Photo by Ron IrelandI wasn't a very good student of history. That's because I usually sat in the back of class passing notes. But wasn't there once an empire upon which the sun never set? Was it Britain's? Or Spain's maybe? I'm pretty sure it wasn't the American's where, these days, it no longer even bothers to rise.
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oh, we just watched a very similar sunset! and now through dark clouds backlighting the bates motel on the hill in back of us. ummm, it was Great Britain (hail, pretania), the far-flung empire of the sun. were you being rhetorical? or maybe you were thinking of the last days of the roman empire. depressingly applicable, in either case.
so, to cheer us up, we have qued Milagro Beanfield War to watch... DVD with addl Robt Redford's "memories of making Milagro".
Hope you have a "dry" Labor Day! that's dry as in no rain, not dry like no brews. D.K.
Oh drats....9:30 and it's raining again. Maybe all my talk of rising suns, setting suns, was due to the fact we had none here today.
So, lucky you guys. Watching Milagro BFW! I loved Ruben Blades in that. And I loved this movie for the flavor of New Mexico it captured.
i remember house of the rising sun....smile
beautiful sunset here today...thanks for the pic
hmm, I thought it was Camelot ?
Either way it was a great sunset....so lovely.
Have a good Labor Day Dada....Keep up your great blogging...
Milagro, eh? I think I got to pick a corner in my house for a shrine to Saint Jude. Might have to include a picture of Don Juan and some windmills...
Favorite lines:
"Cop." "Gotta be."
"Ay, Lupita! get the hell out of here."
"I hate beans."
"Hell no man, those guys vote six, seven times apiece."
"...and when you use the outhouse, don't let your testicles swing under the seat. Scorpions."
They mean little out of context (well, that last is kinda self-explanatory), but if you've seen the flick...
Dada, I do feel weird wishing someone in Texas some sunshine...reminds me of the last summer I was in Austin. It rained for twentysomething days that July. Everybody around me was bitching about it; and I was telling them I was thinking of moving to Seattle -- and seriously enjoying a July with highs in the 70's and 80's instead of 95+.
Now-days in Seattle we've got a summer almost devoid of rainfall, but no water shortage. The Cascade snowpack is melting at an upsetting rate, keeping the resevoirs in the lowlands full...for now. Meanwhile on the east coast they are having to sandbag the National Archives in DC (again) against flooding. Did we have a president that actually valued our history, much less documents like the Constitution, that would be a clarion wake up alarm. Another scary moment.
American influence and culture is certainly something the sun never sets on. We got McDonalds' everywhere...but as a beacon of freedom and truth, we are sadly failing.
Eeek! I'm getting verbose again -- I'll blame it on cheap beers. Think I'll stick in Milagro myself to fall asleep to; for the music.
Here's wishing you some cool fall sunsets soon at home, and some more NuMex adventures to share. I always love your stories from the road...they do give me hope, since they reflect the best of downhome America.
Holy hell, Batman! In the bedroom where we sleep, we keep a gentle fan on during the night. Outside our bedroom is sheltered by large cypresses, a rockwall and sodded ground 'neath the eaves dripline. It's quiet...just like we think the weather is outside.
But upon rising and walking into the other side of the house, the side with the concrete patio outside, the noise there was deafening by comparison. Water was pouring off the roof at the usual alarming rate. Even more than yesterday, when I measured over 3.75 inches. Rainfall measurements vary widely in the city. The official figure is measured at the airport which is away from the mountain. We live in the "shadows" of the mountain, hence, we usually measure much more.
(Oh and yesterday the high was 69 degrees! Brrrr!)
It's too wet to even venture outside. But I just remembered the newspaper. I might have to risk it. Wait...BRB! (We have this great umbrella I bought in the Portland airport years back that deploys with the hit of a button. It was an impulse buy while waiting for my plane. Never thought I'd need it, but it's come in real handy this past month. Let me go rescue the newspaper and maybe gauge the overnight rainfall...BRB! Oh geez, 1.5 inches of water in the gauge overnight! But the paper was dry at least.
Okay, these aren't exact quotes, just as I remember 'em from Milagro:
"The name Custer ring a bell?"
...said of the lizard tail tea recipe after tasting it...
"Hmmm, interesting, been in the family for generations, huh?"
"No, I just found it on the road this morning."
You know, Mel, been going to Oregon almost every summer in the 20th Century. But this time--after 5 yrs. absence--I thought Mt. Hood looked a little puny re snowcap. Now I know why.
az: Aren't you getting ANY of this over there? Would you like us to send some your way?
enigma: Thanks for the Labor Day wishes. Same back atcha! I was just reading of all the festivals Labor Day seems so laden with in these parts. They're all pretty much washed up. People's spirits are "dampened" (ugh, sorry). From concert goers who got no refunds, patrons, vendors, promoters, etc.
I'm so glad we watched MBFW last night! Dada, you & mel already listed my favorite lines. I'd last seen it yrs ago & still can't figure out if the ending implies Amarante has succumbed to death by ceremonially leaping over the fallen fence. What do you think?
The DVD version (just released 2005) has Redford looking back at the making of the movie. He talked about the book which sounded very worthwhile, chock full of interesting characters, with Amarante & his waiting (what do you call him, the unreal fiddler-on-the-roof-like character) angel-death-escort (?) more filled out than possible in a movie. Said he used the townspeople of Truchas where possible, many of whom don't speak english.
It was you writing about it some time ago, dada, that reminded me I should see it again. Oh! Here's a line I liked re: the Daniel Stern sociology student character. When he first walks into town & finds the Mayor isn't cooperative, so now he's stranded & says What should I do? The Mayor says "Join the Army!"
Rueben Blades is special, isn't he? The music was wonderful. Background instrumental parts reminded me of an old 70's album I used to listen to called "State of Seige" -- all those peruvian flutes ... now that's good nightime music.
Sorry if I blabbed about it too long. And mel, I remember the snow pack being very concerning from the few yrs we spent up in Spokane. I was happy when we had a mild winter, but the locals were all upset talking about how many inches of snowpack is necessary for a steady water supply. Around my desert, we are so hot & dry, the wildfire danger is getting scary, so yes dada, send us some rain, please! D.K.
DK: The first time I saw MBFW, Amarante lived in the end. The next time I saw it, I let him go. The third time, I decided I shouldn't be playing god. (But I have an opinion. How 'bout yours, D.K.?)
Truchas, ah, yes, Truchas. Very interesting little community. Very "tight". I really like that place.
Hah! I just can't decide if by leaping over the fence with his angel/santo, he has finally embraced death (perhaps becoming the sacrifice that saved the town) ... OR if he leaps for joy at having cheated death yet again! So, perhaps the point is for us NOT to know, life or death is always just a little leap away. ps, it's kinda fun "playing" god with movies. D.K.
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