These are the last photos of 2017, I suppose. It’s nice that they are of such a beautiful place — despite those cold, foreboding gravestone-colored skies this past weekend.
Virginians are a hardy and gracious lot. And the people of Botetourt define hospitable. My friends there showed me terrific time when we celebrated the holidays.
And check out the second-to-last shot below. Those are the world famous Llamas of Botetourt County.
Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that 2018 brings health and happiness to you and all who you love.
Regarding the song — the various interpretations of its lyrics make for some pretty interesting reading. They range from an allegory to the Book of Revelations to the story of a man contemplating suicide after the death of his lover. My own favorite is that it is a description of Russia’s Eastern Front during World War II, told from the point of view of a soldier in the Red Army. (As strange as that sounds, it appears remarkably well supported in the song’s lyrics. Google it.) I’ve read that the boy on its cover is actually a Russian guerrilla in a Soviet propaganda film.
A buddy of mine made the cake on the right for a Christmas party. (At left was his Pinterest inspiration; it was supposed to be a tie-dyed yule log cake.) He is actually a truly superb cook and baker, but here he finally created something that I can embarrass him with.
I opined that it looked like a rainbow submarine melted by nuclear radiation; others drew more … lewd comparisons. Today I think it most resembles John Carpenter’s “The Thing” after devouring and assimilating the Smurf Village. (And how’s that for a double 80’s reference?)
Look … I’m the first one to admit that I myself can’t find my way around a kitchen. Just now, as I am writing this, I almost put “Sweet Onion (Sea Salt Blend)” on my sausage and eggs, because at first I thought it was regular salt.
DC Comics.
Hey, gang. I hope that you all had a terrific Christmas, and I hope that everyone enjoys a safe and happy New Year’s Eve tonight.
If you’d care to ring in 2018 with a little poetry, here’s where you can find everything I’ve published over the past year:
Date unknown.
The “Wolf Creek” film and TV franchise has all the earmarks of second-rate horror schlock — it’s got a cliched premise, a slightly campy villain, and a redundant story. It just happens to be exceptionally well made, though — I’d rate Season 2 of the television series a 9 out of 10.
I still love the “Wolf Creek” series. Much of the credit should go to John Jarratt, who portrays the plot-driving serial killer. In addition to being physically intimidating, he brings tons of menace and unnerving personality to what would otherwise be a gratingly cartoonish role. He appears to be a superb character actor. His voice and his face are so damned frightening here that I wonder what it would be like to meet him in real life.
Like the two feature films and Season 1 of the show, this six-episode arc also benefits from capable acting, directing and screenwriting, and beautiful cinematography. Series creator Greg McLean once again wisely allows rural Australia to sporadically steal the scene.
With all of that said, I do suspect that the formula here will soon begin wearing thin. I know that there is a “Wolf Creek 3” planned, but I don’t know if it will be a third film or a third TV season. If it’s going to continue to excel, it eventually needs to do something new and different with its story. Only then can it continue to rise so well above its B-movie components.
Dark Horse Comics.
Oil on canvas.
This was one of the really weird holiday specials that Rankin/Bass Productions made after their success with 1964’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Yes, this is the one with dinosaurs.
And, whaddya know? Frank Gorshin (The Riddler from the 1960’s “Batman”) was in this.
Eric Robert Nolan, Author 