Tag Archives: #film

Decor

Posted on August 3, 2016 by d4vid

Had a surprisingly tasty venison lasagna at the Hard Antler Bar & Restaurant in Haast. In my head, Gaston kept singing “I use antlers in all of my decorating!”

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Schemes

Posted on August 1, 2016 by d4vid

Rabbie Burns was right, of course.  “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.”  And a-gley my scheme did gang. I had planned to spend a single night in Glenorchy and then burn the next day … Continue reading →

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Edoras

Posted on July 27, 2016 by d4vid

I took a long, long, long side trip deep into the middle of the South Island to Mt. Sunday, a rocky outcropping on which they built the set for Edoras, the capital of Rohan, for The Lord of the Rings. … Continue reading →

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Doom

Posted on July 26, 2016 by d4vid

From the redwoods, I traveled southwest to Lake Taupo. This Māori artwork reminded me of some other things I learned from the Maiti tribe.  The tā moko facial markings were originally scars, not tattoos.  Grooves were carved with three different knives … Continue reading →

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Endor

Posted on July 26, 2016 by d4vid

In 1901, twelve hectares of California redwoods were planted in Whakarewarewa southeast of Rotorua.  Six hectares survived to this day.  Having spent hour after adoring hour wandering the redwood and sequoia groves back in California, I couldn’t help but think of … Continue reading →

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Shire

Posted on July 25, 2016 by d4vid

Yes.  That’s the green door.  Bag End.  Home of Bilbo Baggins. Okay, okay, okay.  I admit I went full-nerd but I toured the set of Hobbiton for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Buses started from a … Continue reading →

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Overlook II

Posted on July 23, 2016 by d4vid

This is the Chateau Tongariro Hotel on the slopes of Mount Ruapehu.It was built in the late 1920s but, in the long years since, it seems to have become haunted by the spirit of The Shining.  Not the haunted Overlook Hotel … Continue reading →

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Disneyland

Posted on May 28, 2016 by d4vid

Shanghai Disneyland officially opened June 16, but — thanks to my coworker Carol’s husband, who has been working on the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride here for years now — Eli, Xiaohan, & I got a chance to visit the … Continue reading →

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Ferry

Posted on May 19, 2016 by d4vid

I flew in to Tianjin for the weekend.  The name literally means “Heaven’s ferry” and it’s the fourth most populous city in China, but a lot of people have only ever heard of it from this line from Ocean’s 13: … Continue reading →

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Solitude

Posted on January 7, 2016 by d4vid

Amazing how all these structures grew out of Superman throwing a crystal in the snow.

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Sofia

Posted on January 6, 2016 by d4vid

Remember our discussion about Angela Lansbury?  Well, here’s St. Sofia’s Cathedral in Harbin.  Clearly heavily indebted to Russian architecture. Not sure how to say “tuppence” in Russian…Tiny, but majestic.  (Feel free to use your favorite dick joke here.)  Apologies for the … Continue reading →

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Terminus X

Posted on January 2, 2016 by d4vid

On Christmas Day, I took Line 9 all the way south to the Songjiang Railway Station. Then I took a thirty minute cab ride back north to a place I’ve heard about for a long time and have long wished … Continue reading →

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Prosper

Posted on December 19, 2015 by d4vid

 Live long and prosper!

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Wheel

Posted on December 18, 2015 by d4vid

 Xiaohan hasn’t seen any of the Star Wars films — which is why she never laughs when I call her “Xiaohan Solo” — so she’s essentially just along for the ride. But we all know who the real third wheel … Continue reading →

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Chinatown

Posted on December 5, 2015 by d4vid

Dujiangyan is known for its historic irrigation system.  (And, yes, I ended up trying to explain the plot of Chinatown in broken Mandarin.)  We toured the river by night.While the neon-bright buildings and bridges had me thinking about Tony & … Continue reading →

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