A well written account of what U.S. soldiers and especially the Navy Seals went through in Viet Nam. I wasn’t aware of their role in that war. Their elite training obviously contributed to their survival rate, where many other ‘trained’ soldiers weren’t so lucky. It’s completely insane, reading about how they spent hours and even days in waist deep muck and swamp water, waiting to surprise the enemy. They had to endure mosquitos, snakes and even crocodiles, while trying not to be discovered by an enemy who often outnumbered them. The authors do an excellent job in describing the Seals dangerous missions as well as their every day life stationed in a hostile country on the other side of the world.
Cathryn and I left Melaque, Jalisco, Mexico last year in search of a new winter home where it’s sunny and warm every day. We have lots of good memories from the Costalegre but it was time to move on. Our journey took us up the Pacific coast through Puerto Vallarta to Mazatlan. From there we drove another four hours north and took a ferry across to La Paz, on the Baja peninsula.
Looking for our next winter home, we explored Baja California Sur (south), spending three days in each of the towns, San Jose Del Cabo (where we visited Todo Santos), La Paz and Loreto. We really liked La Paz but found it a bit too big, busy and more expensive than we liked. We only spent a short time in Loreto but liked the vibe and decided it would be our next winter nest.
Fast-forward to January this year and we’ve now been in Loreto for about ten days. We like small town Mexico and with about 20,000 inhabitants plus some expats and seasonal tourists, Loreto fits the bill. It’s a very walkable town with no giant resorts, brand name restaurants or fast food chains. The town sits on the Sea of Cortez/Gulf of California, which includes a national marine park with whales, sea lions, dolphins and world class sport fishing.
We opted for an Airbnb for three months. The beautiful 3 bedroom casa offers a sea view and is only a stone’s throw from the beach. The sun shines every day, with temperatures between 60 and 77 degrees fahrenheit – a tad warmer than or weather back home right now. We had a few drops of rain one day but not enough to wet the ground. The Baja is mostly desert so there is no humidity here (yeah).
It’s always a challenge settling in to a new town, when it comes to buying groceries or dining out. There are no Costcos or Walmarts here but my personal shopper has managed to bring home the goods and we’re not going hungry by any means. We’ve also found great seafood at a nearby restaurant and scored the best burrito ever, last night at a little hole-in-the wall place where they cook on a mesquite grill right in the restaurant. The super burrito was the size of my forearm.
Many have described Loreto as a hidden gem, a Mexican location that will no doubt keep growing inpopularity among tourists and snowbirds. Giant cruise ships have recently discovered the town and come in about once a week during high season. But for the most part, we’ve found Loreto to be a pretty sleepy town with no reservations required or lineups to get in anywhere.
The people are friendly and take pride in keeping their town clean – unlike many other places in Mexico. There is plenty of culture, with many historical landmarks that include 300 year old Spanish missions. There are miles of beach that are walkable and easy to access. Prices on everything from accomodation, to food and booze are about 30 percent cheaper than home.
The jury is still out on whether or not we will return to Loreto next year, but so far we are thoroughly enjoying our time here.
Good news Blue Bloods fans! Executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Donnie Wahlberg have teamed up to bring us Boston Blue, a spin-off to carry on the Reagan family tradition. The pilot opens with Sean Reagan as a cop in Boston, who gets injured while running into a working fire. His father, Danny Reagan, visits him in the hospital and inserts himself into the investigation.
Sean is played by a new actor but another Reagan makes an appearance, as well as Danny’s New York partner (look for the love connection). The rest of the cast is new but similar to the Reagan clan, with family members in policing and the DA’s office. It’s hinted from the start that Danny Reagan is in Boston to stay, where he can keep an eye on his son.
The story is filmed on location in Toronto and Boston, and from what I’ve seen, promises to be a continuation of the Blue Bloods legacy. Call is Boston Blue Bloods if you will.
If you’re expecting a movie full of musical action and a cross selection of Springsteen songs to see and hear on the big screen, don’t bother. Wait to stream it. This film is more about how the Boss battled with his demons – an alcoholic father and his own ongoing depression. In my opinion, the back story made the whole movie slow and depressing.
On the upside, Jeremy Allen White gives the performance of his life – not only mimicking Springsteen’s mood and mannerisms but he kick’s ass when singing his songs. His rendition of Born in the USA actually gave me goosebumps. It was the highlight of the movie, for me.
Bruce is a talented songwriter and performer, and even though his unorthodox recording of the Nebraska album wasn’t accepted by record producers, he held fast and demanded the vinyl be released with no media fanfare, tour, or even his picture on the cover.
The flick was a bit deep and dark for me but Cathryn enjoyed it. There should have been more music. She gave it an 8 out of 10. I’m giving it a 6 but a 10 for White’s performance.
This book took me completely by surprise. Not usually a genre I read, I was quickly consumed by the story of a French family who emigrated from France, settled in Montreal, and then helped to establish the cities of Detroit and Windsor. The author’s research is extensive and meticulous, tracing her family’s roots back several generations. The story delves into Canada’s fur trade and French migration south along the St. Lawrence Seaway to the birth of Detroit, in the form of Fort Pontchartrain. The level of survival skills and determination of our pioneering ancestors is nothing short of amazing. Every local history buff should snag a copy of this book.
In this day and age of Elbows Up and buy Canadian, please consider supporting your local authors. There are at least a hundred in Southwestern Ontario that I know of and probably another hundred or so that I don’t. I’ve met several of these writers over the years and am amazed at the talented people that surround us.
Many of us can be found on giant websites or bookstores such as Amazon or Indigo but you can also find certain local authors in your neighbourhood bookstores like Biblioasis, Juniper, Riverbooks and StoryTellers.
We’ve recently added a new bookshelf at StoryTellers, stocked full with various titles from your local authors. It’s just inside the front door so be sure to check it out on your way into the store. Linda, the owner, can tell you about many of our books along with hundreds of other titles from other more famous authors she has in stock.
If you liked Days of Thunder or Top Gun, you’ll love F1-The Movie, starring Brad Pitt. And instead of an all-star ensemble, this action flick brings you the expertise of Joseph Kosinski in the director’s chair, Jerry Bruckheimer as producer and music by Hans Zimmer – yes, the same crew that puts together movies for Tom Cruise.
Actually, the two mega-stars raced go-carts together while filming Interview with a Vampire and they tried to make a racing movie years ago but it never got off the ground. And to top it off, Cruise showed up for the London premiere of Pitt’s F1, reuniting them for the first time in over 20 years.
Sylvester Stallone hoped to make an F1 movie back in 2001, with Driven, but couldn’t crack the secret F1 cult and had to settle on CART Racing. But Kosinski, Bruckheimer and Pitt spent 3 years pitching their idea to F1 racing officials before getting the nod. It’s said they clinched the deal by inviting the top executive to Top Gun Maverick to show the kind of movie they wanted to make.
Producers went so far as to gain actual F1 race footage and offer cameos to real F1 drivers, as well as hiring a champion F1 driver as producer. And Pitt not only practiced driving in a modified F2 car, he drove on some of those same tracks around the world. When interviewed he said he was humbled by the experience and it was one of the highlights of his life.
So, if you’re looking for high octane racing action with an awesome soundtrack, amazing cinematography and a good story, be sure to check out F1 – The Movie on the big screen. It was filmed in iMax.
Cathryn and I both loved the movie and rated it 10 out of 10.
Like no other actor has ever done, Tom Cruise greets viewers at the beginning of the film, saying that he and his crew have created the best cinematic viewing experience possible. He couldn’t be more right. He goes above and beyond with each of his movie’s cinematography, location, soundtrack and stunt work, solely for our enjoyment.
If you’re expecting a ho-hum part two for the latest MI installment, you’d be completely wrong. Buckle up for this one because Cruise takes it up another notch with heart-pounding chase scenes, underwater excitement, and aerial stunts never seen on film before. And the aging actor does many of these crazy stunts himself.
Although the plot is of the typical save the world type, it brilliantly uses flashbacks and even re-introduces characters from long-past MI movie instalments, to intricately weave together Ethan Hunt and his team’s accomplishments over the previous thirty years. Thinking each film had it’s own specific plot, I was blown away how they put it all together in the Final Reckoning.
As usual, the film locations and soundtrack are awesome. It was filmed in iMax and our only regret is not seeing it in an iMax theater. At three hours, the movie is a bit long but the action is almost non-stop, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Granted, Hunt saving the world can go over the top at times but the flick is still very entertaining.
Cathryn and I both rate The Final Reckoning 10 out of 10.
I do like Deaver’s new protagonist, Colter Shaw, but personally think he went into far too much detail with the back story about Shaw’s past. Granted, it’s nice to know how he acquired his skillset but it was a bit more than I really needed to know. Actually, I found it a bit confusing, trying to separate past from present more than once throughout the book.
The story is fresh and interesting, taking us into the gaming industry and giving us an in depth look inside the minds of both vide0 game creators and players.
I stumbled across a TV series called, Tracker, which currently runs two seasons on the Disney channel. Watching the show has given me a new appreciation for Colter Shaw and his ongoing quest to locate missing people.
I haven’t reviewed a Windsor restaurant in a while. There are two reasons for that: first, is Cathryn is such a great cook that we eat most of our meals at home. Secondly, we like ‘good’ food and there are so many local restaurants that simply don’t live up to our expectations. Sure, Cathryn can be a little particular when it comes to food but if you’re paying big money for a meal then it should be good.
We don’t normally give negative reviews unless the food is horrible and you need to be warned. Not every restaurant has experienced chefs in their kitchen and even the best place can have an off night.
I’m currently housebound, recovering from a hip replacement, which put me in a bit of a pickle. It was Cathryn’s birthday and we’d normally go out to one of her favorite restaurants, but my limited mobility forced me to search for a local establishment that could deliver really good food to our front door. She normally shuns food deliveries, believing most of it doesn’t travel well.
So, I called a place we’d always wanted to try but for some reason never got there – the Wildwood Grill.
It is only five minutes from our home so that’s the line I fed the owner when I called to ask if he’d deliver a nice birthday meal for my wife. He agreed to the challenge and I went all out, ordering pan-seared scallops in mushroom sauce, a caesar salad for two, rack of lamb with roasted potato and veggies, and a creme brulee.
Wildwood’s owner showed up at our door right on time. He’d included a bowl of roasted red pepper soup that was included with the lamb (instead of a salad which I ordered separately). We attacked the soup and scallops before they got cold but everything was delivered hot. The soup was amazing. Cathryn usually makes her own caesar dressing but was impressed with Wildwood’s version. The salad was fresh and crisp, with shaved parmesan.
I anxiously waited for the moment of truth, when she put cut one of her lamb chops and took a bite. It was cooked perfectly and she was a happy camper. The accompanying roasted potatoes were very good. I’m not a big fan of creme brulee but Cathryn was tickled pink by the heart-shaped ceramic dish it was delivered in. She said it was one of the best she’s had.
We shared the appies, salad, entree and dessert, and found there was plenty of food. We also had no complaints and easily give the Wildwood Grill a 10 out of 10, are rarity for us. (pictures were taken from their fb page, since we were too busy eating)
The Wildwood Grill is in the plaza on Banwell at Wildwood, off the roundabout, between Tecumseh and the E.C. Row Expressway.
Life Written and Reviewed 