FRAMED BY LIGHT

ON SIMPLY BEING

    Some times a scene presents itself and leaves me awed by the wonder of it.

     This morning two fawns, spotted still, only days old, were bounding through the open space north of our house on the ridge.  They seemed to hop and leap on all four hoofs  as though flubber had been attached. I was so amused by  their fascination with near flight I didn't want to leave to grab a camera. They were like kids on a trampoline. I don't know a whit about cognition in deer, but it sure looked like joy.

SUN SET AT MORRO BAY

REEL THOUGHTS

THE LONE RANGER

     Note to critics-What do you expect?  The first and last thing you need to know is, it is after all, THE LONE RANGER!

     Director Gore Verbinski and Johnny Depp have worked together so often, and so effectively when Depp is animating a costume with a character of his creation, it had to be good even if it was bad.  But it is not bad. 

     It is grand telling of American Iconography.  The big west, is BIG and gorgeous.  The action is big, huge and on a scale that could set the standard of western action scenes. The villains are classic renderings-sinister, nasty, vicious and BIG. In a way, they are the mold for such characters, despite that such tales have been around since the Lone Ranger rode on the radio.  There is an honesty too.  Big business hustlers riding rough shod, controlling land, abusing Chinese workers, lying and cheating to Indians, and using the Army for their own venal purpose. Ooops, how did some real history get so cleverly laid into this big, almost comic book entertainment?

     Arnie Hammer's Lone Ranger has that same "good guy" nobility of Clayton Moore's portrayal, though more human, quirky and real.  

    Depp's Tonto is indeed a masterpiece. Strong, not a subordinate or side kick, clever, witty and with his own tortured tale that makes his "back story" such a powerful motivation.  Without giving up too much, the scenes of the old Tonto are powerful. Depp took the icon to a complex, rich and proud new strength and standard.

     It's the Lone Ranger-true to form, as you may remember it from kid hood. But better, because it is more funny, more action packed, more beautiful cinema graphically, more nuanced, more honest, more political and BIGGER!

ROUNDING OUT THE EVENING

  See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER-FOREIGN TONES

THROUGH OTHER EYES

   We had the good fortune to entertain a couple of delightful Irish visitors the last two days.  Kate and Jack are completing a California odyssey, San Francisco to San Diego with side trips.

   Jack had fun asking our friends and other he met "if there was something special about the 4th of July?"  His humor belied an extraordinary knowledge of American history.

    And their very presence exposed what could well be an American assumption about the Irish.  In the course of our first dinner I apologized for not having any Guinness on hand, as I had finished my supply a couple of days ago.

    "I've never had a Guinness" he confessed.  The next day we were at a winery when the owner stopped by to chat.  Learning that Kate and Jack were from Dublin, he proceeded to sing the praises of Guinness.

    "I'm an Irishman who doesn't drink Guinness," Jack retorted as Kate chuckled knowingly.

     Friends who hosted a 4th of July party had stocked the chiller with Guinness. Seeing such Kate smiled and said in an aside comment "Guess we need to work on our reputations here."

     So easy to make assumptions isn't it?  While we hope we helped them record great California memories, Lana and I will recall and tell again how these two travelers knew more about the history of the US than A) we knew of Ireland and b) than many, many Americans know about their own nation's history.  Being a history nut, I was pleased to have such an affable, witty and knowledgeable conversation mate.

     We look forward to returning the pleasure with a visit to them.  With that wry sparkle in his eye, I expect Jack may offer us a pint of Guinness. And I need to read some Irish history.

HERE'S A GREAT VARIATION ON THE FLASH MOB

(thanks to Bruce for the forward)

Have a great weekend.  See you down the trail.

THE COLORS

A VILLAGE VIEW

   Just about everything is conformed by "village life."

In San Francisco, LA, San Diego, Santa Barbara and elsewhere we still enjoy the urban buzz that connects with our earlier years, but we find a continuing pleasure in how life in a village is personal, intimate, picturesque, eccentric and yes, even a little slow.

    Here Cambria is adorned for the 4th.

So, here's to Jefferson, Adams, the signers all,
 patriots of history and to you! Cheers!

Some time soon find a copy and read it again.
See you down the trail.

WHAT DO YOU CALL COURAGE?

A LOSS OF HEROES

Photo courtesy of AP/The Arizona Republic-Photographer David Kadlubowski

   With heavy hearts, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the 19 firefighters who died this weekend in Arizona.  It is the most tragic loss of life in battling wild fires in 80 years.

    I have a couple of friends in Cambria who were firefighters.  It takes something special to do that work. 19 brave souls leave behind grieving family, friends and those they sought to protect. More about them in a moment.

REEL THOUGHTS

KON TIKI

    A lot of guys of my generation had their imaginations stirred by the extraordinary adventure of Thor Heyerdahl on the raft Kon Tiki.  In 1947 he led an expedition 5,000 miles across the Pacific on a raft.  I read the book, watched his academy award winning film and have never forgotten the thrills I sensed.  Now the story is told again, on the big screen and is a superb adventure in a well made film.

     Heyerdahl, like Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay who conquered Mt Everest first, were driven to prove something about the capability of individuals and the power of a vision that challenges conventional wisdom.  To paraphrase something, giant strides for men, even larger possibilities for humankind. 

    There was a time when we celebrated men and women of courage, made them media celebrities and role models. As an increasingly older old boy, I think we should start lifting up medical researchers, test pilots, philanthropists, missionaries and those who challenge the boundaries of knowledge. We can and should divert the spot light away from idols, pop stars, reality exhibitionists, modern celebrities and millionaire athletes.  

    No one paid Heyerdahl, or Hillary or Chuck Yeager, or Jonas Salk millions to put it all on the line.

    And those 19 fire fighters? They were there to protect, save and to do true heroism. I think we are a better society when we recognize our debt to real heroes and when we celebrate true courage.

    See you down the trail.  

THE WEEKENDER-SMILES

THANKS

    A quick note to say thanks to all of you who sent condolences on the loss of Luke.  Your kindness is appreciated.

OF BIRDS AND BEES AND SUMMER TRAILS

HELLO WATER

Here's your start on a weekend smile-

   See you down the trail.

A LIFE TOO SHORT

LUKE

     Heart broken now.  Lana found Luke near a neighbor's home, along the road, the victim of an auto.  It had just happened, but he was gone. We had just celebrated his second birthday.

A BELOVED TWO YEARS

    He discovered the high perch as a kitten.

   He was the big brother, but a very mellow cat.

    We've had many cats over the years and Luke was by far the most intelligent.  As Lana said you could see him thinking.

   Like most cats, he never found a box he didn't enjoy.  He had a penchant for curling in for a long nap-one of his favorite activities.

There is something wonderful in the human-pet connection.

When that link is broken, it hurts. We wonder how Hemingway and little Joy will cope.

Thanks for indulging the sentimentality.

See you down the trail.

CAN IT BE TURNED BACK?

WE ARE SUFFERING SELF INFLICTED WOUNDS

     It is as though we've crossed a "Rubicon" and now worry about the consequences. Big Data, Surveillance, Algorithmic Analysis, NSA, etc, etc.

     Now FaceBook confirms that up to six million users' personal data, even that which is not public, has been seen and or gathered by third parties.  Many have argued those who post so much personal information willingly have themselves to blame when that data is hijacked, hacked, sold or used to either bug or defraud you.

     A couple of experts are now saying that analyzing big data needs to be more effectively used by federal authorities.  They contend the alleged Boston bombers history of viewing violent or terrorist prone on-line videos should have led to an interdiction before they acted out what they were thinking.  Thought police? 

     Being a First Amendment advocate, I've been posting about this crunch since I entered the blogosphere.

      Here's an earlier set of thoughts, dealing with this idea of thought police. The Eli Pariser video should be must viewing for anyone who spends anytime in cyberspace.

      The point is our privacy suffers, by our own hand, by commercial enterprises, by government agencies and by information pirates. It is just out there and all to easy to overlook or put out of mind.  But like most things,it grows.  What can, what should we do about it?

Jon Stewart

The Diplomat

     Those of you who appreciate the satire of Jon Stewart

know he is off this summer, directing a film in the Middle East.  Well, he's made an interesting appearance.

See you down the trail.