Notable People: Natascha McElhone, Louisa Binder, Oliver Dench, Mark Umbers, Created by: Mark Baker
Title: Hotel Portofino
Review: This six-part first season mini-series is about an expat Brit family running a fabulous hotel on the coast of Italy. The cinematography of the area is worth price of admission. What starts out a a quirky story of a complex family that is light and airy- turns dark with the emergence of fascism and hate in late 30s Italy as Mussolini becomes entrenched. Great ensemble cast of VERY British characters and a few ugly Americans. Kind of sneaks up on you. Second season sounds likely.
Notable People: Ville Virtanen, Sampo Sarkola, Directed by: Jusso Syrja
Title: Virtanen resumes his masterful role as eccentric, disturbed, brilliant, detective Kari Sorjonen in the long form continuation of the series set on the Finnish/Russian border, that ran on Netflix for three memorable seasons. A bloody mural, a deadly social media poll and an infamous serial killer force Sorjonen to confront the most difficult case of his career., with Sarkola returning as his uber-evil arch nemesis (think Hannibal Lecter). Gripping drama with all the regulars returning from the original show and shot darkly in the frozen tundra of the border. Two hours fly by with this drama, and Kari is so far out as to provide some unexpected comic relief
Well, they, came, they conquered, they left…. Band went on the run this early Sunday morning –except for the Nave –who remained behind to catch some much needed Z’s and help with the aftermath. It was an extraordinary week with my good ol’ boys………………….
We got settled in last Sunday just in time for the Monday arrivals- Mitch with daughter Rachel and Granddaughter Supreme, Lil. Then Brother Al with his have- bass- will –travel- kit-from the land of Desantis, and finally The Nave after his long day’s drive, from the Heartland. We all made it to folk club on Monday night, which was quite the surreal event and The Bunties passed the musical baton around the sacred drum circle. Tuesday brought Brothers Phil (Jersey) and Johnny 99 (Outer Space) to complete the Bunty arrival contingent. We managed to find a bed for all with brothers Phil and al sharing some heavy duty quality time in the big cozy, king bed…you go, boys….
The week was filled with long dirt road walks, long hoe-down practices with our added local Vermont musical siblings, Marty, Amazing Mike, John and Fiddler Bob…all amounting to a giant Country and /Eastern orchestra.
We ate a lot, we drank a lot, we did other things we shan’t mention……and we played a lot of music…a lot of music.
After 2 practices we were primed for our first show on the Belmont Green, Thursday night. Got set up a-did a sound check, were mixed perfectly for a roving band of 10-11……… and just as people arrived for the splendor in the grass…the storm from hell descended on us ……our first rain in over a month, and only for the hour we were to start playing-and-…………….only where we were -apparently with a thin line of major t-storm action,….leading to a frenetically berserk hour that had us scrambling to find tarps and garbage bags for the electronics and a dozen of us huddled under the tiny gazebo, hoping for a pass, while indeed, we were the center of the hurricane….eventually succumbing to our higher power and giving up, moving our mountain of equipment into the library –sanctuary across the street. Wound up playing a truly inspired set of tunes to a tiny audience of around 20, who were wildly enthusiastic, once everyone got dried off.
After a day hiatus on Friday, we hit our stride at our 23rd annual Tie Dye to honor the retiring Empress of GE on Saturday, and amazingly, despite all kinds of threatening reports, it was just dam hot, but no rain. We did a wildly passionate three plus hour set, that had the local diva gentry dancing in the streets, that more or less made up for the Thursday debacle.
So- what did we learn this week:
People can actually live in our bunkhouse as Rachel and Lil proved
Long-boys can handle a week together in close quarters and still consider coming back again
Apparently (according to a source, I will not name), Indian people have legs to wobbly to ski
Sometimes smaller is better (sometimes not)
It is good to pay in sanctuaries
Plastic Jesus and Cardboard Elvis can live harmoniously
We should always be careful in invoking the Soggy Bottom Boys (see the pix)
The Queen is the absolute hostess with the mostest…and tireless
There is some benefit to having the Festival on someone else’s property and not have hosting duties, while getting appropriately, cosmically prepared for long music sets
We will never run out of set list tunes
Our Vermont friends are priceless and our local-musician buddies beyond compare
And the Bunties-Chops keep moving after 45 years…we are the Band of Brothers.
So- the opening quote from our friend, John Manning: as he was drifting away after the show at closing time of The Fest……in a feel-no pain state of clairvoyance-“Imagine that you’re driving down some dirt road, as you are wont to do, and you come across this thing……………………… you are doing” ………….…and you say…………………..…“WOW,….THIS IS The Best of America”
RIP-Sonny Corleone and Bill Russel- two great Godfathers……
“And, the gun that’s hangin’ on the kitchen wall dear….is like a road sign leading straight to Satan’s Cage” ……………………………………………………………………. Gram Parsons
Well, it seems like three weeks might be a long time to stay away from The Ramblin’, especially after just getting back to the story again, so a quick and dirty to keep us all in it the never ending loop. Really…. quick and dirty…. Believe!
Just got back from our whirlwind week in the Heartland yesterday and the prep week before is like a blur. Had the whole Mishpocheh (look it up) here for the first Sunday potluck dinner in a while- dinner on the ground with Plaque concerns longing. A veritable feast, highlighted by The Jewish Pig Farmer breaking the necks of several fat chickens and cooking them four different ways, and The Worlds Most Beloved School Marm, who does not eat sugar, making some only- in- Vermont mess of chocolate mousse with a conflagration of sweet fillings and berries, leading to immediate stupor upon consumption
On Wednesday of the leave prep week, we took Linda DD, the Empress of GE out to dinner in Proctorsville for her retirement- sittin’ on the deck of restaurant on the hottest day of the year- baking at 93 in the shade-and then to their music on the green, for three Dead wannabes, who had clearly left their earthly environs, to pursue their inner Jerry, Bobby and Pigpen…. Surreal but quite Dead-like- exceeding expectations………
Caught Music on the Green at ours (catch the little British affectation?) on Thursday with perennial hometown fav, Jeb and friends, in scouting preparation of our turn this week.
Bolted the Manor on Saturday for 12-hour jaunt with the two of us, and three loose animals, in the car, and back to Delaware (as if we never left) in time for dinner.
The rest of the week involved my doctor shit (all good)- a regular part of life it seems, at some point……………… and a ménage of granddaughters: had Sloanie for two nights, took her up for an overnight with Quin-Lili and Harper in Cleveland that left us a shell of ourselves after 24 plus hours with a 2,3 and 5 year old , did a group outing with the Nave and Suba for Sunday night in the park music and KFC picnic (really) and got to baby sit Sloanie and baby Parker and play 300 rounds of treasure hunt in the back yard.
Easy drive back this weekend with overnight stop in usual Binghamton haunt-and no lost cats.
This is the start of music week here at the Mount. All of the Bunty Station/Steaks and Chops gang- past, present and future will be arriving today and tomorrow for our annul show on the town Green this Thursday and the 23rd Tie –Dye Fest this Saturday. By tomorrow we will have 10 people staying at the Manor, so will be quite cozy and bit wild week and a constant experience in herd moving….so gotta go get the homestead in shape before the invasion.
It’s gonna be a lotta love…….see you soon, , my friends with greater detail.
Notable People: Colin Firth, Matthew Macfayden, Kelly Macdonald, Penelope Wilton, Directed by: John Madden
Title: this film was recommended to me by my ENT, who is a very picky guy. He was right. I loved everything about this true story of the greatest deception in the history of war; the last ditch attempt by Churchill and the Brits to avert disaster with the Sicily invasion of 1943 (that ultimately turned the tide of the war and may have saved the world as we know it), by creating this absolutely incredible red herring that made Das Boot think the invasion was going to secretly happen in Greece. The film is moving, the narrative and dialog wonderful, very heady, very emotional. There is an all-star cast of veteran British TV and film folks, but the principle four actors-led by the great Colin Firth, are impeccable. An amazing story, partly narrated by a very young solder named Ian Fleming, who went on from this spy escapade to create James Bond…really wonderful film.
Review: Ford has been called America’s best living writer, by some. I’m not sure about that. For one, he is not very prolific and he is also a bit Hemingway-esque, which is not for everyone. But, he is really, really good and this 1997 collection of short fiction fully embodies his style and texture. One of the modern masters of short fiction, these three novellas are set in Chicago, Montana and Paris (hmmmmm? Who does that sound like.? Exceedingly well written and engaging, you get the feel of these places while entering the tortured souls of the principles. Ford will never be accused of being Pollyanna- ish. Dark, intense, often gripping tales of struggles of the soul take you deep inside. Might be a good thing they are short. This is an essential author, whom I’m glad to reconnect with.
“Clear moments are so short. There is much more Darkness”…………………………………Adam Zagajewski
“You may follow one stream. Realize it lead to the Ocean, but do not mistake the stream for the Ocean” …Jan- Fishman- Khan
“We’re gonna need a bigger boat” ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Chief Brody
Popcorn time……Popcorn time……Hot Buttered Soul Itzhak?……..Isaac?……Moosac?……..It’s too late to turn back now…. I believe, I believe……
Goin’ with the short stuff this week………………………………Voila…………………………Ici……………………Aqui……………………………………………………
Green Perfection………could it be more Green in the Greens……as the day’s fly by, will we lose our grasp…or fuse it in the sun?……………………..75, sunny, zero humidity, 45 at night, blah, blah, blah……but, how dry it is……. the rivers are still…. The Pond shrinketh…. the grass browneth……the thirst non- quencheth……
Road Trip– overnight to the quiet of remote summer Marriott…. up the ancient Connecticut River Valley……rollin’ up the river, rollin’, rollin’…….layin’ low with VA affairs….. Mr. Titanium gets the grand suite…which ain’t much, but it is what it is……
White River Junction– in a cloud of excavation reminiscent of the dust bowl……little New England town hides from the inquiring mind……late afternoon sun ramble……cell phone photos…have you seen my phone?……people staring, what is that – a light meter?……an abacus?……Best ever gas station Chinese food…no English……no problem…. Sox on the tube……. chasin, chasin’….
Retreatin’………first live gathering in three years at majesty of Silver Lake State Park, Barnard……. Governors’ Peeps gather to make the world right……best ever back to earth pot luck…how many dishes can you make with chick peas, yogurt and tabbouleh……VERMONT……not live free or die……did everybody pre- test?.is the honor system still relevant…. show me the way……
PC or not PC– is “Justice” still a relevant word……apparently may be offensive to those treated unjustly ……what dos Papi know….. …I still like the idea…you?
First Music on the Green at The Mount– towns first daughter Jenny Porter on a God-night on the square…. mediocre pizza from the curmudgeons at the General Store…. Yenta central…who is wearing what underwear tonight…..got the drop…..Jenny and Tony ended night with a Borat anthem, which had the Yentas up turning the Green into the Russian Steppe….…….
Middlebury run– not beginningbury, not endingbury……. seeing the semi-shaman for the tweaking…and the dispensary for the freaking……. drive back over the Brandon Gap…for da views…for da views……Made Ludlow for the Friday Market…for da meats…. for da meats……and quick stop at the Local library, so I can avoid being required to read the house supply…. called ahead and one of the Library Jills (they are all Jill) put bag o’ books out on back porch for me to grab after library closed for weekend…. VERMONT
Is there a Cretin amongst us? – apparently some out of state no-good hot shot has bought up four of the limited restaurant supply in Ludlow……and tho no one has met him, or know who he is…he is a BAD Man……Shame, shame, shame
Cardboard- in The Queens effort to suffocate every blade of grass on the homestead……and grow enough produce for the southern half of the state…. we have everyone on The Mount collecting cardboard for us, and will soon have enough to build a small flimsy summer house……
The Jamaicans Return– en force…. a dozen cars…60-or so people…several goats on a spit….and to the astonishment of the locals……one naked man of color bathing in the river along route 103……it’s a cultural revolution for The Mount…
Dinner on the Ground– hosting a Covid-challenging pot luck here tonight with the Jewish Pig Farmer, the newly retired Empress of GE, The Erstwhile Russian Spy and Worlds’ Most Beloved School marm, our local Reichland couple, and two people I have no categories for yet…but soon…. has the potential for a lot of yogurt…?……
So- may be down for a couple of weeks, as we head back for week in the late July joy of the Heartland next weekend……Got to see a man about a Johnson…let’s check the boys out again…I’m sure they missed this for last few months…. Well, at least we’ll see the granddaughters, the house, the kids and the band……………so there, Johnson Man!!! May stop in to DA Blog next week or you may have to just wait and JONES…. ya never can tell….
Bedtime for Bonzo……STAY GOOD in the HOOD………Lovin’ ya’ll………Ferlin’
Review: got back to Vermont and discovered I had left the books I wanted to read back in Ohio and the ones I ordered from library here not in yet………so had to hit the shelves of the home library to check out the benefactress’ collection, which was more soft- smut than not. But, came up with this gem from 1972 that I knew of, had seen the film, but never read. Mistake corrected! Wonderful follow up novel (with a lot of real historical facts and characters) to Forsyth’s international bestseller “The Day of the Jackal”. Set in Germany at the height of the cold war, when a young German reporter finds a diary on the body of a suicide victim on the night of the JFK assassination. The diary reveals the story of the top secret Odessa, whose only mission is to protect and prosper former Nazi SS leaders. A wild goose chase across Germany follows. Filled with adrenaline, drama and insight into the post war collective guilt, it is a fascinating and hard hitting tale. I’d challenge the idiot deniers to read this one. A bit dated, but well worth the read.
“Only from the heart, can you touch the sky” ………………………………………………………………………………………Rumi
“When the resistance is gone, so are the demons” ………………………………………………………………………………Pema Chodron
“Da doo dah run run, da doo rah run” …………………………………………………………………………………………………. Leonard Cohen
Did you wake up yesterday in tepid anticipation, and slyly watch your inbox, only to lightly despair at the absence of The Blog Missive? Well……. Oops, there goes another one of those….
My deepest apologies, but hit the road at dawnish yesterday for a day on the water at Lake George…and had nuthin’ left post boat-coital……not the man I used to be……so, please accept the Monday edition as a weak replacement for all things Bloggish……. but, I get ahead of myself……and, since Monday, is sluggish/Bloggish to begin with, let’s try for mostly short -and occasionally sweet – this week……
July 4th was the expected rave up here at The Mount- got to see, the usual peeps on the parade route. The Queen and her followers had one of two grand floats for the all-time record short 3.5 minute parade….the whole thing is like an old Heinz commercial, but apparently word has spread here about my winter bodily functions- so had the pleasure of listening to no less than four EXTENSIVE prostate stories, the best (or most detailed) from our former state rep, DD da DD, who is lost without a coffee pot to pour on your lap…From there it was sneak attack down to the West Rutland snack bar…one of the many you’d’- never -believe -the -food -they –ambitiously- serve at snack bars around the Greens………then we sought out our favorite Rutland inner city park hike, which is required , as in no hike-no snack bar…no squeegee….
Tuesday brought the long anticipated set of Deep Cleaners that TQ has insisted on…..ten woman hours later they had moderately finished 4 rooms…which I suppose are more deeply cleaned, tho I can’t really tell….maybe it’s a Zen concept…in any case, I can’t find anything since they left, which in itself is pretty deep….and the one savant -type woman, who occasionally seemed to be muttering “Wopner, Wopner”…..told us that we were a perfect match…which is probably the clear end point of 30 yrs. of therapy….whew, glad that is over…..
And how about that weather?….for Midwestern kiddies, having day after day be mid-high 70s devoid of humidity, and sweater nights…..must be “The Good Place”…..so we spent midweek obsessively grooming the grounds to Augusta specs…..got to use every power machine we own, and managed not to destroy any more of her majesty’s surprise plantings around the rocks….TQ is predicting a bumper crop of rock- blueberries…..in between each round of lawn perfecting, rumbled over to check on the status of the mysterious well leak, which is startlingly pretty dried out now…in typical you-will- always –be- a-flatlander fashion- we have now consulted with 8 mountain experts –none of whom have a clear answer…but consensus is …to ignore it…an answer I generally prefer (see the return-of- the –livin- dead refrigerator)…….so hopefully, when we have house full of band mates in early August, we may still have water and refrigeration!?!…….Have I mentioned that the aforementioned near-dead, astutely, hammered back to life fridge, has now run perfectly for two weeks….
We had a midweek first- sighting visit from the Jewish Pig farmer, who busted in announcing marital woes between he and the Empress of Death….sad story and a bit overwhelming when awakened from late afternoon post-chores slumber, but am going to spend a few Chinese dinners trying to lend chopstick perspective….Friday, TQ decided, was night for girls cocktail hour, so the longtime (and soon retiring after 98 years on the job)Sweetheart of GE, the World’s Most Beloved School Marm and the TQ’s predecessor as the decades long Queen of Mt. Holly, gathered for drinks and nosh….which sent The Lucy and I scurrying to the Ludlow Farmers market, which was pleasantly quiet after the insanity of the previous week’s July 4th weekend market, full of Fat Jersey-ites and demented Connecticoats….we then hit the lovely Ludlow cemetery for twilight views and undisturbed walking and pooping (both of us)….
Saturday was mostly another outside work day (are we done for the season yet?) after a trip to the dump produced the first ever apologies from The Dumpmaster for stating previously his availability to take my spot in the manor once I move to the other side. I told him, no offense taken, and wondered what did he think about our well drip?
And then yesterday was spent cruising up and down Lake George, with six thousand other boat- or- die types in a giant pontoon acquired by the Masseuse in the Trailer and hubby, Mike.…. picture perfect day, cool but invigorating lake water, sun on the verge of burn, but not quite ……………….and a nice drive thru the lower ‘Rondacks to get there…
And now. Monday, Monday…can’t trust that day……got to get back to healing the world with my virtual sessions…..considering a one off Marriott night midweek for all day retreat up north……might fill my anonymity jones for a bit……Be well, stay in touch, register to vote multiple tams in multiple states…..
Review: The Greatest does The Greatest. If you haven’t made time for this yet, you should. A brilliant primer on the life and times of Time’s Man of the Century, from his humble beginnings in Louisville, to his three world heavyweight titles to his ultimate role as a world leader on challenging race relations in this country and around the world. Incredibly complicated portrait of an incredibly complicated man; once maybe the most reviled figure in the US to become an absolutely beloved part of our collective conscience. Brilliantly told, as always, by the Master, Burns, and friends, this four-part series (around 7-8 hours) will leave you laughing, riled up and weeping- a major chronicle of the times. Wonderful.
