Mud Island River Park

The Daughter and I spent the day downtown at the Mud Island River Park. I remember Mud Island from way back when there was nothing there. It's completely developed now. One of this park's main attractions is the River Walk, which is a scale model of the Lower Mississippi River from its confluence with the Ohio River to the Gulf of Mexico. It has markers describing historical events and noting specific cities. You can wade in it if you like, although we didn't get in the water that day.

The walk begins here:

and meanders down through the country:

Here are some pictures of the Memphis marker where you can see the Big Muddy in the background:

The walk ends at the "Head of Passes" and the Gulf of Mexico:

We had lunch at a little table by the River Walk, which turned out to be a great place to people watch. I saw all ages of people and heard 3 different languages not including English.

We also toured the museum, which costs $10 for adults and includes a ticket to ride the monorail. Here's the entrance to the museum from the river walk:

Flash photography is prohibited inside the museum and it was too dark in there for me to get pictures any other way. They have photos at their web site showing the exhibits.

We didn't ride the monorail, which runs underneath the pedestrian walkway:

because we liked the walkway so much. Here's the view from up there:

We thoroughly enjoyed this outing. The River Walk itself is free and is a delightful way to spend a day.

"The Mississippi River touches a lot of people."

The Last Policeman

The Last Policeman is a 2012 pre-apocalyptic science fiction/mystery novel by Ben H. Winters. Wikipedia says, "Winters describes the work as an "existential detective novel"". The first in a projected trilogy, I'm looking so forward to the next books in the series. I loved this! I liked the set-up of impending disaster, and I enjoyed the character development showing how different people reacted under this particular stressor. It's an interesting concept coupled with an intriguing mystery. I found it shelved in the Mystery section at my local book store. It won the 2013 Edgar Award for best paperback original.

from the back of the book:

What's the point in solving murders if we're all going to die soon, anyway? Detective Hank Palace has faced this question ever since asteroid 2011GV1 hovered into view. There’s no chance left. No hope. Just six precious months until impact.

The Last Policeman presents a fascinating portrait of a pre-apocalyptic United States. The economy spirals downward while crops rot in the fields. Churches and synagogues are packed. People all over the world are walking off the job —but not Hank Palace. He’s investigating a death by hanging in a city that sees a dozen suicides every week —except this one feels suspicious, and Palace is the only cop who cares. What's the point in solving murders if we're all going to die soon, anyway?

The first in a trilogy, The Last Policeman offers a mystery set on the brink of an apocalypse. As Palace’s investigation plays out under the shadow of 2011GV1, we’re confronted by hard questions way beyond "whodunit." What basis does civilization rest upon? What is life worth? What would any of us do, what would we really do, if our days were numbered?

Wired calls it "an entertaining and well-plotted tale" and points out that "The Last Policeman is not a science fiction tale. Let’s just get that out on the table. This is a crime story." Kirkus Reviews calls it "A promising kickoff to a planned trilogy". Slate says, "Winters’ plotting is sure-footed and surprising" and that he "reveals himself as a novelist with an eye for the well-drawn detail". Strange Horizons wanted something deeper but says, "If we ignore the weakening of the book's underlying premise, the rest of the novel offers a fun and competent police procedural story. The working-out of the murder offers enough twists to make the book an enjoyable experience and some of the pre-apocalyptic scenery is well-drawn."

Sensory Garden

I remember when they first opened The Sensory Garden at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. It was intended to provide a pleasant garden experience for those with sensory impairments.

There is a water feature:

and garden beds at a height where those in wheelchairs can easily touch the plants:

There are a couple of sculptures. Here's one of them:

It's a delightful garden within a garden.

The Great Silence (The Big Silence)

The Great Silence (or The Big Silence) is a 1968 Spaghetti Western directed by Sergio Corbucci and with a score by Ennio Morricone. Klaus Kinski plays Loco, the leader of the bounty hunters. The bounty hunters are targeting a group of remote townspeople who turned to robbery in a time of starvation. The townspeople hire a mute gunfighter called Silence to help them fight the bounty hunters while they wait for the governor to declare an amnesty. In this unusual film, the bounty hunters are the bad guys and the outlaws are the good guys. This is a wonderful surprise of a film. Never released theatrically in the U.S., it's a treat to see it now.

via youtube:



Fistful of Pasta opens with this:

THE GREAT SILENCE is Sergio Corbucci's magnum opus and is generally regarded as the best 'non-Sergio Leone' Spaghetti Western ever made. In fact, many armchair critics believe that this film is on par with ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST and the 'DOLLARS TRILOGY'.

Spaghetti-Western.net says it is "recognized as one of the best westerns ever made" and says, "It’s one of those films that change a moviegoers life forever: once you wandered through the icy and lonely streets of Snow Hill, no western, no film will ever be the same." Rotten Tomatoes doesn't have a critics score, but the audience score is a quite respectable 85%.

The Farewell Party

The Farewell Party (the English translation's title) is a novel by Milan Kundera originally published in 1972. I read the 1976 Peter Kussi translation.

Relationships of any kind are complicated. Who we are in a relationship with one person is colored by who we've been all our lives, the changing influences on us, our other relationships.... I think we can learn a lot about ourselves and our own character as we work through our various relationships.

from the back of the book:

A telephone call announcing an unwanted pregnancy sends Klima, jazz trumpeter from Prague, back to the fertility spa where he had spent a night with a pretty nurse named Ruzena. As Klima tries to persuade Ruzena to have an abortion, as Ruzena wavers between compliance and refusal, others are drawn into the conflict: Klima's lovely wife, Ruzena's jealous boyfriend, a mysterious and saintly American millionaire, a persecuted political dissident, and the spa's Dr. Skreta, who gleefully injects his own sperm into patients, thereby advancing his dream of the brotherhood of man. all these people are sharply etched by Milan Kundera's pen in a novel that exposes the crumbling illusions to which we cling, the swirling ambiguities that surround us.

Kirkus Reviews closes its review by saying, "Farewell is for those who like their Pilsner laced with wormwood."

Sweet Coffee, I Adore Thee: An Ode to Coffee

An Ode to Coffee:



Ah, coffee!

Join the party!

Hell No, We Won't Go!

I have a lot of sympathy for their protest-du-jour emphasis, which was against another war, this time in Syria. I think the world would be better off if we didn't stick our noses and guns into other countries' civil wars. At least get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan first, before we start bombing some new country.

But the loony factor kept me from joining their happy band of sign wavers. For example, they think our utility company's "smart meters" program is some kind of plot, and they fear a "one-world government". Seriously? There are still folks who fear a one-world government?

I'd love to get a better picture, but they are right on the street corner at Poplar and Highland, which is a very busy intersection; and I admit I was trying to avoid getting so close as to invite personal interaction.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)

A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1935 adaptation of Shakespeare's play. Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle direct. It stars Ian Hunter, James Cagney, Mickey Rooney, Olivia de Havilland, Joe E. Brown, Dick Powell and Arthur Treacher. The score is by Felix Mendelssohn as re-orchestrated by Erich Wolfgang Korngold. It was originally released at 132 minutes, but the theatrical release was shorter at 117 minutes. It bombed at the box office but seems to have increased appreciation now. The special effects are quite good, the dance sequences are delightful, the actors are fun to watch.... I enjoyed it all except for the loud, hysterical laughing fits, which gave me a head-ache before the almost 2 1/2 hour film was done.

via youtube:



DVD Talk says, "The movie is famous for its high production values and excellent, if wildly eccentric, star turns by James Cagney and Joe E. Brown. The result is funny and beautiful -- and truly magical." TCM has an overview, as does MSN. Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 89%.

Anamorph

Anamorph is a 2007 film, a psychological thriller/horror film about a serial killer. It stars Willem Dafoe and Clea DuVall (Sophie on Carnivale). Mick Foley and Debbie Harry have cameos. This is a seriously grotesque film. I loved the score.

"The truth depends on where you stand."

trailer:



Slant Magazine gives it 1 1/2 out of 4 stars and opens its review with this: "It's not clear what's more irritating about Anamorph: that it's another shameless rip-off of Se7en or that its high-concept gobbledygook has almost no bearing on its mystery's conclusion." TimeOut calls it a "moody, cerebral thriller". DVD Talk says, "Those of you who are art fans will definitely want to check this out, as will those of you who love crime dramas." Horror-Movies.ca says, " They were going for a more dramatic thriller as opposed to wanting to give you an iconic horror genre villain, surely, but it still ended up being too bland because of it." Rotten Tomatoes score is 26%.

Hat Attack

I saw the 1st Hat Attack at Style Crone last month (here's today's) and wanted to join in. I took a kajillion photos of me in the hat, but I had trouble getting a good picture of the hat that way. Since this is one of my favorite hats, I wanted to try to do it justice. Here, it's brightening up my patio on a rainy day. It was still overcast, but it wasn't raining at the moment.

I love hats, especially summer straw hats. I've had this one a long time, and look forward to getting it back out every year as the weather warms up. I never spend much on hats, getting most of them at the bottom end of the price range in local department stores. People seem to like seeing them, because I always get comments when I wear them.

The world would be improved a bit, I think, if more people wore hats.

Butterfly Garden

The Memphis Botanic Gardens has a lovely butterfly garden:

I did see a lot of butterflies, but they were flying higher than I could get pictures of. There were also bees and dragonflies.

Even though it's been here a while, I think of it as one of the newer features. It gets better every year. The Botanic Gardens web site has this description:

Today, the Butterfly Garden incorporates a variety of plants designed to attract butterflies. A major portion of the plants are native. The large variety of herbs in this garden, including parsley, fennel, and chives, acts as food for butterfly larvae. Many species, such as coneflower, goldstrum daisies, asters, and joe pye weed, serve as sources of nectar. Passion vine and red honeysuckle, known as "Mardi Gras," grace the arbor with color and fragrance.

A Hard Pill to Swallow

A Hard Pill to Swallow:



by Son Bonds, a Brownsville, Tennessee, native who died on this date in 1947 at the age of 38. He was gunned down on his own porch by a near-sighted neighbor who mistook him for somebody else.

Never On Sunday

I saw Never On Sunday on late-night TV when I was in high school and then never came across it again 'til now. It's a 1960 Greek film directed by Jules Dassin. It stars Melina Mercouri as a free-spirited whore and Dassin as the American scholar who tries to guide her onto a more moral path. The theme song won the Academy Award for best song. Mercouri won the award for Best Actress at Cannes for this role. It's dated, but the music is wonderful.

via youtube:



DVD Talk calls it "entertaining but dated" and says, "it charms audiences immediately with its infectious music and charismatic leading lady." Time Out says, "You can see how this might have felt joyful and liberating to audiences coming out of the uptight '50s." Emmanuel Levy calls it "A kind of contemporary “Pygmalion,” ... a culture-collision comedy with all the cliches of the genre". TCM has an overview, as does MSN. Rotten Tomatoes has an 88% critics rating.

"Love the Leaf" at the Dixon Gallery

Love the Leaf is an exhibit of art work inspired by the Dixon.

from their web site:

The works of art of our members and supporters chosen for Love the Leaf is an expression of how the Dixon has inspired interesting and creative ways to love the leaf!

My favorite is Mind Garden #1 (Mixed Media Collage in Resin, 2012), by Meg Zachry. I can't locate this piece online, of course, but I found it particularly striking. I kept coming back to it. I can't begin to describe it. It's less a picture of something and more of an experience.

The photo of the entrance to the gallery is from Wikipedia.

Mythago Wood

For years I searched for this book by Robert Holdstock, because of all the glowing reports I'd had of it. I looked in both new and used book stores without success and finally gave up and ordered it online. Mythago Wood (1984) is the 1st book in the series and the most acclaimed. It won the World Fantasy Award. I liked it fine, but -having read it- am satisfied and feel no need to read further into the series. Fantasy isn't my favorite genre.

from the back of the book:

The mystery of Ryhope Wood, Britain's last fragment of primeval forest, consumed George Huxley's entire long life. Now, after his death, his sons have taken up his work. But what they discover is numinous and perilous beyond all expectation.

For the Wood, larger inside than out, is a labyrinth of myths come to life, "mythagos" that can change you forever. A labyrinth where love and beauty haunt your dreams... and may drive you insane.

The review at SFSite.com describes it as "an intelligent modern fantasy set in the years immediately following the end of World War II" and says it "easily ranks among the best and most ambitious fantasy novels of the twentieth century". The Wertzone review calls it "a rich and textured novel about myth which is thought-provoking and densely atmosphere". Graeme's Fantasy Book Review site says, "what we have here is a journey back into pre-history (via that reliable fantasy archetype, the forest) showing us how myths form and perpetuate throughout time."

Memphis Hipster

photo from Travel + Leisure

No, not I, I'm no hipster, but Memphis has been named by Travel + Leisure as one of the best cities for hipsters. They selected 35 cities based "on culturally relevant features like live music, coffee bars, and independent boutiques. To zero in on the biggest hipster crowds, we also factored in the results for the best microbrews and the most offbeat and tech-savvy locals."

I love it when my city gets good national press!

Ulzana's Raid

Ulzana's Raid is a 1972 Robert Aldrich Western starring Burt Lancaster (not one of my favorite actors). Bruce Davison (who has Star Trek connections) is also in this. The plot involves the military trying to control some Apache warriors who have escaped the reservation to exact vengeance for treaty betrayal. This is excellent. Thoughtful. Worth seeking out.

favorite quotes:

"What bothers you, Lieutenant, is seeing white men act like Apaches. It kinda confuses the issue."

via youtube:



NativeAmerican.co.uk opens by saying it's "regarded by many as Aldrich's best film". Empire Online calls it "Grim but thrilling, with sterling performances." Time Out closes by saying that the film is "far more than just an extraordinarily intelligent horse opera: the parallels with America's involvement in Vietnam should be easy to see." Emmanuel Levy calls it "one of the best Westerns of the 1970s". Rotten Tomatoes has a critics score of 86%.

Organizing Books

Tabula Rasa asks, "How do you organize your bookshelf?" The only logical way, of course! I alphabetize by author within subjects. I have separate sections for mystery, science fiction/fantasy/horror, general fiction, travel narratives, religion, natural history, and biography. Actually my religion section isn't organized within that subject; they are just grouped together in a kind of whatever fashion.

I've heard of organizing by size or color, but I can't imagine how you'd ever find a particular book using that system.

The photo above is of some of my shelves. I tend to clutter them with trinkets.

Felicia's Journey

The Story of Lucy Gault impressed me so much that now I pick up this author's books whenever I find them, so I picked up Felicia's Journey by William Trevor without looking at anything but the author's name. This novel is about a serial killer, but there are no police, no investigation, no blood, no crime scenes... It seems atypical of books about serial killers. It's not a mystery or a crime novel. I'd say it's more of a psychological revelation, a real page-turner. It won the 1994 Whitbread Prize.

The back of the book contains reviews instead of the more usual synopsis/lure, but the Wikipedia page sets up the plot this way:

The plot follows eighteen-year-old Felicia, a poor provincial Irish girl, who was made pregnant and abandoned by Johnny Lysaght, a young man who is supposedly working in the English Midlands. Felicia's father believes Johnny has run off to join the British army. As Felicia journeys to the Midlands in search of the father of her unborn child, she meets with mild-mannered Mr Hilditch, the manager of a catering company

There's a reading group guide online here. The Independent calls it "as harrowingly grim as anything fictional you'll read this year." Kirkus Reviews closes by saying, "Trevor's combination of the pathological and the lyrical transcends mere genre fiction: He's a master still exploring the possibilities of his craft."

Calming Tea

Tazo claims of their Calm blend: "A single cup of Tazo Calm has been known to have the same effect as sitting for 45 minutes in a mountain meadow on a sunny day with your shoes off." I doubt that. It's an herbal infusion and not a tea, which is a fine thing, but it has licorice in it. I don't like licorice at all, so I had trouble getting past the smell to taste it. Tasting it didn't change my mind.

The cup is another of my Pink Palace Craft Fair finds. This one is marked 2002 JRC on the bottom. I feel like I claim all my cups are favorites. Maybe they are. I get rid of ones I don't like.

Join Bleubeard and Elizabeth for the "T" gathering here.