Animal Sightings!

My loyal readers know that we frequently have deer eating from the bird feeders in the back yard at Old House during the night.  We capture their images regularly on Critter-Cam.  We've only seen larger deer - we presume adults, and we've never seen a spotted fawn...  until the other day.

We were both on the porch at New House about 2 pm in the afternoon on Friday, June 6, and all of a sudden there was a mother deer walking along the top of the bank of the creek with a small spotted fawn following along behind.  Before we could get the camera focused, they turned and went down the bank into the creek-bed and out of sight behind the growth.  We continued to watch and eventually we saw the baby again.  She was frolicking in the yard next to the creek, and she ran up to the patio of the neighboring house.  I was able to get this photo of her:

Today, around 1 pm, a saw what I think was a mink run across the area we call "The Way Back".  It ran from the end of the fence behind our lot and disappeared down over the bank of the creek.  The first time we saw something similar was the first summer we had this house (2012).  Hubby saw a long dark brown creature running along the back of the house, and it ducked under our neighbor's fence.  We speculated that it was someone's pet ferret that had gotten loose, or perhaps it was a weasel, but weasels are typically lighter in color and often have a white under-belly.  What we saw was very dark and all one color.  

A week or so ago, on one of our trips to our favorite park, Inniswood, we noticed a small sign by a path that said "Mink Crossing".  That caused us to think that what we saw here was more likely a mink, and I believe that is what I saw today.  It was too fast for me to photograph, but here is a stock photo of a typical mink from Google Images:

We continue to be amazed by the variety of wildlife we see here in our densely populated suburban neighborhood!  I never would have guessed I would see wild mink in my own back yard!!!

:) Amy

Nebraska - Movie Review

Nebraska.   Have you heard of it?  The movie, not the state.  Of course, unless you've lived under a rock in the south eastern US all your life, you've heard of the state of Nebraska..........  Well, actually unless you've lived under a rock, you've probably also heard of the movie.  It was nominated for MANY awards during the last Oscar Give-Away.

Let me start my review by admitting that I was caught off guard by the fact that the whole movie was shot in Black and White.  Why didn't I know that?  Good question - and I don't know the answer.  I was very aware of the b&w element throughout the whole movie.  I was never able to forget about it.  I guess I am not used to watching things in b&w?!  The choice to film in black & white was made by Director Alexander Payne.  According to the Wikipedia article (yes, I use Wikipedia!), Payne wanted an "iconic, archetypal look" for the picture.  Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael wanted to use "the poetic power of the black and white in combination with these landscapes..."  which are a huge and important part of the movie.  Distributor Paramount Vantage did not want the film done in b&w, so it was also filmed in color, but the director hopes no one sees it.

In this photo we have Will Forte playing son David Grant at the left, and then the leading character of Woody Grant played by Bruce Dern.  In the background is the Grant homestead - a house built by Woody's father, where he and all his siblings grew up.  In this scene, the family has just come from visiting it in its state of abandonment.  

The basic story is that Woody has a "letter" which is one of those fancy certificates from Publisher's Clearing House saying "You've Won A Million Dollars" - complete with the person's name.  The movie never makes direct reference to "Publisher's Clearing House", but anyone who has ever received the solicitation would recognize the certificate.  In the movie it is just referred to as "the sweepstakes" or "the contest".  In spite of being told repeatedly by everyone he knows that this certificate isn't real and doesn't mean he's won anything, he is convinced it is real.  He's also convinced that he has to get to the office in Lincoln, Nebraska, to claim his winnings.    He starts off on his own several times - walking because he can't drive anymore - and keeps getting picked up and taken home.  Finally his son David agrees to take him on the 850 mile quest.  The rest of the movie is about their journey. It is quite an Odyssey with several interesting "stories" along the way.  

The other major performer in the movie is Woody's wife, Kate, played by veteran actress June Squibb.  

This woman is absolutely ADORABLE!  She is perfect in the role - amazingly believable!  June was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for an Academy Award, and many thought she would win because she'd done a lot of acting over decades.  She was actually nominated for this role 14 times, and she won in 9 different arenas, but alas, not the Oscars.  

There is a lot of information on the internet about this movie.  Here is a link to someone's blog who has provided a map of the route that Woody and David take from Billings, Montana, to Lincoln, Nebraska.

Trip Link Here

On the journey, the travelers stop in Hawthorne, Nebraska, which is the hometown of Woody and Kate and where both sons were born.  It turns out there isn't really a "Hawthorne" in Nebraska.  The movie was filmed on location in Plainview, Nebraska instead.  Most of the places in the movie - taverns, stores, houses, and even the local newspaper office - were real, but in some cases the signage was changed to fit the movie.  I really liked that about this movie.  I liked knowing the places were real and not just created on a backlot for this movie.  

This photo is from one of the funniest scenes in the movie.  All of Woody's brothers and their families have gathered in Hawthorne for a family reunion - sort of in Woody's honor.  Here the men are all gathered in the living room watching football on TV while the women are in the kitchen making dinner.  The funniest part of this is that no one in the room talks.  Here are these men who haven't seen each other for years, and they don't talk!   It is so real it is scary!  (Of course, the women in the kitchen are all gossiping about other people!) 

Another thing I liked about this movie is that all the dialogue and action seemed very real.  I felt it really depicted the very slow, sad lives of real people in that part of the country.  Several people who left comments on the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDB.com) said they were from Nebraska and that it all felt very real to them as well, even down to some of the comments from characters with reference to how far people had to drive and how long it took them.  Evidently this is quite a topic of conversation for people who live in the middle of nowhere.  

I'm not big on spoilers in my blog reviews, but I will give away 1 thing - Woody doesn't die in the movie.  I say that because there were several times when I thought he was going to die and that was going to be the end of the movie.  Well, you can relax as you watch and know that he doesn't die.  That's the only spoiler I'm going to give you though.  There are some funny scenes as this journey progresses.  There are also some poignant conversations about Woody's mental health.  

I will warn you: if you crave action in movies, this is not the movie for you.  It is an excellent character study and very well-acted by everyone in it. That, I think, is it's big attraction.  You will also get to see more of The Great Plains - albeit in black & white - than you could ever hope to see in less than 2 hours.  I give this movie 2 thumbs up, but I will add, "don't watch it when you're sleepy!"  

Thanks for reading!  If you've seen the movie, I'd love to hear your take on it as well!

:)Amy

Concert Review - Il Divo: A Musical Affair

Il Divo = Divine Performer in Italian

On Saturday, March 31, 2014,  I had the great privilege of attending the Il Divo Concert that is currently on World Tour.  This concert is titled A Musical Affair and is almost all Broadway songs.   It was a magical experience that I didn't want to end.  I could very easily have sat for hours more and listened to them sing until they ran out of steam or music. This particular concert was held at the Palace Theatre in the Lavec Tower in downtown Columbus.  My seat was on the main level in row EE just off the center aisle.  It was a GREAT seat, and I had my binoculars with me to make it even greater!

Let me tell you about these 4 enchanting men!  Goodness gracious - talk about eye candy - WHEW!  Il Divo has been together for 10 years.  They were originally brought together by Simon Cowell in England, believe it or not.  However, this group is not at all like other groups that have been created by a producer (The Monkees come to mind), as they are all very talented and were successful individually before they came together in Il Divo.   They have actually stayed together - these are all the original members.  One of Cowell's objectives was to create a multi-national "3 Tenors" type group that would make opera accessible to the masses.  He auditioned many singers over about 2 years to find just the right voices.

Here is an interview (one of many on YouTube) with all 4 of the men.  Video Here.

At the left in this photo we have American David Miller.  I must admit that after this concert, David emerged as my favorite of the group.  David was born in 1973 (currently 41) in San Diego.  He grew up in Colorado and then attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio, where he graduated in 1995 with degrees in Vocal Performance and Opera Theatre.  As an amazing tenor, he maintained a career in professional opera until he signed on to Il Divo.  He is married to opera soprano Joy Kabanuck (sometimes listed as Sarah Joy), and they live in Manhattan.  He became my favorite of the group for 2 main reasons:  his voice is thrilling - he has an amazing tenor range, and he added humor to the concert.  He clearly has a natural feel for comedy and is very comfortable on stage.  He was the one who occasionally threw on funny hats or made silly gestures when others were talking or singing.  With my binoculars, he is the one I watched the most.

Here is a wedding photo with his bride from 2009:

David and Joy fell in love when they performed together in La Boheme.  Here is a link to an article about them at the time of their wedding from The New York Times. Article here.  She has been  a performer in a group called The Three Graces which is similar to Il Divo in that it has taken 3 female singers from different backgrounds and brought them together in a cross-over group.  I found a website for them, but it seems that they were only active in 2008, and I can't confirm that they are still performing.

Here is a text interview with David from when he appeared at Fantasy Springs Resort in California.  Article Here.  

For a video that highlights his voice with one of the BEST songs from the concert, Google:  David Miller in Chicago - Bring Him Home.  Video Here.

You will find other videos online as well as him singing with his wife.  

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Pictured 2nd from the left is Sebastien Izambard who came to Il Divo from the solo pop scene in France.  He is the only one of the 4 who is not classically trained, however, he is also a composer and he wants to write songs for the group to perform.  He was also born in 1973.  He is married to Renee Murphy and they have a set of twins and a 3rd child.   Here is a photo of Sebastien and Renee who live in London.  

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Pictured 3rd from left in the group photo is Carlos Marin.  Carlos is the oldest of the group at age 45 (born in 1968), and he also is a classically trained opera baritone who had a successful career in opera before joining the group.  He was born in Germany and lived there until age 12 when his family moved to Spain.  He is currently married to Geraldine Larrosa.  Here are a couple of wedding photos of them:  

Here is a YouTube video that highlights Carlos' rich baritone voice as well as his striking good looks. This is an Il Divo song so the others are included but he is highlighted.  Video Here

Here is another video of Carlos singing a traditional operatic selection with a symphony.  Video Here.

I will say that I found Carlos to be my 2nd favorite after David because of the richness and power of his voice.  He is the one who sounds the most like a classic operatic baritone to my untrained ear.  At times his voice clearly stands out from the others who are all tenors.

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Our 4th and final Il Divo star is Urs Buhler, a 42 year old classically trained tenor from Switzerland.  He was in a rock band in high school, but then he studied opera in Amsterdam and performed a lot of religious requiems.  Here is a photo of him with recent (or current?) girlfriend Kelly Phelan.  Some sources identify her as a girlfriend and other say she is his wife, but I couldn't confirm marriage.  

I also found indications that Urs has a daughter named Billie.  Her mother is hair and make-up artist Tania Rodney.  Here is a photo of Urs with baby: 

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The woman pictured with the guys is Lea Salonga who is traveling with them on this tour.  She is 43 and is originally from the Philippines.  I will admit I had not heard of her before this concert, but she has quite a list of performance accomplishments.  She has played the lead of Kim in Miss Saigon (1989), and she was also the first Asian to play both Fantine and Eponine in Les Miserables on Broadway.  She has also been the singing voice of 2 Disney Princesses:  Jasmine in Aladdin (1992) and Fa Mulan in Mulan (1998) and Mulan II (2004).

I enjoyed her performances in this concert.  I can see how it is an asset for the 4 men to have a woman to sing with them.  It provides a nice variety, and possibly offers them song options that they wouldn't attempt on their own.  It also gives them a break from being on stage for the entire concert.  

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Here is a link to an article from Mail Online from 2007 which indicates that while the guys are "like brothers" they do have their differences.  They each had solo careers before joining this group, and putting their egos aside can be difficult at times.  Article Here.

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Now that I have teased you with all this information, I will tell you that people have (illegally, I might add) posted videos of almost the entire concert online.  If you Google it (Il Divo: A Musical Affair 2014), you will find it.  I'm not going to link to it here.  

Here is a list of the songs performed which I found with the video, but it was not in the program that I purchased at the concert:

SET LIST
1. "Tonight" (0.25) *
2. "Some Enchanted Evening" (3:10) *
3. "If Ever I Would Leave You" (6:27) *
4. "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" (9:20)
5. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" with Lea (13:05) *
6. "Defying Gravity" Lea Solo (16:53)
7. "Memory" with Lea (20:25) *
8. "I Will Always Love You" (24:32)
9.  "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" (not in the video)
10. "Pour Que Tu M'aimes Encore" (28:36)
11. "Somewhere"-Partial ( 32:21)
** INTERMISSION**
12. "The Winner Takes It All" (36:24)
13. "Bring Him Home" (40:10) *
14. "Love Changes Everything" (43:27) *
15. "Who Can I Turn To" (47:05) *
16. "A Whole New World" with Lea (50:18)
17. "Back to Before" Lea Solo (52:51)
18. "I Dreamed a Dream" and "On My Own" Mashup Lea Solo (56:21)
19. "Music of the Night" with Lea (1:01:21) *
20. "The Impossible Dream" (1:06:07)
21. "You'll Never Walk Alone" (1:09:53) *
ENCORES
22. "My Way" (1:13:58)
23. "Con Te Partiro" (Time to Say Goodbye). (1:18:03)

As you can see, the concert featured 23 songs.  The CD that was released for this concert has only 12 songs on it (the ones with * at the end).  Lea is not singing on the CD but the guys do sing with other women on the CD.  There are also 2 songs on the CD that weren't in the concert:  "All I Ask of You" and "Who Wants to Live Forever".  

For my final evaluation of the musical selections, it is very hard for me to pick one favorite song because I love almost all of these songs by themselves.  I would have to say that one huge highlight was "Somewhere" from West Side Story.  As the Act I finale, it gave me goose-bumps.  I would also say that "Bring Him Home" from Les Miz and "Music of the Night" from Phantom were HUGE for me, partly because I love both of those shows so much, but also because of the way the guys sang them.  Then of course, there is "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel which never fails to make me cry.  (Although this time, the tears might have been because I feared this was the last song!)

Technically, the show went very well.  There were a couple of minor times when there was feedback from the microphones, but that was fixed quickly each time.  Also, in the last song, the volume of the orchestra was so loud that it distorted the sound and also almost drowned out the singers!  I think I may have failed to mention that there was a full orchestra on stage throughout the concert.  As far as the 4 members if Il Divo go, I see David and Carlos as the leads while Urs, with his very shy style, and Sebastien, with his slight nasality are like back-up singers to the leads.  Together the 4 of them make an amazing musical experience that I will never forget!  If I ever have the chance to see them LIVE again, I will jump on it!

Wow - this was a long one, huh!?  If you've made it this far thank you and congratulations!  If you are an Il Divo lover too, let me know your thoughts!

Thanks for reading!

:) Amy

More Glories of Nature from This Weekend's Park Visits

Enjoy some more glorious beauty from Inniswood:

 Thanks for letting me share!  

:)Amy

There's the Face!

In a visit to our favorite park, Inniswood Metropark, on April 19, we spotted what we thought might be a turtle face underwater.  Because the water was a little murky, and the face was surrounded by mud, we weren't really sure if it was actually a face, or just an illusion on a rock.  Once we got home and looked at our photos, we thought it looked more like a face, but again, we weren't sure.  Here is what we photographed that day:

Today, we saw the face again, and now we are 99% sure this is what we saw in the mud.  Take a look and see what you think:

These were both taken at the lower pond where there seems to be LOTS of turtle activity this year.  On Saturday, we saw at least 3 large turtles in the water.  Today, 2 of them were on the banks posing for photographers.  

We went early today  (10 am is early for us!), and we were hoping to see more bird activity, but alas we saw less than we saw on Saturday afternoon.  We did manage to photograph a bluebird, but the pictures weren't great because we were photographing up into a tree in the shade, so I'm not going to post them here. 

Our park continues to thrill us with every visit! The weather has been glorious this weekend.  I hope you are all enjoying your favorite outdoor activity this weekend!

:)Amy 

Blue Jasmine - Movie Review

Today's review is of an Academy Award nominated film written and directed by Woody Allen - Blue Jasmine.

Leading actors in the movie were Cate Blanchett who won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of the title character Jasmine, and Alec Baldwin who plays a Bernie Madoff-esque schemer.

The movie is a drama about people who make bad choices and how those bad choices affect the people in their relationships.  The drama begins when Jasmine arrives in San Francisco from New York to stay with her sister after her marriage has ended.  The backstory is then told in a series of flashbacks.  At first, it was a little confusing to know what was now and what was flashback, but it didn't take long to catch on.  I found myself wondering if some audience members might have found that flashback element confusing even longer than I did.  A big theme of the movie is the culture-clash between the two sisters.

I was surprised to see Louis C.K. with a small role, and even more surprised to see Bachelorette Ali Fedotowsky with an even smaller role.  

On Oscar night, I was very disappointed when Cate beat out my Academy Award choice of Meryl Streep.  (See my previous review of August: Osage County for which Meryl was nominated.)  After having seen Cate's performance, I can understand a little better why she won, but their performances were very similar.  They both played women who were self-medicating with pills and alcohol to deal with their bad memories and experiences.  In both cases their self-medicating was affecting their family members.  They were both extremely good at portraying that state of "medication" in consistent and realistic ways without being over-the-top. 

I am glad I saw the movie, but I wouldn't say it was enjoyable.  It is not an adventure, thriller or action movie - no guns, car chases or explosions, so that was good.  However, I will say that I found the story a bit predictable.  I will also say that the ending was frustrating.  (No spoilers here!)

This didn't really seem like a typical Woody Allen movie.  The fact that he wasn't in it, helps.  Usually when he is in his own movie, his character is the total focus.  Maybe it is a good thing that it wasn't a typical Woody Allen movie.  If I wouldn't have known that before watching it, I doubt I would have guess it.  

Overall, if you like dramatic stories about people making bad choices and what happens as a result, then this is the movie for you.  If you are looking for any laughs, you might want to try something else.

Happy Viewing!

:)Amy  

Are You A Bird Lover?

This post is especially for my readers who are bird lovers.  I found a very cool website today that I want to share with all of you.  It is ALL ABOUT BIRDS from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  Not only is the website full of amazing information about many kinds of birds, but they also have a number of live webcams that are trained on nests and feeders.  Some of them are in Ithaca, NY at their land lab, and some are in different parts of the country.

There are about 10 cams available, but some are not on all the time.  I have tried mightily to post still photos from the webcams, but I am running into technical difficulties, so you will just have to go to the link yourself.

I found this because I went looking for info about Great Blue Herons.  Ithaca's lab has a camera trained on a Heron nest, but there doesn't seem to be much activity in that right now.  

I can tell you that the Barn Owl in Indiana is sitting on about 5 eggs, and the Barred Owl nest in Texas has at least 3 fuzzy babies in it.  There are ospreys and an albatross in Hawaii !

Check out the site - it's very cool !  

Cornell's All About Birds Web Cams

Thanks for reading!  Come back again soon!

:)Amy

August: Osage County - Movie Review

I knew this was going to be a dramatic movie, but I had no idea HOW dramatic.  WOW!

First, let me say I'm not going to spoil the movie, so if you haven't seen it yet, you can keep reading without fear.

Secondly, let me say I do recommend this movie, BUT... and that is a BIG BUT..... It is family drama in a totally dysfunctional family that will keep you on your toes.  So, if you don't like drama.... this is not the movie for you.  There are no guns and no car chases.  Just a lot of yelling, swearing and crying.

The acting was totally spectacular, and if Meryl Streep doesn't win an Oscar, I will be extremely surprised and disappointed in "The Academy".  Julia Roberts was amazing too - everyone was amazing, but Meryl out-did herself in this performance!

The story is set in Oklahoma on some very hot days in August.  Meryl's character lives in a huge old farmhouse with her husband of many years.  They have 3 daughters who are all adults.  The girls all come home for an event (I'm not telling you what the event is).  That's when the family drama starts to bubble up.  It bubbles up so much that Meryl and Julia end up rolling around on the floor in one scene.  Talk about a Girl Fight....    

Lest you think the whole movie is a screaming match - not so.  Although they are few and far between, there are some tender moments:

The bottom line is if you want to see Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts in the roles of their lives, go see this movie!

:) Amy

Dear Deer

As I shared earlier, we've been seeing a male deer on occasion, but not often.  The females come regularly, probably an average of 4-5 nights a week.  The male, not so often - maybe once every couple of weeks.
And then, in February, we started seeing.... well, I'll let you see for yourselves:

If you look closely, you will notice that there is a male at the right feeder in addition to the male at the left.

Here is another view of the biggest one we've seen:

Then, there is this one, of interest:

We've been calling him "1Ant".  The next day, we looked around in the yard and around the trees hoping we'd see where the other antler had been shed, but to no avail.

It's exciting!  Usually, the males come in the middle of the night, but sometimes it is 9 pm or so when the females are there.  

It will be interesting to note when they stop coming.  

:)Amy

What Does the Fox Say?

Had I been up and in the back yard at 5:01 am on November 26, I might have been able to listen and hear what the fox says.  Alas, I was sleeping as these two frolicked through the yard.

We've never seen fox in this area before, and here they are right in our yard!  Who knew?!

Do YOU know what the fox says?

:) Amy