Trapped by the Mormons, a 1922 anti-Mormon/exploitation film now better appreciated for its unintentional campiness, is now available on DVD. Grapevine Video and Hale Video are selling the film accompanied by a new organ score and some interesting featurettes. (Aside: check out Grapevine’s collection of restored silent and other early films!)

The extra features include a documentary about the scoring of the film (and the Wurlitzer theater organ’s renovation); a discussion with Deseret Morning News and Salt Lake Tribune film critics about the history of the film; a full-length commentary by film historian James D’Arc; Thomas Edison’s 1905 short film, A Trip to Salt Lake City, also with new organ score; and the novel text for Winifred Graham’s The Love Story of a Mormon, the 1911 Mills & Boon novel from which Trapped was adapted.

So, what’s all the fuss about? | …continue reading Eek! Trapped … by the Mormons!

With the plumbing finally, really complete, The Gimlet’s thoughts have turned towards remodeling the basement. Our plans include the following:

• Update the electrical system and add lighting where needed
• Stabilize the staircase, and make the bottom “drop-off” step safer
• Create separate laundry and work shop rooms
• Insulate, drywall, and either carpet or tile rooms, depending on their function

Anything else? Yes, I’m still hoping for a dream reef tank, but all in good time. Patience, little pseudochromis.

Earlier this week, The Gimlet removed the old water heater pipes that had been bolted to the staircase and other pipes that would interfere with the drywall. Two of the galvanized pipes broke off in his hand, indicating that he didn’t finish the plumbing a moment too soon.

Follow our progress in the Gallery, where a new album now shows the basement in its “Before” status. Another new album documents The Gimlet’s one-man home makeover, as he renovated the main floor in the course of one month (February 2005).

It’s been a busy year for Finland. First Lordi wins the Eurovision contest, and now this tidbit from BBC News:

Like the boy at the party with cheese straws stuck up his nose, [Finland] has been caught doing something vaguely disturbing - indulging a penchant for Latin.

Finland is keen to breathe new life into Latin, with the language being used for radio broadcasts and even Elvis impersonators.

Read the full article by Jonny Dymond and listen to a Finnish professor singing Elvis songs in Latin. And if your grammar is a little rusty, here’s a review of the third declension. Classical studies is never dull!

Thanks to Eric and Linda for the link!

After returning from one of my business trips, your usual narrator mentioned (at midnight) that there was a lot of water in front of the house just under the front hose-bib. Assuming I must have not installed the front hose-bib correctly I figured this problem would be easily corrected in the morning and elected to sleep.

In the morning I looked over the problem and used my nifty Manabloc to shut off the water to the front hose bib to let the water drain. In the evening I again looked at the front of the house and noted that there seemed to be more water than there had been in the morning. I then ran to the water meter which was a blur, spinning as fast as it could go. At this moment all of the clues we had noticed over the last week came together. | …continue reading Plumbing, epilogue: Retrench!

A beach at low tide is an open invitation to indulge one’s inner Maturin. And on northwest coast beaches, it’s impossible not to notice the immense tangles of bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), an alga that grows up to 70 feet long. As the ocean tears them loose from rocks, they wash ashore in almost braidlike patterns.

We didn’t see any of our usual anenomes, sea stars, or other tidal creatures (Second Beach has a much better selection of tidepools than Rialto) but we did find a couple of interesting items. It’s been a long time since I saw a jellyfish, and this one was still in very good condition. Don’t touch!

Calling all zoologists (armchair and otherwise) — any guesses as to the original owner of this bone? We think it’s an ischium of some sort. It’s slightly flexible, suggesting that it may have belonged to a juvenile. Click on the picture for a better look, and be patient as the images are large. As with our hobo spider guessing game (lost in June’s server crash), please post your answers in the comments.

The trail to Cape Flattery didn’t have many mushrooms yet, but I think we saw a brown amanita, some angels’ wings (Pleurocybella porrigens), and perhaps a few rosy russulas (Russula rosacea).

To add some variety to our usual beach weekend, we wanted to see Cape Flattery, the furthest northwest point of the contiguous United States. This side trip would also give us the chance to explore some back roads and small towns. After leaving Forks, we drove north 10 miles to the 101-113 junction, then 10 miles along Highway 113 until it joined up with Highway 112. Once 112 enters the town of Clallam Bay, it’s also known as the Cape Flattery Tribal Scenic Byway. The road follows the sharp curves of the coastline northwestward along the Strait of Juan de Fuca through the tiny fishing villages of Clallam Bay and Sekiu, and Canada’s Vancouver Island is easily visible in the not-too-far distance. | …continue reading 48° 22′ 59.23″ N, 124° 42′ 51.88″ W: hic sunt lutrae

As long as I’ve been taking vacations on the coast, we’ve stayed in Forks, a town situated about twenty miles east of the ocean, populated by about 3,000 people and the only traffic signal in 160 miles of highway. It’s not at all touristy, but the citizens are friendly and there are enough motels, restaurants, and shops to make it our favorite base camp for exploring the Olympic Peninsula. (If my description seems terse, attribute it to reluctance to wholly expose a favorite getaway — a mixture of love, pride, and delicacy, if you will.) We shared our motel with several participants in the weekend’s Last Chance Salmon Derby ($1000 prizes for the biggest Coho and Chinook each), who headed out between 3 — 5 am. But the first high tide of the day peaked just before 8 am, so we weren’t in any rush to get up.

We arrived at Rialto Beach at 10:00 am. The parking lot is on the other side of the driftwood line and a short, level walk from the beach. Facilities around the parking lot include restrooms, running water, and a few picnic areas with fire pits. These features help make Rialto one of the most accessible beaches on the peninsula, and especially appealing on a sunny, early fall morning. | …continue reading Ocian in view! O! the joy.

As much as I love living in the city, it’s always a delight to spend time in places where there are more trees than people, the air is clean, and you can see the stars at night. And with the plumbing finished, The Gimlet was willing to make our oft-postponed trip to the northwest coast. We left town mid-afternoon after school. There are two ferry routes from Seattle to the Olympic Peninsula: Bainbridge and Edmonds-Kingston. Leery of downtown traffic, we decided to head north to the Edmonds-Kingston ferry. Traffic was light, the line was surprisingly short for a Friday afternoon, and we were able to board the first available ferry. | …continue reading Driving into the sunset