Out of Town: Shawshank Trail

Loyal readers of this blog will know that I kind of have a thing for visiting movie locations.  Since I live in a town that has been used for numerous movie scenes, and since Pittsburgh has become an increasingly popular place to film movies, often I do not have to go far to visit a cool filming location.  But sometimes, we are willing to travel a bit for something extra cool.

Which is exactly why, a few weeks ago, we traveled to Mansfield, Ohio.  Why there, you ask?  Well, Mansfield provided about 90% of the filming locations for the movie "Shawshank Redemption".  And that happens to be one of my favorite movies.  It is within a few hours' drive for us, so off we set for a weekend adventure.

We got to see several different things throughout the area that were used for shots and scenery.  The "road to Buxton".

The tree where Andy buried the money for Red.

The 'halfway house" where Brooks and Red lived.

But the most exciting part was touring the prison.  So many cool things to see, and facts to learn.  Not everything we saw there was movie related, but we did see quite a few places they filmed, like the Warden's Office, the parole hearing room, and the props used for Andy's escape tunnel.

One of the coolest parts was the room they used (in the prison) as the filming location for the interior of Brooks' and Red's room at the halfway house.

Brooks was here.  So was Red.  And so was I.

View all the photos of our tour of the Shawshank Trail here.

Tiffany Trivia: Closed Captioning Quirk

Everyone has their weird little quirks, things most people probably do not do.  Things that other people probably find weird.  We all have them.  I have many.  But one of my most unusual quirks is that I watch television and movies with the closed captioning or subtitles on.  I *always* watch with the subtitles on.

This quirk started back when I was in high school.  I had a television in my bedroom, and a father who worked rotating shifts.  My bedroom was just down the hall from my parents' room, so when my dad was sleeping, I could not have my television very loud, as it would wake him.  My solution to this was to turn on the closed captioning.  It became such a habit that to not have it on was weird.  It was a habit I carried with me as I grew up, and moved into my own place.  When I met Hubby, I explained my quirk to him, and he quickly adapted.  Now, whenever we watch anything at home, it is automatic that we turn the subtitles or closed captioning on.  It has become second nature.

The ability to watch television and read the captions has become ingrained.  We often catch mistakes in the captions, when what is written does not match what is being spoken.  And this ability to read and watch at the same time has served me well.  In my college French classes, we watched a lot of foreign films, and the subtitles never bothered me a bit.  As a result, I really really love foreign cinema.  Also, going to the opera, and reading the translation while watching the show is a total piece of cake for me.

On the flip side, there are times when my quirk can be problematic.  It is difficult for me to pay attention to movies in the theater, because there are no subtitles.  And last week, I went to a friend's house to watch a movie with her, and I asked her to turn the subtitles on.  I am sure she thought it was a little, well, odd.

Oh well.  We all have our quirks.

35 Day Project: Movie Love

Photo Credit: U.S. National Archives

Who does not love a good movie?  I know that I certainly do.  I fancy myself a bit of a movie buff, but in no way am I at the level of an actual movie aficionado.  I really enjoy a wide variety of films, even foreign films.  I took a few film classes in college, and really have great appreciation for the art of film making.  Script writing, acting, lighting, set direction.  All aspects of movies kind of fascinate me.  I love going to visit filming locations, and I love that several big picture films have been made, not just in Pittsburgh, but our little town of Kittanning as well.

Not only do I love big Hollywood films, I also enjoy small independent films.  When I was living in Pittsburgh, I met a guy who was a local film maker at a screening of one of his short films, and I was really impressed.  He is still making films, and for today's act, I decided to show one of his short films some online love.  It is listed on the IMDB site, so I signed up for an account over there specifically to give his film a well deserved good rating.  Such a simple act, supporting someone who is doing what he loves, but it does make a small difference.

35 Day Project: A Movie on Me

Today's act of kindness required stealth which made it some super sneaky fun!

Hubby and I have plans tonight to spend and evening with some friends of ours, sort of a couples night in.  The guys will play board games, while my friend and I plan on watching Les Miserables.  I offered to get the movie, specifically so I could carry out an act of kindness.  I thought I would just rent the movie from Redbox, and while I was there, I would leave a surprise for the next Redbox user.

I took a dollar (the cost of a Redbox movie), and paper clipped it to an index card.  Then I wrote a little note on the card explaining that the next user should rent a movie on me.  Yes, I know you have to have a credit card to rent a movie, but still, it will cover the cost of their rental.  I also wished the person a great day.

I stopped at a couple of different Redboxes looking for the movie, only to discover that our local Redboxes are not carrying Les Miserables yet, so I ended up buying the movie.  But not before I left my surprise for someone to find!

 

Thankful for... impromptu date nights

It is a holiday long weekend; Hubby and I spent Thursday traveling and visiting my family, yesterday was spent visiting local friends and doing online Christmas shopping.  So today was our day to just relax.  We had no set plans, which of course meant I awoke bright and early.  Since I knew I would not get back to sleep, I took advantage of the time to get some things done around the house, and then surprised Hubby with breakfast.  I attempted to do some shopping after that, and was largely unsuccessful.  When I came home, I made a delicious meal for lunch, took a bubble bath, and took a nice long nap.  Our day of relaxation was going well.

After my nap, we finished our Thanksgiving leftovers, and discussed what we would do tonight.  Before I knew it, Hubby and I had made plans for in impromptu date night at the movies.  Funny how those things happen.  We got ready right after dinner and went to see the last movie in the Twilight series.  We are not huge fans of the movies, but we have seen them all, and at this point we were too invested to not see them through.  The series first started when we were just dating, so of course we had to go.  Again, I am not a huge fan on the movies, though this was the best of the five, and I will say, the movie is beautifully photographed, from the opening titles to the closing credits.

I love that Hubby and I still go on dates.  Sometimes, like tonight, they are traditional date activities (dinner, movies, etc.), and sometimes they are just adventures (long car rides, geocaching, etc.).  I love that no matter what we are doing, we always have fun.  I am so thankful that I met this wonderful man, and finally allowed him into my life after his many months of patient waiting.  I am thankful that every day he is by my side, to make me laugh, to hold my hand, to love me.  I am thankful that he shares my hopes, dreams, goals, and values.  I am thankful that, even after over 4 years together, he still gives me butterflies on date night.

Thankful for... Charlie Brown

Charlie Brown is sort of a holiday staple in our house.  Most people make a tradition of watching the Great Pumpkin special at Halloween, and the Charlie Brown Christmas special.  But one of my favorite's of the Charlie Brown trove is Thanksgiving.

As a kid, Thanksgiving was never a terribly exciting holiday.  The parade always seemed to early, and it seemed to annoy the grown ups who were busy cooking.  Then there was the meal, which was admittedly tasty, but not exactly what a kid would chose.  And then there were endless football games.  Not a whole lot of kid friendly excitement.  There were a few Thanksgiving related kids specials, but the cream of the crop was certainly the Charlie Brown Christmas.

The Charlie Brown holiday specials are still dear to me, and several years ago Hubby bought me the box set.  So, each year, at the appropriate times, we watch the holiday specials.  Since our Light Up Night plans were cancelled last night, we used the opportunity to watch the Thanksgiving special.  I suggested to Hubby that we recreate the Peanuts kids' Thanksgiving feast of toast, pretzels, popcorn, jellybeans, and ice cream sundaes.

Today, we took that silly suggestion and made it a reality.  While I lacked the variety of toasters that Charlie Brown possessed, we made toast in our toaster over.  I did however remain a purist and pop the popcorn in a pan on the stove.  And the ice cream sundaes in the cartoon are pink, which would suggest strawberry ice cream, but I opted for pink peppermint ice cream (which was DELICIOUS)!  We had a minor tragedy when the cat spilled half of the jelly beans all over the floor during the set up phase, but once we got it all on the table, I was pretty proud of our efforts to recreate my favorite Thanksgiving special.

So, today, I am thankful for the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special, and the fact that it inspired us to do something so silly and fun.  Everyone needs to be a kids at heart now and then, and I am so happy that Hubby is willing to be my partner in crime.  (see the rest of my Charlie Brown Thanksgiving photos here)

 

Explorations: Northern Nightmares

Each year, Hubby and I try to do something spooky during October.  In the past we have gone to Phantom Fright Nights at Kennywood. , and last year we went to the Scarehouse.  So we were looking for something new and different to do this year.  Boy howdy, did we find it.

While doing some online searching I located an attraction in Butler County called the Northern Nightmares Tour.  This trolley tour went all over Zelionople and Harmony, pointing out allegedly haunted sites, and telling local ghost tales.  This sounded right up our alley, so, on Saturday afternoon, we headed out.

Since we headed out early, and planned on being gone for a while, we started with dinner at The Harmony Inn.  For any local folks reading, if you have not tried this place I really urge you to go.  We went last winter for lunch, and we were impressed then.  We were doubly impressed with their dinner menu.  Really unique menu items, and the food was delicious.  Plus, the ambiance is really cool.

 The Harmony Inn is a haunted location, and after we ate, the staff let us explore, even allowing us in the attic.  It was really spooky.

After we were done with dinner, we headed off to catch the trolley tour.  It was a nice, small trolley, and was really comfortable.  The spooky tour guide was the executive director of the Strand Theater, and he told us lots of amazing and creepy tales along our 45 minute tour.  I do not want to spoil it for you, since I really hope  my local readers will go next year, but there were some interesting twists along the way.

Our last tour stop was the Strand Theater.  At this point, for most, the tour was over.  But for Hubby and I, we still had a bit of excitement.  You see, that night, the Strand was showing Night of the Living Dead, which many know was filmed locally in Evans City.

 The proceeds went to a group trying to save the Evan's City Cemetary Chapel, which you see in the film.  I love horror films, particularly ones filmed locally, and I have visited the Evan's City Cemetery to revel in the movie nostalgia.  So, we decided to go to the viewing.  Imagine my surprise when we learned the 3 original cast and crew members were there to speak to us.  How exciting.  Russell Streiner (Johnny), his brother Gary Streiner (a sound engineer on the film) and Ella Mae Smith (an Evans City resident who played a zombie).

It was so amazing to be there to hear them speak, and this moment right here made it totally worth it:

The theater has been restored beautifully, and we loved seeing the movie on the big screen. We got to sit in the balcony, which in and of itself was a really cool experience. Finally, we were ready to head out, but we had one last thing to do.  Out admission also gave us a free raffle ticket for a raffle of some movie posters.  Guess who won a poster?  Hubby!

All in all, the had a magically spooky night, one I am not likely to forget for a long time.

Notice two of the pictures are full of fuzzy orbs.  As much as I would love to say this was spectral evidence, it was merely fog and mist.  For more pics, go here.

Movies in the Park

We are so fortunately to live within a short distance of Riverfront Park in Kittanning.  I love this park, it was the original location for our wedding before we got rained out.  I have gone to the park several times, but I know we should take more advantage of the park itself, as well as the many wonderful events held there.  Last night, we did just that.

We had toyed with the idea of going to one of the movies in the park last summer and never got around to it.  Last night, we were coming home from dinner, and I saw the screen set up as we crossed the bridge.  There were still plenty of seats left, even though the movie would be starting in 20 minutes.  We made a decision to run home, grab the doggies, and head on down.  We decided to drive, because that walk is a little too far for dogs with short stubby dachshund legs.

We got there just as the movie was starting.  It was the perfect night for an outdoor movie.  Not to warm, not too cool, and not even the tiniest chance of rain.

The movie was Despicable Me.  I knew nothing about the movie, but I have to say, Hubby and I both loved it.  We laughed a lot, and there were sweet sappy moments as well.  It was a wonderful family friendly movie.

I was terribly impressed with how well my dogs behaved.  They never fussed, and were more than happy to hand out free kisses to anyone who wanted them.  We even shared a box of popcorn with them.

It was such a lovely night, and there was a great turnout. It was beautiful to watch dusk envelop our small town, and to see the community enjoying the beautiful night together. It is moments like these for which I am eternally grateful.

May your days be merry, and bright...

Hands down, my absolute favorite Christmas movie is the 1954 classic White Christmas.  Heck, it is pretty much my favorite movie regardless of genre.  I can remember many a sweltering July day as a youngster where I would be inside watching our VHS tape of the movie.  I had the entire movie pretty much memorized by the time I was 8, and I still know all the words to almost all of the songs.  In fact, over Thanksgiving weekend, my brother and I broke into the "Sisters" song.




 Based on this movie, as a little girl I desperately wanted to marry a man just like Bing Crosby.

By the time I was in high school, my love for old movies had really grown, and I learned that the precursor to White Christmas was the movie Holiday Inn, for which the song White Christmas was written.  I love that movie as well, and much of the music and themes carry over to White Christmas, sometimes in very subtle ways.  But White Christmas will always be my favorite.  It had now been made into a stage show, which I want to see almost as badly as I want to see the Nutcracker.  Actually, probably more, now that I think of it.

Despite my recent bursts of holiday spirit, I have been less than motivated about putting up our Christmas tree this year.  In part I am concerned how our dog will react, in part I like the house as it is, and in part I do not want the hassle.  So, tonight, to whip my butt into more festive shape, I am watching White Christmas, which Hubby got me for Christmas last year on DVD.

So, my hope is, by the time this weekend is over, the tree will be up, I will be in full holiday mode, and we will have watched White Christmas at least two more times.  The only thing that would make me happier would be an actual white Christmas.

In the mean time, I will settle for this...

Explorations: Evans City Cemetery

As I have mentioned in the past, I have an affinity for visiting movie filming locations, particularly if they were horror films.  For some time, I have been dying, no pun intended, to visit the Evans City Cemetery, where the opening scenes of the original Night of the Living Dead were filmed.  On Saturday, I finally got my chance.  It was as amazing as I expected.

We drove up the winding road, and the anticipation built.

We got up to the cemetery, and the creepy building was there in all its gothic glory.  It literally looked as if zombies would burst through the boarded up windows.

I could not resist the opportunity for a photo.

It was a perfect day for skulking through a cemetery.  The ambiance was very creepy!

Here is the grave that Barbara cowers by in the movie.  It took us a few minutes to find it, but we finally did.  And again, I posed.

What do you think, do I give Barbara a run for her money?

 

Here is my attempts at recreating her running.

Here are a couple more pictures we took on our way out.  It was an incredible experience.  I know there are other parts of Evans City that were used for the filming, but the sun was almost setting, and I could swear I heard someone say "They're coming to get you Tiffany".  So, we called it a day.

Uh oh, looks like I stayed a little too long...

Team Hubby

Sigh. I have been debating whether or not I should write this since I left the theater last night. I know I run the risk of invoking the wrath of millions of teenage girls and housewives everywhere. Let me start by saying, I do not hate Twilight. I am not anti-Twilight. I simply do not get it.

Last night, I convinced Hubby to go see Eclipse.  Midway through the movie, I had a lengthy text conversation with a friend who was having a mini crisis about wedding planning.  I was not being rude, as I was in the back, and the theater was almost empty.  Also, I was bored out of my mind.  

I really tried to like the whole Twilight phenomenon.  I really really did.  I read the first book, and it was ok, good enough to get me to read the second.  I stopped after the second one.  I just could not get into all that angst and brooding.  Then we went to saw the first movie.  Again, just not that into it, but still, we watched New Moon.  And we actually sort of liked it.  Enough that I could convince Hubby to go to a late showing of Eclipse last night.  But we both were so bored until about 20 minutes before the movie was over.

I guess I can see the appeal for some women, but for me personally, I just do not get it.  I will never be Team Edward OR Team Jacob.  Because I am Team Hubby.  My Hubby may not sparkle (thank God) and his clothes do not explode off of his body (most of the time) but he is everything that I could ever need or want in to way of love, romance, tenderness, and sex appeal.

Women swoon over Edward, and his pain filled love of Bella.  But Hubby, he is what makes me swoon.  He loves me and supports my choices, and encourages me to grow as a person.  He makes me laugh, he teaches me new things, and he loves me just as I am.  Also, his initial attraction to me had nothing to do with him wanting to suck my blood and kill me, so, bonus points for that.

So all this talk about lions and lambs, well, I am not going to criticize it, or make fun of it.  To each his, or her, own.  What ever makes you happy, I say, enjoy it.

But I could care less whether the lion fell in love with the lamb.  I am more interested in the political nerd falling in love with the book geek.

I am TEAM HUBBY.  All the way.

Glitter Graphics