Month: February 2019

Layers

Tuesday’s photo challenge #149 Layers

There was definitely a pecking order as these gulls approached the food.  The dominant gulls would go to the head of the line and the others would back off, (or up) until the coast was clear of the stronger birds.  Others watched and waited.

 

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Hand feeding the gulls

 

Academy Awards.

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“Can You Ever Forgive Me” is the movie of all the nominees I enjoyed the most. It’s even better than Vice for me. I think it will be shut out of this years awards. But you never really know.

I am a big fan of the award shows.  The Grammy’s, the Golden Globes and especially the Academy Awards.  I have made it a point to see all the award movies and had a blast doing so.

Here are my picks for the major awards and also my  predictions.  I think the awards have become shy to pick the best out of fear of offending people who usually haven’t even seen any of the movies.

Here we go.

Best Actor:   Christian Bale (Vice)  The winner. Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Best Supporting Actor:   Richard E Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me)  The winner. Mahershala Ali (Green Book) is my second pick.

Actress in a leading role:  Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me) . The winner
Glenn Close (The Wife) Both were superb.

Actress  in a supporting role.  Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)  I think the academy and I will agree on this one.

Best Screenplay: “Can You Ever Forgive Me”,  but I would be happy with “Black   Klansman” The winner.

Best Picture:   Either “Vice” or “Green Book”.  Both are not politically correct movies, so I’m guessing that Roma will get the award.  Black Panther was good but I would be offended if a CGI movie won. Giving an award to a computer generated movie makes no sense.

I think the academy will choose “Roma” as the Best Picture.

It took me three tries to get through the movie and  I really struggled to finish this film.    To me, this looks like a high school kids project done with some of his friends and family, filmed with his 1980’s camcorder. 

Cinematography: “The Favorite”  but it may go to a foreign film “Cold War” or “Never Look Away”

Director:   Spike Lee  (BlackkKlansman)  Definitely not a PC pick. That would go to Alphonso Cuaron for “Roma”

 

 

The Stand-off

Thanks to Sonya for this Three Line Tales suggestion

Lucy and Rocky

The territory has boundaries

Lucy and Rocky’s eyes meet

Neither move a muscle

Tuesday Photo Challenge

This weeks challenge offer by Frank at Dutch Goes The Photo, is simply titled, “Surface”.

I had so much trouble deciding which photo to use picking one, changing my mind. Pick another, then another.  Eventually I decided to post more than one. All are from the New Bedford, Ma harbor.  Twice New Bedford was the richest city in the country and once the richest in the world.  It is has the honor of being the number 1 fishing port in America for many years.

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Palmers Island Lighthouse and the Nantucket Lightship
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Leaving the Port of New Bedford
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Cargo ships are a usual sight in the New Bedford harbor

 

July Tour of the Erie Canal

#3 son and I have decided to ride the Erie Canal again this summer.  We have done a few short tours together over the years.  Back then, I had time constraints and now he has that problem because of work.

We are going to meet in Albany, NY, take the Amtrak to Buffalo and ride back on the canal, (mostly). I say mostly because we have the option to ride NY Bike Rt 5 which is state rt 31, in case of tow path being mucky due to rain.  The first time we rode the canal in 2008, it rained 3 of the 6 days of our tour.

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This time around we will probably take eight days to ride the four hundred miles because  we are going to smell the roses, as they say.   The last two times we did this adventure, we put our heads down and rode to the next destination.  We never took the time to stop at any historical or quirky places.  It was all work back then.  We did the same on our Lake Champlain tour and the Great Allegheny Passage ride.

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The Great Allegheny Passage
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Lake Champlain
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Riding the Amtrak to Buffalo

The Goblins

For Sonya’s Three Line Tales prompt

We arrived at Goblin State Park after driving for hours. We pulled up to a closed gate with a sign saying, “no vacancy”.

There was a dirt path a ways back. Could that be a place to spend the night?  The dusty road led to  a box canyon. No one around for miles and dusk was approaching.

We found a spot and settled in for the night. It got pitch black dark. So dark something five feet away was invisible. That night we experienced how the canyon got it’s name.
Goblin Valley Box Canyon Camping

There was no room at the campground. We found this spot in a box canyon off the main road.

Sixty Five Degrees Simply Begs For A Bike Ride

I’m the only retired person in our group that rides regularly in the winter.  Today I was the only retired guy who rode in summer evening weather.  I chose to head East to the town of Mattapoisett MA.

It was a short 11 mile spin that twice got bogged down in mud when I found myself on dirt paths.  It was all caused by the two day thaw following a week of alternating rain and freezing temperatures.   It’s all in the video.

2019 February Mattapoisett Ride from John Sullivan on Vimeo.

 

Tuesday Photo Challenge

This weeks challenge submitted by  Frank Jansen at Dutch goes the Photo suggested a theme titled “growth”.  My bike ride yesterday offered plenty of material for this weeks challenge. The grasses, the ducks, tides, fog, and houses all contribute to the growth of the tidal marsh over the centuries.  This is a protected wet land in the town of Fairhaven, MA, which will ensure that the quality of wildlife will remain and allow to grow and prosper.

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Very often in the warmer months, there is a artist painting variations of this salt marsh near Cape Cod.  Never have I seen one in the winter taking advantage of a very different perspective of life on the marsh.

 

50 Degrees

Today was Total Fitness.  It started with an hour at the gym weight training, followed by a two mile walk with the dogs.  The culmination was a 12 mile casual bike ride into the city and along the back side of the waterfront. (Where the action is).

2019 February 4th Bike Ride from John Sullivan on Vimeo.