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Tuesday
August 1, 2006

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apricots ripening, yes; photo taken july 21 2006

Basic rites of passage: child becomes adult, student becomes teacher, tourist becomes guide. Went back to Kacina today with Tamra. We rode bikes. She remarked on the beauty of the countryside. For me the main attraction is the exhibit of centuries of beehives. They're quite elaborate and beautiful, and there's something humorous and whimsical about a carving of Holy Mary with a hole in her knee to admit bees. It almost makes Christianity seem worthwhile. At Na Huse across the street the bartender gave me the eye. I understand Czech really well and my pronunciation is passable but I have a hard time forming grammatical sentences. Like an agent in a spy film he started speaking in non sequiturs: We have dark beer. Also black and tans. He was trying to suss out my level of comprehension. I said pilsner was just fine. Then he finally came out with it and asked, You're not Czech, are you? We both laughed. He'd heard of Nirvana but not Seattle and had a friend who'd gone to America and came back a millionaire...