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Movie: Shall We Dance? (1996 Japanese Version)
This story is more believable in the context of Japanese culture, which makes it more enjoyable and meaningful to me. Even the comedic characters seem possible, which the American version didn’t pull off. The one strength I grant to the American movie, though, is that it gives more attention to the impact of the main…
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Shelf Road / Cactus Cliff
We’re treated to another day of gorgeous sun, with just a little bite in the wind this time. We figure out the hike from the Bank campground to Cactus Cliff, a worthwhile outing in itself. There are more climbers on the rock today, but we still find things to climb. I try an onsight of…
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Shelf Road / Cactus Cliffs
We don’t get on the rock at Cactus Cliff until the afternoon, but the perfect weather holds for us. The book we have makes it look like Shelf Road is dominated by 5.11 and 5.12 routes, but we find a couple of good easier climbs. It looks like a lot of newer routes have been…
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Thanksgiving Guests
A nice Thanksgiving this year. Sarah’s turkey turned out well, even after some extra time in the oven. Her mom Zita delivered extra good green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and homemade cranberry sauce. Tante Berti has retired from her position as dessert chef, but bought us a huge yummy chocolate cake in consolation. The…
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Movie: Gunner Palace
Initially I thought this documentary featured the same palace Ann’s brother Randy, an army Lieutenant, had written to us about, but I think it’s a different Hussein family palace. I don’t regret the choice, though. This film mostly gives a voice to soldiers on the ground near Baghdad, letting them talk (or sing, or rap)…
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Ice and Steam
The mornings have been bright and cold recently. The Cache La Poudre River is fairly still in most places these days, so it freezes overnight, then shines and steams when the morning sun hits it.
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Deer Crossing
I think this is a White-tail buck, since does do not usually grow antlers. He tried to hide from me in the grass behind the fence at first, then decided to escape to the river.
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Live Music: CSO and Natasha Paremski
Eighteen-year-old pianist Natasha Paremski stole this show with her performance of Tschaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, as is clear from the Rocky Mountain News review. Jeffrey Kahane surprised me at this performance by conducting without a word, and I realized that I was anticipating the long or short lecture he’s given at the past few…
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Castlewood Canyon
The air is cold and the sky threatening, so we decide to head for a lower destination. Castlewood Canyon is southeast of Denver on Cherry Creek. We’re surprised at the amount of snow there, but it’s a pretty place and the sun comes out to warm us up. The rock cliffs in the canyon are…
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Bare and Gold
The trees around Fort Collins are pretty much bare of leaves now and must rely on the morning sunlight for their color. Dark clouds are becoming more common too. One of these mornings this driveway will greet me with some snow, I’m sure.