Out and About: Staycation Pics

My husband and I never go on vacations together, mostly because we can't afford it. (I have realized in recent years that traveling simply isn't a priority of mine and that's ok but I probably would travel more if I had the money.) Recently, we decided to take a week off of work at the same time so we could have some fun before the busy season starts at my job. We didn't go anywhere, but we did take a few day trips around San Diego County.

First, we drove out to Julian in the mountains. We'd been there once before, to visit the California Wolf Center, loved the area, and wanted to go back. Julian is a fairly small town. There's not a ton to do there. After a little research, I decided on a hike. I chose the Upper Santa Ysabel Creek Trail. It was cold, very windy, and a bit rainy. I absolutely loved it!

Clouds low enough to kiss the mountains.

Santa Ysabel Creek (presumably).

Loved the colors inside this felled tree.

I read that the cows are friendly & usually greet hikers
but they didn't move when we saw them.

After the hike, we went into the town of Julian, walked around, and shopped. I insisted on visiting the old cemetery, much to my husband's dismay. I love cemeteries.

I'm guessing J.M. died in childbirth.

I liked this headstone, which seems to have been carved
by a non-professional.

A couple of days later, we drove down to La Jolla, a well-to-do community on the ocean within the city of San Diego. It's famous for the sea lions that like to chill in the cove there. After we saw these local celebrities, we stopped by a coffee shop a friend had recommended for its scones (which were excellent). I wanted to go to a local museum but directed us to the wrong part of town. Next time!

Lastly, over the weekend, we drove out to Pala to visit Gems of Pala, where we panned for gemstones. Afterward, we stopped by the casino to hit up their buffet, confirming my dislike of buffets because 1. I can never eat enough to justify the price and 2. The food never impresses me. Still, I enjoyed the visit to this part of the county, where I'd never been before.

View from Gems of Pala.

My relatively small haul of tourmaline: green, pink, and black.

It was nice to take some time off work. I'm feeling refreshed & ready to get back into the swing of things!

Top 50 Actors, #43 - Buster Keaton: "The General" (1926)

Movie Stats:
Released 1926 (Japan)
American, in English (film is silent; scene cards in my version were in English)
Directors - Clyde Bruckman & Buster Keaton
Stars - Buster Keaton, Marion Mack

Plot Summary:
At the outbreak of the Civil War, train engineer Johnnie Gray (Keaton) is denied enlistment due to his profession & is thus dumped by his girlfriend, Annabelle Lee (Mack). Later, when a group of Union soldiers steals his train, he has the chance to redeem himself.

Warnings:
Violence.

Bad Stuff:
I wasn’t too keen on the Confederates being the heroes of this story (early Hollywood was weirdly obsessed with the Confederacy) or the pro-war theme.

As clever as it was, the train chase scene got a bit tedious after a while.

Good Stuff:
It’s really quite funny. I laughed numerous times.

So many great stunts! Very entertaining.

If I ignore the part where the Confederates are the heroes, I enjoyed the story. Johnnie is so determined, so single-minded in his desperation to get his beloved train back. He’s fearless and he’s a problem solver. He’s not superhuman; he’s just a regular guy doing what needs to be done, which was nice to watch in this modern era of superhero supremacy.

About the Performance:
I always find it a bit difficult to rate a silent performance, because the era of silent film was filled with a lot of overacting, carried over from the theater of the time, when people needed to exaggerate to get the point across. However, you have to admire Keaton for his incredible stunts. Plus, there were multiple times when his facial expressions had me in stitches. I think it’s a bit sad that, nowadays, he doesn’t maintain the same level of admiration as other silent film stars.

Other performances of Keaton’s I’ve reviewed: Around the World in Eighty Days; Sunset Blvd.

The Verdict:
I liked it. It was fun. It was funny. The practical effects were fantastic, as were all the stunts. I also enjoyed that it was all about saving the train, not about saving the girl, which was refreshing. Maybe I didn’t jive with all of the film’s values, but that’s never stopped me from enjoying a movie. I’m surprised that none of Keaton’s features (the other films of his I’ve reviewed were bit parts/cameos for him) have come up on any of my lists before.

I give it 4.25 stars.

Up with Geography: Finland

Country Name:
Finland

Capital:
Helsinki

Continent:
Europe

Maps:

European continent. Finland outlined in
dark ink.

A close-up of Finland & its neighbors.

Neighbors:
Norway, Sweden, Russia

Water Borders:
Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Finland

Total Area:
130,596 square miles

Five Largest Cities:
Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu, Jyväskylä

Famous Geographical Point:
Lake Saimaa

Famous Person:
Eric Tigerstedt, inventor (pioneer of sound-on-film technology), the “Thomas Edison of Finland”

Book Set In/About:
The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna

After nearly killing a hare with his car, frustrated-with-his-life Kaarlo nurses the animal back to health, drops out of his life, and sets off on various adventures around Finland with his newfound furry pal. I know a tiny bit about Finnish culture, and I have to say that this was the most Finnish thing I ever experienced in my life (it was one of my book club books last year).

Movie Set In/About:
“Tuntematon sotilas (The Unknown Soldier)” (1955), directed by Edvin Laine

Tells the story of Finland’s war against the Soviet Union to reclaim stolen land, waged at the same time as WWII, from the viewpoint of the soldiers who fought it.

Headline of the Day:
“Finland’s Next Government Forecast to Face Slowing Labor Market” on bloomberg.com.

Top 50 Actors, #44 - Groucho Marx: "Animal Crackers" (1930)

Movie Stats:
Released 1930 (USA)
American, in English
Director - Victor Heerman
Stars - Groucho Marx, Margaret Dumont, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx

Plot Summary:
In order to celebrate the return of Captain Jeffrey Spaulding (Groucho) from Africa, the wealthy Mrs. Rittenhouse (Dumont) throws a party that includes the unveiling of a priceless painting. Zaniness ensues. Chico and Harpo co-star, respectively, as Signor Emanuel Rivelli and The Professor, a pair of musicians/conmen(?).

Warnings:
Minor violence.

Bad Stuff:
Personally, I’m not into the Marx Brothers style of humor. It’s very old school. Most of it is just fast talking and eye roll-worthy puns. Half the jokes just seem to be random words strung together. And the jokes I do understand are rather mean-spirited (lots of “negging” of women). Some of the dialogue was awkwardly stilted. I think I laughed once or twice.

I was bored.

I know it’s a screwball comedy and I shouldn’t expect much, but I still thought the story was nonsensical.

Good Stuff:
I didn’t know it was a quasi-musical. I enjoyed the songs. I particularly liked “Why Am I So Romantic?”

In a similar vein, I liked the scene where Harpo played the harp.

I’m a big fan of Art Deco, so I loved the sets and costuming.

About the Performance:
Groucho Marx is one of those actors whose importance to cinematic history is understandable to me. He brought vaudeville to the big screen. He was a pioneer of comedy. Does that make him a great actor? Not in my opinion. Granted, I’ve only seen two of his films and don’t plan to see more, but he seems rather one-note. There’s no range, which is what I personally want from an actor. So I was unimpressed, even though I completely get why he’s on the list.

Other performances of Marx’s I’ve reviewed: Duck Soup.

The Verdict:
The Marx Brothers definitely aren’t my cup of tea. I suspected it after “Duck Soup,” but “Animal Crackers” really solidified it for me. Not only was I bored, I found it painfully unfunny. Thank god there were a few scenes that saved me from hating it completely.

I give it 2.75 stars.