Michael Williams
Mountain
Content November 2024
November Calender
Collage Inside OWE Arts & Culture Exhibit: Cali Earp by Val-Rae Lindenau
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On the Cover: Michael Williams. Photo by Michael Williams.
Creativity strikes in different ways. Artists see art in objects others may find expendable. Local artist, Michael Williams transforms ordinary Mountain Dew boxes into extraordinary works of art, challenging perceptions about creativity and neurodivergence along the way.
Williams, who serves as the Quality and Compliance Coordinator at the Arc of Southside, discovered his artistic calling through an unexpected source: his collection of Mountain Dew boxes. Rather than discarding these remnants of his favorite beverage, he saw potential where others might have seen trash. “Instead of throwing away my Mountain Dew box collection, I decided to deconstruct the boxes and change them into art that could be hung on the wall,” Williams explained.
His breakthrough piece was a recreation of the “Hat of Discipline” from the cartoon series Ed, Edd n Eddy—a childhood favorite that still resonates with him. The project required
Mountain Dew Masterpieces
Michael Williams
by Paul Seiple
by Michael Williams
his professional life, where he creatively presents data through engaging PowerPoint presentations and charts, making complex information accessible to diverse audiences.
innovative thinking and precise execution, combining poster board, hot glue, and carefully deconstructed Mountain Dew boxes to create a wearable hammer-shaped hat that pays homage to the show while demonstrating Williams’ technical skill.
What makes Williams’ journey particularly compelling is his perspective as an artist with Asperger’s syndrome. While he faces challenges with concentration and environmental sensitivity, he has turned these traits into strengths. “While I do tend to lose focus, I also become fixated on tasks and do not stop until they are completed,” he shared. This dedication is evident not only in his art but in all aspects of his life.
Indeed, Williams’ artistic emergence parallels another remarkable transformation. In 2022, weighing over 250 pounds, he embarked on a fitness journey that has seen him shed nearly 80 pounds through disciplined 5 AM workout sessions. This same determination infuses
At the Arc of Southside, Williams’ analytical and creative sides merge seamlessly. His work involves not just analyzing data but telling stories through visual representations, adapting facility-based regulations to community-based practices. A recent painting activity during Direct Support Professional’s week helped Williams realize that while traditional painting might not be his forte, his true artistic gift lies in construction and building.
Looking ahead, Williams plans to expand his artistic horizons by working with wood and metal. Those tree branches in his yard? He envisions them transformed into Pokémon Mega stone pendants. He’s also building a social media presence under the handle @truebluedew, sharing his experiences with art, fitness, and life with Asperger’s syndrome.
While organizations like the Arc of Southside work to raise awareness about autism and Asperger’s, Williams sees his art serving a different purpose. “Instead, I feel that my creations and accomplishments can showcase the unique skills and abilities of people with autism/Aspergers,” he said. “There are even some skills that people with autism/Aspergers excel at that people without a disability do not.”
To others who might be hesitant to share their talents, Williams offers hard-won wisdom: “Much of my life, I was ridiculed and mocked by other people... I shut down and looked at life as something to be endured.” But after finding success with his Hat of Discipline and receiving enthusiastic responses on social media, his perspective changed dramatically. “Take the first step,” he advised, “and the rest is easy.”
Through his innovative artworks, Williams isn’t just recycling Mountain Dew boxes—he’s reconstructing perceptions about creativity, disability, and the unexpected ways talent can
photo
November
Calendar of Evince
Ongoing
Danville Science Center. Under the Arctic, Go!, Water, Cresent Crossing. Various Dome Shows, Creativity Labs, www.dsc.smv.org.
Ruby B. Archie Public Library Programs - Don’t miss the programs offered at the Library. Adult & Tween Arts & Crafts, The Write Stuff, Treehouse Tuesday, Computers for Beginners, Just Write, Unrequired Reading – Classics Book Club, Artist’s Studio, Youth Dungeons and Dragons, Little Explorers Storytime, Little Learning Lab, Book Babies, Maker Mondays, Code Challengers, Pop Culture Geek Out Hour, Exploring AIChatbots and You, ACEC Information Sessions, The Loop Group, 3D Printing for Adults, Books & Beans Social Hour, Girls Who Code, Books & Brews Social Hour, Ozobot Adventures, Paint Like an Artist, LEGO Brick Engineers. 434.799.5195.
Thru November 22
DMFAH Exhibit. Double Exposure: Photographers Emmet Gowin and Glenn Scarboro. Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History. 434.793.5644.
November 1
AU Cougar Band Fall Pops Concert. Concert full of popular tunes including music from The Lion King, Encanto, Black Adam, Avatar, a band piece with a Dubstep track and more. 7pm. Pritchett Auditorium.
November 2
Miles for Merchants 5K. Chip timed for accurate results, t-shirt for participants, fun and flat course, post race awards, raffles, race snacks and more. 8am. Lynn Street. Shred Out for Hunger. Fundraiser for God’s Storehouse. Bring a donation of at least 10 canned goods to have a box of papers shredded. Donations also accepted. 9am-12pm. 434.793.3663. Holiday Bazaar. Over 25 vendors selling baked goods, crafts, home decor and more. 9am-1pm. Fairveiw Church. Wood and Oil Art Show. 9am-1:30pm. Riverview Baptist Church. Park Ave. Airport Open House. Facility tour, refreshments and free airplane rides for kids ages 8-17. 9am-2pm. Danville Regional Airport. danvilleregionalairport.com.
Car & Bike Show. Event to raise awareness of addiction issue in Danville and to help sponsor through the HOPE Center. Vendors, food & cars/trucks/ bikes. 12-4pm. River Oak Church. Wine in the Vines Festival. Virginia wineries, beer, food trucks, craft vendors and music. 12-5pm. Homeplace Vineyard. 434.432.9463. Christmas Door Hanger Painting Class. 2pm. Main Street Art Collective. 434.602.2017. See ad page 9.
November 2 & 8
Smokestack Cinema. 11/2 - The Addams Family 7:30pm; 11/8 - Saw 7:30pm. Smokestack Theatre Co. 434.549.5445.
November 2 (thru 17)
Beautiful. The Carole King Musical 7:30pm/3pm. Prizery. 434.572.8339.
November 2 (thru 30)
Live Music. 11/2 Blue City Bombers; 11/8 The Shoaldiggers; 11/9 Gina Pulliam & Donnie Fitzgerald; 11/15 Slaughter Avenue; 11/16 Andy Burnett Trio; 11/22 90 Weight; 11/23 WhiteOak Ramblers Bluegrass Band; 11/29 Bradley Steele; 11/30 Liv Sloan & The Die Hards. 7-10pm. 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co. 434.549.2739.
November 3 (thru 24)
Live Music. Hosted by Matt Crowder. Sundays 2-6pm. 2 Witches Winery & Brewing Co. 434.549.2739.
November 4
Beginner Crochet Class. Learn to read a pattern, basic crochet stitches and complete a small project. 6-8pm. River District Artisans.
November 5 (thru 26)
Pittsylvania County Public Libraries Chatham - Bridge, Tot Time, Little U, Art Challenge, After School Games, Friday Paws, Adulting 101 Sessions: Financial Saving Hacks, Take and Make Cricut Craft, Book Review, Shoebox Parade. Mt. HermonDinovember, Mother Goose on the Loose, Preschool Storytime, LEGO Lab, Homeschool Junction, Knitting Group, Teen Tuesday, Book Club, Taylor Swift Craft, Senior Planet: Online Tools for Contacting Your Lawmaker, Books & Bites, Quilters Guild. Brosville - Needles & Such, Storytime, Crafternooners, Bedtime Stories, Make a Bookmark, Maker Space, 3D Class, Skill Games, Beginning Crochet, Table Runner, Pie Slime, Junk Journals, Cricut Fun
November 5 (thru 26)
Let’s Dance. Hustle. Tuesdays, 7:15-8:45pm. Ballou Rec. Center. 434.799.5216.
November 6
Diabetes Support Group. Learn tips and tricks to help better manage diabetes. Topics will vary. 11am-12pm. Ballou Rec Center. 434.799.5216.
November 7 & 12
Legal Aid Workshop. Questions and answers workshop. 11/7 How to File for Divorce, 5:30-6:30pm; 11/12 Tenant Rights, 1-2pm. Ruby B. Archie Public Library Auditorium. 434.799.5195.
November 7 (thru 10)
Tobacco Road Futurity Cutting Horse Show. 8am. Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex. 434.432.8026. www.theodac.com.
November 8
Charity Laps for Victory Junction Virginia International Raceway. Game Night. 6-8pm. Main Street Art Collective. 434.602.2017. See ad page 9.
November 9
Fall Holiday Festival. Vendors, yard sale, bake sale, hot dogs, stew and kid’s corner. 9am-2pm. Central Blvd. Church of God. 434.709.3882 or 434.250.3671.
Big Bird Toy Run. Registration 10am. Kickstands up 1pm. Thunder Road Harley-Davidson.
Bright Leaf Brew Fest. Sample from over 100 different beers, enjoy live music, and eat some delicious food. 11am-5:30pm. Community Market. brightleafbrewfest.com.
DPD Youth Engagement Talent Show. 1pm. 1 Community Way. 434.797.8898 x2.
Succulent Coaster Set Crochet. 1-4pm. Main Street Art Collective. 434.602.2017. See ad page 9.
November 9 (thru Jan. 11)
PAA Exhibits. The Art of the Quilt: ex·per·i·ment and Virginia Foothills Quilters Guild. Piedmont Arts. 276.632.3221.
November 9 (thru Mar. 14)
Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History Events & Classes. See ad page 15.
November 10
A Memory Lane Musical. Piano and vocal selections performed by an ensemble of local gifted talents performing some of the most loved and familiar Broadway songs. Featuring well known organist and pianist Clarissa Knight, accompanied by saxophonist, Darrell McLean. 3pm. The Wednesday Club. 434.548.5263.
November 11
Sips, Sweets, and Sliders Soirée. Gourmet eats, decadent treats, mocktails, door prizes, auctions, live music by The League of Ordinary Gentlemen and DJ entertainment. 6-9pm. Collective Studio.
November 13
Wednesday Club Program. Speaker Eric Pedersen - retired Professor of English, published poet, editor, and author of two books. 3:15pm. Wednesday Club. 434.792.7921.
November 15
Fall Festival Fundraiser. Tickets include a snack, drink, hay ride, family photo, games, and 2 raffle tickets. Also available - baked goods, hot dogs, a silent auction, cake walk, additional games, a bounce house, several raffles, smores, and much more. 4-7pm. Gentleman’s Ridge.
November 16 & 17
Monster Truck Racing League
Experience this adrenaline-fueled show - including some of the biggest names in the business - as they compete in nonstop ground-pounding competition. 11/16 - 12:30PM & 7PM; 11/17 - 3PM. Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex. 434.432.8026. www.theodac.com.
November 18
Let’s Make a Scene! Reader’s Theatre Series. Join us, along with Smokestack Theatre Company, to read a role or just read along “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike” by Christopher Durang. Ages 18+. Registration required. Ruby B. Archie Public Library. 434.799.5195.
November 21
Paint Party Fundraiser. Your choice of a 24 inch Barn Quilt Christmas Tree, a 18 inch Snowman Wooden Sled, or a canvas design (Holiday Highlander
or Christmas Reindeer). Register by 11/8. 6:30pm. Homeplace Vineyard. 434.432.9463.
November 22, 23 & 24
Danville Kennel Club Agility Trials 8am-4pm. 434.432.8026. Olde Dominion Agricultural Center.
November 23
MSAC Christmas Open House 9am-5pm. Main Street Art Collective. See ad page 9.
Christmas Market. Support small businesses and find unique gifts from holiday décor to handmade treasures with local vendors, artisans, and creators. 10am-6pm. Collective Studio. Black Friday Gone Wrong - Murder Mystery. Interactive murder mystery where you will play a character, solve clues, and interrogate all of the suspects. You will laugh, talk, and drink. In the end you will decide who committed the crime using your detective skills. Ticket does not include food or alcohol. 6-9pm. Homeplace Vineyard. 434.432.9463.
November 24
SoBo Christmas Open House. Enjoy holiday music, visit the shops and restaurants, see Santa & Mrs. Clause, and enter to win a downtown gift card, 1pm. Downtown South Boston.
November 30
ODAC Christmas Bazaar + VA Grown Farmer’s Market. Shop local vendors selling homemade crafts, baked goods, gifts, and more. 8am. Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex. 434.432.8026. www.theodac.com.
The Holiday Shoppes at Graystone Farm. Shop from a select group of 15 local small businesses, each unique and different, with food trucks. 9am2pm. The Barn at Graystone Farm, Reidsville, NC. Cornhole Tournament. BYOP, singles, blind draw tournament. 12pm. Danville Squire Armory. 434.429.3327.
Upcoming
December
5
Christmas with the Drifters. 7:30pm. Prizery. 434.572.8339.
December 6
Christmas on the Plaza. Carolers, children’s activities, visits with Santa, hot chocolate, cookies, and more. Tree lighting. 5-8pm. Downtown Danville. Luminaria Trail Walk. Celebrate the season with a candlelit stroll along the Riverwalk while encountering various singers and groups along the way, or join along with the roving carolers. 5:30-8pm. 434.857.3384.
December 7
Danville Historical Society Holiday Tour - Beauty Revealed. A showcase of a delightful blend of homes, churches, and businesses, each with their own unique history and charm. 11am-5pm. It’s a Wonderful Life. Live play, telling the story of idealistic George Bailey, featuring an ensemble of local talent. 2:30pm. Smokestack Theatre Company. 434.549.5445.
December 7 & 8
Christmas at the Cinema DSO Concert. Celebrate the season with the Polar Express, Frozen, A Miracle on 34th Street, Holiday Inn (White Christmas) and much more. 12/7, 7:30pm, Bonner Middle School; 12/8, 5pm, The Prizery. dsova.org.
For artist Cali Earp, it was her love of animation that initiated her journey to become an artist. As a child, Cali was fascinated by old-school anime, classic Disney, Marvel comics and the like. She taught herself to draw as she attempted to recreate cartoon and anime characters. She practiced at home and at school, often getting into trouble for drawing while she was meant to be doing schoolwork. But the joy of creating, Cali discovered, was a balm to the social anxiety she suffered from, even as a child. When she drew, she felt calmer, more at peace with herself and the world. “Drawing has always helped me express things when words failed me,” she told us. “I still find a lot of peace in that.”
As Cali’s mother witnessed the development of her daughter’s talents, she began to encourage Cali to take her talent seriously and to begin creating original art rather than copying the work of others.
Even as an adult, Cali still loves anime and classic animation, and she allows the dynamism of those styles to influence her work today. While she still loves drawing the most, she also works in
watercolors, Copic markers, and with a digital art program called Clip Studio Paint.
Cali isn’t much of a planner when it comes to executing her work. “I’d rather just get right to it,” she says. When she gets the urge to create, she’ll turn on some music, gather her supplies, and let her creativity flow. That doesn’t mean she’s not mindful about her creative process, however. “I try to be very expressive with my work. All the artistic choices I make have some meaning to me—for example, I might choose to use very bold line work when drawing a character to help express their personality, or I may choose a certain color because it calls to mind a specific emotion for me.”
For inspiration, Cali pulls from her emotive world, often physically expressing things she feels inside. Other media is often the source of those emotions, things like the books she has read, or movies she has watched, or even a song she has heard that stirs something within in her. She then pours those feelings out in her artwork.
Cali, who works as a middle school art teacher, finds a lot of satisfaction as she works with her students. In turn, those students
inspire her in her own work. “I never cease to be amazed by the energy and creativity I witness each day,” she says. “They drive me to keep creating and trying new things myself.”
Cali believes strongly in the improving influences of art upon a community. “When people spend time with art,” she says, “they develop a keener eye for their surroundings, and I think that can only help people to see how much potential there is to add beauty to our lives, and even to the city we live in.”
As for personal goals, Cali would like to try her hand at writing and illustrating. “As long as I can keep making things that make me happy, I’ll be content.”
To see more of Cali’s work, visit the Instagram account she shares with her sister, Amanda, also an artist, @earpartworks.
Collage Inside OWE Arts
& Culture
Exhibit: Cali Earp
by Val-Rae Lindenau
OWE Arts & Culture exists to highlight the diverse range of talent among Danville’s creative community and to provide opportunities for that community to come together.
photos by Cali Earp
Irecently happened upon a movie on YouTube which I had missed back in the “heyday” of its release, 1967. It’s titled They Came from Beyond Space, and being Britishproduced proves that we are not alone in producing vintage sci-fi schlock (hmm, “We are not alone” was an oft-used phrase in those old movies).
The beginning credits reflected the times of the movie’s filming. It had absorbed the scent of the late 60s in much the manner as an old sofa having absorbed decades of cigarette smoke.
The title, They Came from Beyond Space made me wonder: “What’s beyond SPACE? SOLID?”
The background of the credits began with pictures of galaxies, which then seemingly melted into something resembling globules of different colors floating in a liquid matrix. It seemed like an excellent formula for the making of a good ol’ 1960s-style tie-dyed shirt!
The soundtrack music reminded me more of Henry Mancini’s music for the Pink Panther movies than something composed for the far-out reaches of space (John Denver started saying the expression “far-out” back in the 1960s. He was born in Roswell, New Mexico, but we’ll just let that lie). The first Pink Panther movie was released in 1963.
The movie begins with aliens hitching a ride on meteorites to
earth (the song, “Hitchin’ a Ride” came out in 1969, the same year I graduated from high school).
One of the main protagonists of the film is a lady who comes under the mind control of the aliens. Speaking of mind control, I remember the sight of people playing Pokémon Go making me think they were under the “mind control” of their iPads (Pokémon Go didn’t begin in the 1960s; but if it had, perhaps it would be Pokémon Went by now).
That protagonist lady had one of those “beehive” hairdos like the girls at my high school (East Rowan Senior High) in the midlate 1960s. But they went out of style (the hairdos, not the girls). Nowadays, in the case of “hive abandonment,” it seems the bees are going out of style too.
The male protagonist, Dr. Temple, was in love with Lee Mason, the female protagonist (of course, I’ve never seen a movie in which the male protagonist was in love with one of the “extras,” or vice-versa). But after the lady’s mind was taken over by the aliens, she behaved in an aloof manner towards him (some of the “beehive beauties” back at East Rowan behaved in sort of an aloof manner towards me too, but I don’t think it was due to their minds having been taken over by aliens).
The beginning narration of the 1960s TV show, The Outer Limits stated the show didn’t set out to control the viewer’s mind, only to
They Came from the 1960s
by Mack Williams
“Control the horizontal, control the vertical, etc.” of the TV set.
It apparently didn’t take the aliens long to learn how to drive the 1960s cars! If those same aliens returned now, I bet they would remark on how “devolved” we had become for having abandoned the idea of the “dimmer switch” being in the car floor.
While everybody else was driving around in 1960s vehicles, Dr. Mason drove around in something that looked like the old Grand Prix car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). Every time he went “motoring,” I hummed the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang theme.
Dr. Temple and a colleague fashioned special viewers by which the wearer could tell which person’s mind had been taken over by the aliens (I almost hate to mention it, but these “viewers”
looked almost like the driving goggles from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
To protect their minds from being taken over, the “good guys” wore specially fashioned “head gear,” resembling the inverted salad strainer hanging in my late motherin-law’s kitchen (perhaps she purchased it in the 1960s).
I recognized one of the “brainwashed” characters as the actor Bernard Kay. In that wonderful classic film, Doctor Zhivago (1965), Bernard Kay played one of the Bolshevik leaders (hmm, some brainwashing going on there, too).
At movie’s end, everyone got their minds back and no one was killed, much like on the A-Team, (except for the character Murdoch, who never got his right mind back). Though the A-Team was from the mid 1980s, I think it’s style would have easily fitted it into the 1960s as well.
As the final credits rolled, I felt my mind being “re-released” from the control of the 1960s and returning to the present day.
(Scene: Decades-married Mamie and Solly are in The Dive, an underwater hotel. Mamie is having early morning coffee and reading in the glassed-in lobby. Fish swim around outside. Solly joins her.)
Solly: Good morning, Mamie. Is there tea?
Mamie (sitting): Of course. I just had the weirdest experience. (pointing) Oh, look! There goes an eel!
S: Stay focused. Tea. What happened?
M: I’ll pour. Barstow the proprietor just told me there would be a food truck here later today. He also gave me a compliment.
S: A food truck?
M: Yes. Here’s your tea.
S: How can there be a food truck?
M: More variety for the guests?
S (drinking): No. Food trucks have engines.
M: Can’t drive without engines.
S: Engines heat up.
M: Oh, my! There goes a turtle!
S (sitting): …Geriatric ADD? A little like this conversation. Never mind. They need oxygen to run.
M: Solly, I don’t have attention deficit disorder. We’re all just aging. You are such a linear thinker. They?
Turtles or engines?
S: Stick to the point, I might add. …Get it?
M (wide-eyed): What point?
S: We’re in an underwater hotel. How would Barstow get a food truck down here?
M: The same way we got down here. We swam. Well, we had to dive to get in the airlock. That’s why it’s called The Dive
S (frowning): I’m still hung up on this food truck access problem. (pointing) Is that a flounder?
M: I don’t know. Barstow owns it.
S: The flounder?
M: He showed me a picture on his phone. “Barstow’s Food Truck.” Said that on the side.
S: Did it have a tag line?
M: “We cook it. You eat it.” A good slogan sells the product.
S: What does that slogan even mean?
M (smiling): It means everything is good and trust the chef.
S: You’re such an optimist, Mamie.
M: And I did get that compliment.
S: Tell me.
M: Lookee! A sunfish! And therein lies a problem. I can’t remember
Geriatric A.D.D.
(A
Mamie and Solly Story)
by Linda Lemery
what Barstow said.
S (looking puzzled): That’s a sunfish? Think! Barstow. Compliment.
M: I was sitting here reading and saw a cartoon with a sunfish. That’s how I identified it.
S: You’re always reading.
M (palms-up): So are you.
S: But I don’t swim a suitcase full of books into an underwater hotel airlock.
M: Once I’m caught up on my reading, I won’t have to.
S: When? In what decade? M: I’m not good at limiting my reading options. …The compliment…I know what letter it started with. Was it “furniture?”
S (eyebrows rising): Barstow thought you looked like furniture?
M: Maybe he thought I looked comfortable. Table of comfort. Get it? Or maybe it was “fixture.”
S: Funny. (pointing outside) That’s a big walleye! Barstow called you a lamp?
M (musingly): …Geriatric ADD. You have it, too. How do you know a walleye? You’re not a fisherperson. But you do say I light up a room. Maybe it’s “furnishings?”
S (eyebrows settling): I’ve seen walleye pictures. Furnishings? Did Barstow call you a bookcase?
M: Perhaps it was “feature.” In a good way.
S: A welcoming feature in Barstow’s lobby?
M: Sure. Had a nice conversation with new guests who dripped on the rug.
S (smiling): About the food truck?
M: We wondered if it would be seafood. When we see food, we eat it. See?
S: Hah. How would the food truck get in here?
M (pointing): Maybe it fell off the bridge and sank. Barstow salvaged and fixed it. Is that Lake Trout swimming by?
S: Land’s loss, Dive’s gain. Trout it is. M: They’re my “favorite.”
S: Fish? I’ll bet Barstow recognized that.
M: You’re my “favorite,” too.
S: Feature?
M: …Fish!
S (eyebrows going up): …Fish?
M (pointing): Swimming outside. Big shape!
S (turning): …Fish! …In a school! We’re all learning. …Fancy that. About the author: Linda Lemery, llemery@ gmail.com, welcomes reader comments. Mamie and Solly wish happy holidays to our world in all its spectacular diversity.
THE POET’S CORNER
Why we linger…
by Barry Koplen
photo by Barry Koplen
Linger. Our snow will melt, slick roads will dull like doormats.
Our sun will return bright and vigorous as ever. Our seasonal respite welcomes our desire to embrace for days or weeks; we are time’s distractions, reliable harbingers of spring.
About Barry’s Writing:
I spent years finding my style and improving it. That will always remain a challenge. Language must be pertinent, cohesive, and energetic in order to captivate readers. Simple sentences are just as important as longer complex sentences. A well-functioning vocabulary is essential. So is honesty.
As for poetry, that will always be one of the most challenging of the verbal arts. Poetry writing can humble any writer; knowing that has made me measure myself as a poet by this thought: a poet is only as good as the next poem he or she writes.
Thanks to Eric Chou, an amazing Chinese author (and ‘second’ father to me), I learned the most important lesson about becoming a bona fide writer: writing has to be done every day That has been my golden rule.
Send Barry a note at barry@ evincemagazine.com
You have probably heard about the differences between the Left Bank and the Right Bank of the River Seine in Paris, but this Right Bank vs. Left Bank comparison concerns a different part of France. Recently, I visited a wine shop to purchase a red Bordeaux for a dinner with friends. I found the wines to be divided between the right and left banks. They were then roughly grouped by area, such as the Margaux area on the Left bank and the Pomerol area on the right bank.
This can be intimidating and confusing. Look at a map of the southwestern French Bordeaux region bordering the Atlantic.
You will see the river Gironde entering the area from the northeast then splitting into two rivers (Dordogne and Garonne) before emptying into the Atlantic.
So, what does this have to do with the wine? Terrior (terwar), a French term, describes the land from which the grapes are grown because this gives a wine a unique quality specific to that growing site. As Wine Folly states, “One of the most significant differences between the Left and Right banks is what’s in the soil. The Left Bank has more gravel, and the Right Bank has more clay and limestone.”
Right Bank or Left Bank
It’s
All About the Blend
by Dave Slayton
photo by Dave Slayton
Cabernet Sauvignon has bold black fruit flavors, high levels of tannin and acid, and herbaceous notes. It needs gravel soils to ripen successfully, so we see more Cabernet Sauvignon on the Left Bank. Thus, Left Bank reds tend to have Cabernet Sauvignon as the dominant grape in their blends and are more tannic, age-worthy Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines with aromas of tobacco, leather, and smoke.
Wine Folly says Merlot, with its smooth tannins, full body, and mix of red and black fruit flavors, isn’t nearly as fussy. It can be planted on clay soils and be just fine. You guessed it,
the clay soils on the Right Bank favor the Merlot grape, and those red blends tend to have Merlot as the dominant grape in their blends.
So, there is logic to this seeming confusion. The French are working within the stage Mother Nature set. And as we might have guessed, working with Mother Nature is much better than working in opposition to her. Here’s to Mother Nature.
Cheers!
Movies You Missed from 20 years ago
by Josh Lucia
National Treasure (6/10 Rating)
Released November 19, 2004 Disney+ or For rent/purchase on all major platforms. Genre: Quest, Action, Adventure, Mystery, Thriller PG: Action violence and some scary images 2h 11m
In the early 90s Jon Turtletaub directed 3 Ninjas and Cool Runnings, two films that are not exactly masterpieces, but I loved as a kid. Fast forward to 2004 and at nineteen, National Treasure was not exactly something I got into…because it was made for kids. I wanted to give it a second look twenty years later to see if I felt the same way. I do. It’s not a great movie, and it is nowhere close to being compared to Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Goonies, but I do see the appeal for a younger generation. You simply cannot get caught up in the absurdity of the plot or the improbable success of
the protagonists if you want to enjoy this movie. If you take this for what it is and just turn off your brain, it can be a fun ride through history and mystery. Perchance. Nicolas Cage is doing his best Nicolas Cage, and you cannot help but like it. Sean Bean (Goldeneye, Lord of the Rings, Troy)…well, he is doing his best Sean Bean. Bean there, done that. Jon Voight, Harvey Keitel, and Christopher Plummer are always great, even with a less than great script. I’m sure having Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean, Armageddon, Top Gun: Maverick) producing helps get a few names attached. Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds, Troy) is always lovely to see on screen. Like the rest of the cast, there is not much more to be done with the script. I tried to enjoy the ride most of the time, but I did break out into laughter when Cage and Kruger lean in to blow on the Declaration of Independence to “heat” it up, meant for romantic tension. Silly
stuff. Alas, kids love silly stuff. Many adults love silly stuff. Due to its commercial success, this film would get a sequel three years later, followed by a Disney+ television series in 2022, and a third film has been in pre-production limbo for over fifteen years. Don’t go looking for Indiana Jones or an accurate take on U.S. history. If you like adventures, booby traps, solving ancient riddles, and, most importantly, Nic Cage, grab the kids and give this one a watch.
National Treasure: Edge of History
Also released in November 2004: The Polar Express, Seed of Chucky, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Finding Neverland, SpongeBob SquarePants: The Movie (follow @jlucia85 for these reviews and more)
