If only summer could be like today. Sun, clouds, and a high around 19C. Glorious! But rare. We've already had more than a month of summer heat, and July is still far off. Not to mention the rain. Monday night's storms dumped 2.1" of rain in the rain gauge. Even so, I managed to cut the far back lawn today. No damage here, but more lightning than one would normally see in an entire year.
For Solstice we didn't do much this year. No day trip, nothing too special. Lots of great music inside, and a wonderful Leffe Brown Ale. We were able to sit out back for an hour, admiring the wall of green that encloses us there, and we saw a gorgeous sunset, literally covering 180 degrees of the sky. Aside from that, it was pretty quiet. Until the storms began, at 9 pm.
View from our back deck. We are surrounded by a wall of green.
Summer Solstice sunset, from our front window. This sunset went through several phases, including having the entire sky lit up at one point.
In movie news, here are Deb's two picks from last weekend. First up was a Czech film from 1970, called Valerie and Her Week of Wonders. A short but unforgettable film, it seems to be a cross between Alice and Nosferatu. An innocent thirteen year girl encounters vampires in her village, and a whole lot else. Some wonderful weirdness is on display. Deb finds it captures some of the flavour of Eastern European folk tales quite well. It reminds me of what a psychotronic drug trip might be like. Enjoyable, but very strange.
Now showing on Criterion.
Her going away choice was Horse Feathers, from 1932, featuring the Marx Brothers. While not one of their classic films, there are enough great jokes to easy keep things lively during this short film. Lines such as "You should drill a hole in yourself and let the sap run out," and "Was that you talking just now, or the duck?" And then there is the football game, and a few funny Groucho sung songs. The brothers are in good form here.
Showing on Criterion until June 30th.
In art news, in summer I often feature a different print by Hiroshige on our desktop everyday. he is one of my favourite artists, and the DIA has a few choice prints by him. Here is a beauty! If this doesn't signify a lovely summer moment, than I have nothing else for you today.
View of Toto, ca 1842, Utagawa Hiroshige 1, Japanese, 1797-1858. Woodcut printed in colour. 8" x 13.5". Collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
Further detail, right side.
Mapman Mike
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