the 4th

As always, we watched 1776, simply the very best movie about the creation of the Declaration of Independence ever made.  If Ben Franklin wasn't just like Howard da Silva, then, by all rights, he should have been. 

If all history could be portrayed in this manner, maybe we'd all be a bit more aware of the events that shaped this country.

1776 brings the whole scenario of the creation of the United States to life in such an impressive manner; serious, humorous and deeply political in the best way, if you've never seen it, make sure you do.

Tonight I'm going to go watch fireworks, and hopefully I'll get some good shots.  For me, fireworks are so awe inspiring, it's exciting to think I might finally get some good pictures.

That's it for now, more later.

Remember

It's Never Too Late

To Live Happily Ever After,
because

Ray Bradbury, One Picture and the Golden Gate Bridge

Ray Bradbury, the very name conjures up memories from my youth.

It was Bradbury that first introduced me to the concept of Science Fiction.  I must have been 10 or 11 years old.  It was Fahrenheit 451 that first caught my young attention (I was an avid reader even at that age).  The idea of a political state that would try to control ideas fascinated me.  From there on, I read all the Bradbury I could get my hands on.  The memories are with me still, to say he influenced my thinking is an understatement.

So imagine how excited I was to find a huge DVD set called the Ray Bradbury Theater at my local library.  Produced in Canada, it ran from 1985 to 1992.  I had never heard of it, but what a treasure it is.

if you've read much Bradbury, you know what you're in for, and that in itself is a treat.  But what got me was the production values of this series. Fine actors including Peter O'Toole, Richard Benjamin, Eugene Levy, William Shatner, Elliott Gould, Shelley Duvall, Donald Pleasance, Patrick Macnee, Harold Gould, Drew Barrymore and a list that could go on for much longer.

But what really struck me was the time they took to tell their stories.  In many of the episodes fully half of the time is taken to set up the story.  You get a feeling for the characters, the mood is set and with this, your involvement is complete. 

Of course some are better than others, but this was such a treat I just had to write about it.  If you're a Sci Fi fan, loved the old Twilight Zone or just enjoy good old fashioned storytelling, I can recommend this series. 

And the picture I mentioned in the blog title?

I continue to play with my iPhone.  I recently downloaded a small ebook dealing with photography on the iPhone.  I try to forgo flash in all of my photography and never use it with the iphone as the light is so harsh and bright.  But the idea of using the flash/light of Terrys phone for some indirect lighting had never occurred to me, so that tip alone made the book worth the price (only $4.00).  It got me to thinking and I decided to try a bit of still life and see what I could come up with.

Now, this isn't great photography, 

but something about this photo 

really speaks to me.

It may be all the items in the picture.  The bobblehead pencil has been mine since I was a kid.  It sits in an old 1960s lipstick holder which I just adore (does anyone remember these?).  The little girl in the picture is my Mother and the photo is in a very old Native American frame I picked up years ago.  These things sit on my nightstand so I see them almost every day, but they're all dear to me.

Then there's the light.  Photography is all about light, but I'm just beginning to play with the concept of selective light.  It's a whole new concept for me, exciting stuff.   And then there's the Bokeh.  I've written about Bokeh numerous times, but I've yet to master the technique and I continue to be intrigued,

So with all that said, I decided to include it here in the blog, don't ask me why.

And finally, I want to tell you about an outstanding ebook I found today. 

As you are probably aware, yesterday was the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.  The California Historical Society has released an outstanding ebook titled "A Wild Flight of the Imagination: the Story of the Golden Gate Bridge", and boy howdy, is it a wonder.  The best part of the whole deal?  It's free! 

You can read more about it here or go to iTunes and do a search for GG Bridge. 

And that's it for tonight.

the Godfather

When was the last time you watched the Godfather?  Not on television with commercial interruptions, but sat down, dimmed the lights and watched it start to finish?

My god, this film is just as amazing today as it was the day it was made.

And Brando, where did this performance come from?  Now I'm a huge Brando fan in almost all his roles, he's a wonderful actor.  But this performance?  It just takes everything up to a whole other level.  The look, the voice, the body language.  And when you take into account that no one but Coppola wanted to work with him at this point, it's a marvel, it truly is.

Then there's Pacino, Duvall, James Caan (never as good as he was here), and the superb supporting cast.

This film never hits a wrong note, start to finish.

While I'm still amazed and bedazzled, I think I'll watch the Godfather II and be astounded all over again.

And here's a "painting",

of my baby hummer, 

just for fun

the Hunger Games

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Warning, spoilers ahead . . .

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you might remember me writing about the trilogy the Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay. I really loved these books, the writing, the characterization, the way they commented on modern society without pandering.

A great read and one I can again recommend to everyone.

So of course I was really excited to see the film.

We waited till an 11am showing on a Wednesday morning, figuring it would be a good time to miss all the gazillions of teenage kids who couldn't wait for the film. And it was a perfect time, the theater was less than one third full, great for us.

I loved the opening look of the film, the desolation of District 12 was dismal, as it should be. That said, the film makers chose that annoying shaky hand held camera work. Nothing really shows up clearly, and this technique just distracts rather than emphasizing the faces and plight of the inhabitants.

But that passes pretty quickly, and we are introduced to Katniss. Jennifer Lawrence is dead-on, her look is perfect and she brings the intensity and gravitas that is necessary to portray a young woman in dire circumstances.

They move pretty quickly to the Reaping, where the Tributes for the annual Hunger Games are chosen. Rather than detailing the entire story, I'll just jump to my conclusions.

One of the things that made the books so captivating was that you were inside the head of Katniss. She's a young woman who has grown up poor, under an oppressive government, literally fighting for every scrap so she and her widowed Mother and sister can eat. The Games are a constant possibility for every child between the ages of 12 and 18, overshadowing every day of their lives.

When she volunteers as tribute (to spare her 12 year old sister) it's done out of love and desperation. After volunteering, she sees that life is not the same for everyone as it is in District 12. As a Tribute, she is shown life on the other side of the world and that will cloud the rest of her experiences.

The film does a good job of showing her preparation for the Game, and up to this point, I felt engaged in the film.

My problem came with the Game itself. For starters, they spent very little time with the other Tributes, meaning that you had zero emotional investment in if or when they die. And while the scenery is quite lovely, both Terry and I felt they failed to engage us with the paranoia of being in a situation where at any time, someone is ready to take you life. The action comes in spurts with long scenes of Katniss lurking in the beautiful forests (shot in North Carolina).

In the book, knowing what is happening in Katniss' head keeps you engaged. While I'm not sure how you would convey this via film, for me, it was the fatal weakness of the film. I just didn't feel it like I did in the books.

All of this is not to say I didn't enjoy the film, I was just disappointed. Perhaps my expectations were too high?

I'm beginning to think that perhaps the film genre is no longer the correct format for such stories. Game of Thrones comes to mind. A sprawling saga stretching across generations (and many books), it has been the beautifully brought to life with just the first book being represented by a full ten episodes. They are beautifully done, and after the first episodes, everyone is hungry for more.

I just wish they would have given the Hunger Games the same treatment. I think it deserved it.

That said, when Catching Fire comes out, we'll probably see it, hoping for a better representation of a story I really enjoyed.

For You Birders

A few months back, I remember reading on someones blog (sorry I don't remember where) about a film that was being made that was all about the folks out there who love watching birds.

Today at Redbox, we saw "the Big Year". Starring Owen Wilson, Steve Martin and Jack Black, we found it really entertaining. While these folks were a bit more dedicated than us (actually, a LOT more dedicated) we found a lot to relate to.

If you're at all into watching our feathered friends, check it out.

I think you'll like it.

the 10th Kingdom (and Maps)

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Have you ever heard of the 10th Kingdom?

I hadn't, but since I've been doing nothing but staying in (still sick, will I ever get well?) I've been combing the library database on my computer and sending Terry for things to watch.

I found the 10th Kingdom, and it piqued my interest. A modern fantasy with roots in all the old fairy tales, it tells the story of a modern girl and her Father who are transported to a parallel world.

I don't want to tell you any more of the story, but I will tell you this. It's quite long at almost seven hours, but for me, the story just flowed. Bolstered by great characters, sharp writing and really fine acting, it's a treasure.

While many of the characters are based on those from fairy tales, this is definitely not for children. I don't think young, fairy tale aged children would enjoy it, but it's certainly appropriate for older young ones. Think Lord of the Rings.

Speaking of Lord of the Rings, this is every bit as impressive. Beautiful creations, stunning makeup, the CGI is seamless and the makeup, WOW!
The costumes and sets are equally impressive, and since there are major women characters, the jewelry is really eye-popping.

And did I mention the BeeGees and Procul Harem?

I was doubly impressed when I realized that this was done one year before Lord of the Rings. And it was made for television.

Rent it and let me know what you think.

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Okay one more, completely unrelated thing.

Do you like the Frommer's Travel Guides? I think they're fun to look at, especially when we're not traveling much (like now). I also like their maps, and I recently found a link to a website that lets you download every single map from all the Frommer's books.

If you're interested, here's a link.

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Visions of Light

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I love photography, and I love movies

I find I can watch a film time and again, each time discovering something fresh and each time, enjoying it for a different reason.

But it's only lately that I've realized that a big part of what I love about movies is the photography.

It struck me the other day that they were originally called moving pictures. Movies because they are pictures that move. Elemental I know, but still a connection I hadn't really made .

Photography is so integral to film that I think we often take it for granted. But nothing is so basic to the craft of movie making as photography.

With all of this on my mind, I recently viewed an exceptional documentary called Visions of Light. Compiled by the American Film Institute, it features interviews and commentary by noted DPs (Directors of Photography).

It's an enlightening piece of film.

They talk about photography and the history and art of movie making, starting back in the day when movies were made by one single person holding a camera. How in the early days, all cameras were hand held, allowing photographers to capture images that hold up one over hundred years later. Look at some of the scenes in the early silents and you'll see what I mean.

Then, with the advent of sound, movies became immobile, which changed the look of so many movies, but photographers continued to innovate.

I was particularly taken with the talk of "seeing" in black and white as opposed to color. Long time readers may remember I went through a serious black and white phase while we were staying at Ghost Ranch, and I often find myself leaning in that direction.

We got Visions of Light from our local library and I can recommend this documentary 100%. If you love movies or photography, or if you just want an afternoons entertainment, check it out.

Work Work Work

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Been busy in the house, so there isn't really a lot to write about.

One thing though, I found our first "real" digital camera. Now we did have one of the first Apple QuickTake Cameras (which I also found). I used it but never really got into the whole digital photography thing, it just didn't really click with me.

Then, my friend got a Sony Mavica that took pictures directly to a floppy disc. We borrowed it several times and that was my real start. By the time we had decided to take the plunge, a Sony Mavica 1000 was available, and that was what we went with. Similar to earlier Mavicas, this one took it's pictures to a small CD. For the time, it was very slick, with a full 10x optical zoom and tons of bells and whistles.

Today I found that same camera, tucked in the back of a closet. Wow, that thing is HUGE! It was still in its' case, with all the accessories and the original receipt. That puppy was $1,300 back in 2000!

But we loved it and took a ton of pictures with it. When we got married, we took the Sony along on our honeymoon (our first trip through the southwest). Of course, this meant we also had to take something to read those CDs, so we hauled our Bondi Blue iMac along with us. Click the computer link and you'll see what we were hauling in those days! But we thought it was wonderful.

Not too long ago, I looked at some of those pictures, and my God, they are really terrible. The quality is somewhat lacking, but mainly, it's the photographer. I guess I would just point and shoot at anything, clueless about composition or anything else.

At least it serves as a reminder that I've gotten a little better in the last dozen or so years.

One other totally unrelated note . . .

The other night, we again watched the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Am I the only one who thinks that if this were released today, Eli Wallach would be a shoe in for an Oscar nomination? A damned near perfect film, with an outstanding performance by a gifted actor.

That's it for today.

Hugo for Christmas

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At the last minute, we decided to spend Christmas day at the movies.

We went and saw Hugo.

WOW! Hugo

This is my favorite film in a really long time.

One note before I start . . .

It's filmed in 3D, which was okay, but didn't really bring anything extra to the story.

Not that Hugo needed anything extra, because this film was superb on so many levels.

If you read the reviews, they all mention that the film is based on a book called the Invention of Hugo Cabret. It tells the story of an orphan who lives in the walls of a Paris train station, his job being to keep all the clocks wound and running.

Because this sounded like a delightful premise and I love the films of Martin Scorsese, I decided it was one film I wanted to actually see in a movie theater (which we rarely do any more).

Building slowly, developing character and emotion (remember those attributes in film? They're so rare these days) it starts as the story of Hugo, but expands and grows into so much more. Characters who start as supporting players enhance the story and before you know it, this film has you completely engrossed.

Besides Hugo (played by newcomer Asa Butterfield), and his friend Isabelle Chloe Grace Moretz), Ben Kingsley gives a subtle, deep performance that for me, became the real heart of the film. Portraying a dour, mean spirited toy shop owner, his story arc was the one that really got to me. Hours after seeing the film, it still haunts my thoughts.

There is also a delightful turn by Sacha Baron Cohen (whose other work I despise). Who would have thought he could bring such delight and subtlety to a supporting role? It was a revelation.

If you're a fan of film, particularly the early pioneers, this film will hold special significance for you. And if you're not, it's still an amazing ride.

And the photo at the top? Well, we had a short walk between theaters and this display caught my eye. I love the idea of a bearded Lady Santa. At first I tried to get rid of the reflection, but after viewing it in the computer, I kind of like the whole look.

Here's another shot of a window display that was drawing all kinds of attention. From a distance, it looked very much like crystal snow. On closer inspection, the effect was created using nothing more than small foil circles. I loved it.

And finally,
in the true spirit of the holidays,
I include this.

The theatre had a standee for Star Wars and this young Father brought his sweet 3 month old baby girl up to have her picture taken. I asked if I could take a shot and he agreed. I don't think she liked the film at all.

That's it for today.
Hope your holidays are happy and bright.

Adam Sandler and 667!

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Not much to write about today so this will be a short post.

I will say I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving. We stayed indoors, cooked goodies and watched movies.

But before I go any further, I have a confession to make.

I can't count.

Remember how I said that yesterday was my 500th post?

Duh, well, no it wasn't. Somewhere, I got that idea, but in reality it was my 667th post! I kind of know where the error was, but it's so confusing I can't explain it, just take my word for it.

Sorry!

Now, about Adam Sandler.

I've tried to watch several of his films, but I find him silly and often really gross. Then someone told me I should watch the Wedding Singer.

Starring Adam Sandler and the adorable Drew Barrymore, what a delight this film is! After watching it and checking reviews, others suggested another pairing of Sandler and Barrymore called 50 First Dates.

Another lighthearted and endearing movie!

If you like romantic comedies with bucket loads of charm, check out both these films.

And that's it for today.

Kind of Late to the Party

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Regular readers know I love music, especially traditional Broadway numbers. You also know we both love watching movies and television series.

To be clear here, we do not have television in the rig. Well, we have a television, but where we're parked right now, we don't even get over the air reception, much less cable.

But not to worry. We have lots of DVDs, and I have to tell you the Santa Cruz Library is a treasure trove of digital media. It's been so wonderful to have such a large selection of movies, plays and television at our beck and call. The local library is where we found Lark Rise to Candleford, and it's also where we found Glee.

Are we the last people in the country to discover this program? I really feel like we're coming very late to this series, but it's brand new to us.

And we love it.

It seems that in current "entertainment" there's very little chance for traditional vocalists to shine; but when I found this show, I was just blown away. For someone who loves music, it's a treasure trove. I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of current music, I really like things like melody and being able to understand the words. I often talk to young people who have never been exposed to traditional Broadway songs, and short of telling them how wonderful this music is, I really don't know how they will ever be exposed to the whole genre that I love so much.

But Glee changes all that. I love that it offers young actors (who can all sing, dance and act, no mean feat) an opportunity for national exposure. Then, by using a mix of rock, funk, hip hop and Broadway show tunes, it supplies a veritable smorgasbord of American music to an audience that might otherwise never be exposed to it.

Really, when was the last time you heard young people singing standards? And while there are a few "belters" on the show, most of these actors actually sing rather than wail. Somewhere along the way, it seems that vocalists lost the ability to begin a song, then build in emotion and volume, as the song directs. Now, often, it seems that they start out at full volume and it never decreases in intensity or volume. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Whatever, I love the music from Glee. And I love all the actors. It makes me so happy to see (and hear) this fine mix of music. Truthfully, not counting older musicals, when was the last time you found yourself smiling, tapping your feet and seriously thinking about singing out loud with any current entertainment?

One final note. If you're a fan of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, you absolutely must see the Glee take on this (now) classic film.

I'm sure Glee is available all over the place, so if you've never seen an episode and you love music, give it a chance.

Tomorrow we're heading down to the wharf for the Aloha Outrigger Races and Polynesian Festival. With any luck at all, pictures may follow.

Lark Rise to Candleford

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Have you ever seen this series? It's a British production, and is, quite simply, wonderful.

I've written before about the many reasons I love these British productions, and this one has it in spades.

I get so tired of how, in the Hollywood movies, everyone looks the same. Perfect skin, blindingly white teeth, stick thin figures on the women, unnaturally sculpted bodies on the men. Not a crooked nose or jutting chin to be found. I admit, it has a certain appeal, but it's just so darned unreal. After a while, I truly can't tell the actors apart. When we recently saw Cowboys and Aliens, I was unsure whether or not the two lead female roles were being portrayed by the same person. Boring!

But these British actors, they have faces. While their teeth may be a bit crooked, and their skin not perfect, they have such depth of character, they become luminous. While it takes a while to get to know the various characters, once you do, they become so beautiful, each face reflecting the integrity and honor of the people they are portraying.

Lark Rise to Candleford takes place sometime around the turn of the last century and follows the residents of two villages, the very rural Lark Rise and the somewhat more cosmopolitan Candleford. Like any good series, you become involved with the lives of the people and the day to day life of the communities.

The acting is superb. If you give it a chance, I believe you'll become hooked. We certainly did.

Tomorrow is a local Art and Wine Festival. This year, they've brought in circus performers who will be circulating among the guests. We've decided we'll take the cameras and see if we can't get in a bit of photography. If any of it comes out, I'll be posting some pictures.

That's it for today!

Cowboys and Aliens

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**Spoilers Ahead** be warned.

I've been so excited about seeing Cowboys and Aliens.

First off, much of it was shot around Abiquiu, where we spent six months or so a while ago. Some of it was even shot at Ghost Ranch, and if I was more organized, I could even show you my photos of the exact location of the opening scene. Unfortunately, organization isn't my strong suit, so I can't find them right now.

Instead, I'll repost this one,
which should give you some idea of the area.

Anyhow, as I said, I was really excited about this film. What's not to look forward to? Daniel Craig, who I have the biggest crush on. Harrison Ford, finally playing to his age. Directed by Jon Favreau (a hit or miss record for me, loved Elf, ditto the first Iron Man). And I love Westerns. It was looking good.

And you know what? It started out really well. Beautiful cinematography (although who can go wrong with that scenery?). A good solid footing character wise, I was really enjoying it.

And as long as they stayed with the Western genre, everything was all right by me..

Then they introduced the alien aspect and the whole thing began to fall apart. I mean, really fall apart. The premise (**SPOILER**) is that the aliens have been seemingly randomly blowing the crap out of various parts of the area, abducting folks and generally doing who knows what.

Then, rather than being a good old fashioned Western, it became a mash up, and not in a good way. Now don't get me wrong, I knew there were going to be aliens. And cowboys. And Indians. But I thought there was also going to be a story. And maybe some dialogue. And even a little bit of character development.

I guess while the aliens were busy abducting all these people, they also abducted the premise that this was going to be a film in which I actually cared what happened to anyone.

All of a sudden, I found myself watching a bad blend of genres. Spaceships chasing men on horses, spaceships blowing the whole landscape to Hell and back, aliens that moved so fast you could barely see them. It felt like the film makers just sat back and said, WOW, look at what we can do with special effects and CGI.

Another disappointment, I was led to believe a good part of the story had to do with the cowboys and Indians joining up to fight a common enemy. Well, they did, but just like in history, the Native Americans pretty much got the short end of the stick here. NO character development, they were just there.

Of course, the aliens were even worse. We got no idea of who or what they were, or really, why they were there. Oh yeah, they wanted gold, but why? You never got a sense of them at all, other than as mindless predators. Every story needs a good villain, and this film sure could have used one.

When the final battle ensues, the whole thing really falls apart, and actually had me looking at my watch. One plus, the whole final battle is shot at Plaza Blanca, also known as the White Place. This is a spot you shouldn't miss if you're ever in the area. So I guess for me it wasn't a total loss.

One thing about the film really bothered me. When we were at Ghost Ranch, I would drive the bus for the Georgia O'Keeffe tour, which would take guests out to the back of the ranch (where parts of this was filmed). We were always very careful to keep people off the desert floor. The ecology is such that once you tear up a piece of soil, you are disturbing an area that may have taken years to thrive. These plants, and even the surface soil is fragile. As I watched the explosions, and the thundering horses, running full speed across virgin ground, I couldn't help but cringe. Even if they tried, I know a lot of this terrain will show the aftereffects for years to come.

As I watched the credits, I saw that there were no less than six writers on this film (and IMDB lists nine!). Maybe that was the problem. Film by committee always seems to sink to the lowest common denominator, and this one certainly did.

We came home and watched Red River. It restored my faith in the Western as film.

Hold Your Horses

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Where did that phrase come from?

I've never thought about it before, but today we had a unique pleasure of watching a John Ford western that we've never seen before. Regular readers know that we're movie freaks, and in particular, we have a real fondness for westerns.

And who made better westerns than John Ford? Nobody!

Today we took eleven boxes of books and three boxes of DVDs to the used book/record/DVD store, where we found a copy of John Ford's Wagon Master. It's a film I've heard about for years, but never seen. While we got rid of most of the DVDs (the first batch of many I'm afraid) we also brought one home.

I have to tell you, nobody did it like John Ford.

The location, my beloved Monument Valley. The faces! Ben Johnson, so young and virile, Jane Darwell, you can't help but love her. Harry Carey Jr., the cast is simply perfect.

Then there's the fact that Ford insisted on using real Native Americans, what a difference that makes!

When you look at the photography, my God what beautiful shots. I think it has something to do with the way they set up shots in those days, pre CGI (computer generated imagery). Take a look at the long shots in these old films, they're simply stunning, evoking a feel for the time and space of the story. I've written about this before (here if you'd like to read it) but when I spend time with one of these old films, my appreciation renews all over again.

When I see the long shots of the wagons, lumbering across the open spaces with those monolithic spires in the distance, it makes my heart yearn to go back here.


Oh, and "hold your horses" (in case you thought I forgot . . .)

In the Wagon Master, they're going through the desert, it's been a while since they've had fresh water. A front rider comes over the rise and shouts "There's water ahead!". The excitement spreads, the horses are smelling the water, yanking at the reins.

And the wagon master yells "Hold Your Horses!!".

I looked at Terry and said, "do you think that's where that phrase comes from? And he said "I wouldn't be a bit surprised".

Gordon MacRae and Old Dogs

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We've been working so much in the house, things move in, things move out, things move around, things pile up . . .

And some things get moved to Cholula Red, so now the rig looks as bad as the house!

Today I sent Terry off by himself so I could tear the rig up in peace. I must say, I'm getting much better at letting go of things.

While I work in the rig, I like to put on a movie I'm familiar with, usually a musical. Today I picked Oklahoma!

Gordon MacRae, heavy sigh. Curly hair, tall, good looking and my God what a voice! Then there's dancing Gene Nelson and Gloria Grahame (this is the role that I always think of with her, even though she had a solid career as a femme fatale). Charlotte Greenwood also stands out, and hard as it is to believe, this was Shirley Jones' first film. I'm not a real fan of many sopranos, but her voice is just so light and clear, she's lovely.

Oklahoma! is a darn near a perfect film.

I also love the British revival starring Hugh Jackman (I wrote about that here); but the original has a place in my heart that cannot be replaced.

If you need something to cheer you up, Oklahoma! fits the bill. The music is so great that it helps me with housework, could any film be better than that? Entertaining and energizing.

OK, on to something else entirely . . .

I'm sure that, like me, you have your own way of doing things. We learn them as children and it becomes so imprinted, you never consider another method.

Like with me and fruit.

One of the good things about this area is the numerous Farmer's Markets. I've always cut my fruit in half, removed the pit (not always easy) then sliced it from there. That's the way I was taught, and that's the way I do it, dagnabbit!

But at the local Farmer's Markets, they cut their samples by cutting down along the sides the pit, twice, giving you two large orbs, then they cut the other sides, then the top and bottom. By this time the pit usually just falls out or has very little meat left on it. And it's so easy! I've always cut mangos this way, so I don't know why I've never applied it to peaches and plums.

Habit I guess.

It seems you can teach an old dog new tricks.

(And my hair is still silver . . .)

Letting Go

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Lots of stuff going on lately, but not really a lot to write about.

The auctions have been going well, if not a bit too well. It seems like everyone is selling things, so the auctions fill up pretty quickly, and we can't always get our items in before they fill up.

Since we couldn't take anything else to the auction, we decided to do a local flea market. We've been trying to avoid yard sales and flea markets, but this one was just a few blocks from our house, so we decided to give it a go. We were lucky with the weather, just slightly overcast with the sun coming out around noon. The best part of the day was that we sold close to everything we took out and made a good chunk of change in the process. We may go that route one or two more times, so if you're in the area, check the local flea markets and we may see you there.

It feels so good to be letting go of a lot of these things. Sometimes, if I like the people, I just give my pieces to them, it's so great to see them go to someone who you know will love them.

Another bit of good news is that we've finally found a new home for the goats. Regular readers know that we have a pair of pygmy goats, Henry and Lulu. We had a friend watching them while we were gone, but we've been looking for a new home for them. We've had them since they were tiny babies so we wanted to make sure that they went to a good safe home.

We've had several offers, but none that we felt really good about. Then, a few weeks ago on Freecycle, I read about a woman who needed egg cartons for her chickens. When we got together we mentioned the goats and she said she had a friend with a farm, and would give her a call. We met with her and we both felt really good about the whole situation, so next week, H and L will have a new home.

We have very mixed feelings, happy and sad, because these goats have been more pets than livestock. But we know it's the best. They're going to a small farm with a couple of other goats, several horses and good folks who will love them as we have. We will also have visitation rights so that makes us pretty happy.

I almost posted a blog the other day about Steven Spielberg, until I realized I've already written several times about Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Just let me say, once again, that this film knocks me out every time (we recently found a BluRay copy at Costco for $13).

Then as serendipity would have it, I found the first season of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories at the library. This is a two season series from the mid eighties that Spielberg created, produced, sometimes wrote and twice directed.

I remembered that there was something about the show that had moved me, but the particulars escaped me, so I checked it out. Then I watched an episode called "the Mission". Wow, if you are at all a Spielberg fan, this is a must see.

Even if you're not a Spielberg fan, this is worth seeking out. It's a great story, action, adventure, pathos, and tons of heart. The story takes place during WW2, in the belly of a B17. It stars Casey Siemaszko, Kevin Costner, Kiefer Sutherland and a fine ensemble cast. I wont say anything else about it, except it's a superb piece of movie making. If you want to rent it or place it in your Netflix cue, it's on disc one of the first season of Amazing Stories.

And that's it. Sorry my posts have been kind of blah lately, there's just not a lot going on.

Still

Snow White (and the Refrigerator)

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I think I mentioned our DVD player died. In looking at a new one, we decided to get a BluRay player, even though we don't have an HDTV. I have a couple of BluRay discs and today I took my first look at this technology. I have to admit, it looks pretty darned good.

But it wasn't the technology that got me, it was the film.

Wow, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I know that most people look at it and scoff, but it gets me every time. I always think back to the time it was created and what a tremendous achievement it was.

Remember, this was the first time anyone attempted to engage an audience using characters who weren't portrayed by live actors.

And engage them it did.

I remember talking with animators who worked on the film about the first showings. According to them, when those seven little men were standing around that glass coffin, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. It's a pretty powerful piece of film making.

I look at the character of Snow White and I am enamored of how lovely she is. Over the years, as a Disney collector, I've gotten used to seeing still pictures of these characters, and this is how I seem to think of them. It slips my mind that they are meant to be seen in motion, that's why they call it animation. Duh.

While I know that many people make fun of the voice of Snow White, I always remember that it is exactly the way that Walt Disney wanted his very first heroine to sound. And when you look at pictures of a young Adriana Caselotti (only 19 at the time), it's obvious that they based the look of Snow White on her fair beauty.


I had the pleasure of knowing Adriana later in her life, and she carried the delight of this character with her to the very end. If you haven't seen this classic film in a while, I urge you to give it another look. And if you have any little ones in your life, make time to introduce them to this classic.

* * * * * *

Now on to a completely different subject. This is for all you RVers out there.

Today I cleaned out my refrigerator. While our refrigerator is a good size, it's no where near the size of a household appliance, so it needs to be cleaned pretty regularly. While I've done this for all the time we've had Cholula Red, today I found something I've overlooked for the last five years.

When you clean an RV refrigerator, you want to clean the set of metal fins that sit at the upper back. Below these fins is a short removable shelf, which has a tube/vent that leads to the outside. This is where the condensation runs out of the fridge. What I've missed all this time is that right where the tube attaches to the back of the fridge, there's a small catch cup. Today, when I looked in this catch cup, it was full of slimy yucky goop. How had I missed this all these years? I don't know, but I won't ever miss it again!

I also went outside and checked where the fridge actually drains below the fridge. This opening has a small perforated cap and this was also clogged with goop. After cleaning both of these openings, I blasted a bit of canned air till the tube ran clear.

If you have an RV fridge, you might want to check these the next time you clean your refrigerator. Or maybe everybody else already knew about this?

* * * * * *

That's it for today.

Hereafter

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We went to Redbox today and were pleased to find the film Hereafter available. Don't you just love Redbox?

I'm a huge Matt Damon fan, and I think Clint Eastwood (who directed) has been turning out some if the finest cinema in the last couple of years. Have you seen Gran Torino? An excellent film.

When we got home, we settled in for a cozy movie night, and the DVD player would not work.

It's been weirding out quite a bit lately, and we've been unsure of the reason. We check a lot of DVDs out from our local library, and they're often not in the best shape, so when they wouldn't play, we would blame a bad disc. But this is a brand new disc, just released today and it wouldn't read.

Well, you don't have to hit us over the head with a hammer to get our attention, we finally decided it was time for a new DVD player. Do you think that maybe jostling the old one around in a motorhome for five years may have sped up its' demise? Or is five years about what we can expect from high use electronics these days? Who knows.

Whatever the reason, we needed a new player, so it was off to Costco. Once there, we were faced with the decision, should we buy a regular DVD player, or perhaps upgrade to a Blu-Ray player? We don't have an HDTV, so the Blu-Ray wouldn't really be a plus, but since we figured one of these days we may upgrade the TV, we decided to get a combination DVD/Blu-Ray player. For the same price, we were also able to get a player that has built in wifi. I'm not sure if we really have the speed with our aircard for streaming movies, but it didn't seem to add to the price of the unit, so we decided on that also.

Finally, we got to go home and watch Hereafter. What an excellent film, very different from most of what we see these days. Beautifully shot, intelligently written and very though provoking. I give it two thumbs up, my highest score.

And because I'm still playing on the iPad, I have to include a couple of pictures from yet another ap I've found. It's called ToonPaint. You load one of your own photographs into the application, and it turns it into a sort of cartoon type drawing.

I really like this look,
kind of like an old linoleum block cut,
or a wood block print.

I just keep loving my iPad more and more.
I'm finding new uses for it every day.

the Unsinkable Molly Brown

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I know I write about movies a lot, but hey, I love them. Now lately, we haven't found a lot of new movies to love, but we sure enjoy the oldies.

Tonight, we watched the Unsinkable Molly Brown, and I must say, what a delight. The first time I ever heard Harve Presnell, I was in awe, what a fine voice. And Debbie Reynolds has never been better. Plus, you have Ed Begley, Hermoine Baddeley and the fine wonderful of Meredith Wilson.

I think the reason I love these musicals so much is that I find myself smiling while I'm watching them. And not just smiling, but grinning, from ear to ear.

Can you say that about many movies made today?

I wish more movies made me smile like that . . .

the Auction (Pt 2) and More

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Our first auction is over, and I have to tell you how pleased we are. Assuming everyone follows through on their bids, we should get close to $900! The best part is there isn't one thing I will miss from this lot. The only piece I had put a reserve on was my Esther Hunt bust (the Chinese lady) and she failed to meet reserve. But that's all right, she is one of my "special" pieces and if she doesn't hit the sweet spot in the next auction, I'll just keep her.

The auction started promptly at 6pm and went on till almost midnight. The auction is quite lively and a lot of fun. In the end, we made almost as much money on the silent auction (which closes after the first 100 lots), which goes to show that there's never any logic at an auction. I stayed for the entire event and didn't buy a thing!

We have already taken two more loads in for the next auction, and today, I swear I saw at least four square feet of the back wall of the garage! I don't really expect to make this much every time, but a bit of money every time coupled with the bonus of getting rid of everything is a winning combination in my book.

After all this work, we decided it was finally time for us to go and see True Grit. I'm a huge fan of Jeff Bridges and have loved most every one of the Coen Brothers films. Added to this, the film was shot in New Mexico, so we decided to see it on the large screen. I completely loved it, especially Jeff Bridges' performance and the cinematography. Terry had a harder time letting go of the image of John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, but for me, it was an entirely different film, and quite wonderful on its' own terms.

Now a bit of health news. For some time now, I've been developing cataracts. It's getting progressively worse, kind of like I'm looking through an incredibly sheer piece of China silk. The good news is that my opthamologist has given the go ahead for me to have both eyes done (albeit one at a time). I go this Monday for my first measurement. Apparently, they will insert new lenses that may help improve my vision, as well as getting rid of my cataracts. I will still need glasses because of my astigmatism, but I'm looking forward to any vision improvement. I've especially noticed the "fog" when I'm taking pictures, so I have high hopes that this will help in that regard also.

And until then, we'll continue working on shedding ourselves of all this stuff!