we went, and at times felt that it was as deeply moving for our hosts to have a great-great grandson of Johann Maddaus to visit his work as it was for me to see it. In many ways the circle had been closed with our meeting.

The Artist

A month after returning from a much needed vacation in Latvia (and Sweden), I 'm still processing the new information uncovered regarding my paternal ancestors who lived in Latvia in the 19th century. The search began at my older brother John's initiative in the early 1990's, in interviewing our father Ingo and documenting as much family history as possible in preparation for a Maddaus family reunion in 1995.

I'd always been interested in the connection with Latvia, since the word Riga rolled off Aunt Frieda's tongue during a family vacation she shared with us in Wells Beach, Maine in the early 60s. Technically a great aunt, she was born there in 1881, as were 5 of her 6 siblings. Riga was part of the Russian Empire at the time and the family patriarch, Johann Karl Ludwig Maddaus, had been one of a number of Germans who settled there. Born in Hamburg, he was an art teacher and artist, specializing in portraits and religious art.

Brother John discovered, with the help of University Southern Maine Professor Juris Ubans, that 2 of Johann Maddaus's paintings were in the collection of the Latvian National Museum of Art, including a self-portrait. The latter is the only image we have of our great great grandfather, but to date it's one of 9 paintings I've had the opportunity to see in Latvia and Estonia during my travels there in 2005 and 2009.

The breakup of the Soviet Union and end of its occupation of Latvia, as well as the advent of the internet, has led to the web publication of a tremendous store of Latvian history in the past 15 years. I've been able to identify members of Johann's family in addition to our Great Grandfather Oscar Wilhelm Maddaus (who emigrated to the US in the latter part of the 19th century) and locate the family burial site in Lielie Kapi (The Great Cemetery) in Riga.

Another revelation was the identity of Oscar's in-laws, the family of Augusta Dorothea Rathminder, the details of whom had been lost sometime after their move to the USA.

There's quite a bit of research to digest, but I'm hoping to record more of it here and in a family history at some future date.

Yankee Heaven

With the recent surge by the New York Yankees, propelling them comfortably into first place, I have to take back everything I said about them last May and half of what I said about their manager. While nothing is secure in these post-2004 AL Championship Series years, at least the current team is performing relatively consistently (even to the point of losing to Roy Halladay most of the time) going 47-17 in their last 64 games.

Looking down on the current team, I'm sure, is one of their greatest fans, my Dad, who must be pleased with the progress and cautious about making any predictions for the playoffs. The fact that the Yanks completed a 4-game sweep of the Red Sox on August 9, 2009, the 100th anniversary of his birth, was a special occasion for him, no doubt.

Dad especially liked the players who had paid their dues in the Yankees farm system; veterans like Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, younger guys like Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera, and rookies such as Ramiro Pena and Fransisco Cervelli, are always perferred over Alex Rodriguez, C. C. Sabathia and A. J. Burnett, whose talents are appreciated, and Carl Pavano and Rick Rhoden, whose failures were lamented.

Also looking down on the current team with great interest is "The Iron Horse," Henry Louis "Lou" Gehrig. The all-time Yankees hits leader with 2,721 will be eclipsed in the the record books by their outstanding shortstop, Derek Jeter, in the next week or so. Jeter stands at 2,713 and with a .330 batting average, needs only 5 or 6 games at his current pace to surpass Gehrig's mark. I'm sure Lou will be pleased with his successor, a man of quiet dignity like himself, who plays hard day-in, day-out (most games played in the majors since 1996, his rookie year) and puts singles, walks and advancing the runner above homeruns and personal statistics.

Jeter was always one of Dad's favorite from the time he played for the Double-A Albany-Colonie Yankees in the early 90s. One game, Jacob, Dad and I saw in 1994, Jeter batted right after Andy Fox, and before Tate Seefried, and went 2 for 4 with an error in the field. His presence was the more remarkable aspect of that game. You just knew the sportswriters were correct in predicting that Jeter would be the next starting shortstop for the big club. He stayed with the A-C Yankees for 34 games, batted .377 and moved on to Triple A.

There's no doubt Jeter will reach the record but its interesting to note that he also needs 3 homeruns to reach the 20 plateau for the season, not a great accomplishment in itself, but what will establish a new team record--20 or more homeruns in a season by 8 players on a team. Knowing Jeter's team approach and flair for the dramatic, I wouldn't be the least surprised if his 2,722nd hit was his 20th homerun of the season, any more than if it was a hustling infield hit to deep shortstop with Derek just beating the throw to first (and a tying run scoring with 2 outs in the 8th inning).

Jacob and I will be watching whatever the hit might be and I'm sure Dad and Lou will be, too. Maybe they'll get together to talk about the Yankees of yesteryear and trade Yogiisms.


"I always thought that record would stand until it was broken." Yogi Berra

Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite

1916-2009

R.I.P

Wow!!

Maybe you have to be in your 50s to appreciate it, but what 59-year-old Tom Watson accomplished this week was extraordinary. Playing in the British Open at Turnburry in Scotland, Watson not only stayed among the leaders throughout the tournament, competing with athletes 20-40 years younger than him, he walked onto the 18th green on the 72nd and last hole of the tournament with a one-stroke lead and a chance to win.

That he missed the shot for the victory and subsequently lost a playoff for the championship to American Stewart Cink does little to diminish his achievement. Sure, it would have been great for him to win his 6th Open and be the oldest, by far, to win a major tournament. But the fact that he stood there on the 18th with a chance to win, at age 59, is just incredible.

I'm not a golfer, but I've enjoyed watching a tournament or two over the years and players like Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Phil Mickelson always impressed me with their demeamor and skill. It's a pleasure to see Tom back in the hunt for another major title.

Well done, Tom!