Wordless Wednesday (Vermont Fog)

Scenes From Lake Champlain

I thought I would share some photos from my trip to Vermont. These are of Lake Champlain in Burlington around sunset. It's a very beautiful place. Though when I was there I kept thinking of what the town would look like blanketed in snow as it probably is for many months of the year. It's probably just as beautiful, but not as easy to maneuver.

Monday Film Class: Lymelife

Last week was a very busy time and I was unable to begin watching Film Noirs as I had planned. I will use this week to focus on them.

However, before we left we watched a recent film, Lymelife. While not a perfect film by any stretch it has some interesting elements. It is reminiscent of Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, which was never a favorite of mine though I haven't seen it for awhile. Lymelife stars two of the Culkin brothers, Kieran and Rory, as well as Julia Roberts' niece, Emma. The cast is rounded out by many other notables such as: Alec Baldwin, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon, and Jill Hennessy. None of which really did anything for me; they were quite lackluster.

The story follows two families during the late 70s in Long Island. It's a coming of age film for Rory Culkin. The plot gets a little bogged down and starts to drag toward the middle. When I got up to get a snack I didn't even pause it. So be prepared for that if you choose to watch it.

 What impressed me the most was the primary cast; the Culkins and Roberts. Rory Culkin's character is in teenage love with Emma Roberts. It is clear that she is interested in him, but she appears at first to be aloof. Since the Culkin's so often played children roles you think of them as being cute and adorable and this film plays with that notion, but allows them to grow up as well. Kieran Culkin is not adorable at all, he plays a soldier home on leave before being shipped out. One of the first things his character does is beat up a bully that is terrorizing Rory. Yet, the only reason we did not fast forward to the ending was due to Rory and Emma's performance and the chemistry. Though some scenes were just way to long.

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The ending is the only part that could be better. They included an alternate ending, which I usually hate to watch, but in this case the alternative worked better for me. The ending, as is, makes the film be more about whether or not so and so was shot. Whereas when it is clear who was or was not shot and it ends with the Emma and Rory on the bus the film clearly states that the story is about them and how they will deal with the consequences of their parents indiscretions.

The film could really benefit from another pass in the editing suite, but if you are at all intrigued by the Culkin's this is a good film to check out. By the way it is not a comedy at all, not even a dark one. It is a drama. For some reason it was pitched that way to both myself and my husband. So be prepared. Also it does not feel like the seventies in any way, shape, or form. There are random comments thrown in about Star Wars and such, but that could just as easily be today. Check out the trailer here.

Thoughts on Biscuit Making

We arrived back from Vermont somewhat late last night. It was a good trip and my daughter is very good at making friends. She was running around and going up to just about anyone hoping they would smile at her. Luckily, pretty much every at UFVA is easygoing and likes kids so she was a hit. I took two and a half rolls of film while in Vermont so hopefully I will have some good photos soon. 

Before we left for our trip my husband made biscuits for dinner (as pictured above). It made me think of a story my dad tells about his grandmother, my great-grandmother. I believe the story is of my great-grandmother who was raised on a farm outside of Paris, TX. She moved to Winfield, LA, which is where my grandmother was born. In her cupboard she had a drawer (one of those triangular metal ones that pulls out at an angle) where she stored her flour. When making biscuits she would take the ingredients to the drawer pour everything on top and knead the dough in the flour so that she would be able to use the exact amount of flour without measuring it out.

I have heard others tell similar stories of biscuits made in the flour bin. I wonder if this is a lost art of baking. Often I think of bakers having to measure everything perfectly, yet, clearly that is not always a case. In this day biscuits are probably not made from scratch as often as in the past and our skills have gotten weak. I would try it just for the experiment of it all, but unfortunately I store my flour in a jar and it would be hard to knead dough through the jar opening.

Flip'n Friday: Wrightsville Beach

Wrightsville from Chelsea Wayant on Vimeo.

I am still in Vermont, but before I left I made a piece for this weeks Flip'n Friday. This was shot during our trip to Wilmington. We will be back on Sunday and I will be able to catch up with the week. Enjoy this peaceful video.

Wordless Wednesday (Light)

Going to Vermont

This morning we are preparing to leave for Vermont. Somehow we are ahead of schedule so I thought I would try to at least post some pictures.

These are from our recent visit to Wilmington. We are at the Battleship NC looking across the Cape Fear River at downtown. The last picture of the basketball court is where they shoot scenes from One Tree Hill (in case anyone is a fan). As I was taking pictures of the river there were various girls wandering around it taking pictures so I thought I'd get one too. 

Our plane leaves in about an hour and a half. I'll be touch when possible.