Thee Pictures for Sunday
polska
Helping
Babcia informs us that L has been absolutely wonderful — “We have a great relationship!” she proclaimed. She’s put the Girl to work, ironing, cleaning, changing bed clothes in the guest rooms.
This is honestly such a relief. The Girl can be, well, a typical twelve-year-old when it comes to helping around the house. I think I expect too much of her sometimes; I think I expect too little of her other times. Even though I’m a teacher and preach this to my students constantly, I forget it with my own kids: perfection is the goal but only insofar as continually striving for it ensures we never settle. Mistakes are part of that process; half-assed jobs are part of that process; even fussing at not wanting to do it is a part of that process.
I don’t want to tinker about with the dishwasher tomorrow. I don’t want to move the left-over bricks into the crawlspace tomorrow. I don’t want to re-mount Papa’s TV tomorrow. I say these types of things to the kids every time they complain about not wanting to complete this or that responsibility, but it’s often more sarcastic than it needs to be.
The Boy likes helping, but he too is starting to complain about things. We all complain. I guess that’s part of it.
Sunday
Morning
The Boy started the day with K on the back deck, working on something the Boy didn’t really enjoy and also making a Father’s Day card for me. I went out with a cup of coffee, and they resorted to whispers.
Afternoon
A 12.67km bike ride with the Boy. He tackled some climbs that he’s never conquered before, and a couple of climbs that always kick his butt kicked his butt again. The one surprise: a climb he’s never made it up kicked him. He stopped halfway up. It’s a tricky climb: off-road, with a sharp left that also ramps up in steepness. He took a drink of water as he rested while I showed him how to take such a challenging turn.
“Hit it from the outside, then turn in sharply,” I said. “Want to try it again?”
“Yes.”
And he got it.
Evening
The buzz going around the Polish community lately: Aldi is selling kabanos, and all the Poles’ opinion was unanimous — surprisingly good. Today, I noticed them in Aldi. I showed a package to Kinga. Her eyes got big. “How many should we get?” I asked. “All of them,” she said.
And of course, there was a bonfire.
Zab Walk
The Neighbor
L
L headed to Poland alone today. I still am surprised that she doesn’t look like this anymore.
Borders, 2013 — Part 1
Random memory from the past, brought about by Lightroom playing…
Living in the south of Poland for several years, I had occasion to cross the border into Slovakia countless times. Theoretically, could have walked out of the teachers’ housing where I lived and walked across the border behind the complex in less than an hour. That would have likely been a bad idea: had I been caught…well, better not to think about it.
The nearest border crossing was down the road in Chyzne. It was a border crossing that looked like something out of a film — gray, concrete, depressing.
By the time I went back to Poland in 2001, it was all but free-passage. Border crossing took only a few minutes as opposed to over an hour if there was a long-enough line.
By the time we were living in the States and visiting only every two years, it had been torn down. All that remained was, well, nothing.
Tatra Mountains
Zab Barn
Z
Competition
A random memory…
They were standing on the street toward the beginning of the flea market area, Jehovah’s Witnesses in a decidedly devout swatch of a very Catholic country. Of all the Christian sects that have sprouted in America — Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists, Christian Scientists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and hundreds or thousands of smaller ones — it is only the Jehovah’s Witnesses that have had any real success in Poland. According to the group’s website, their numbers are as follow:
- 116,299—Ministers who teach the Bible
- 1,288—Congregations
- 1 to 330—Ratio of Jehovah’s Witnesses to population
It’s a religion that can only cater to a certain population in southern Poland: according to the JW website, the nearest congregation is in Krakow, and its meetings are conducted in English, with some meetings in Mandarin. That narrows potential converts significantly.
My friend R and I encountered the JWs as we were finishing our wanderings with our children through the market. I’ve known R for twenty years. He lived in Warsaw, and we shared a love of chess. I’d often spend the weekend at his apartment playing chess most of the day and hanging out in bars during the evening.
He married shortly after K and I left Poland in 2005, and his wife, fluent in French, got an administrative job in Brussels working for the EU. They’ve lived there ever since. A few years ago, R underwent a religious conversion and became what could only be called a Polish Evangelical living in decidedly-secular Brussels.
We met up again when we were last in Poland, and he stayed with his two children at Babcia’s bed and breakfast for a few days. We played a little chess, talked about parenthood, took our children to various sites, and discussed religion. A lot.
He had a few words to say about the JWs we encountered, and when I suggested we go talk to them, he balked. Indeed, he was right: what would an Evanglical and a highly-skeptical nearly-lapsed Catholic have to say to them? There’s no point getting into a discussion that would likely devolve into an argument for no real reason at all.
I couldn’t help but be curious, though. How did the local population receive them? Did they face hecklers? Did anyone act aggressively toward them? Catholicism and nationalism go hand in hand in the mountains of southern Poland, so I wouldn’t have been surprised to find that they were also accused of being traitors as well as heretics.
If they’re hanging around this summer while we’re in Poland, I’ll make the effort to talk to them.
Zab Revisited
Reworking a couple of shots from 2013.
Zakopane, 20 Years Ago
Re-worked some pics in Lightroom.
As always, click on images for larger version.
Views from Polish Roads
The Most Famous Street in Krakow
Playing with Lightroom again…
Bubbles at Gubałówka
View from Ząb Cemetery
Shopping at Gubałówka
Nowy Targ Cemetery
Winter Sunset, Jablonka
Inside the Nowy Targ Bus Station
