Three sentence movie reviews–The Green Mile.


Picture me sitting on the couch knitting while watching this movie. Then picture me staring at the screen, mouth open, knitting forgotten as I become absorbed by what is going on. This happened four or five times, a surprise, as I didn’t think I would enjoy this movie as much as I did.

Bechdel score. Two women: nope.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1999/green_mile_ver1.html

Three sentence movie reviews–A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

The first ten minutes of this movie I had the following thoughts: 1)I’m glad I didn’t grow up in Queens, and 2) these guys are assholes. But then I got sucked into the story and ended up really enjoying the movie, though I have a sneaking suspicion I would find the whole thing juvenile if I watched it in five years. I’ve never understood the whole Shia LaBeouf thing before, but I get it now.

Bechdel score. Two women: ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2006/guide_to_recognizing_your_saints.html

Three sentence movie reviews–The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford


A slow meander of a movie, by which I mean I probably would have been bored if I wasn’t knitting. Brad Pitt plays a great, slightly unhinged Jesse James, but I was watching it for Casey Affleck, who not only believably plays a 20 year old, but also manages to perfectly convey the changeover from hero worship to ultimate betrayal. This movie is what my mother would call “old-fashioned” which I translate to “good acting, kinda slow.”

Bechdel score: Two women: nope.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/2007/assassination_of_jesse_james_by_the_coward_robert_ford.html

Sunday Parkways.

This happened in June, but somehow got missed in the blogging queue.

Sunday parkways which took place on one Sunday last year, expanded to three Sundays in three locations this year. I volunteered at the North Portland one, for which I got to spend a lovely morning moving barriers for cars to go by, waving at people walking and on bikes and taking pictures.

Mid-shift, these two crazy runners came by.

As they got closer, I could see that they were Matt and Jeff, clowning around.

The day started a bit cold and overcast, but then the sun came out.

Kenton Park had food and some fun activities such as this bike obstacle course.

Three sentence movie reviews–Less Than Zero


I think this is a great movie if you want to view some awesome 80s fashions and hairstyles. It is not so awesome as an actual movie however, being a bit long and with an annoying, distracting performance by Jami Gertz. It did, however, prompt me to put the book on my Goodreads to-read list and Kelly and I spotted a very tiny Brad Pitt walk on before he was “Brad Pitt.”

Bechdel rating. Two women: nope.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1987/less_than_zero.html

Heading home: Oregon Trail Interpretive Park.

On our way home, we stopped at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Park. This was a great park with two short loops that walked you through the pioneer experience.

A succinct summation of your supplies.

It was interested to see the different “roads.” In my mind a road is a paved surface that climbs and descends slowly and steadily. This park drove home (hah!) the idea that a road was where the wagons went. At one point in the park you can see where five “roads” converge.

This was a point in the journey when the pioneers were very tired and they still had to get over the mountains before the snow came.

A view of the trail.

This tree bears the scars of the wagons rolling over its roots. How cool is that? This actual tree witnessed pioneers rolling right over its roots.

More of the actual trail.

A wagon, for your picture taking pleasure.

The first time I saw a covered wagon, I was pretty disappointed. They seemed so small. They were also much taller than I expected.

Commemorative picture.

I can’t look at the back of a wagon without thinking of Jack, Laura Ingall’s dog.

Enterprise: More sights.

I’m guessing Enterprise is cold in the winter as many houses (and businesses) had firewood stacked outside.

If you come to the VFW, you can also pick up your Avon order.

On Sunday morning I discovered the other part of the Fairgrounds. Here is the grandstand.

And here is the sign that is near the 4-H building where I bet we could have seen some good crafts.

This tiny building houses an important function.

It’s the DMV!

Imagine my delight when I peeked in the window and saw three chairs to wait in. Next to those three chairs? A “take a number” machine. I guess lines can be long even in the tiny Enterprise DMV.

Downtown Enterprise.

The library.

Our motel which was clean and nice and had a huge bathroom because we had the handicapped room.

A B&B around the corner from our motel.

Enterprise Cemetery

For the Sunday early morning walk, I visited the cemetery. You knew I couldn’t resist. This was a great cemetery, with tremendous views.

One thing I didn’t like was this columbarium’s practice of putting the wives’ maiden names in quotes, as if they were Mafia nicknames. Here we have Steve “The Rifleman” Flemmi, and over here we have Myrna “Stubblefield” Witherrite. To me, the quotes around the maiden name imply fakery, as if they women weren’t really people until they took their husband’s last name.
This cemetery provides picnic tables.

What a view!

I liked the fact that this gravestone mentioned that they were the parents of JD, Debbie, Tammy & Eddie.

It’s not often that I see statuary plopped down on a gravestone. Also, the husband’s name is Lenthal, which is an awesome name. I figured it was unique enough that I might get a hit when I Googled it and I did:

“Bollman Funeral Home”

The Bollman Funeral Home is located in the beautiful Wallowa Valley of NE Oregon with roots going back 80 years. As in the past Lee A. Bollman and Lenthal A. Bollman III strive to offer personalized service as did their parents


I was interested in the Latin phrase “Dum Tacet Clamat” on this gravestone. It turns out to be the motto of the Woodman of the World which was a fraternal insurance-benefit society which still exists today.

An excerpt from a Tennyson poem adorns this grave.

His wife has a quote that is reminiscent of Herman Melville’s “Life’s a voyage that’s homeward bound.”

There were some very old graves (for a western state) in the cemetery including this one from 1917.

This is an even older grave, from 1904. Mr. Zurcher was also a veteran of the Civil War.

1891 was the oldest grave I found.

Next to the Reverend William Owneby lies the wife of Rev. William Owneby. This is totally reflective of the times, but still makes me cringe. To be fair, her first name is carved on the top, it just is hard to read. No birth date though. Just when she died.
I enjoy coming across these survey markers.

Sights from Enterprise

During my vacation, I’ve been resetting my sleep schedule. This involves getting up at 5:00 in the morning. When one resets their sleep schedule, one still has to get up at 5:00 in the morning, even when visiting far away Eastern Oregon. My mom and I were sharing a room, so I would get up at 5:00 and go for a long walk around Enterprise. Here are some sights I saw.

What exactly is a “Homestyle” Laundromat and Car Wash? Do you bring in large piles of stinky laundry and eat a meal and watch TV while your mother cleans your clothes? Is there a hose and bucket of soapy water to wash your car with? Sometimes I wonder about people’s choices for signs.

This picture is actually from later in the day. Wallowa Lake.

A peak in my bag. My ipod, a book on apple trees, water and a honey bear I purchased in Joseph at the Farmer’s Market are all visible.

I liked the teacups on the door. It turned out that we ate here the next morning.

Back to the early morning walk. On this morning, my goal was to find as many churches as I could.

If I were Shawn and Sara, I’d know what this statue configuration outside the church was called.

The church itself.

A sign in front of the church that struck me as funny.

I walked out near the airport, where I also found the LDS church, and found this view of the mountains.

The moon was just beginning to set.

If memory serves, this was the playground for the Assembly of God Church.

Look at the amazing view they have from their swings.

Also on this day, I found the elementary school and attempted unsuccessfully to find the high school. I did find a baseball field and basketball court, as well as a skateboarding park.