As reported a few weeks ago, we now have a bus stop in front of our house. Bus 625 only runs 3X each day, so it is a woeful service by any urban standard. But I can catch a bus at 2:35, which gets me into a Windsor bus station around 3 pm. With my valid transfer I can hop on a choice of 5 city buses. I went to an area near the train station, and managed to visit a cafe, and then a brew pub. Chance Coffee is a pretty cool place to hang out and have an espresso. We often buy their coffee beans for home use. It was a short walk from the bus stop from my transfer ride on the #2 Crosstown bus. That ride took about 30 minutes. So for less than $4 I can get to anywhere in Windsor from our house. After the cafe I visited the nearby Chapter Two Brewery, and enjoyed a flight of samples that included their Belgian ale, a pumpkin brew, a Scottish ale, and a heavy porter to finish up. I had about an hour to spend at the pub, and then it was back to the bus stop that would take me back to the Amherstburg bus. Another 30 minute ride, then a short outdoor wait for Bus 625. The 6 pm bus is the last call from Windsor, and if it is missed then a very expensive taxi ride will ensue. The route is still very new, and the driver blew past my stop across the street from our house. He managed to stop (after I hollered at him from the back) about 100 meters past it. It was dark and he said he didn't see it. I'll be better prepared next time.
This was a solo trip. Deb stayed home to continue work on putting some of her mother's jewellery up for sale. In addition, she was my back up for today in case I missed my bus connection. But all went well, and she will likely come next time. Amanda L is due in the Burg next week, so we might go with her. There are closer areas to visit with good pubs and cafes that will allow more time in Windsor. Today I thought I'd try a far area to see how things would work out.
In film news, we watched one of four episodes of a documentary by Ulrike Ottinger called In Chamisso's Shadow. Each episode is 3 1/4 hrs long! I would never last the full 13 hours, though we both did enjoy the first part. It is slow moving, with stunning Alaskan photography, some interviews with locals, and lots of reading from explorers' logbooks from the 18th and 19th C. If the series wasn't leaving Criterion Nov. 30th I'd be tempted to watch the next part. There is a large ferry that travels from island to island in the American Aleutians Islands in the summer, making 6 round trip voyages. In Part 1 we get to go on one of the voyages, and this was a really fun part of the film.
That was one half of my film festival. For the 2nd half I chose two short films. The first was Whipsaw, from 1935 and directed by Sam Wood. Starring Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy, it's a pretty light affair but fun nonetheless. Tracy is a federal agent trying to track down a crack jewel thief, and Loy is his connection to the criminal. Of course they end up falling in love--doesn't everyone? And yes, they do get married, as if you had to ask.
My last festival pick was a children's movie, Owd Bob, from 1998. Filled with predictable children's book tropes (American boy loses parents in car accident, so visits grandfather on a farm in the Isle of Man; he is mean, nasty, and impossible to get along with; young neighbour girl loses her mother to cancer; grandfather does not want boy to associate with girl because of history with that family from long ago; good dog gets blamed for killing sheep, while bad dog enjoys a good meal of sheep neck; boy sees bad dog do the crime, but no one believes him). But have no fear, since everything comes out right in the end. Not my most favourite recent film view. The acting is quite good, and the setting is lovely (especially the tram ride to the village near the farm), but the story is so routine and predictable that I was quite turned off. Viewers get to see sheep dogs in action, over and over.
Finally it was Deb's turn. We tried to watch a brand new film about Weird Al, but after several minutes we both found it unwatchable. Dreadful, dreary, and way too full of itself. So she picked another. We watched Shining Victory from 1941, and The Dark Corner from 1946. The first is about a research psychiatrist attempting chemotherapy on disturbed patients at a private clinic in Scotland. Of course there is romance involved, too, but things don't end so splendidly in this feature. Quite watchable. The second film was a Noir. You can tell it's a Noir because William Bendix plays a heavy. Lucille Ball adds a nice touch to this tale of a private eye being framed for a murder. This was our 2nd viewing, but it had been a really long time. Wait till you see the "Raphael" and the "Donatello" in the gallery. Above average for the genre, and worth watching.
Yesterday I got my 4th booster shot for Co-vid. It was the Pfizer bi-valent shot. Despite a sore arm where the needle went in, I had no problem this time around. Deb got her flu shot yesterday, and in two weeks will get her 5th booster. We should be all caught up until spring. If we do travel then (hopefully!!!), we will likely seek out another booster shot.
Our nearly perfect autumn weather is about to come to a crashing end this Friday. Winter temps arrive Saturday, and it appears they will stick around. More news as it happens.
Mapman Mike
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