Stonehenge and Oxford

A few days behind posting anything trip-related here.  WiFi has been a little sketchier than I had anticipated, so I’ll try and get a few things ready for the next bit.

The second day “on tour” was a morning at Stonehenge and an afternoon in Oxford. It’s interesting to see how things like time and timing work out in situations, particuarly if you’ve been there before.  Stonehenge was good, as always.  It’s easy to forget that lighting is a big thing for locations like that. Here’s the closest thing I got to a picture that I really like:

img_0068-1It’s a nice blend of blue and green and grey, all a little muted.  It was a beautiful morning.

After a quick lunch at Stonehenge, we made our way to Oxford, where we had a great walking tour by a recent Oxford student.  We covered most of the places I had a seen before and then some.  We also go to see a small free exhibit that had a copy of a Shakespeare First Folio and one of JRR Tolkien’s Father Christmas Letters (which ended up being the only thing you couldn’t take a picture of.  We didn’t get to spend any quality time in the Eagle & Child, which was unfortunate.  I did get to run in, though, only to find that the back section had been turned in to a fine-drinks bar.  Ah, well.

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Windsor Day

After a day of travel from Honolulu to LAX, from LAX to Detroit, and from Detroit to Heathrow, the group I am with finally made its way to our first major location: Windsor Castle.  We had visited Windsor before, as one of the final locations on our last trip.  I’m not one for much pomp and circumstance, but I’m always a fan of St. George’s church.  What was different this trip was our time in Windsor Great Park, which is the park that allows for shots like the one to the right.  At the end of the long walk is a deer park that many of us walked to, which was quite nice after a day on airplanes.  

Our trip begins in earnest today with stops at Stonehenge and Oxford.  Once again, I’m looking forward to being in the autumn chill and outdoors.  It’s always a bit of a conundrum: do I read the books I brought for the bus or do I get lost while gazing at the scenery?  I finished Robin Sloan’s Sourdough on the flight into Heathrow yesterday.  I’ve got Lewis’s anthology of George MacDonald quotes as well as Adam Roberts’s The Real-Town Murders: A Virtual Future to read.  Plus I’ve got catching up to do with 2 Kings and the Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians.  Beyond that, there are barrows to be climbed and tea to enjoy today at the Eagle & Child.  Maybe some inspiration will be found along the way, too.

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Spilled Laughter, Angels Dancing

Here’s one last cover of a Rich Mullins song by Andrew Peterson on the occasion of the 20th  anniversary of Rich’s untimely death.  It’s classic Rich with just enough Peterson.  Wonderful imagery with truly driving music.

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Out of the Country, Into the Country

These clips from Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz seem appropriate given the trajectory of the next couple of days.

Before the country:

In the country:

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“Hello, Old Friends”

Last week many remembered the 20th anniversary of Rich Mullins’ death.  A few covers of Rich’s hits have been floating around.  Here’s another cover by Andrew Peterson.  This times its the opener of one of Rich’s best albums: volume 2 of The World As Best As I Remember It: “Hello, Old Friends.”

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Returning to Area X for the First Time

One of the most interesting sci-fi-fi reads for me over the last few years was Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation.  It’s the first in the “Southern Reach” trilogy, a trio of books released one every six months for a year.  The story is cerebral and yet enthralling, which makes the prospect of a movie adaptation both daunting and haunting.  They just released a trailer for the adaptation of the first novel.  Quite the cast.  And the visuals are great.

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Far from the Maze

This past weekend at camp I had a good conversation with a co-worker about the state of movies, particularly those of the dystopian/teenage kind.  I had such high hopes for The Hunger Games, even though I left most of those movies frustrated by the complicit nature of each character’s journey.  The fourth and final movie was such a dud to me (and not having read the books, I didn’t know how it would end).  The same is true for The Maze Runner series.  I really enjoyed the simplicity of the first movie.  And while the second movie wasn’t stellar, it was enough to get me interested in seeing how it all ends.  Now, after quite the break, we’re finally going to see how it all ends in The Death Cure.  Horrible name for a movie, I think, but beggars can’t be choosers.  Here’s the just-released first trailer for the early-2018 release.

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Macbeth by way of McDonald’s

Just back from a weekend at camp.  Catching up on a season six episode of 30 Rock led me to this gem, which I had no recollection of when the season originally aired.

Fassbender’s Macbeth has nothing on Mayor McCheese.

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Return to the Good Place

Somehow I missed the announcement that the second season of NBC’s The Good Place was premiering tonight.  Here’s a quick “look” at the new season, which picks up from season one in a way that makes everything just new enough, it seems.

Season one spent a lot of time being both fascinating (“I can’t believe they did that!”) and challenging (“they just mentioned some legitimate ethical philosophers!”).  This season looks to be more like a version of Lewis’s Screwtape Letters . . . just with lots more tech.  As one of the few all-new shows that stuck with me last year, I’m hopeful that this show won’t experience any sophomore slump.

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Loves You Most, Knows You Best

Today marks the twentieth year since the tragic death of Rich Mullins.  Andrew Peterson recently did a long interview with Andy Greer for CCM Magazine in which the musician reflected on the significance of Mullins for his life of faith.  It’s a great interview, with a number of great moments that capture something significant (and seemingly missing) about the life of faith in contemporary music and practice.  Well worth watching the whole thing.

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