Tracing My Roots
October 1994

The presentation of this album marks a closure.

I had written Latvian travelogue albums after my 1993 and 1994 trips. Friends who read them encouraged me to share my experiences. That was how I originally started this web site (first, on AOL). Despite being the impetus for this site, those albums had not seen the web except for a handful of pictures. Until now, they've been sitting quietly on various bookshelves, either at home or on extended "visits" with friends.

I am glad to finally share my experiences, traveling to Latvia in 1994 -- the trip I went back to Vidzeme to find my family's (Kulle, Balodis...) roots.

The album title is "Pilgrimage to the Past." As you can see, the album format consists of side-by-side loose-leaf pages which hold three photos each, six total, in a spread. One or more narrative cards inserted in each "spread" tell the story of the adjacent pictures.

Click on the album to enter!

I arranged the web album the same way, one two-page "spread" at a time to keep to the experience of reading the album as much as possible.

As always, Silvija and I want to hear from you!

October, 1994  —  Introduction

Here's an index to make it easier to get to where you might have left off:

1. Departing, 1-2»
2. Evening at the theater, 3-4», 5-6», 7-8», 9-10», 11-12»
3. Riga [1], 13-14»
4. Vecaki, 15-16», 17-18», 19-20»
5. Going Back (Vidzeme)
   1. Velena, 21-22», 23-24»
   2. Grandfather's windmill (Lizums), 25-26»
   3. Dravnieki (relative's homestead), 27-28»
   4. Druviena, 29-30»
   5. Grandfather's watermill (Perle), 31-32», 33-34»
   6. Aluksne, 35-36», 37»
6. Riga [2], 38», 39-40», 41-42», 43-44», 45-46», 47-48», 49-50», 51-52»
7. Aunt Laura's looking glass (old family photos), 53-54»
8. (Going out to) Mordanga [1], 55-56», 57-58»
9. Sabile, 59-60»
10. Devil's Rock, 61-62»
11. Mordanga [2], 63-64», 65-66»
12. Talsi, »67-68, 69-70»
13. Muiznieku kapi (cemetary), 71-72»
14. Mordanga [3], 73-74», 75-76», 77-78», 79-80», 81-82»
15. Mushrooming, 83-84»
16. Usma, 85-86»
17. (Last night in) Mordanga [4], 87-88», 89-90», 91-92»
18. (Last morning in) Mordanga [5], 93-94», 95-96»,97»
19. On the road to Kuldiga, 98»
20. Goodbyes, 99-100»
21. Epilogue 2001, 101»