Patti's

While we were on our recent vacation to Lake Barclay State Park in Kentucky we went over to Patti's Restaurant one day for lunch. It's quite an experience and includes some event space and nice garden areas. Their specialty is pork chops, so The Husband and I ordered these. He got the 2" thick one, while I was quite happy with my 1" thick piece of meat:

It came with salad and a wonderful flower pot bread:

I drank iced tea with mine.

This was the view from our table:

Here are some photos of the gardens:

This was a real treat.

Please join the Tea Tuesday link gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth at the Altered Book Lover blog.

Summer Sumo Tournament

I am a faithful watcher of the major Japanese sumo tournaments. These are held every other month in Japan and are not shown on any of the TV channels available in the USA no matter what your source of television broadcasts. Today the first coverage I'm seeing is at Teninshin's Youtube channel, but there's only Japanese commentary.

Right now, the only sources I know of that provide English-language coverage:

1) Jason, who is an American teaching in Japan. He posts videos on his Youtube channel of select matches and includes his own commentary. I enjoy his take on things. Here's video of a couple of today's bouts:

Here's Hakuho's 1st day bout:

Hakuho is the best sumo wrestler who has ever lived.

2) Kintamayama has been posting the daily digest video but may not continue that now that NHK is planning to provide English-language coverage on Youtube. He does have a video for Day 1:

I love his commentary and the humor he includes.

3) NHK World's "On Demand" Youtube channel has begun offering a daily digest of the upper division matches which includes English-language commentary. Theirs was still not posted as of 8:00 PM CDT. Here's their video explaining the rankings in sumo:

Cape Fear (1962)

Cape Fear is a 1962 suspense thriller starring Robert Mitchum (one of my favorites), Gregory Peck, and Polly Bergen. I could watch Robert Mitchum in anything, but this film is a classic and a must-see. It was remade (who knows why, since the original is holding up just fine thank-you-very-much) in 1991.

trailer:

Noir of the Week says, "Cape Fear is ageless: still unapologetic, still chilling, still raising relevant questions." Moria says, "There is something beautifully driven and obsessive about Cape Fear. It has a psychological intensity that many other noir films only develop indirectly." DVD Talk concludes, "Cape Fear is a 60's classic that remains as entertaining today as when it was released. ... a welcome addition to the library of thriller fans. I give it my highest rating".

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 95%.

Evil Dead II

Evil Dead II is the 1987 sequel to the infamous cult film The Evil Dead. This is a parody/comic sequel directed by Sam Raimi and starring Bruce Campbell and is a cult film in its own right.

trailer:

Moria says it "emerges with a lunatically demented comic genius". Empire Online concludes: "The gaudily gory, virtuoso, hyper-kinetic horror sequel/remake uses every trick in the cinematic book, and confirms that Bruce Campbell and Raimi are gods."

Roger Ebert has a positive review and says,

I'm not suggesting that "Evil Dead 2" is fun merely because you can spot the references to other movies. It is because (a) the violence and gore are carried to such an extreme that they stop being disgusting and become surrealistic; (b) the movie's timing aims for comedy, not shocks, and (c) the grubby, low-budget intensity of the film gives it a lovable quality that high-tech movies wouldn't have.

Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 98%.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a 1938 comic novel by Winifred Watson. It's been adapted for film with Frances McDormand playing the lead, but I'd never heard of it until I ran across it used in a local bookstore and was drawn by the cover. This is a fun read except for the casual racism (for example, "Not fit to be in the presence of a white woman" and "I don't like to jump to conclusions but I think there was a little Jew in him") and the scenes in which physical abuse of a woman is acceptable because she "deserved" it. The book is definitely a product of its time, and I don't expect a book from the '30s to have modern sensibilities; but these elements would be enough to keep me from ever wanting to read it again. These ideas aren't funny to me and certainly don't contribute to the light, comic atmosphere that permeates the book otherwise. I think there's hope for the film -great casting!- because those elements would surely be abandoned in the adaptation.

from the flyleaf:

The door opened and shut. Miss Pettigrew sat in dumb admiration while surprise, unbelief, joy in turns took deceitful possession of Miss LaFoss's face. She jumped to her feet. There was a flutter of draperies, a rush across the room with outstretched arms.

"Nick," cried Miss LaFosse.

Miss Pettigrew averted her eyes hastily.

"Oh, dear," thought Miss Pettigrew. "Not... not again... so publicly. And I always thought they exaggerated kisses on the films."

What astonishes is the sheer fun, the light-heartedness and enchanting fantasy of an hour-by-hour plot that feels closer to a Fred Astaire film than anything else I can think of. Sophisticated and naive by turns, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is also charmingly daring: Miss Pettigrew herself may be of unimpeachable virtue, but she learns to regret this, and to admire her two mentors, Miss LaFosse with her several lovers and Miss Dubarry, owner of the best beauty parlour in London. -Henrietta Twycross-Martin, Preface

from the back of the book:

Miss Pettigrew is a down-on-her-luck, middle-aged governess sent by her employment agency to work for a nightclub singer rather than a household of unruly children. Over a period of twenty-four hours her life is changed -forever.

This delightful, funny, light-hearted 1938 novel was a bestseller on its first appearance and has been reprinted many times since Persephone Books first reissued it, complete with its original illustrations, for a new generation of readers.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day was read on BBC Radio 4 by Maureen Lipman. The film, starring Francess McDormand, Amy Adams and Ciaran Hinds, will be released in 2008.

Night at the Museum

Night at the Museum is a 2006 fantasy/comedy starring Ben Stiller, Dick Van Dyke, Mickey Rooney, and Robin Williams. We had never seen this, and The Younger Son gave it to The Husband for Father's Day. It was a funny movie with a happy ending, which is The Husband's favorite kind of movie. It won some awards.

trailer:

Empire Online gives it 2 out of 5 stars and concludes "The tagline is “everything comes to life” but this energetically charmless ‘family’ fantasy lies there dead on screen, occasionally twitching at a funny line." Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 44%, but the audience rating is higher.

Death in a Strange Country

Death in a Strange Country (1993), by Donna Leon, is 2nd in the Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery series. I am picking these up as I come across them and am enjoying the atmosphere of the Venetian setting, the characters' professional and family lives, and the fascinating plots.

from the back of the book:

Early one morning Commissario Guido Brunetti of the Venice Police confronts a grisly sight when the body of a young man is fished out of a fetid canal. All the clues point to a violent mugging, but for Brunetti the motive of robbery seems altogether too convenient. When something is discovered in the victim's apartment that suggests the existence of a high-level conspiracy, Brunetti becomes convinced that somebody, somewhere, is taking great pains to provide a ready-made solution to the crime.

quotes, beginning with one that features coffee for inclusion in today's T Tuesday gathering over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog:

The steamy warmth of the bar was comforting and familiar, as were the smells of coffee and pastry. A man and woman standing at the counter glanced at the uniformed men, then went back to their conversation. Brunetti asked for espresso, Vianello for caffè corretto, black coffee with a substantial splash of grappa. When the barman put their coffees in front of them, both spooned in two sugars and cradled the warm cups in their hands for a moment.

Vianello downed his coffee in one gulp, set the cup back on the counter, and asked, "Anything else, sir?"

*******

It would have been easy for Brunetti to grow indifferent to the beauty of the city, to walk in the midst of it, looking and not really seeing. But then it always happened: a window he had never noticed before would swim into his ken, or the sun would gleam in an archway, and he would actually feel his heart tighten in response to something infinitely more complex than beauty. He supposed, when he bothered to think about it, that it had something to do with language, with the fact that there were fewer than eight thousand people who lived in the city, and perhaps with the fact that he had gone to kindergarten in a fifteenth-century palazzo. He missed the city when he was away from it, much in the same way he missed Paola [his wife], and he felt complete and whole only while he was here.

*******

Kirkus Reviews gives it a positive review, calling it "a measured, thoughtful conspiracy investigation".

I've read the following from this series:

#1 Death at La Fenice (1992)
#3 Dressed for Death (1994)
#18 About Face (2009)

I think it was the 4th of July

Saturday in the Park:

by Chicago

Curtis Cemetery

We saw this cemetery in Lake Barclay State Park, just by the side of the road next to a water tower and stopped to take a look. It was overgrown and not at all well cared for:

except for this recent marker honoring a Revolutionary War militiaman Russell Curtis 1757-1834, and even this grave is being over-taken by weeds:

I think this is whose rights the 2nd Amendment:

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

was meant to protect.

Lake Barkley Beach

Here''s the view from the beach area:

We didn't come prepared to swim, but we sat at a picnic table for a while and watched people enjoying themselves.

The Howling

The Howling is a 1981 horror film that takes a long, long time to work the werewolf into the story. Patrick Macnee plays the protagonist's therapist. John Carradine, Slim Pickens, Robert Picardo, Kenneth Tobey, and Kevin McCarthy have parts. There are cameos by Roger Corman and Forrest J. Ackerman. It's definitely worth seeing once.

trailer:

Moria says,

Without the jokes, The Howling would otherwise be a competent B film – but for one scene. It was a scene that made audiences at the time sit up and pay attention and turned The Howling into a cult film – this being the scene in the middle of the film where Robert Picardo transforms into a werewolf. It is a show-stopping set-piece that for once and all put the old Lon Chaney-type lap dissolves into their grave.

1000 Misspent Hours praises it saying, "...director Joe Dante was not content merely to make a conventional werewolf movie with state-of-the-art special effects, ... The Howling forges boldly on into unexplored territory." Slant Magazine gives it 4 out of 5 stars. Roger Ebert isn't a fan. There's a 66% critics rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

It seemed to be real like before on the last day of June 1934

The Last Day Of June 1934:

by Al Stewart

Land Between the Lakes

We took a day of our vacation to go over to the Land Between the Lakes. We went to the Golden Pond Visitor Center first, where there is a history display we went through:

and a planetarium show we didn't get to come back for. After this we headed north a short distance to go to the Elk and Bison Prairie:

There were interpretive signs throughout:

We saw no elk at all, sadly, as they seem to be more visible during the early morning or the evening hours. We did see bison. Many bison.

The Younger Son took video:

They are impressive animals.

After we finally left here, we headed to the north end of the area to go to a restaurant named Patti's for lunch, and I took so many pictures there that it'll have to be a separate post. This was a delightful side-trip!

Land Between the Lakes

We took a day of our vacation to go over to the Land Between the Lakes. We went to the Golden Pond Visitor Center first, where there is a history display we went through:

and a planetarium show we didn't get to come back for. After this we headed north a short distance to go to the Elk and Bison Prairie:

There were interpretive signs throughout:

We saw no elk at all, sadly, as they seem to be more visible during the early morning or the evening hours. We did see bison. Many bison.

The Younger Son took video:

They are impressive animals.

After we finally left here, we headed to the north end of the area to go to a restaurant named Patti's for lunch, and I took so many pictures there that it'll have to be a separate post. This was a delightful side-trip!

Lake Barkley Lodge Restaurant

We ate at this restaurant on site three times during our trip and enjoyed it each time. We were always seated by a window, with a view of the covered deck and lake:

I couldn't resist the fried catfish for our first meal and wasn't disappointed. I had pinto beans, onion rings, and -of course- hush puppies. Very tasty:

The next time, I had the club sandwich:

And we ate breakfast there before checking out on our last day:

Afterwards, we spent some time rocking on the deck and enjoying the scenery one last time before our departure:

You can see the trails I walked here and here, and you can see photos of the bison from our Land Between the Lakes side trip tomorrow. We did have a fun time, but then we always have a fun time. We agree with Dr. Seuss: "It is fun to have fun, but you have to know how." Wherever you are, there's fun to be had.

Please join the T Tuesday gathering hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth and share a drink with us.

Days of Youth

Days of Youth is a 1929 Yasujiro Ozu film. A silent comedy film, it tells the story of 2 young men, college friends, who court the same young woman. This is the earliest known of his films to survive. I liked it but found myself distracted so decided to put it aside for another time. Of course, once I went back to it Hulu didn't have it available.

via Youtube:

DVD Talk says, "The picture is quite enjoyable, easy to follow and influenced by Hollywood comedies" and concludes, "Days of Youth is an enjoyable and accessible if somewhat overlong comedy that exemplifies Ozu's early career."

I've also blogged these other of his films:

Late Spring (1949)
Tokyo Story (1953)

Lake Barkley State Park, Blue Spring Trail

This trail, like the other one I walked, began in the lodge area but went in the opposite direction. You follow the signs to the Fitness Center/Tennis Courts/Indoor Pool:

and cross that road above to get to the beginning of the trail:

There were several interpretive signs:

It was in this area that I saw the deer:

There's a sweet resting spot, but I didn't stop:

Just a bit past the swing, I saw a turkey family. I must've startled them, because she made her alarm gobble and a couple of babies headed up into the trees. I did stop then, because how can you resist watching a family of turkeys?

The second trail head is here:

I saw another family of animals in the brush, and I showed this photo to the park staff who identified it as a groundhog. They said there are a lot of them around there:

The park literature directs you not to walk the trails alone, which is sad. If I had taken their advice I'd have missed the trails entirely, since The Younger Son likes trails but not in the heat and The Husband has health issues which make trail walking impossible. These are short, easy walks; my cell phone was working fine; and my family knew where I was. It didn't seem like a risky choice at all to do this.