Fun Times

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.

 

Three travellers on the Avenue of Fashion in Detroit.  We are at a large touch kiosk that not only gives out info, but will take your photo, too.  And text it to your phone.  Voila.  It was sunny and hot. 

 

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! 

3 images of Motor City uptown.  My flight included their incredible cider (far left).

 

Large wall mural at our parking lot.  Most shops were just opening as we were leaving.  there was a vegan bakery across the street from the brewery, but it was closed Sundays. 

 

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.

 

Located just off campus, IMA used to be a book store.
 

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.

Brewery Faison is in an "adventurous" part of Detroit, east of downtown.  The Belgian beers are superb!  They had 13 taps today.

 

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.

Our favourite barista, hard at work.  Anthology Coffee, at Detroit's Eastern Market. 

 

Nitty and gritty Eastern Market Brewery gets the job done.  The place was hopping (no pun intended). 

 

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.

Now showing on Criterion. 

 

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.

 

Scene from The Astronauts, now gone from Mubi.

Glad we saw it in time! 

 

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.

The film has already left Mubi.  They have another one by the same director, though. 

 

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.

 

Now showing on Prime. 

 

More big storms will hit us tomorrow afternoon.  Stay tuned for further updates.

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marseilles Trilogy

Last weekend's film festival just finished up today!  Over 6 hours of movie viewing, plus about 2 1/2 more of extras.  Seeing the beautifully restored prints of this remarkable, witty and very moving film trilogy was a great way to end 2019 and begin 2010.  The writing is so good, and the story so human based, that watching it today is likely just as riveting as it was back in the 1930s.  The films took France by storm, and also did well in America.  The Criterion extras really filled in most of the gaps regarding production, and most were fun to watch.  Especially the ones with some of the actors.  There was also a lot of footage with Pagnol discussing his career.  We saw these films in Detroit more than 25 years ago.  They should be seen be everyone interested in film.  Pagnol wrote all three scripts,and co-directed the films with three different directors, including Alexander Korda on the first, and Yves Allegret on the second.  I liked those two films more than the third one, though it has it moments, too.  Minor characters enhance the films, and the outdoor photography, especially in #2 and #3, is totally amazing.  French actor Raimu as Cesar holds the whole thing together--the man is simply a fantastic actor in this role.  Many, many memorable scenes and lines.  Highly recommended!

 The first film in Pagnol's Marseilles trilogy. 

 The 2nd film.

 The concluding chapter. 

New Year's Eve was a quiet one for us.  A wood fire, music, and of course in bed well before midnight.  I did hear the fireworks from my pillow.

On Thursday we finally enjoyed an excursion to Detroit, the first in a very long time.  The weather was sunny, breezy, and very mild. We began at the DIA, focusing on a three-room exhibit about Detroit's Bruegel painting, "The Wedding Dance."  The painting is seen out of its frame, and is lit and restored so well as to literally take one's breath away when seen.  The exhibit is very detailed, and though some of the material was also present in Vienna, there we had no time to spend on what kind of brushes and paints the artist used.  Too many paintings to see.  But with an entire exhibit based around one painting, we could take our time and delve into Bruegel world.  The exhibit was packed, but like Vienna, there was no problem getting right up to the painting.  Very well done!

We ate lunch at a Mid-Town Middle Eastern restaurant.  Lentil soup, fresh baked pita bread, and baba ganoush was on the menu.  We left stuffed and happy.  We will be back to this attractive and delicious spot!  Next came a new chocolate store, where we splurged and purchased one tiny piece of vegan chocolate for $3, carefully wrapped in a tiny box.  After one tiny half bite each, it was gone.  However, it really was worth the price, and one piece would be enough for one person.  Then it was off to City Bird to replenish Deb's bath soap, and then on to Avalon Bakery for a box of their vegan cookies.

Next came a return visit to Brewery Faisan (Pheasant), my 2ns visit.  I hit the jackpot with two of the most incredible beers I have ever had the pleasure to sip.  Their Belgian inspired Tripel left me nearly speechless, as did the Paterwagen, or Robust Porter.  I came home with a 16 oz can of each.  I will return again and again and again.  Leaving the premises, we actually did spot one of Detroit's famous wild pheasants, after which the brewery is named!  No pink elephants, though.

Lastly came our coffee stop.  Out of literally a dozen spots we could have visited, we chose Anthology Coffee.  True artisans, these folk.  Our pour over was among the best we ever had.  Both ways at the border, in bound and outbound, we got right up to an agent within a minute, and were soon on our way.  That certainly makes the trip a lot more pleasant.  On every visit I am reminded of what a fantastic city sits just across the river from us.

I am currently working on writing my two essays for our January astronomy club newsletter.  Sometimes deadlines are good.  I will make it on time yet again.  To read any of these articles, visit our club website (RASC Windsor).  Just look under newsletter archives.  The newsletters are nicely put together by Steve M., and always contain some great member photography. 

Mapman Mike