New Moon, the Twilight sequel on DVD

My neighbors have their Ski Nautique out on the river, and there's someone in a dry suit in the water behind the boat, attempting to stand up on a slalom ski today, March 31. I'm not sure why he's not on a pair of combos, but sometimes that's just a man thing. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, he's up and out. It's breezy but approaching 70 degrees, so folks are coming out to play.

Unfortunately, though, my soon-to-be teenage daughter is ill and home from school. It's a day to rent a DVD and let her watch a movie on the couch.

After reading the books, it's time to experience the phenomenon of the Twilight series adapted to screen. Today it will be the second installment, New Moon. The young lady read the book first, and then I followed - I thought I needed to know what my daughter was reading. I've now read the first three books - I'm not sure when I'll read the last one written.

It's easy to feel protective about a sick child. There's something about that pale look, the extreme quietness, her not attempting to contact friends, etc. With the puffy lips and hair laid back across the couch, she looks like the vampires have found her.

I have trouble always staying in the movie, although I am fascinated by Robert Patteson - his acting sets the tone for the whole franchise. The mood is always carefully set - I'm realizing that no one talks as softly as these characters, and I'm reminded of the old adage "if you want someone to listen, lower your voice."

There's a mix of romantic recitation of love poetry meets action hero, and "Matrix"-type stop-action stunts for the pre-teen audience. Where did they get these fairy-tale, perfect looking people? I'm thinking artfully-framed shots, soap-operatic drama, and bad long wig on actor Taylor Lautner.

There are so many teenage issues here told in a new venue - like these teen werewolves' hormones and transformations - some kind of conventionally expressible analogy for puberty? Cliques, clans, rivalry, jealousy, trash-talking, awkward conversations and secrets from parents, - this deals with the gambit. Yet the movie just takes itself too seriously.

What do I like? The scenery from the Pacific Northwest. Remember Twin Peaks? The music? It's so seductive. What else? The detail on the giant wolves. The hair, the eyes - great high definition animation. The idea of how just being young, and near the opposite sex, can be distracting and can drive you crazy.

What don't I like? Romanticization of female risk-taking behavior to get the attention of men. A forgiveness of the perpetration of domestic abuse that smacks of co-dependency (werewolf clan leader's mate).

Some of it may be a little edgy for young children - I was uncomfortable with the nice chaste kiss of the naked dude by the girl in the marbled hall in Tuscany - or maybe it was just kind of a porn for women - or for teenage women? A lot about this tale confuses me, so bear with me. There certainly are lots of nude male ab six-packs in this show, so I suppose I'm expected to be grateful.

There was a line in this movie I really liked - it was, "I was born this way - I can't help it. I'm just not the right kind of monster for you," said the teen werewolf to the heroine next door. That just somehow sums up teen angst in general. I'm not sure I'm done talking about this story, and whether it's worth it. Stayed tuned for more "vampire" news soon.

Marshalls

Sometimes you just need a go-to store, where you know where to find certain things without having to wander around. I find this is a good thing if you don't have a lot of time to waste looking around in a big store or the mall. The kids love to shop for themselves, but they tend to get distracted from what the purpose of the trip is, and want to buy things they see impulsively.

Marshalls is a useful store for me because I can find things, like shoes and kids clothes, at good prices and I can have fun browsing through unique items while I'm at it. The have some great marked-down designer things and gift items that make it easy if you have to pick up things for the whole family.

On the trip today I bought a Liz Claiborne scarf in a cool spring color, an orangy-pink with a bit of a clover patttern, which I can throw over my Easter ensemble to make it new for this year. I'm going with a classic, starchy white shirt and a swingy, colorfully patterned skirt, and the scarf will give it an additional punch of color and look bright and warm against my face and skin tones.

I'm all for accessories. An outfit looks much more pulled together with a sharp pair of shoes, a great handbag, some interesting jewelry or a flowing scarf. All the Europeans on any flight are wearing scarves -it's an easy and stylish way to quickly regulate your temperature. It's also a way to get mileage out of an old garment in a new way - just don't overdo it, or you'll end up looking like a character in "Legally Blonde."

Rather than spending hours with my daughter at the mall this time, I've found a couple pairs of jeans for her that she can try on at home - one is a dark skinny by bullhead, a hot-enough brand that they had to marker over the label name to undercut the price. The other jean is paperdenim&cloth, with the original manufacturer's label listing these jeans at $68 - ridiculous. They're going for $13 at Marshalls.

I like this store because they have an interesting variety of things that change - home decor and bath items, gourmet snacks and coffees, books and DVDs - if you need stocking stuffers, Easter basket items, party gift bag items, etc., you can usually find something here.

Of couse, you have to deal with the solicitation to apply for a credit card with them, and that's getting old at all the stores. Still, this location is an easy in and out at Chapel Ridge Plaza, off of Maysville Road at I-469. I find myself becoming a repeat customer to this particular store.

Magnolia trees

The spring buds for the magnolias are on the trees through the winter, the sizable casings housing the magnificent flowers to be. Sometimes my neighbors will comment on this, but those buds hang in there unless there's a terrible late ice storm. It is still too early for the trees to bloom - It is March 23, and even after a warm snap last week, it will still be below freezing at night.





Walking is good now on a day that isn't too windy or rainy - Grabill has a town park just a couple blocks north of the railroad tracks on the west side of the tracks and Grabill Road. First you will see ball fields and parking, and basketball goals. A concrete trail runs west past the kids' play equipment (if you have kids along they'll have to check out the impressive, multi-car wooden play train). You can't tell but the even concrete path leads to a prairie garden walking trail with native plants and of course, tall prairie grass. It becomes a circular path that loops back on to itself. You'll find benches here and there if you want to take a break. Not many people know about this park - it's very quiet and backs up to some farm lands and a neighborhood before it heads out to a more secluded promenade. It's also smooth enough for a bike ride or roller blades if you arrived with those. Read the signs to learn about the native plants landscaped here.

But back to the magnolias. In a few weeks, you'll see them in parks around Fort Wayne, and in yards, as well as dogwood trees, flowering crabapples and lots of other blooming plants. But last year, I had an odd thing happen. I have a video of it, so I can prove it. I looked out my window one spring day, and a young man had parked his car near my yard and was scooping up armfuls of fallen magnolia petals, and was putting them in bags, and putting the bags in his car. He returned again to my yard, and although quite surprised, I gathered my wits and asked him what he was doing.

Seeming somewhat defensive and guarded about being asked, he said it was for his art class. I have no idea who he was. He hurried along, and I went back in my house - it was odd. The multitude of petals, the young man's haste in making off with them - and the petals don't really dry well, as far as I know - they seem fairly fragile. As I was saying, the magnolias are not yet out but when they are, I'll be watching for people in my yard - petal poachers. And I wonder if the mysterious young student really did make any art out of it. Interesting.

Bicentennial Woods

One of my favorite walks in northern Allen County are the trails of Bicentennial Woods, bought and donated in honor of Fort Wayne's bicentennial in 1994. The eighty acres feature tall trees, some over 200 years old, and hilly trails. Willow creek, a lively contributary to the Cedar Creek, winds through it gracefully.

It's not hard to find this lovely park - just take Coldwater Road north out of Fort Wayne. It's a scenic drive past neighborhoods and horse stables. You will turn west on Shoaff Road - 700E. Half a mile or so, you'll find the park on the south side.

The trees are wonderful - towering, magnificent. There are shagbark hickories, oaks, and gorgeous maples. Grants were made possible by the Indiana Heritage Trust program, the Indiana Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, and private donations. It's fabulous it's here and available for all of us to share. Choose your own path - walk to the far edges of the park, or do a smaller loop. Cross lovely footbridges and stairs. Groups have done a nice job making the more difficult trail areas user friendly.

I think it's a great woods for all levels - serious naturalists and fun-seekers alike. Senior citizens and families with kids will find the woods garden-like and visually pleasing. There are huge downed trees to explore - kids love to climb and tightrope-walk along the top of these. It helps make the enormous size of these trees more accessible.

Hawks circle overhead, and one can hear woodpeckers and other birds in the background. It's muddy in March, but not bad unless its been raining. The wildflowers are not yet out; it's only March 11. Ancient vines wind through the forest floor and up into the lower branches.

Take a picnic, take your camera, take your trash out when you leave. Soon I'll write about nature walks very near here - the Acres Land Trust on Chapman Road and the Vandolah Nature Preserve. Peace be with you, brother.

The road to Defiance

If you want to have all your will in focus, you must not be thinking about yourself...you must be living in your eye on that bird. Every achievement is a bird on the wing. -Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

The Great Black Swamp was a huge, glacially-formed wetland stretching from far northeastern Indiana into a good bit of northwestern Ohio. It wasn't drained until the late 1800's, and is now primarily farmland. Being one of the last areas of the country to be settled, perhaps -I don't know why exactly, but there's not much out there.

Traveling to Defiance Ohio, there are beautiful old railroad tresses and narrow bridges under tracks in the town - a throw back to a railroad area. According to www.ask.com, Defiance got its name from General "Mad"Anthony Wayne, who was so proud of his moat and 8-foot thick fort walls he defied the English to overcome it.

At the Sherwood School on US 127, the local girls from this barren Midwestern location come out during March Madness to play some serious basketball. In the very first game, the die was cast. Number 35 from Holgate, OH was a tall, lumbering, awkward-looking player, but make no mistake: she knew the game of basketball. These are the teams with one great player the team is centred around - the other players are so inexperienced they are not used to being even touched on the back on the court.

In the first few minutes of the game 35 would take the ball down and our quick players would cover her, and she would immediately draw a foul - the slightest brush against this big girl was a foul. Then she showed herself to be the Yo Min of Ohio that she was - her first two free throws went in swish, swish, and then then next time she got the ball, she didn't drive in, she pulled back for a three pointer. And it went in, swish. And then in two more plays, she drew the foul again. And again swish, swish with the free throws. I yelled from the stands, "don't touch number 35!" and then I actually saw eye contact, and a smile, between the player and the official.

OK, Ohio wants to win the tournament they put on, and we've come the farthest, from the big scary urban area of the Fort. What's wonderful here is to see the love of the game, and how hard these girls play, and to watch a good player get in the zone. The girls from towns with names like Napoleon and Antwerp, OH, the parents who scream and fight it out and live for and through their kids - this is something to experience, something magical about basketball.

I won't tell you how the tournament turned out - our girls won more than they lost but had a poor shooting percentage. The Comfort Inn in Defiance OH served well enough - the kids liked the waffle bar and the free hot chocolate in the lobby. East of Chicago pizza was a parent's call, and it was decent - our first carry out choice at home is Marco's. We all brought lots of fruits, vegetables, and sandwich makings for the tournament also. Lots of hydration is important for adults as well as the children on these excursions. Water, Gatorade, whatever. It was fun to follow the sun setting in the West to pilot our way home on the rural county roads.

Universal Studios Orlando

This is the second of my two-part review of the Universal theme parks in Orlando, Florida. Previously I covered the big ride-focused park, Islands of Adventure, and now I'll finish with the movie and entertainment-centered attraction. As I was saying, you have to walk down a long promenade from one of the two theme parks to the other. There's really too much to do to try and hit both parks in one day.

The Universal Studios park has a few really fun attractions - one of them is the Shrek 4-D ride. Get to this ride early for the shortest lines, or buy the extra Express Plus pass at the initial gate, in which you pay something extra to skip the regular lines - I don't usually buy this but I think it has to be worth it.

At the Shrek ride, you will be humiliated by the ride employees - but gently. It's part of the shtick. It's not a coaster, you will be seated in a sort of theatre. This is a must for all fans of the Shrek movies.

If you're with young children, no visit would be complete without A Day in the Park with Barney. Now, Barney gets lots of hard knocks, but I was pleasantly surprised by this show and took home a memory to last a lifetime. Waiting for the show to start, one is entertained by a sort of a puppet show with a gently flowing waterfall off to one side. Right before the show is about to start, the waterfall magically ceases, the water is gone and you walk through the space into a newly-vi sable theater.

You get to sit fairly close to Barney, and it's somehow sweeter than on television, as soap bubbles float through the air around you. Watch out - the seats seem slightly sticky from this. We found our special children's' cares magically floated away, and we all became children again for a moment, where love from a big purple dinosaur made perfect sense.

Another favorite thing of mine on this side is Curious George Goes to Town, an interactive play area that especially kids will love. There are water cannons, hoses, guns, etc. You can shoot into a bucket that will eventually dunk over and soak people beneath it. There is also a huge foam ball area for all ages. Look this one up one the Internet - I think I've seen Ellen's show set up from here. You can see things in the park at www.universalorlando.com.

There are some other good rides and attractions on this side, but I have to leave for an appointment and I want to post this now. If I have something to add I'll do so later. Go out and seize the day!

Universal Orlando

I am what I yam and that's all that I am. -Popeye





Spring break is eagerly anticipated by many people in northeastern Indiana. Some of those folks will gleefully travel to sunny destinations such as Florida at some phase in their lives. One of my favorite places to visit in the Orlando area is the two-park Universal Studios attraction.





Islands of Adventure (bigger rides) is separated by a long walkway from Universal Studios (more movie stuff). This 'City Walk' is laid out with lots of shopping, restaurants and entertainment at night. Unless you have transportation in, be ready for long lines for parking and crowds at times - this is a theme park. There are moving walkways from parking to the theme park entrance.





Be ready to decide if you are buying a two park or one park ticket. Unless you have more than one day, you won't be able to see and do everything in both parks. Personally, I like these parks better than the Disney franchise. It's all worth seeing, and I think it's worth it to come back even several days. Early in the morning is best to find the shortest lines to your favorite rides.

I'm just going to list some of my favorite things at these parks, starting from Island of Adventure port of entry and then walking clockwise around-

Seuss Landing - I love Dr. Seuss and all his colorful characters. I like to walk through here and just take my own photos. The overhead trolley ride here is fun, and so is some simple do-it-yourself stuff, and the carousel.

The Lost Continent -I like the Sindbad the sailor show, and I adore the pearl jewelry sold here. The Pearl Factory has a booth; it's my favorite jewelry store in the park. There are so many gift stores and stands everywhere, it's too much, but this place is unique with its 'open the oyster' display and gorgeous finished pieces. Their stuff comes with quality guarantees.

Dueling Dragons is on the way to Jurassic Park - the dragons are identical roller coasters that almost have a head-on collision. Your feet are suspended in this ride, so flip-flops or sandals are a bad idea. I really like the Pteranadon ride in this area - it's quieter and kite-like.

Next along the path are a couple of river raft rides, and a big open tree house-like playground in the back of the park. If it's hot out, try the river rides. If it's cold, just let the younger kids climb all through this tree land - they'll have a ball on their own and won't get soaking wet.

Then there's Toon Lagoon, featuring all kinds of comic book characters, many of them from the really old days. It's neat to see them there, large and posted, since my kids never were able to see them in the Sunday paper, that was so long ago. I like to just walk through here with a camera and take all kinds of shots with the big captions, photo boards and staged visual ops.

Then there's the Spider-Man 3-D ride, a free-fall, and the big Incredible Hulk Coaster, at the exit or the entrance of the park, depending on the way you chose to pass through. The Hulk is fast and scary, circles you upside-down like a corkscrew and steals your lose change and sunglasses if you forgot about them.

There's so much to talk about, I'm going to save the second theme park for the next blog. Take your own water, sunscreen, a hat, walking shoes, layered clothing, and some kind of personal device such as an mp3-player, gaming system, book, texting phone, or Kindle, etc. for the lines. See you next time.

Salvation Army Family Thrift Store

Peace...comes within the souls of men when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the Universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the Universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere. It is within each of us. -Black Elk

When the weather gets nicer, I'll be able to get outside more and write about some fun things to do in nature, in the open air. There is still snow on the ground, but I see an open channel now near the deep, flowing side of the St. Joseph river. Spring (and soggy ground) is on its way.

I drove my children to a girls' basketball tournament in Hicksville, Ohio this weekend. The towns are tiny near the Indiana-Ohio line - there is a beautiful, old covered bridge in Spencerville, Indiana worth seeing - but not quite as enjoyable to check out in icy weather. Hicksville has a gorgeous school, with blown-up pictures of high school science classes from the late-1800s mounted in the entryway, along with its history, and its prominent citizens. The town itself is light on shopping - the main drag was trying to get things going with an outdoor-barbecue cooker and street music. I saw one grocery store, a McDonald's, and the charming drive-through liquor stores we don't have in Indiana.

I've heard the folks have to drive to Fort Wayne to find a WalMart or a shopping mall, so that's what they do. I wonder how many people try the Salvation Army or Goodwill Stores in Fort Wayne. For some things, it's great to comb these stores. If you're trying to create a Halloween costume, head there. I found the fine, purple wool coat for my Joker costume at a Goodwill, and I've ended up wearing it to church.

The best quality stuff around I've found at the Salvation Army Family Store at 6301 Lima Road, although merchandise changes all the time so if you're serious about finding bargains you might want to make the rounds every week or so. At this store, for $1, I bought a pair of perfectly new high-heeled Calico pumps in an orangy-red suede, as pretty as lipstick. The use of lice spray, an anti-fungal, or washing of items first might not be a bad idea.

I have also found designer jeans in these stores for both men and women. I brought home for my husband a pair of Calvin Klein jeans in an Egyptian cotton - probably the nicest pair of jeans he now owns. Kids' items like snow pants and overalls are good to find here too - stuff they tear up and outgrow and they don't care that much about, you can sometimes pass off to them, no problem.

Another tip for thrift stores if you have the time - check the pockets of pants and coats for surprises. Protect your hands from pointed objects and pin-pricks, though. I've heard from friends who have brought home $5 bills and pieces of jewelry left in discarded items. I don't usually do better than old tubes of Carmex, however. I like these stores because they employ people in need and recycle some of our precious resources - it's getting down to what's real. And there's a real thrill to finding a lovely, even vintage, designer dress that someone outgrew or discarded - you can imagine you're prowling the trendy resale shops on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood.