June turned out to be a busier month than I had anticipated, and I kept a journal of my notes and thought I'd share them here:
Saturday, June 5,
2021 “A Quiet Place 2”
Andrew and I visited a cinema for the first time since the pandemic. [Yes, I know some were still open most of the time, but the quality of what was showing was mediocre at best, so we just streamed things at home]. We went to see “Quiet Place II,” the sequel to the 2018 film, “A Quiet Place.”
For those who aren’t familiar with the plot, the premise of the movie is the fact that the earth (or at least the United States) has been invaded by blind aliens with an acute sense of hearing (which the deaf daughter finally figures out at the end of the first film, so are thus able to kill at least one of the aliens.) The family knows the aliens hunt by sound, so are super careful not to make any noise (which is how their toddler son died when playing with a toy space shuttle equipped with sound effects). Apparently this is also the reason the family never wear shoes (I guess there’s no moccasins in Appalachia where the movie is set). Of course every possible barrier and obstacle is put in their way including those of their own making (like having a baby and then making sure it never cries).
My husband and I both very much enjoyed the first movie because of the uniqueness of the plot and my appreciation of the fact that they hired a deaf actress (Millicent Simmonds) to play the role of the hearing-impaired daughter. Having once dabbled in ASL (American Sign Language), I could follow along fairly well with the few hand gestures they used in the movie.
Having been so long between the two movies, I had a hard time following the plot based on the beginning of the movie which was apparently a flashback. The plot also bore a strong resemblance to “The Walking Dead” and “Fear the Walking Dead” in that it isn’t just the zombies or aliens you need to watch out for, but your fellow man can also turn on you (and the whole steal-a-boat-to-flee-to-an- island for safety mimics the plot of “Fear the Walking Dead”).
Overall, not a bad movie, but not the most cheerful movie
for our first post-pandemic viewing.
Sunday, June 6, 2021 Bexley House & Garden Tour
Today Andrew and I visited one of our favorite suburbs of Columbus, Bexley. We can probably count on one hand how many times we’ve been there and have only ever visited to see movies at the Drexel Theatre (one of the few independent cinemas still left in Ohio) including one directed by and starring Bexley native, Josh Radnor (probably best known for his role as Ted on “How I Met Your Mother”). Hence, we’ve really only seen a tiny fraction of the city, so this was a great chance to see most of the rest of it (and certainly a mixture of different house sizes, styles and prices I’m sure). The reason for our visit was to go on the Bexley House & Garden Tour (though it was really just gardens) sponsored by the Bexley Women’s Club.
There were nine gardens, two community gardens, and one alleyway open to the public. Not surprisingly you either had to take a shuttle around, or drive to most of the homes (some were clustered, but we still had to move at least half a dozen times). I think my sister-in-law would have appreciated the first garden we visited because of the five hens housed in a spacious chicken coop which even included a solar panel on the outside (very nice!).
According to the guide book we were given –
One of the gardens had a display on loan from the Bexley Historical Society consisting of old newspapers and yellowed photographs (recently discovered we were told) illuminating the history of the house we were visiting, so that was a nice touch.
We liked the “Love Your Alley” aspect of the tour which reminded me very much of German Village, which is also known for its alleys. The alley on the tour had tin butterflies mounted on one section of the wall,
a few painted bees on another panel,
and an outstanding display of knitted yarn creations (alongside a Beware of Dog sign : ) I especially liked that section (yet another reason to someday learn to knit or crochet) Nice way to beautify a thoroughfare.
The north and south Bexley Community Gardens were nice enough and worth a brief stop, though probably underappreciated by us since neither of us are really gardening enthusiasts (and anything we can get to grow in our shaded back garden is usually eaten by the resident rabbits and deer).
I liked that the South Bexley Community Garden had several bee hives, which is something I definitely support (or at least the idea of as I’m not ready to don the white suit and smoker just yet).
The gardens were a good mixture of homeowners’ spaces who did everything themselves whereas others were just adverts for patio design companies. Still, it was a nice mixture and I don’t mind seeing how the other half lives. I told Andrew I wouldn’t mind renting any of the homes as an Air BNB, but not sure how many I would want to own and have to maintain ourselves.
Of the nine gardens we saw, without hesitation we both agreed the yards at location #3 (2610 East Broad Street owned by Cheryl Vaia and Herb Bresler) and location #9 (2624 Bexley Park Road owned by Erin and Mike Simpson) were definitely the most outstanding.
Property #3 was interesting because of all the art, cute planters, and interesting and colorful plants throughout the property. Everywhere you looked another whimsical object was thoughtfully placed for full impact. This fact isn’t surprising considering that Ms Vaia once had her own garden design business (and is now retired), according to the booklet we were given.
Property #9 had a mixture of historical charm (like functional gas light poles and a non-working water pump),
the world’s sturdiest tree swing (check out the size of those knots!),
and not one but two hammocks
for a little R & R in the back yard. They also had a somewhat modern designer patio, but we won’t fault them for that since their house (built in the late 1800s) is a century dwelling and they had what appeared to be a very antique (or at least antique-looking) ping pong table
out there too. I don’t think you could ever be bored there, and at the very least could certainly unwind at the end of a long day or week and probably throw some awesome parties there too.
At the last property we visited I happened to glance over the wall to the neighbor’s backyard and had a flashback to the property my family lived at in Cleveland until we moved to Madison when I was five. The house was probably built in the same time period and the yard was definitely the same size. My one memory of playing in the backyard was running around barefoot in the clover and getting my first bee sting after crushing a poor little bee just going about its business.
All in all it was fun walking around the different neighborhoods and observing the mixture of architecture (I haven’t seen that many screened in porches since last time we were in my mom’s old neighborhood) both old and new, big and small. So glad to finally leave my neighborhood and see more of the outside world!
Comedians on Couches Watching House Hunters
While program-surfing on Amazon Prime one night I came across this gem (only available on Discovery + channel) and checked it out before mentioning it to my husband. Since you can get a one-week trial subscription to the channel it’s offered on (and there’s currently only 8 episodes available), we signed up and started streaming them.
Although I haven’t heard of either of the two hosts, they’re both fairly likeable and funny, so I enjoyed their presence alongside the 4 or 5 different guests they selected for the various episodes. Hard to know how much to tell you without spoiling it for you, but I can tell you John Mulaney was my favorite guest star (and really the only one I had heard of), and my favorite pair on the show were the couple where the husband was obsessed with building a cat tube between the garage and house (they had several cats as pets, obviously). His wife was a little more grounded in reality, but humored him. I was almost disappointed not to see one actually constructed when the camera crew visited them at the house they chose, but I imagine such things take a lot of planning and probably permission (not to mention $$$) from wife and city council maybe.
I hope they make more episodes because this was definitely a fun and funny show!
A Disney-themed
Summer (at least so far)
Back in May Andrew and I started streaming a series on Disney + called “The Imagineering Story” which consists of 6 hour-long episodes providing a pretty in-depth background to the history of most of the Disney theme parks around the world. As neither of us are experts on the subject, especially having only visited a handful (mostly the ones in Fla, but I’ve been to Disneyland in CA too), we found it all very fascinating. It goes without saying that the Disney employees take their jobs very seriously, but also seem to really enjoy what they do (or at least the ones they interviewed for the program). As someone who thrives on creativity, I enjoyed and appreciated their enthusiasm and am grateful for all the phenomenal attractions they’ve created.
We learned there was no textbook to go by for most of what they did - much of it learning on the job and lots of trial and error. They are such experts that the public rarely (at least nowadays) see any flaws or anything behind-the-scenes that might detract from the magic they’ve created. That’s why they’re the masters of illusion and why people keep coming back in droves year after year.
My parent’s neighbor used to (and maybe still does) go to Disney World (Fla) as a family vacation every year staying at one of the many Disney-owned hotels just outside the park. In fact, one of their grandchildren works as a landscaper at one of the Disney Parks carving those ornately shaped topiaries scattered around the grounds.
My uncle, a lifelong California resident, said back in the day he remembers Disney Land offering special after-hours discounts to local residents. Here’s what he said:
When
I lived in Southern California, Disneyland offered a “moonlight special” for
$10 which allowed entry after 6pm until closing if you showed your California
driver’s license. I went a few times
since it was just about a 45 minute drive (less traffic in the 1960’s). The main difference between Disneyland and
Disney World is that Disneyland is surrounded with motels and hotels since
Disney just bought land for his park.
The Florida version is much larger with several Disney hotels on the
property.
You might be aware that the Walt Disney Family Museum is located in San Francisco. This museum highlights the life of Walt and his accomplishments. It is really a place more appealing to adults than children.
My uncle sent the e-mail in response to an e-mail I sent to him with an attachment of a vintage postcard (August 1966) I had found. The postcard, which depicted Skyway Through the Matterhorn, was written by my grandma who (with my mom) was visiting my uncle in California and had apparently visited Disney Land one day. On the postcard my grandma wrote about visiting Universal Studios. “Saw 4 movies being filmed. Missed seeing Julie Andrews by about 5 minutes.”
Link to postcards:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/authorwannabe/?
Having been inspired by watching the Imagineers series, I decided to reread a book of my husband’s that is a fictionalized, futuristic, novel about employees trying to make changes to certain areas of the park that many hold sacred – like the Hall of Presidents (I still get chills when I remember how surprised I was when President Lincoln stood up) and the Haunted Mansion Ride (which one character said he rode five times in succession seeing and experiencing something new each time). If you’re interested, it’s called Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow.
According to the plot summary on Amazon.com:
Jules is a young man barely a century old.
He’s lived long enough to see the cure for death and the end of scarcity, to
learn ten languages and compose three symphonies … and to realize his boyhood
dream of taking up residence in Disney World.
Disney World! The greatest artistic achievement
of the long-ago twentieth century. Now overseen by a network of ‘ad hocs’ who
keep the classic attractions running as they always have, enhanced with only
the smallest high-tech touches.
But the ad hocs are under attack. A new
group has taken over the Hall of Presidents and is replacing its venerable
audioanimatronics with new, immersive direct-to-brain interfaces that give
guests the illusion of being Washington, Lincoln and all the others. For Jules,
this is an attack on the artistic purity of Disney World itself.
Worse: it appears that this new group has
had Jules killed. This upsets him. (It’s only his fourth death and revival
after all.) Now it’s war.
Sunday June 27, 2021 My First Ever Virtual
Cooking Class
A few weeks ago my husband asked me if I was interested in taking part in an online cooking class his company was planning in conjunction with a restaurant in Portland, Oregon. Having never done that before it sounded like food, I mean fun!
I’m not sure Andrew was as enthusiastic as
me, especially after he had to go to two different grocery stores to find all
the ingredients and still came up empty-handed on the fennel fronds (I’ve heard
of fennel but didn’t know it came in a frond, though I did find a bottle of
ground fennel in the spice section of Target). Fennel seeds were definitely the
most difficult ingredient for him to locate, whereas others had difficulty with
the semolina flour (we already had that as we’ve used it for baking something
on another occasion).
The class started at 5pm (2pm Pacific Time)
and Rachael Grossman from the Artisano Restaurant on the southeast side of
Portland was our instructor (who had the day off) https://artigianopdx.com/
Due to the heatwave they’re currently experiencing in the Pacific Northwest, Rachael (who had to constantly spritz herself to stay cool in the already 100+ degree day) scaled down the menu a bit opting to not demonstrate how to make the pasta sauce which needed to simmer for several hours. She left it up to us to decide which of the recipes we wanted to make. Since Andrew had already shopped for and acquired all the ingredients, we did all four recipes: Sugo Pomodoro (Simple Tomato Sauce), Sausage & Broccoli Sauce for Cavatelli, Plain Cavatelli Pasta and Carrot Cavatelli.
Although Andrew had prepared a bit in advance and had gotten most things out and spread out, he still made a few trips to the refrigerator and cupboards. He constantly bounced back and forth between counters and stove trying to do what chefs do and juggle multiple tasks at one time. I helped where I could, but was hesitant to clean up too much or put something away lest he not be done with it yet. I decided it was just easier if he assigned me chores, so that’s how I ended up grating the lemons for the required zest (something Andrew’s coworkers asked about since apparently some of them had never shaved a lemon before).
I felt like skill-wise we were more than capable since we do frequently cook and bake and definitely know our way around a kitchen. However, rolling out the dough and then cutting and shaping it into Cavatelli put both of us way out of our comfort zone. Andrew’s resembled conch shells or perhaps gnocchi,
whereas mine were more like little hotdog buns. We had difficulty following Rachael’s demonstration since we were doing it on the counter with our backs to his laptop. That’s the problem when you don’t have an island; not that common in 1960s houses from what I’ve seen, and the Brady house is an anomaly (but then that show took place in the 70s). We both felt a little better after pouring ourselves a small glass of red wine from the bottle we used to add some to the pasta sauce.
In spite of all the stress and rushing around, we still managed to get 3 out of 4 of the dishes done in the 2 hour period (left the Carrot Cavatelli to finish after we ate some of the Plain Cavatelli with the sausage and a little pasta sauce on the last few bites. I think I prefer the dish without the sauce, but it still tasted good either way.
It took about an hour to do all the clean-up, which we split – him finishing rolling, shaping, and cutting the carrot dough into the Cavatelli shapes
while I washed the dishes. Thankfully we have quite a lot of leftovers, so that’s a huge relief.
In hindsight I think we would have been wise to do what they do on cooking shows and do all the prep (i.e., cutting things up, getting out all your implements, etc.) so all that’s left to do is combine and cook the ingredients. Of course things like the dough are slightly more time-dependent in that you make the dough, let it rest for 20-30 min, then roll it out and shape it, so I’m not sure that could have been done too much in advance. Probably could have cooked the meat though since that was probably the easiest recipe, and surprisingly good. Andrew and I both assumed the fennel would permeate and we weren’t sure we would like the flavor, but it’s really quite subtle and the lemon is a bit more prominent as you definitely taste that.
