Good advice?

Is it just me?

W.

Fabulous performances do not equal a fabulous film.

Josh Brolin, Richard Dreyfuss, Thandie Newton, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Scott Glenn and others all turn in riveting portrayals.

And yet the movie is choppy, unsatisfying.

The portrait presented of arguably the worst US president ever is surprisingly sympathetic, if portraying the president of the US as an incompetent buffoon constantly striving for his father's approval is sympathy.

Or if laying bare on the screen just how misled by his advisors the commander in chief was is sympathy.

We were left pondering exactly what message Oliver Stone could have possibly been trying to impart to the audience through the cryptic end of his opus.

Home again

Monday, October 26, 2008, 9:09 am

Back at home after a restful night in my own bed. Unfortunately, the heat appears to be out again. We thought we had dodged a bullet but maybe not.

Steve, Jeffrey and Julie went on a road ride yesterday morning while Shanna and Stephanie packed up and went to rent bikes for a mountain bide ride. I puttered and got all my stuff packed up so then I went to get a good cup of coffee (a constant quest on this trip) and walked around Moab.

Steve called when they got back so I went over to the house to say goodbye. Steve and I then went to the Peace Tree for lunch (my new favorite). We left Moab at 2:15 pm intending to head home but got distracted by the La Sal Loop Road so we drove back to Moab and finally left again at about 4 pm. After stopping at Outback Steakhouse in Grand Junction for dinner, we rolled into Aspen a little after 10 pm.

Now I'm off to mess with the furnace . . .

Filler

Downtown Moab is unfortunately also a truck route.

Luckily, most people don't go to Moab for the downtown area.

More Moab

Saturday, October 25, 2008, 11:48 pm

After a bit of sitting around this morning waiting for the temperature to climb (it was 20 degrees when I first checked), Jeffrey, Julie, Stephanie and I went for a road ride up 128 to Castle Valley. They were kind, waiting for me when I got dropped and, although cold, it was a beautiful ride. I made it just a little way up the Castle Valley Road (to the top of the first climb) when I had the good sense to head back.

They caught me again when I stopped at the bridge at the intersection of 191 and 128 to take pictures and we rode back into town together.

Shower and lunch at the Peace Tree (can't believe I ignored it all these years). A tiny bit of shopping an then hanging out before dinner at the Center Cafe.

Moab

Saturday, October 25, 2008, 12:14 am

Woke up this am with sun at Goosenecks State Park. Just us and two guys who were nice enough to move their campsite at our request. (Hey, the campground was empty!)

At about 8:45 am, the first day tripper showed up and then it was a constant stream. Met Todd from Canada and his Aussie friends and gave them some pointers for the Grand Canyon and Seligman. Finally headed out at about 10 am and turned towards Natural Bridges National Monument. Drove up the Moki Dugway and then did the loop at Natural Bridges and headed to Moab.

Stopped by Devil's Campground on 191 so that Steve could photograph the old car wreck on the old dirt road.

Motored on to Moab, getting here at about 3:30 pm and went straight to 323 Williams Way, a really nice duplex, 3 bedroom, 2 bath for approximately $300 per night.

Showered, did 2 loads of wash, went to dinner at Zax. Came back and hung out with Shanna and Stephanie until Jeffrey and Julie got here. Then hung out for the rest of the evening. (Julie's friend, Dave, stopped by too.)

With a little liquid courage, I've agreed to do a road ride tomorrow.

Hmmmm.

The Rez

Thursday, October 23, 2008 8:10 am

Didn't sleep too well last night. Again. Got up, showered and ate breakfast outside in the cold. Bad coffee. ($1.99 for all you can eat pancakes. Wasn't worth it.) Steve got up, showered and we packed up. Went to Joe & Aggies so Steve could have breakfast. Had more bad coffee. Went to the grocery story and got harassed by a bum. Had an argument. Then got on the road to First Mesa. Stopped for the walking tour which is very interesting (if slightly misinformed). Walpi is the second oldest continuously occupied settlement. It looks like a ruin with some updated construction. Very poor.

We then drove to the Second Mesa where we went to the museum at the Hopi Cultural Center and then got a room. The Hopi are notoriously private, allowing no recording, photos or note taking. It borders on the strange but everyone we interacted with was very friendly.

The Colorado Plateau!

Thursday, October 23, 2008, 9:34 pm

Sitting in front of a campfire at Goosenecks State Park. Life is good again.

Had a so-so breakfast at the Hopi Cultural Center. Food was good but service was slow so it was cold by the time we were served. Drove to Third Mesa and out to Old Oraibi Village where we walked out to the old ruins of a church like building. The Hopis drove out the missionaries in the 1600s. Does the building date to then? Who knows?

We then drove through Moenkopi near Tuba City which has it own old almost Pueblo like part of town.

At that point, our good humor ran out and we spent the next few hours unhappy with each other. We also found out that our house had no heat and it was 11 degrees in Aspen last night. So after phone calls to the gas company and to neighbors, we made arrangements to have the furnace checked and motored on.

By the time we reached Monument Valley, we were getting along again. So we went to check out Oljato Trading Post which turned out to be closed and drove through Monument Valley (my first time) with the awesome light of sunset. Took lots of photos (to make up for all the pics we couldn't take on the Hopi rez?) and then drove on to Goosenecks.

Turned out all we needed heatwise was a new ignition switch, not a new $3000 boiler so we were able to settle into the best camping spot, enjoy the last of the sunset and our steak and vegetable dinner and now a lovely, if slightly windblown, campfire.

3d best night of the trip.

Driving north

Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 7:38 pm

I didn't sleep too well last night. Just after sunset, we had a four legged visitor with a white stripe down its back. Between him and the various bug life, we opted to sleep in the tent. It was either that or on the picnic table and the picnic table wasn't wide enough for both of us. Once we settled in, the skunk visited once more but then disappeared for the rest of the night. There was one other person in the campground and he had a visitor twice. I slept very lightly the entire night for little reason.

We were on the road by about 7:30 am. The 90 miles of 191 between Clifton and Springerville were windy, stunning and slow going. The Morenci Mine is quite a sight to see, copper mining on such an awesome scale. Both Clifton and Morenci are company towns without much to recommend them, although Morenci does seem slightly nicer.

We arrived at Lyman Lakes State Park at approximately 11:30 am but since the showers didn't appear to have hot water, it didn't seem to have too much to recommend it so we pushed on. We went through Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Park which was pretty cool since it was 1974 or so since I was last there. The Painted Desert Inn was worth the detour. Then onto Holbrook, where we're now staying at my very first KOA ever. At least I got a shower. And Steve got to take sunset photos of the Wigwams.

Leaving Southern Arizona

Monday, October 20, 2008, sunset

Got up early this morning so I could do payroll without holding us up. Had a few glitches since the website kept hanging up but got it done in about 45 minutes.

We left Audrey's Inn and went over to the Bisbee Breakfast Club for breakfast (!) and then got on the road at about 9:30 am.

We drove to Douglas, walked through the Gadsden Hotel and got on 191 north. What a godforsaken place. Depressed, depressing . . . Got stopped at a Border Patrol checkpoint.

As we traveled further north on 191, the bleakness of the landscape lessened. Willcox and Safford were tolerable and the Black Hill Back Country Byway was gorgeous. We arrived at the Oak Creek Campground around 3 pm, sat around chasing the shade and read. And now a fabulous sunset.

Layover

Sunday, October 19, 2008, 8:25 pm

Pretty quiet day today. Got up and poked around online for a bit. Updated my blogs. Went out for coffee at the Bisbee Coffee Co and a stroll around Bisbee (I strolled, Steve limped). Came back and had lunch, then drove over to South Bisbee where we walked around the Shady Dell, checking out their cool trailers and diner. Then we had some DQ and drove by the co-op where Steve found some photo ops. Back to Old Bisbee where we found Mimosa's Market up Brewery Gulch and picked up some green chile stew for dinner. Now laundry and packing.

Our tentative itinerary for the next few days (all but Moab are camping so internet access is likely to be nonexistent):

Monday - Bisbee to Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area. 165 miles

Tuesday - GBRNCA to Lyman Lake State Park. ~160 miles

Wednesday - Lyman Lake to the Second Mesa. 172 miles

Thursday - Second Mesa to Gooseneck State Park. 175 miles with a stop at the Oljato Trading Post on the way.

Friday - Gooseneck State Park to Moab. 110 miles.

Sunday - Moab to Aspen.

Bisbee

Saturday, October 18, 2008, 8:07 pm

We visited a bit with Lila yesterday morning, then headed out of Prescott at about 10 am. Drove to Arcosanti where we toured Paolo Soleri's visionary arcology. Lots of promise and forward thinking ideas but so far (since the 70s) little actual follow-thru or pay-off. Lots of concrete and granola heads . . .

Motored on through Phoenix and Tucson and onto Bisbee. Got here at 5:30 pm. Lovely little apartment at Audrey's Inn, #203. Dated decor with lots of pastels but spacious with upstairs living room and full kitchen and downstairs bedroom with king sized bed and bathroom. Wandered Bisbee & dinner at the Bisbee Grille.

This morning, up for the Stair Climb. Steve raced and I walked. He came in 273 at 50:37 minutes and I was 923 at 1:29:32. Steve also did the Ice Man in 36:12 seconds. Had lunch here in our unit, then wandered about some more. Drinks at the Copper Queen with the riff raff, then an absolutely wonderful dinner at Cafe Roka. If there's a heaven, that's what it tastes like. Sea bass special with scallops, sweet potato & yellow squash soup, salad with kalamata olive vinaigrette. So good!

Bisbee's interesting. There's a huge riff raff population, hard drinking, hard smoking. But then we go to Cafe Roka where there's a much more refined crowd. Freaky still, to be sure, but a crowd with which my comfort level is dramatically increased.

Prescott

Friday, October 17, 2008, 7:41 am

Got up at sunrise again. Had breakfast and got on the road by about 9 am.

Big drive day. Went through Flagstaff and Sedona and stopped for lunch at the Flatiron Cafe in Jerome.

Beautiful drive through Oak Creek Canyon and over Mingus Mountain.

Then onto Prescott to visit Lila and see her shop. Prescott has a nice historic downtown square with perhaps a few too many tourist trinket stores. Lila's store is about a block off the square in an old redeveloped fire house. It's got good visibility and she's got it nicely decorated.

We got haircuts at CJ's Emporium (where they cut hair and sell See's Candy) and had dinner at the Raven. Stayed at Lila's new house which is a fixer upper with a lot of potential.

The first six days

From the travel journal:

Friday, October 10, 2008, 10:15 pm

Since the theme of this vacation is flexible, we started off from the get-go making adjustments. Having originally talked about departing Aspen at 4 am and then 6 am, we left at 10:38 am. Today being our biggest driving day and having gotten such a late start, we skipped both Abiquiu and Los Alamos and headed straight to Aunt Pat's in Albuquerque. We got here at about 6:15 pm. After drinks and hors d'oeuvres, we had an awesome dinner of spaghetti squash, zucchini and tomato sauce and very nice conversation.

Got up at 4 am today and the alarm's set for 4:30 am for tomorrow so we can get to the Balloon Fiesta before the crowds.

Saturday, October 11, 2008, 10:47 pm

We got up early, had coffee waiting for us, drove to the Balloon Fiesta Park, got a good parking spot, walked around, went to the pilot briefing . . . and learned that the mass ascension was cancelled.

So we left, drove to Old Town, walked around the Plaza, ate breakfast at Little Anita's (just ok), visited the church on the plaza, came back to Aunt Pat's, napped, showered, had lunc, drove around Albuquerque, went to the Hispanic Museum (saw a cool exhibit by the de la Torre brothers), went to Nob Hill, had drinks at Kelly's, dinner at El Patio and walked around Central Street.

Since the weather is iffy for tomorrow am, we've decided to bag trying again with the Fiesta. Don't know where we'll be tomorrow night.

Sunday, October 12, 2008, ??

My hand's cold so my writing is a bit hard to read.

Sitting in front of a camp fire at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM. We got up this am in Albuquerque, had breakfast at Aunt Pat's, left Albuquerque at approximately 11 am to drive north. Stopped in Santa Fe for way too long to spend way too much $ shopping at Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and Albertson's. Met someone who know Pascale & Manon at Trader Joe's. Drove to Abiquiu and got to Ghost Ranch just after 5 pm to find out that they have camping here. So here we are, camping at Ghost Ranck with a view of the Pedernal and an almost full moon. Great salmon dinner and great camp fire. Very cool night.

Monday, October 13, 2008, 8:29 pm

It's not quite as cold out tonight.

Still at Abiquiu, in campsite 55, not the camp site we started inl ast night but the campsite we slept in. Full moon is tomorrow so the sky has been bright.

Had dinner last night of salmon and sauteed yellow squash. Tonight is grilled beef kabobs. Very nice.

Last night was quite cold. We had the tent up with the doors open and everything got covered with frost. My feet never warmed up the whole night.

We slept until the sun hit the tent at a little after 8 am. Then got up, had coffee, and enjoyed our view looking directly at the Pedernal. We walked down to the office and discovered the showers/laundry/place to wash dishes on the way. Steve went out shooting while I washed last night's dishes and took a shower (yay!). We did a little shopping at the Trading Post, then I read while Steve hiked off trail to Chimney Rock. After he came back, we both headed up there, this time on trail (3 miles). Saw the sunset and watched the intense colors pop off the cliff walls.

Now I'm enjoying the campfire and we're discussing our options for our long drive tomorrow. Leaving early, leaving in the middle of the night to drive by moonlight . . . We'll see.

We did figure out that if we had left on time on Friday, we would not have camped here at Ghost Ranch. Serendipity?

Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 9:37 am

So, yesterday didn't end well. It was the fourth glass of wine that did it. The rest of the day went pretty smoothly except for the part where I got the phone call from our neighbor complaining about Ellie's non-stop barking. That left me feeling stressed, impotent, irresponsible, embarrassed . . .

We got up at 4:10 am, made coffee, finished packing up (Steve had done most of the packing Monday nite), got showers and were on the road by 5:11 am. We made good time, stopping in Farmington for coffee and Page for bicycle tires. We rolled into the North Rim about 10 hours later, too early to check in. We wandered a bit, then sat out on the west veranda for drinks and sunset. 3 glasses of wine later, Steve went to check in and to see if we could have the same room for 2 nights. Successful, he bought another round to celebrate and with my judgment impaired, I drank it down. I barely made it to the room (Cabin 60-65) and basically passed out. We missed our 9 pm dinner reservation (this was at approx. 6:30 pm) and our plans to see the canyon in the full moon.

Demon alcohol!

I did wake up in the middle of the night, thinking that we should go out for a walk but inertia, equilibrium (or the lack thereof) and common sense won out.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008, 9:30 pm

Got up just before sunrise/moonset this morning. Walked to Bright Angel Point, then wandered over to the Lodge for breakfast. Went to the bookstore, then back to the room where Steve got his stuff together for a mountain bike ride. Between doing that, getting dialed in at the visitor's center and driving out to Parriswampit (or something like that) Point, he didn't start riding Rainbow Rim until 1 pm. And it turns out that was too late in the day.

I came back, got some lunch out of the cooler and ate and read on the veranda. I walked out to Bright Angel Point for sunset and waited for Steve.

At 7:30 pm, an hour and a half after sunset and at our appointed dinner time, I reported him overdue. A Park Police officer came out, lectured me and basically told me that given the length of the ride, it was too early for them to do anything and that they basically wouldn't do anything until the morning. He suggested that I drive out and look for him.

So I did. And I found him, freezing, in the dark, having just turned on to the highway. Warmed him up, brought him home and now bed.

Two nights at the North Rim and missed our dinner reservations both nights.

But the nice deputy and the nice lady from the Coconino County sheriff's office did follow up with me so I felt better about that.

Living in the Moment/On Quoting Shakespeare

I've Loved you for so Long

Another film brought to Aspen by the Aspen Filmfest, I've Loved You for So Long is a tour de force for Kristin Scott Thomas (whom I also saw recently in Tell No One).

Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) reappears in her sister Lea's life and moves into her home as a virtually silent, remote, complete stranger. Lea wants nothing more than to reconnect with Juliette while Juliette wants nothing more than to be left alone. Hanging between them is some unspeakable event which sets Lea's husband completely on edge.

Scott Thomas moves through the movie virtually silently, stoically and yet amazingly emotively.

In French with subtitles, this is yet another movie which transcends national sensibilities and defies the How French! reflex.

From Aspen Filmfest's website:

French novelist and screenwriter Philippe Claudel brings intelligence and compassion to his debut feature about two sisters, divided long ago by a shocking tragedy, who are searching to find closure on the past and forge a new life together. Kristin Scott Thomas (The Other Boleyn Girl, The English Patient) gives a sensational performance as the mysteriously aloof Juliette, whose move into sister Léa’s house in their French hometown sets off a journey toward redemption. Though Léa (Elsa Zylberstein), her husband Luc and their friends hesitate, Léa’s two adopted daughters take an immediate liking to their newfound aunt. As secrets are revealed, piecing together Juliette’s past bit by suspenseful bit, the two sisters slowly rebuild a bond of trust that was destroyed fifteen years earlier. A critical and box office hit in France, I’ve Loved You So Long explores the terrain of forgiveness to utterly engrossing effect. (France/Germany, 2008, 117 min. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)

Nights in Rodanthe

If I ever ask you to go with me to a Nicholas Sparks movie, if I ever mention during the trailer for a Nicholas Sparks movie that I'd like to see it, if I ever tell you that I'm going to a Nicholas Sparks movie, please do me a favor and remind me that it's a Nicholas Sparks movie.

So much promise and so little delivery.

Much better suited for a made for TV Hallmark movie.

Diane Lane and Richard Gere couldn't save this trite, cheesy romantic tragedy. Scott Glenn (who I really like as an actor) was pathetic.

The house was strangely filmed.

The hurricane was preposterous.

The ending was pure schmaltz.

Lemon Tree

No one wins.

In a film that evenhandedly attempts to depict the gray area in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Salma's 50 year old lemon tree grove which her father planted is deemed a security threat to the new Israeli Defense Minister and must be cut down. Salma, a poor Palestinian widow, is stoically and obstinately determined not to let that happen.

All of the major players are portrayed sympathetically and there is no black and white.

Interspersed amongst the ambiguity are moments of light and joy but always there exists the overarching atmosphere of volatility.

I was struck by Salma's determination in the face of the paternalistic society where the men of her village feel perfectly comfortable in obliquely threatening violence when, in their eyes, her actions appear to be dishonoring her late husband. His memory is more important than her happiness.

Salma finds an unlikely ally in Mira, the defense minister's unhappy wife who struggles with her own unintentional role in Salma's plight.

From the movie's official website:

Salma, a Palestinian widow, has to stand up against her new neighbor, the Israeli Defense Minister, when he moves into his new house opposite her lemon grove, on the green line border between Israel and the West Bank.

The Israeli security forces are quick to declare that Salma's trees pose a threat to the Minister's security and issue orders to uproot them.

Together with Ziad Daud, her young Palestinian lawyer, Salma goes all the way to the Israeli Supreme Court to try and save her trees. Her struggle raises the interest of Mira Navon, the Defense minister's wife, who is trapped in her new home and in an unhappy life.

Despite their differences and the borders between them the two women develop an invisible bond, while forbidden ties grow stronger between Salma and Ziad.

Salma's legal and personal journey lead her deep into the complex, dark and sometimes funny chaos of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East, in which all players find themselves alone in their struggle to survive.

Pressure Cooker

Pressure Cooker is a well-done documentary about a tough culinary arts teacher in Philadelphia, Wilma Stephenson, and the students she grooms, sometimes with a verbal bludgeon, for a scholarship competition.

I walked out wanting to mail Wilma a check.

Wilma's modus operandi is that of a boot camp instructor and the beauty is that the kids who stick with her know intuitively that she's got their best interests at heart.

Engrossing, suspenseful, engaging, humorous, uplifting.