Dune: The Latest Movie in the Saga

The other DrC is a science fiction fan. To that end, a much touted new version of an old-sci-fi movie was released about 6 weeks ago. DrC needed to see that movie, and we did, this afternoon. The movie is "Dune," based on the novels by Frank Herbert. I've never read a Dune novel, but I've seen countless movies, mini-series and spin-offs over the years. To that end, I've become quite familiar with the story. 

We chose to see a Sunday matinee in our local metro-plex. I believe there were less than 5 people in theater 4, where it was being shown. We definitely practiced social distancing. We wore our masks, and I  wore rubber gloves so I could use the hand railing. We felt "safe" (whatever that means nowadays).

After about 10 promos/advertisements/trailers for future movies, Dune finally started. It's a dark story, and  I believe it was filmed through a gray camera lens making the movie even moodier. The story follows the original Dune movie from 1984 quite well. For folks who are not familiar with the Dune saga, don't expect this movie to make sense. It does not. You need background information about the plot line, the characters, and the location. The first time I saw the 1984 Dune, DrC was telling me what each of the events meant in relation to the story. That's the only way I could makes sense of the movie then. This time, I KNOW the story...and it's still vague.

The acting is pretty good but our young hero, who will become a "god" in the future, seems callow and weak for the job. If he has backbone, it was not seen by me, but it was "seen" by the other characters. I kept wondering when our young hero was going to be heroic. I don't think it happened. Given that, how can he become a leader?

Other reviews rave about the wonderful effects and the great music. There are some good effects, but all have been seen before in other movies. At one point, we see folks riding a worm, and I was reminded of Harry Potter riding a dragon...same idea, different critter. The music was loud and seemed to fill in some gaps in the storyline. If there was a "pause in the action" music was "invoked" to fill in the void. I was not impressed. 

All in all, Dune did not impress me. It did not have the magic that made the 1984 version work for me. It has the new whiz-bang graphics and sound, but not much more. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it a 4.

Good News--Bad News

The good news is the walk-thru will be held on Monday, November 1, The close of escrow will be on Thursday, November 4. The bad news....appliances MIGHT be delivered on Friday, November 5. Please note the "might" as this is a guess from the field manager on the project.

On another note, 2 nice additions were made. The pendants over the island have been installed.

...and we have shutters on the front window. 

I was thinking the house needed to be "dressed up" a bit, and then the shutters arrived...they were needed. I like their chocolate brown color too. Keep watching this space for more information/

Update N+2

The new house is making good progress. IF all goes to plan we are supposed to have the final walk-thru on November 1 and escrow will close on November 4. Furniture starts arriving on November 5. There are few things outstanding...and they will need to be addressed.

This is the kitchen area...and there are not any appliances yet. We need a cooktop, ovens, hood, refrigerator and dishwasher. We talked to a project manager today and they are supposed to be arriving soon...the house is not very useable without appliances.

The floors have been stripped of their protective paper, and look beautiful...even better than I remember when I saw them at the design studio back in December of last year.

The second bath seems to be completed. They put on the hardware today so the doors and drawers can be opened with ease. They also touched up all the baseboard which made me happy.

One of our big concerns was the garage. Was it going to be tall enough for our pickup truck. The answer is YES! We drove to the house today and the garage door was open...so we drove in the garage and the truck fit! We have about 2 inches to spare. We breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. We had been worried about that garage forever. Some outside touch up is needed, but the folks have 3 days to do that work. I think this is going to happen!

Update N+1

Soon we will move into the new home. A few more "things" have been done. Progress is fun to watch.

This beautiful backsplash has been installed in the kitchen

The LVP (luxury vinyl plank) flooring has been installed...and the protective paper has been removed. Does that mean things are winding down?

Window coverings were installed on Friday. We opted for wide venetian blinds as the price point was excellent. At first I was reluctant to have blinds, but there are so many decisions to make when building a house, having window coverings "figured out" seemed like a no-brainer. As you can see, we have a beautiful desert view from our back windows. We might move in on November 4...keep your fingers crossed that it will really happen.

North to South

It's that time of year when we move from summer quarters to winter quarters. For the last three decades that means going east to west. Now, that pattern is changing...we're going from chilly north to warmer south. 

While the snow is pretty, it is cold and slippery. It was time to leave our beautiful valley and go south.

As you can tell by the blue skies, it's a lot warmer in the south. Our new home is just about finished. IF all goes to plan, we will take possession in two weeks. Then the hard work of moving (yet again) starts all over again. I have movers scheduled on November 5, 8 and 9. And, we have friends who are going to help us get settled. I'm very thankful for their help!

This is a shot of the great room...kitchen in the back, dining area to the right and living area to the left. When the paper is removed, you will see LVP (luxury vinyl plank flooring), similar to what we had in our house in the west. 

A lot of details are needed, as are appliances. We were told by our neighbor that the window coverings were installed today. Everything takes a bit more time that we thought, but we are pleased with the product so far. Keep watching this space, and I'll tell you more about the progress that is being made. It's starting to get exciting!

Autumn Transition

It will be winter soon...but not before all the leaves fall down. We are experiencing the tail end of the autumn color. There's still some color out there, but every day it becomes less and less. The trees are  getting ready for the snowy time of year

A last gasp of orange

The understory around the aspens is littered with color

Aspens 

And the raking of leaves begins (or not)

... soon the trees will be bare -- waiting for the snows of winter.

Garage and a View

There's been progress on our winter home. 

Walls have been painted, and 

All the kitchen cabinets have been installed, as have electrical receptacles and can lighting

The patio has been paved...and look at the view from the Great Room

The garage door has been installed, sealing the house up at night. 

More to go...appliances, flooring, countertops, landscaping...the list goes on. 

We are loving the progress.

Jeans...Old Jeans

I've been collecting old jeans from friends and I've been making stuff from them. It's been great fun too. So far, I've made purses, placemats, aprons and pillows. Here's a preview

I'm getting ready for Christmas. 

Fall Color

We hear about how beautiful the fall color is in Vermont...well it's wonderful in western Wyoming too. Take a peek...

Look quickly...

As it goes away in a ...

...blink of an eye.