BEFORE AND AFTER-FREE SPEECH AND THUGGERY-DATE NIGHT OPTIONS-FESTIVAL OLIVES

BEFORE AND AFTER

FREE SPEECH AND THUGGERY

    As regards Ferguson Missouri-

          --The right to assemble peacefully does not include looting and vandalism.

          --Targeting media is stupid and could be criminal.

          --Some say the media should ignore protests. When masses of people and armed, militarized police mix, someone needs to watch.

          --Media presence cannot help but influence or charge a situation, but what is the alternative?

          --A predominately African America community with a predominately white police department does not make sense.

          --Local police agencies have become increasingly armed and militarized.  Homeland Security and other federal funding for the weapons and arms industry is partially to blame.

         --Many, if not most, police agencies need better training and preparation of officers to deal with civil disturbance, protests, crowd control and general social skills.

         --Police work is not military work. The US has troubles on this point.

         --Demonstrators and protesters should remain civil, non violent and need to better control themselves.

        --Hoodlums, thugs, thieves and criminals always take advantage of social discord on this scale.

         --The level of violence in America is troubling, not understood and a search for understanding of root causes is long overdue.

DELIGHTFUL

     The HUNDRED FOOT JOURNEY is as delicious and entertaining as we expected.  Again Helen Mirren is masterful. There is a scene where she merely arches an eyebrow and nods her head and it is as though she could change the course of rivers. Manish Dayal as young chef Hassan is superb and shows enormous potential as does Charlotte Le Bon as Marguerite. It is impossible to see and hear this French ingenue and not think "precious." Vetran Om Puri as Pappa can do more with an expression or his voice than most. He's a delightful foil to Mirren.

      Lasse Hallstrom has created a beautiful entertainment and homage to food. You'll leave entertained, feeling good and hungry.

A GORGEOUS TIME PIECE

AS WOODY GET PHILOSOPHICAL

      While some make it a sport to trash Woody Allen films, the man is a brilliant director, writer and his ear for music is among the best. MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT is a case in point. So start with that, add the beauty of the south of France, set it in the late 20's with jazz and wardrobe from the era, add an intelligent, light and playful examination of God, faith and spiritual mediums, turned by Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Simon McBurney, and Eileen Atkins and you've got a great 97 minutes.  It's especially great if you like that era of jazz. 

      Firth's performance is worth the ticket alone as a pompous, rationalist who falls under the spell of a gorgeous Stone.  This is fun, pretty, superbly directed and told and is a perfect date night film.

WHEN OLIVES ARE A FESTIVAL

Paso Robles

   Paso Robles appellation wines are are known around the world.  Rapidly, the regions olive oil makers are becoming the favorite of chefs and home kitchen culinary artists. 

  Today's post presents scenes from this year's Olive Festival in the park in Paso Robles. 

      It is getting as difficult to choose between great olive oils as it is great wines.  A lovely dilemma here in the American Provence'.

       See you down the trail.

OOPS-A THROWBACK BILLBOARD and La FAMIGLIA

OOPS

   You've probably seen those photos purported to be from India or Pakistan where power and phone lines lace through a rickety neighborhood. Well, this "brilliant" engineering is from San Luis Obispo where a gasoline station has decided to suspend the fan from a power cord!  And it's not far from Cal Poly, where smart folk abound.

LaFAMIGLIA

Picture Perfect

    The Stolo Family Vineyard and Winery hosted a wine club gathering at the family home.

    A bocce tourney played out under the Cambria sunshine.

    The pizza oven was prolific as was the expert from Mama's Meatballs.

   While Don and Charlene tended to the homemade Italian sausage, made by Don, Fiscalini style.

BLOOMS AT OUR GATE

A THROWBACK BILLBOARD  

     Sport anchor Don Hein, news anchor Betsy Ross, news anchor TC and weather man extraordinare' Bob Gregory.

     Despite the self serving nature of the comment, we were an excellent team and under the news directorship of Bob Campbell-a newsman's newsman. 

     See you down the trail.

EXPERIENCES-HARMONY BY EVENING AND BOYHOOD BY FILM

FILM AS EXPERIENCE
follows below
EVENING, HARMONY

   Harmony Cafe, a "California Provence' " lunch favorite, dressed up for an evening Pipestone Winemakers dinner

 the chocolate fettuccine

 Winemakers Jeff and Florence Pipes and Chef Giovanni

BOYHOOD

   Richard Linklater's BOYHOOD, the extraordinary 12 year project is an experience, with more impact than a mere film.  

    It's being called an emotional epic, spellbinding, film of the decade, and more.  It earns those accolades in a way that weaves you into a family, characters, and life, unlike anything I've seen. There is something indelible in seeing the impact of all that life offers, especially on Mason played by Ellar Coltrane who we see grow from an adorable little kid to a college student. For the first time we see and feel the reality of boyhood complete with the icebergs and shoals of parental and adult intrusions teamed with the searching, longings, doubts and expressions of growing up.

     Seeing the cast age before your eyes draws you into the story. Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, the director's daughter who plays sister Samantha and Ethan Hawke are all superb.  I heard in an interview that much of the script was improvised and from that emotional forge comes an authenticity that would accrue over a 12 year relationship.

      Boyhood is a 2 hour and 44 minute experience that is unique and totally absorbing. It is a brilliant accomplishment and is in an echelon of filmmaking reserved for real art. 

 Seasonal Blooms

drought tolerant

   See you down the trail.