Saturday, May 28, 2016

Flags for a Memorial Day

Planted flags (Saturday May 28, 2016)

A recent tradition for me has been to go to Fairview Cemetery on the Saturday before Memorial Day to help place flags on the graves of all veterans. This year was the fourth time in five years (I missed one year due to rain).

It is a short walk from my apartment to the cemetery. I timed it so I would arrive after the initial onslaught of cub scouts and others groups. When I arrived at 8:40 a.m. (it started at 8:30 a.m.) the line had diminished to only a few people so there was virtually no wait.

Each person was given a bundle of 10-12 small American Flags along with a map of the cemetery with a designated section to place their flags (see below). By chance (?), I was assigned the same section as I was last year. It was a good walk to get there.

Section 13 (highlighted in yellow) was where I was assigned to place my flags.

This year I remembered to bring a screw driver to provide a pilot hole in the dry, hard ground for the flag staff. Even with that, it was still somewhat challenging. Quickly, my 10 or so flags were planted. I gave my screw drive to a young mother with a couple elementary school kids who where obviously having trouble getting their flags in the ground. And I headed back to the garage to see if I could get more flags.

At the jump off point I was cheerfully allowed to take two more bundles of flags. As I headed back to my Section 13, I wondered how I was going to be able to plant them since I had given away my screw driver. God provided. On the way back, I passed that mother and her tired kids. She recognized me and returned the screw driver, noting that her kids had used up whatever enthusiasm they might have started with.

Seeing that Section 13 was pretty well covered, I meandered back through various sections looking for graves that had been missed. I was able to place all my flags except two (for a total of about 28 flags planted).

Not much of a breeze on a hot, humid May morning.

When I started out this morning, the sky was filled with grayish clouds that hinted at rain. But Mother Nature was not so kind, and the sun quickly appeared and it got hot (and rather humid). When I left the cemetery at 10:25 a.m. the temperature was in the mid-80s and climbing.

Entrance to the Cemetery (picture taken as I was leaving).
Flags rolled at start (courtesy of NBC Connecticut).
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Sunday, May 22, 2016

Beau Geste

DVD Cover

It has been so long since I saw this movie (Beau Geste), that I forgot what it was about. The 1939 version starring Gary Cooper, Robert Preston ("The Music Man"), and Ray Milland was probably a TV staple during my high school years or so.

My interest in seeing this film again was triggered by watching Laurel & Hardy's homage, Beau Hunk.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and wanted more. The DVD that I borrowed from the library had no extra features other than the trailer. Thankfully, it did have closed captions/subtitles for the hard of hearing (i.e., me).

The movie is based on a 1924 novel by P. C. Wren. It is reported that the 1939 version was a shot-by-shot remake of a 1926 silent movie. It is too bad that the silent version was not included in the DVD because it is not readily available.

The synopsis on the back cover of the DVD says:
"The Classic Tale of Courage, Duty & Devotion. When three brothers joint the [French] Foreign Legion to escape a troubled past, they find themselves under the command of a sadistic sergeant deep in the scorching Sahara. Now the brothers must fight for their lives as they plot a mutiny against tyranny and defend a desert fortress against a brutal enemy."
Movie poster

I was surprised to read in several review criticism of the idealism portrayed in the movie. Obviously, in today's times, self-sacrifice, honor, and family are sadly not in vogue.

The nearly two hour long movie sped by quickly especially for one like me who tends to lose interest after an hour or so. Highly recommended.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Impending Departure

On Monday (May 16th), I arrived home at the end of the work day to find an unexpected package from Fr. Hattie waiting for me. Inside were two items (see below) but no note or letter.

1. March/April/May 2016 issue of "Our Daily Bread."

ODB is pocket sized.

As I was composing this post, I was surprised to discover that ODB is a non-denominational, non-profit organization headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. The reference on the cover to St. Joseph Mercy Oakland is to a Catholic hospital in Pontiac Michigan. As you may recall, Fr. Hattie is currently living in Michigan.

2. A softbound book, "God of Surprises" (Third Edition) by Gerard W Hughes.

Front Cover of 3rd Edition
(Note "SJ" annotation for author)

Although I am unfamiliar with this book and its author, I am that Pope Francis has used the term "God of Surprises" and it is something that irritates me since the Pope has condemned Catholics who are loyal to RC tradition. My thinking is that if you disagree with the fundamentals of Roman Catholicism, then find something else that is more amenable to your beliefs. One of RCism's strengths is its claim to faithfulness to the original teachings of Jesus.
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Last time I received something in the mail from Fr. Hattie, an email swiftly arrived to explain. This time, though, there was no associated email. So this morning (Wednesday May 18th), I emailed Fr. Hattie to acknowledge the package, inquire about the books as well as his time table for returning to Africa. I was rewarded with the short letter (see below) received later today via email

As usual, my transcription also appears below the image of the original.

My Fr. Hattie page contains a list of Father's letters that I have received during this blog time period. It also contains contact information for Fr. Hattie and details on how to donate to help support Father's orphans in Nsumba, Uganda.

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"Letter" from Fr. Hattie received via email Wednesday May 18, 2016.

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My dear Rick:           Peace of the Living Christ!

      Yes, I am still leaving for Africa on the noon of May 24 & will arrive there the following night at 9 p.m.

     Glad that you received the God of Surprises. No I do not know him, but he is an Irish Jesuit from our English Province.  The book is eminently readable & has gone through 3 printings because of its popularity. Hope you enjoy reading it. It's precious.

Tons of love & gratitude,                            
              
Fr. Gene, S.J.                                 

P.S.  Another book you would enjoy reading is Between Heaven & Mirth, written by a good friend of mine* who has written many other interesting religious books. OR The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything & My Life With the Saints.
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Sunday, May 15, 2016

Bird Walk

At the start (I'm the one in the khaki shorts).
Picture courtesy of Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation FB page.

This was the first event of the season at Cedar Hill Cemetery. And it was for early risers! Note the start time (below).

Feathered Friends Walk
Saturday, May 14, 6:30 am
Free for All
Join Jay Kaplan from Roaring Brook Nature Center for his annual bird walk at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Jay will lead participants through our ornamental foreground in search of resident birds. Appropriate hiking shoes and binoculars are strongly recommended. Meet near the bridge along the entrance drive.
Despite the early start, I estimate about 35-40 people attended. When we ended shortly after 10 a.m., we were down to about 20 people.

Note that the description above indicates that the walk will be through the "ornamental foreground." I didn't realize what the meant. The Grounds page of the web site describes it this way:
One of the most impressive feature of Cedar Hill’s landscape is the ornamental foreground, which serves to seclude the burial sections of the Cemetery from the roadway.  Much of Cedar Hill’s wildlife is sustained in this natural habitat encompassing more than 65 acres of ponds and woodlands.
I thought we would be walking the cemetery proper but we actually were walking in the woods that surround the cemetery. The grass was pretty wet due to the dew-hence the reason for the knee high rubber boots seen in the pictures.

This was near the end of the "walk." Jay Kaplan, who led the walk, is wearing a green shirt
and cap; he is in the foreground (2nd from right). I am on the left side of the picture.
Picture courtesy of Cedar Hill Cemetery Foundation FB page.

In addition to tramping around the woods and meadows surrounding the cemetery, we stopped at two overlooks with views to the valley beyond. The first overlook was right above a giant quarry operation. To the left (out of the picture below) was a cliff with a radio tower that had a falcon perched on top. It was so far away that even my binoculars only saw a brown smudge.

View of the quarry below.

The second overlook had an awesome view of the valley.

Conveniently, the fence had an opening so we could get a clearer view.

This is the view from the rocky outcrop.

This is a side view of the rocky outcrop.

But where are the pictures of the birds you might ask. Well, all I had was my binoculars and my cell phone (camera). No one has posted any good shots of the birds (except for a heron). Below is a list of birds that the GROUP spotted. I probably saw about 10-15. Cardinals and blue jays were easy as was the "Elusive" robin. The red-winged blackbird is very common around the cemetery.

Below is the list of birds (57 species) we saw and or heard:
  • Canada Goose
  • Wood Duck
  • Mallard Duck
  • Great Blue Heron
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Peregrine Falcon
  • Killdeer
  • Solitary Sandpiper
  • Rock Pigeon
  • Mourning Dove
  • Black-billed Cuckoo
  • Red-bellied Woodpecker
  • Downy Woodpecker
  • Hairy Woodpecker
  • Northern Flicker
  • Eastern Phoebe
  • Great Crested Flycatcher
  • Warbling Vireo
  • Red-eyed Vireo
  • Blue Jay
  • American Crow
  • Common Raven
  • Tree Swallow
  • Barn Swallow
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Tufted Titmouse
  • House Wren
  • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
  • Wood Thrush
  • American Robin
  • Gray Catbird
  • Northern Mockingbird
  • European Starling
  • Northern Parula
  • Yellow Warbler
  • Magnolia Warbler
  • Black-throated Blue Warbler
  • Yellow-rumped Warbler
  • Pine Warbler
  • Black-and-white Warbler
  • American Redstart
  • Ovenbird
  • Common Yellowthroat
  • Scarlet Tanager
  • Chipping Sparrow
  • Song Sparrow
  • Northern Cardinal
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak
  • Indigo Bunting
  • Red-winged Blackbird
  • Common Grackle
  • Brown-headed Cowbird
  • Orchard Oriole
  • Baltimore Oriole
  • House Finch
  • American Goldfinch
  • House Sparrow

This was my first bird walk. It was fun and challenging. Being deaf in one ear made it difficult to spot birds because the experts follow their calls/chirps/songs in order to spot them (and identify). As you might guess from the pictures, there were a few stiff necks after this walk.

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http://www.roaringbrook.org/home.html
http://www.cedarhillcemetery.org/
http://www.cedarhillcemetery.org/grounds
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Written Saturday May 21, 2016.

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Saturday, May 14, 2016

Fahrenheit 451

Cover of the 50th Anniversary Edition (2003)

"Fahrenheit 451" (the movie trailer speaks it as"Fahrenheit FourFiveOne").

Originally, I intended to watch the DVD of the 1966 movie of the famous Ray Bradbury book, Fahrenheit 451 but when I was at the library and about to sign out the DVD, I decided it might be nice to read the book too. While I remember seeing the movie (or parts of it) on TV, I don't think I ever actually read the book. So I checked out both the DVD and book from the library.

I ended up only watching the DVD extras so as not to spoil the book. I started reading the book on April 8th and finished it Thursday May 12th. Although it was only 190 pages total, I only read a few pages each day because it is a somber story and I did not want to get depressed. I also wanted time to chew on the ideas and story. I'm glad that I didn't rush through it. Like savoring a fine meal, reading this book was a marvelous experience.

I enjoyed the experience of reading it so much that when I returned it to the library, I signed out the 60th Anniversary Edition (softbound). The summary on the back cover reads:
"Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family." But when he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn't live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known."
The copy I read was the 50th Anniversary edition (2003) hardback (see picture above). It included a new introduction by Ray Bradbury plus a Forward he wrote in 1993 along with another introduction he supplied in 1966.

Although the book was originally published in 1953, it was an expanded version a short story from 1951 called "The Fireman." As I read the book, I had to pause several times in amazement at the foresight of Bradbury. Montag's wife isolates herself by watching wall-sized TV screens on 3 walls (and is begging for a 4th wall screen). In addition, when not watching TV she has earbuds (known in the book as "seashells") for listening to the radio. There is 24-hour banking via "robot" tellers (i.e., ATMs), and constant barrage of audio advertisements even on the subway. All this cloaks the slide to war.

The novel is ostensibly about book burning but the message really has little to do with physical books. Books are merely placeholders for ideas and ideas are dangerous in a society where everyone is expected to think the same.

I think there is a perception that the books were burned because the powers that be outlawed them. It seems, though, that people got tired of books and gravitated instead toward other entertainments (e.g., "bread and circuses"). What resulted was an "Escape from Freedom". Book burning resulted (I think) from society's desire to keep opinions politically correct and homogenized.

The book has a somewhat happy ending (or at least hopeful). The big bad city is destroyed by war and those that are left to rebuild are (it is implied) primarily the book people that had left the city to escape persecution and death. The symbolism of a more ideal future is presented through a (uncited)  reference to a quote from the Christian Book of Revelation: 
And on either side of the river was a tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. [Rev 22:2]
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Sunday, May 8, 2016

Eastwood's "Gran Torino"

DVD cover for the movie "Gran Torino."

Years ago I saw every Clint Eastwood movie when it was in released to the theaters. So when one of my colleagues lent me her DVD of  the 2008 movie Gran Torino to watch, it wasn't hard for me to accept. The fact that Martha only owns two DVDs and "Gran Torino" is one of those increased my interest and curiosity.

Synopsis: Recently widowed Korean War veteran and retired (Ford) autoworker Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) doesn't much like how his life or his Detroit neighborhood has turned out. The world has changed around him. His neighborhood is now mostly rundown and occupied by Asians: a Hmong family lives next door. 

He doesn't get along with his sons and grandchildren, all of whom seem more interested in their inheritance from him. His prized possession is a mint condition 1972 Ford Gran Torino. Through a series of incidents, Walt's dislike for his neighbors slowly warms up. Events cause Walt to act against However, a local gang that feeds on violence and fear, trigger Walt to act, though not in a way that might be expected.

The Gran Torino of the movie of the same name.

My Comments: This was a thoughtful movie I thought. Martha described it as a character study, which I think is an accurate description. On the surface, it can be seen to be about racism (the Wikipedia entry-see above and below-spends a lot of space on racism),  but I think there is more to it than that. 

Martha found a review from a Christian college that dwelt on the spiritual aspects as well as the racial ("The Incarnational Clint Eastwood: A Review of Gran Torino"). For me, this review captures my reaction better than the film being merely about racism or imperialism.

The Catholic Church plays a part in this movie and is treated pretty fairly and respectfully. The part that religion plays in the film is an indication to me that there is more here than mere racism or bigotry. In some ways, it is a modern take on the "Love thy Neighbor" instruction.

The movie also deals with masculinity, violence, food, culture, family, change, and growing old. 

"Gran Torino" at 116 minutes was a bit long for me. Short and sweet (80-100 minutes) is best I think.

The DVD package was rather skimpy: two short extra features but no trailer/preview or commentary. 

Overall, I think "Gran Torino" is a thoughtful film worth watching. I'm glad that Martha shared it with me.

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http://www.gordon.edu/article.cfm?iArticleID=898
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Written Sunday 15 May 2016

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Saturday, May 7, 2016

Scooter Crash!

I was working at my computer this morning when I heard sirens outside. This is not unusual because the street I live on is a main route for emergency vehicles. I paused to listen to hear if they stopped nearby. (When I first moved in, the fire department showed up at my building for a gas leak without the building fire alarm being activated).

When it sounded like the sirens stopped nearby, I jumped up and threw on some clothes and dashed outside. I looked north and could see some sort of vehicular accident. As I got closer, I saw a motor scooter on the ground in the middle of the street. The EMTs were feverishly working on a tatoo'd man-it didn't look promising so I said a prayer. I didn't take any pictures of the victim lying in the street.

View looking north from my building. The scooter is down just
in front of the fire engine. The SUV at left was involved in the
accident but did not seem to suffer any damage-however, for
some reason it was trucked away.


The scooter was heading North when the driver reportedly
lost control and crashed.

After the ambulance left, the police spent hours documenting the scene. The accident occurred near noon and the street was closed until 5 p.m. Even though the accident occurred several lots away, the police would not let anyone enter the area to access our parking lot. Consequently, we did not have mail delivered today. That was something of a disappointment as I was expecting a package.

After the police left, I went for a walk. You can see the markings on the road related to the accident scene.

The white markings show where crash debris was located. Sand was laid down
to soak up gasoline and oil from the scooter.

The "H" marks where a helmet was found. It is not clear
if the operator was wearing the helmet or if  it merely
fell off the scooter during the crash.

Looking south on Main Street.

Postscript: I was surprised to read in the papers the next day that the scooter operator was still alive. Since those initial reports, there have not been any updates, so I don't know how the injured man is doing. The reports stated life threatening injuries.

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Written Saturday May 21, 2016.

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