My most memorable autumn days were spent at the camp on Lake Penage. Usually, the Thanksgiving weekend marked the final family visit to the lake for the year, and the Sunday afternoon dinner was always a highlight. It was always cold, often gray and rainy, like today, and days were spent climbing rocks, small mountains, and walking along back logging roads. That is where the smell of autumn buried itself deeply into my consciousness. Damp leaves, trees shutting down for the winter, drooping plants and ground shrubs, and even the much colder lake and marshes, all contributed to this over-stimulation of my sense of smell. So today when I go outside to feed the birds, I get a strong reminder of October days at Penage. Having only been to New Mexico twice in autumn, I don't have enough permanent memory yet for the same kind of effect. Plus it is usually sunny and mild there in the autumn, though nights can get very cold in the mountains.
We have had no truly cold days as yet, nothing remotely frosty. This means that the leaves will likely not turn colour here this year, but gradually fade to a worn out yellow and then on to brown. However, the furnace has been on low for two days now, helping to keep out the dampness and chill. We are approaching the time of year that Tolkien's Elves called The Fading (November through early December here), but aren't quite there yet. Things are still growing, even the grass. But it is slowing down.
Moving on to other topics, after Deb's first year of teaching we spent seven weeks in Spain during one summer. We were in a very hot Madrid for six weeks taking courses in Spanish and Spanish art history. We spent the 7th week on holiday in Barcelona. In Madrid we stayed at the university, in a dormitory, without air conditioning. Besides classes every day, day trips and longer journeys were usually planned for weekends. All of those trips were memorable, including ones to Avila and La Granja, to Segovia and then into the mountains, and to Toledo. One of the other day trips took us to El Escorial, and the highlight here was the art collection. In addition to their permanent collection, there was a small show of graphic art by Durer, including his drawings of nature and little critters. It was a most unforgettable experience, and whenever I come across one of those works in books (many of them are housed in Vienna, in the Albertina, and are only put on display once every generation) or in museums, I am again astounded at the virtuosity of this most famous artist.
The DIA has a print of his Adam And Eve, and though not strictly a landscape, the sheer amount of Nature surrounding the two figures (not even counting their fig leaves) forces one's eye to explore every square inch of the this most famous print. Detroit has a small truckload of Durer prints, but also has a rare drawing of a recumbent lion. I'll be happy to show that one someday.
Detail of bottom right. The tail between Eve's legs belongs to a cat (see below).
Cat and mouse detail. This detail alone is one of the most complex prints I have ever seen.
Eve is given an apple by you know who. What will she do with it? Pass it on, of course. That goat atop the mountain is the crowning touch for this fantastic print. In movie news, there are three films seen recently. One was Daratt, a 1996 film from Chad. With the civil war finally ended, citizens are waiting for the results from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, hoping for punishment for the many criminal acts that were committed. Instead, a general amnesty is announced, enraging many people, and likely enabling more violence. A young man sets out to kill the man who killed his father. This is one angry young man. The story is a simple one, but takes unexpected turns. However, the best thing about the film is the cine photography, as we get to see life inside N'Djamena, the capital city. Of course it shows mostly life on the outskirts, but many of the shots are ravishing in their beauty and composition.
Deb's main choice for the weekend was The Black Cat, from 1934 and starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Their acting is supreme in this horror adventure film, with Lugosi a revelation. Karloff is terrifying as a former Austrian WW1 general who committed atrocities, with Bela out for revenge against him, with an innocent couple caught in the middle. A classic 30s horror film, and simply one of the best.
Deb's leaving choice is one of the most depressing docudramas ever made. Dalton Trumbo was one of the infamous Hollywood Ten, a group of writers who would not tell the McCarthy inquisition anything, let alone name names of Communist Part members they might have known. They were blacklisted, not only in Hollywood, but throughout the US. With his career in ruins, he moved to Mexico for two years with his family, before returning to the US broke and nearly helpless to find money. He eventually enjoyed some success under various other names, and it's amazing how many successful screenplays he wrote for movies while remaining under the radar, so to speak. A devastating but unsurprising look at what McCarthy wrought, before his ignoble downfall.
Mapman Mike
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