May 26, 2008
Rather quiet here on Memorial Day. Read the Arizona Republic this morning and teared up over the editorial on Saving Private Ryan being a cogent reminder of the people who have made sacrifices for our country ("Earn it."). I agree with the editorial that the Steven Spielberg movie gets better and better with the passage of time.

Speaking of the ex-Phoenician (Arcadia High) Zonie who made good, last night, on a last second whim, Kathy and I jumped in the Escape and drove down to Bell Road to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($19 cash, got a free popcorn with our Harkin's membership card). Theatre was about two-thirds full (7 P.M. showing). Movie was fun especially since much of the plot revolves around Peru and T. Charles is there so we recognized many of the locales (I think they filmed most of the film in LA but I mean they were supposed to be in certain parts of Peru which we recognized, and in fact we're going to see Tomas this summer and we'll see them for real). I hate to nitpick but there were some continuity problems. One character gets his nose broken, then a scene or two later his nose is fine, then it gets broken again, then again, and there are a series of scenes where he's fine, no wait, his nose is bloody, now it's not. Stuff like that bugs me, not to mention going over, not one, but three humongous waterfalls in a amphibious car and surviving without even a bump on the noggin'. I also read somewhere, maybe in the New York Times that the motorcycle in the library scene was filmed at Yale Library because Spielberg's son is going there and dad gave them a bunch of money. Sounds almost too precious. Now that I think about it, it was probably filmed in a sound stage in Burbank. I have to agree with Richard Corliss of Time, "Anticipation is often the better part of romance, including the form of ardor known as movie love."

And speaking of the Gray Lady, I found a photo in Sunday's edition of the New York Times of a canyon overlooking Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains (Boy Howdy!). I was intrigued by the contrast of the warm cliff and the deep canyon blue dominating the photo, with just a hint of detail as to what's out there. Very atmospheric:



I did six gouache color studies yesterday with limited success, then re-attacked it this morning:



And again simultaneously, this turned out to be the Apache Kid high in the Sierra Madres, astride a secret cliff cave, daring anyone to come get him. Too bad for him, one man will take him up on it.



Carole Glenn (it's her birthday today. Happy Birthday!) forwarded me a link to a very cool website featuring historic Arizona photos and when you put your cursor on the photo, a modern day photo appears taken from the same spot:

http://www.azpbs.org/arizonastories/thenandnow.htm

This was created from the Then And Now series photographed and compiled by Allen Dutton, who went to Mohave County Union High School with my mother, and if you'll remember, several weeks ago I ran his comments in my mother's autograph keepsake book.

"Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson