Twelve Films in Three Days – Philadelphia Film Festival

31 Saturday Oct 2015

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures, Family and Friends

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"(T)error", "Anomalisa", "Dheepan", "Ixcanul Volcano", "Mustang", "Our Brand Is Crisis", "RAMS", "Remember", "The Club", "The Lobster", "The Pearl Button", "The White Knights, 24th Philadelphia Film Festival, Dalessandro's, Langiappe, PFF, Philly Cheesesteaks, The Best Philly Cheesesteak

Thanks to the encouragement and planning of long time friends, Ellen and I returned last weekend to Philly for its annual Film Festival. This time, between Thursday evening and late Sunday evening, we saw 12 films.

Many of these films are just now being shown in theaters across the country or will appear over the next six months. Many are subtitled, foreign films, some are documentary or documentary-like, and most are about women, families, or relationships that provided sobering assessments of the world, even though they were captivating films.

Here are brief notes on the 12, along with ratings by both Ellen and myself (five stars generally means an outstanding film, and anything rated below three stars, we clearly did not enjoy). We did not see each others’ ratings until I completed this post, but we did talk about the films with each other and with our friends throughout the weekend.

Yes. You Can Go Home Again.

25 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

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"A Sad Apology", "Home Is Only Two Blocks Away", "Thomas Wolfe Was Wrong", Edsel Ford Fung, Sam Wo's Chinese Restaurant, Thomas Wolfe, Thommie Award, World's Rudest Waiter, You Can't Go Home Again

SamWo2

Careful readers of MillersTime.net, assuming there are one or two, may remember three earlier posts (Thomas Wolfe Was Wrong, Home Is Only Two Blocks Away, and A Sad Apology) about our long time favorite Chinese ‘dive’ (Sam Wo’s) in San Francisco, it’s closing, and the hope that it would reopen or would resurrect itself in some way.

Also, one or two of you might remember that MillersTime ‘won’ the ‘prestigious’ Thommie Award for “outstanding literary work” on my blog” with articles on the topic of whether one could in fact go home again.

Well, I’m delighted to tell you that you can go home again (tho it might be a few blocks away from your previous home). Sam Wo’s has reopened in San Francisco under the same Ho family ownership and chef. Alas, its “world’s rudest waiter” (Edsel Ford Fung) has long since passed away, tho they are still looking for some night time help…

It’s new address is 713 Clay Street (a three minute walk or a 52 second drive from the former location at 813 Washington St.).

SamWo5 While it’s actually been open since Oct. 2 for a preview and a ‘soft’ opening, it had a formal, ribbon cutting re-opening Wednesday, Oct. 21. For all the details about its opening, its new location, its hours, and other such details, see this article:

Sam Wo Restaurant Reopens Among Throngs Of Well-Wishers, Dignitaries

There is also a second article you might want to see if you want more details about the new/old Sam Wo’s:

13 Things to Know About the New Sam Wo

Since I unfortunately do not have any immediate plans to be in SF (tho I would consider a quick round trip flight there if the price was right), I would appreciate any on the spot reports from those of you who are lucky/smart enough to be in the neighborhood or close enough to check it out, (Hint: Sal, G., Tom P., Leslie K., Lance B., Land/Ping W., Larry M., Robin R., etc.)

PS – Maybe there’s hope. When I just told Ellen about this post, she said, “It’s time to go back to San Francisco.”

Now that’s the right attitude for a spouse to have.

Anyone want to join us at the new/old Sam Wo’s?

Maine: Thru Ellen’s Lens

23 Friday Oct 2015

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures, Family and Friends

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Damariscotta Lake, Ellen Miller's Photos, Maine, Marshall Point & Penquid Light House, Midcoast Maine, Nobleboro, Rockport., Round Pound, State Parks of Camden and Portland

Six photos and a link to a slide show by Ellen Miller from a very recent four day trip to Maine.

Most of the photos were taken from the midcoast area, including Damariscotta Lake, Nobleboro, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Marshall Point & Penquid Light House, the state parks of Camden and Portland, Round Pound and Rockport.

Maine.5

Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

21 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

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"Consider the Lobster", Camden, Lobster Rolls, Lobsters, Maine, Natalie's Rstaurant, Red's Eats

Lobster1

Yes.

It is possible to have lobster three times a day.

At every meal.

Plus, a snack in between in case you can’t wait for the next meal.

On a very recent trip to Maine — ostensibly to see some friends, to enjoy the colors of autumn, and to give Ellen another opportunity to take photos — I tested my theory about how much lobster one could eat over a four day period.

Let’s just say our kids’ inheritance has been somewhat diminished as a result.

IMG_0987(5) We had lobster for breakfast (eggs benedictine with lobster), for numerable lunches (not only lobster rolls but also in soups and in salads), and for dinners (most notably a four course lobster tasting menu in Camden at Natalie’s Restaurant that may, by itself, be worth a trip to Maine).

Of course, we had lobster simply boiled, with and without melted butter, and also sauteed, fried, in soups, on toasted rolls, in salads, and with risotto and with pasta. And we had both hard and soft shell lobsters.

It’s been a good year for all who believe lobster is one of the good things in life. The lobstermen have done well for the third year in a row (see The Price of Lobster in Maine), and the price has been reasonable, unless you indulge for three meals a day for four days.*

Sorry kids.

(*There is a story I’ve heard at least twice but haven’t sought to verify — why mess up a good story? — that there was once a time when lobster was so cheap and plentiful that it was served to prisoners every day at every meal, until a law was passed preventing prisons from serving lobster more than three times a week. Oh, to be a prisoner in those days.)

PS – If you missed my earlier post Consider the Lobster, please check it out. Not only will you find a link to one of the best articles I’ve read on lobsters in a long time, I also recount a lobster tradition the Millers share with long time friends.

PPS – For photos from our recent trip to Maine, look for a post, probably tomorrow, Maine Thru Ellen’s Lens.