Get them while you can--the planet seems to be running out of fun times rather quickly.
Last Friday night was a gloriously clear night, and even with a 4-day old moon I managed a goodly amount of successful deep sky object hunting. It's dark enough by 10:30 pm to begin, and my eyes usually last for about three hours. So by packing up at 1:30 am, I'm home by 2:30 am, and in bed by 2:45 am. Asleep by 3 am, with visions of stars and clusters in my head. I finally finished up the notes for that session today. Next session begins August 7th, skies permitting. I only managed two outings in July. It's been raining and cloudy a lot, and very humid and warm.
Saturday was a recovery day, with no piano practice. Because a major outing was planned for Sunday, some laundry was done that evening. Sunday was a Detroit day, filled with several brewpubs, a top notch cafe, and an award winning restaurant. Deb and I had the pleasure of Jenn G's company. One of our favourite breweries in Detroit is Motor City, with a small but very funky presence smack in the middle of the nitty gritty city. But they have opened a branch tap room in a far flung part of Detroit that was once called "The Avenue of Fashion," but that had gone downhill over the years. Well, that area is coming back quickly, and we finally made it out there to Livernois and Seven Mile.
It took a long time to get through US customs, due to a baseball game that afternoon in Detroit. The tunnel was busy, and we hit a particularly slow lane, too. But we still had to wait nearly half an hour for the pub to open once we got there. Motor City Brewing on Livernois Ave. is a great location. It's in a beautifully restored former hunting lodge (that's how far it is from downtown). Jenn and I both had flights of small pours. I must say that their hard cider is as good as it gets, even compared to the UK. The cider was the hit!
We headed back downtown, to the Wayne State University area, for lunch. The destination was IMA, a Japanese noodle place that gets national write ups all the time. It's been in town for several years, but this was our first visit. I had a fabulous curry Udon dish, while the ladies enjoyed another type of Udon dish. Much of the menu is vegan. Whereas we were alone at the first brewery of the day, the restaurant was packed. Eating Udon with chopsticks is a sure way you won't eat too fast.
After a truly delicious lunch we headed to our next brewery, Brewery Faison. They have notable Belgian beers, likely my favourite beers in the Detroit scene. It was pretty quiet there most of the time, but people would come and go. It rained while we were there, and with the doors open a wonderful breeze wafted through the taproom. I was in my seventh heaven here, but was eventually dragged away by my need for coffee.
Eastern Market is a happening place, even on a Sunday. Besides the shops and outdoor markets there are galleries, restaurants, and there are 3 breweries. We visited one, appropriately called Eastern Market Brewery. By this time I was cutting way back. But first there was coffee. Anthology Coffee is simply the best roastery there is or ever has been. We hadn't visited since pre-pandemic days, but things had not slacked off one bit! Delicious baked goods topped off our great coffees x 3. All the main windows were wide open to the world. It was still raining, and the breeze blowing felt like a little bit of heaven.
One more Detroit stop, at 8 Degrees Plato for another small serving of ales, and we were on our way back to Canada. So was everyone else. The line was all the way back into Detroit, but it eventually moved slowly but continuously. Once through customs we hit a Windsor brewery for one last stop (I had my final 4 oz ale). Patrons are allowed to bring in food to eat on site, so Deb went across the road to the local Ethiopian restaurant and treated us to a vegan feast. We had enough left over for our home lunches on Monday and Tuesday. After a fairly long stop we drove Jenn to her car, parked in Windsor all day, then everyone headed home, happy ever after. Next planned outing is to Ann Arbor, a nearby city home to the University of Michigan and lots of ales, shops, cafes, and museums.
In film news, there are several to report. Criterion has a new series called British Noir. I chose Yield To The Night, starring Diana Dors as a woman facing the death penalty for murdering another woman out of jealousy. From 1956, it's in b & w, and is very well acted by the lead. Her slow wait in prison for her sentence to be carried out or commuted is agonizing at times. The ending, while devastating, is at least half-expected. Still, it comes as a shock. Very well done overall. Based on the last woman to be executed in England. A good thing.
My leaving choice included a feature and several shorts. The shorts were by Walerian Borowczyk, and included Grandma's Encyclopedic (1963), Renaissance (1964), and The Astronauts (1959). We found out about his animated films and his features one day before leaving Mubi. Definitely someone to watch out for! Hopefully his stuff will move over to Criterion. Very witty and highly watchable, with many laugh out loud moments.
My leaving main choice was La Belle Captive from 1983. A surrealist film about a man sent on an assignment by his female motorcycle riding boss, who in the end turns out to be the angel of death, or something. None of it makes much sense, but it is great fun to watch if you get a chance.
Finally, Deb's main choice was one that has been on our Prime watch list for far too long. The Green Knight is a first rate fantasy film from 2021. It's a film that I am glad Del Toro did not direct. It has violence, but it is downplayed over the mysterious and the atmospheric. The story actually has a lot of tie ins to Conrad's Lord Jim, which I read this month. The knight Gawain goes to meet his destiny in order to save his honour. But he balks at the last moment, deciding he would really rather have his life instead. We see his life unfold after refusing the Green Knight, and it isn't pretty. He is a very unhappy man. Getting a second chance, he accepts his fate. What is life if one cannot respect oneself? Apparently, according to Conrad and Anonymous, that life is pure hell. Believe them. A superb film, quashed by the pandemic. Made by the same director who did A Ghost Story.
More big storms will hit us tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned for further updates.
Mapman Mike
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