The Big Thaw

 Just after midnight (Tuesday 12:01 am), we finally rose about 0 C, after 17 full days of some serious cold for this part of Canada.  But looking back in retrospect, our Spring thaw came only 1 week late.  Even better, our usual 6 weeks of serious winter only lasted 3 weeks this year.  While the timing of the severe cold wasn't the greatest, we have survived.  Our power stayed on, our water pipes did not freeze, and our furnace worked miracles.  Had any one of those three things gone wrong, it would not have been pleasant.  See Texas news for what could go wrong.

As if to officially announce that winter is over, our mating pair of ducks returned today to the bird feeder.  The great melting of huge snow piles is now underway, and shouldn't take too long, as the sun is at a pretty high angle now.  Corresponding with this good news, our local Covid count was only 13 today.  We are hoping to leave the red zone someday.

We've had two Skype conversations with my parents, who both look well, and two or three with Lois, Deb's mom, who might be heading home from the hospital this week.  And as if to prove that it is nearly time to get out of the house and do something fun, last night I had the world's most boring dream.  It was about J cloths.  Enough said.

 

We finished playing Tunguska: Secret Files 1 last night.  We started the game last July!  It is a really long game, with so many different environments and rooms.  It's a classic point and click adventure game, with great graphics, story, and locations, and decent voice acting.  The story is quite good, actually, and Nina, the heroine, is often funny as she goes about her puzzle solving life.  The game is much better than the last Syberia (3) that we played, and also beats Longest Journey 3, though not in the graphics department.  We are about to embark on a wonderful sounding game called Dear Esther, which seems to garner rave reviews.

 

In movie news, it's my pick for tonight, and my film festival choice coming up later next weekend.  For my leaving February 28th choice I picked Dr. Strangelove.  Thanks to standout performances by Slim Pickens, George C Scott, and, of course, Peter Sellers, the movie can be watched repeatedly.  It is a true classic, and probably Kubrick's best film.

 

Showing on Criterion until Sunday.  

 

Deb's regular pick for the weekend was the latest restored film by Czech animator Karel Zeman.  Called Journey To The Beginning Of Time (1955), it tells the story of four adventurous young boys rowing up the river of time, going back in history in search of trilobites, and encountering all the major eons and critters from the ice age back as far as time goes on Earth.  It's not what we were expecting, but it is a fun little film, and the restoration is flawless.  There are half a dozen shorts that accompany it, and we get to see some of the film before it was restored.

Stop motion adventure with Karel Zeman. 

 

Deb's leaving choice was a film we both bailed on after less than twenty minutes.  Called Talk of the Town, it is from 1942 and was directed by George Stevens, starring Carry Grant, Jean Arthur, and Ronald Colman.  The film seriously got on our nerves early on, and the effect continued to worsen.  So, on to my choice tonight. 

 

Turning to art from the DIA, today I bring you some more highway robbery, at one time a lucrative hobby and occupation.

 

The Highway Robbery, 1625, Esaias Van de Velde, Dutch, 1587-1630, and Cornelius Hendriksz Vroom, Dutch, 1591-1661.  Oil on oak, 12.5" x 18". 

 

Detail of right side, showing good hiding places for robbers.

 

Detail of left side.  More dark woods.

 

Central area detail.  

 

Mapman Mike

 

 

 

Baron Munchausen

Deb's appointment with her anaesthetist was Wednesday morning.  The hospital was a madhouse, but within 2 1/2 hours we were out.  Next she sees her regular physician on Monday, and nothing else until surgery next Friday.

Meanwhile, even though it rained for the last two days (and will rain again overnight), I was granted a beautifully clear night last night.  The ground is still soggy, and the farmers are now almost 4 weeks overdue for planting their crops.  Not good.  But I saw some amazing galaxies!  I also got most of the grass cut today, despite the presence of a small pond lingering in our front yard.  Did I mention it's mosquito season?

Deb's Criterion Channel choice this week was a 1961 animated Czech film.  The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, created and directed by Karel Zeman.  Here is a short trailer that gives some idea of the incredible beauty of the film.   The film is also very witty and very funny, and will reward multiple viewings.  In addition to the feature, there were 5 short films about it.  In one, we hear from Tim Burton and Terry Gilliam about how this filmmaker heavily influenced their own work.  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend seeking it out.  Criterion presented us with a newly restored print, which was simply gorgeous to look at.

We have also been watching (on Prime) a really good SF series called Electric Dreams, which presents a whole slew of short stories and novellas written by Philip K. Dick.  The budgets for each episode (not connected) is high, and the visuals are always stunning.  But best of all, the stories are of a very high quality, and so far have lacked extreme violence.  This is one of the best SF TV presentations I have ever seen.

Mapman Mike