Saturday, July 31, 2021

Hit The Trifecta Today...



 ...and kept it in the fairways again...for the 3rd week in a row.

May not sound like much, but to a duffer like me that's the difference between an enjoyable round and one where you wonder why you even bothered.

Managed to snag one par...


...and several bogeys along the way, with only one "3 putt" green.



Perfect weather, too...bright sunshine and high 50's when I started, mid 60's when I holed out on 9.



Tempting to unretire my Callaway supersoft golf balls for a round and see if I score a little better with some added distance.


Happy to report we had our pool installed a couple of weeks ago.

Marilyn overseeing the arrival of the Mirage Pools crew

It happened fast, going from this...


...to this...


...over the course of 3 and a half days.

The next week they poured the cement, and it's still a work in progress, but hey...we've got a pool:



And work continues...


...as they finish up the fencing today...


...which gives us a markedly improved view from the lower patio...

before...


...and after


The gas heater line passed inspection and the heater is now working...water temp is a welcoming 86 degrees.




Lately we've been watching "The Last Tycoon"...


...an Amazon series loosely based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's last (unfinished) novel.

Set in the 1930's, it's basically a roman a clef  soap opera revolving around the movie industry, something Fitzgerald had gotten involved in as a screenwriter in an attempt to revive his flagging career.

Kelsey Grammer is outstanding as movie mogul Pat Brady, a thinly disguised Louis B. Mayer.



And his co-star Matt Bomer is excellent as  "the boy wonder" Monroe Stahr, Brady's right hand whiz kid...in real life, Irving Thalberg...


...a legendary movie producer who partnered with Mayer.

Thalberg revolutionized the business of movie making, melding art with popular taste in a way that invariably made money.

Indeed, almost everything he touched turned into a hit, including classics like The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Big Parade, Mutiny On The Bounty, A Night At The Opera, Grand Hotel, and many, many others.

The Last Tycoon's Monroe Stahr / Irving Thalberg aptly illustrates that "boy wonder" talent, demanding the best from his workers and ultimately producing an Oscar winning movie, albeit at enormous personal cost.



And when I say the series is "loosely based" on the novel...


...that's with a capital Loose, because the Amazon series has Pat Brady and Monroe Stahr hobnobbing with Mayer and Thalberg, the real life people they're supposed to represent.

Kind of a Twilight Zone thing I guess...



No matter; the series is actually pretty good in its own right, with great acting, crisp story lines and sharp dialogue.

Plus it has fabulous art deco scenery; very classy and elegant, a true visual treat.

Sadly, the series was dropped after only one season, probably because Bezos in Swahili means "butthead" (no really; look it up).

And you can tell the writers and staff did not expect to be canceled.

How?

By all the cliffhangers they wrote into the last episode...


...which shall now forever be filed under "guess we'll never know, will we?"

Even so, the 9 episodes that do exist are worth a look.

Enjoy.

And don't say I never did nuthin' for ya.


I don't want to rush you or anything, but hey...would you look at the time?



Might just be enough sand left in your hourglass to race through the parting shots department...just remember to keep your hands where we can see them.

Larry mentioned the water levels were up a bit at the lake...



...and also that he  had a visitor...a northern water snake ...thankfully non-poisonous here in Michigan


had an early morning visitor to the bird feeders this week...



...speaking of which, we had 'em lined up and waiting...that's a fowl situation right there



our lonely hibiscus threw a dinner party and invited some friends...that's a joke, son...these are "dinner plate" hibiscus, so throwing a "dinner party" plays on the...ah, forget it..


we've got one opened up in the courtyard, too


the queen of sand mountain taking pics of the install



We're in the homestretch of summer here in Michigan; 2/3rds of our best summer weather is in the rearview now...so what are you waiting for?



later, mcm fans...

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Sunday, July 4, 2021

Happy 4th Of July...

 

...here's to the memory...of what we used to be.

May God restore our constitutional republic through free and fair elections, and bring to justice those who are criminally culpable for their demise.


Saw some kids running and playing recently, and one of them in particular put me in mind of Ryan when he was 7 or 8 years old.

Made me wish all over again I could have a do-over on raising him...there are so many things I would undo / do differently the 2nd time around.

Reminded me of Psalm 86:11



My heart is too easily divided, distracted by the tyranny of the urgent, ignoring the quietly important things of life.


As if we needed more around here...



...someone had babies recently.

There were 8 or 10 of them the first couple of times we saw them, all trailing after Mama hen...don't know what happened to them, because these 2 are the only ones we see left now.


A Threefold Cord...



...is coming along...I've written a couple thousand words, but am mostly researching / taking notes at the moment.

Don't want to rush it, but also need to make progress while the idea and creative motivation are both hot.


Saw this quote from Teddy Roosevelt...



...and thought it was worth sharing:





Ah, ah, ah...where do you think you're going?


The exit is this way...through the parting shots department...


Ryan's Corner



first lilies



more neighborhood fireworks



they are cute



recent visitor



Larry's brother snapped this pic up north



turned my back for a minute…some lawn ornaments are not to be trusted



And that's a wrap on another thrillin' edition of the AMC.

As always we delight in bringing you only the best in non-fattening intellectual pseudo food, ground from the freshest organic woke ideology manure we're able to procure within our admittedly modest means.

Now no complaining...if you wanted something good, why are you here?

later, mcm fans...

* Crass Commercialism Corner *

In the "so convenient you can't stand it" department, you can purchase my books here and on Amazon.com!

Get your paperback books here:



Get your ebooks here: