America's Most Inspiring Movies

At this time of year, it might be nice to see an inspiring movie.  The American Film Institute in 2006 came out with the top 100 most inspiring movies.  (100 Years...100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies.)  Some people like romances, some like dramas.  Turns out, I like inspirational films.  Of these 100, I have seen 98 of them.  I need to see the other two so I can say that I have seen them all! (Braveheart and Places In the Heart, the only two I have not seen.)

How many of them have you seen?  And it won't take you long to read through this list.  I can't believe the Chariots of Fire is at #100!  I would have it in the top 10 at least!  Now, if you have not seen hardly any of this movies, then do yourself a favor and seek them out and watch them.  You will thank me, I promise. 

And this is not Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With The Wind in the photo, it is just me on top of Arabia Mountain!  Duh, duh, duh, duh... that's the music in case you don't remember! (And you know of course, that Vivian Leigh was from England and playing a girl from Georgia, right?)

 

#	Movies	Year
1	It's a Wonderful Life	1946
2	To Kill a Mockingbird	1962
3	Schindler's List	1993
4	Rocky	1976
5	Mr. Smith Goes to Washington	1939
6	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	1982
7	The Grapes of Wrath	1940
8	Breaking Away	1979
9	Miracle on 34th Street	1947
10	Saving Private Ryan	1998
11	The Best Years of Our Lives	1946
12	Apollo 13	1995
13	Hoosiers	1986
14	The Bridge on the River Kwai	1957
15	The Miracle Worker	1962
16	Norma Rae	1979
17	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	1975
18	The Diary of Anne Frank	1959
19	The Right Stuff	1983
20	Philadelphia	1993
21	In the Heat of the Night	1967
22	The Pride of the Yankees	1942
23	The Shawshank Redemption	1994
24	National Velvet	1944
25	Sullivan's Travels	1941
26	The Wizard of Oz	1939
27	High Noon	1952
28	Field of Dreams	1989
29	Gandhi	1982
30	Lawrence of Arabia	1962
31	Glory	1989
32	Casablanca	1942
33	City Lights	1931
34	All the President's Men	1976
35	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner	1967
36	On the Waterfront	1954
37	Forrest Gump	1994
38	Pinocchio	1940
39	Star Wars	1977
40	Mrs. Miniver	1942
41	The Sound of Music	1965
42	12 Angry Men	1957
43	Gone with the Wind	1939
44	Spartacus	1960
45	On Golden Pond	1981
46	Lilies of the Field	1963
47	2001: A Space Odyssey	1968
48	The African Queen	1951
49	Meet John Doe	1941
50	Seabiscuit	2003
51	The Color Purple	1985
52	Dead Poets Society	1989
53	Shane	1953
54	Rudy	1993
55	The Defiant Ones	1958
56	Ben-Hur	1959
57	Sergeant York	1941
58	Close Encounters of the Third Kind	1977
59	Dances with Wolves	1990
60	The Killing Fields	1984
61	Sounder	1972
62	Braveheart	1995
63	Rain Man	1988
64	The Black Stallion	1979
65	A Raisin in the Sun	1961
66	Silkwood	1983
67	The Day the Earth Stood Still	1951
68	An Officer and a Gentleman	1982
69	The Spirit of St. Louis	1957
70	Coal Miner's Daughter	1980
71	Cool Hand Luke	1967
72	Dark Victory	1939
73	Erin Brockovich	2000
74	Gunga Din	1939
75	The Verdict	1982
76	Birdman of Alcatraz	1962
77	Driving Miss Daisy	1989
78	Thelma & Louise	1991
79	The Ten Commandments	1956
80	Babe	1995
81	Boys Town	1938
82	Fiddler on the Roof	1971
83	Mr. Deeds Goes to Town	1936
84	Serpico	1973
85	What's Love Got to Do with It	1993
86	Stand and Deliver	1988
87	Working Girl	1988
88	Yankee Doodle Dandy	1942
89	Harold and Maude	1971
90	Hotel Rwanda	2004
91	The Paper Chase	1973
92	Fame	1980
93	A Beautiful Mind	2001
94	Captains Courageous	1937
95	Places in the Heart	1984
96	Searching for Bobby Fischer	1993
97	Madame Curie	1943
98	The Karate Kid	1984
99	Ray	2004
100	Chariots of Fire	1981

National Congress of Brazil/Childhood Memory

Oscar Neimeyer, the famous architect from Brazil, just died at the age of 104.   Reading the news of this on the BBC, I realized that he must be the one who designed the government buildings in Brasilia, I have a photo of them here for you.  It is the National Congress Building and it stirred up a memory from my childhood...
This building was pictured on the cover of my 6th grade Social Studies book and I had never seen anything like it.  It looked like something from "The Jetsons" to me.  When I expressed this to my teacher and also wondered what it was, she said to me, "That's a great question.  Why don't you write a letter and find out, MIKE".  And with that, she turned to the boy sitting in the desk next to me.
Startled, he blinked and to his credit said, "Well, it was Kay's idea.".  She paid him no mind so he did as he was told and he wrote the letter.  He received a very nice reply which he read out to the class telling us that it was a government building and that all the reviews of the building had been very favorable and that they were pleased to receive an inquiry from Conyers, Georgia!  (And the stamp on the letter! Oh, I would so much have loved to receive it!)
You might think that I would have been upset about this, but I can't remember that to be the case.   She, being a snooty kind of teacher, maybe didn't let me write the letter but it was my idea.   I was the one who took notice of it and wondered what it was.
Architecture has always interested me.  If I am not looking at trees and flowers, then you will find me looking at buildings!

The Trails At Panola Mountain



Crazy lady messing up Richard's photo again!

We hope to climb Panola Mountain this Saturday. (It is not a really a mountain but a monadnock like Arabia Mountain and Stone Mountain.)  Panola Mountain is a National Landmark. It is a protected area and you are only allowed on the mountain trail accompanied by a guide. Dogs and bikes are not allowed on the trails so as to protect the plant life. You may read about it here. There are trails around the mountain and we very much enjoyed them on November 25th.   The rock outcrop trail passes through some fantastic hardwoods and the sound of the leaves falling as we walked made this a very pleasant walk indeed.  It was magical. Once you pass the trees, they come out upon an outcrop overlooking a mass of granite, and in the distance you can see one of our favorite places that we love to visit...

 

 

Stone Mountain!  It made us so happy to see Stone Mountain! And once we walked these trails, we got in the car and drove a few miles down Alexander Lake Road and went to...Alexander Lake! That is the lake that Richard has in my header photo.  The short drive was also very nice, with some beautiful color on the trees.  After Saturday, we should have some more photos of Panola Mountain itself!  Hope you liked this autumnal walk with us.

It's A Sin To Tell A Lie

Thank you for all the best wishes for my mother-in-law's birthday! And look at my last post if you missed it!  Joan was very pleased with all your nice comments.  Thank you all so much, you are the best!

 

Now, I must tell you that I just finished the most extraordinary book and I will tell you about it, but for right now, I will just tell you that it is a true story of a man who went through some horrible experiences in his life.  One involved being involved in a sinking of a ship, which he survived.  As he was drifting in the ocean and wondering if he would live, there was a song that came to him, and it helped his survival.  It must have meant a lot to him, he titled this one chapter with the name of the song, and it is "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie".  He said that the Fats Waller version is what kept him going, but I found a version by The Inkspots which I really like a lot.  Please listen to it and let me know what you think. ( I know this song very well since I know a lot of old songs from years of listening to Chas & Dave.  If you don't know who they are, I can only tell you that they are English and I wish so much that there was more of them on YouTube, so I could share them with you.)    I really love this song!   Chas & Dave sang it in a more honky-tonk way, Fats Waller's version is in a kind of a comedic way and I even found a home recording version of Elvis singing it, which I also love.

Oh, and I must tell you that after I found this song by the Inkspots, I am afraid that I spent a very long time listening to every single song that I could find by them. They were incredibly good!! Please listen to this video until the very end, just before it finishes, you will not believe what a perfect high note the singer hits! WOW!

We walked up Arabia Mountain yesterday and still found some color.  Almost everything has gone to seed and most of the leaves have fallen but as late as December 4th, we found one small patch of yellow daisies and some bright red leaves.  I'm not making this up because after all, it's a sin to tell a lie! (You know I had to say it.)  Look at that lovely rock behind the yellow flowers, I love so much to walk over that!  Richard took some great shots of the sunset...I will show you those when  I tell you about the amazing book that I have mentioned above... hope you are finding color wherever you are.

Happy Birthday to Joan!

 

Elegant...

 

                                                                  Witty...

                                                                  Proud...

Beautiful...

 

                                                   
All describe my mother-in-law, Joan, whose birthday is tomorrow, December 5th.  Happy Birthday, Joan!  Please send your best wishes to Joan! Just look at that smile!  What an elegant, beautiful lady!

 

And the Queen sends her best wishes too, but don't worry, you are not old enough to get a card from her, not just yet anyway!  :-)     With Much Love From Your CHEEKY Daughter-in-law.  xx

Why do they say "Mum" in England and we say "Mom" in America?  These flowers are called "mums" so here are some mums for you, Joan!

What Is Your Most Viewed Post?

A Mockingbird, The bird is gray with lovely white patches on the wings. This bird will sing before the sun comes up. And if you don't believe me, ask my sister-in-law, Ellen!


 

Thanks so much for all the great comments on my last post about birds! Of course, my followers would love birds too!  I was very excited to see Paul's comment from New Zealand and to find the tui bird that he was speaking of just by doing a search on the Internet!  And please, if you get a chance, go and look at his AMAZING photos from New Zealand.  What a beautiful spot on this Earth...  you may find Paul's blog here!

Now, I have been meaning to ask this of all of you for quite some time.  What is your most viewed post?  Would you say it is your best post? Why or why not?  Tell me, I really want to know!
I was amazed to see how many would get to my blog by typing these words:  "Bird with orange beak".  For the longest time, that was my most viewed post, the post entitled "When Penguins Fly" where I had a funny BBC video of penguins but I also talked about the birds in my backyard (bird with orange beak is a cardinal, it must be confusing if you see a young one before it turns the bright red that everyone knows it by.)  Lately, for some reason, my post about Richard Jewell has surpassed the bird post. Is someone writing a book about him or perhaps a movie is in production about him? For whatever reason, that post still has a lot of views every day.

 

Now, I must tell you that my small post from last year entitled "Christmas Cartoon and Poem" is now my most viewed post!  It must be that people are starved for humor at this time of year.  That is the only thing I can think that would make hundreds view that little post within the same week! And if you want to see some funny cartoons, check out Martha's blog at Plowing Through Life...I love the one she has showing Santa's list on the side of her blog.  You may find her at www.plowingthroughlife.blogspot.com   Hey Martha, here is a cartoon that you might have missed!

Now, you may ask me what is MY favorite post?  Honestly, they are like my little babies and I have loved writing every one of them, so I can't really choose, but I can tell you that writing of my Dad's memories of Berlin just after the war, and the guest posts from my husband and from my son are very special to me.  And I am really glad that I wrote that piece about Richard Jewell also. My husband has taken some of the BEST photos and he lets me use any of them that I want for my blog!  My posts might not win a Pulitzer Prize, but every single piece that I have written means something to me, something that is worth noticing (to me)  and that is what I try to share with you all here.  It just amazes me to click on the "Audience Sources" and see how many people have viewed my blog from all over the world!  Just look at this photo that Richard took of a brown thrasher, he looks amazed that you read my blog too!  My readers are the best! Thank you for following me!  Please, do not forget to tell me YOUR favorite post on your blog and/or the most viewed post!  (And if you don't have a blog,  just tell me your favorite post from one of your favorite bloggers.)  Thank you!

Brown Thrasher, a young one.  This bird will imitate other birds just as the mockingbird does.

 

The Birds

We love to feed the birds.  Oh the poor rich people who have big houses and huge yards and never see birds! If you have a tiny patio, the birds are right outside for you to enjoy. Especially if you put out small plastic dishes with fresh water every day!

If you go to the Tower of London, you will see the ravens there. Did you know that they clip their wings so that they cannot fly? They do this because of the old belief that if the ravens ever leave, the crown will fall and Britain with it!  Not that anyone believes that would really happen, but hey, just in case!

I love English birds and American birds. The English robin and the American robin are two very different birds but I love them both, dearly! The first colonists in America were so excited to see a similar colored bird as the English robin, that they called this much larger thrush a "robin", but it is about the same size as an English blackbird and I believe are in the same family.  Therefore, in the bird world, we have AMERICAN robins and ENGLISH robins.  I have read that the English robin was used on the first Christmas cards in England and I treasure my cards from England with robins!   The first drawing that I saw of an English robin was from the book "The Secret Garden" and I just assumed that the illustrator didn't know how to draw a robin! (I was eight years old when I first read it.)  I love that book by the way, "The Secret Garden" is one of my favorites, not just from childhood, either. I have gone back and read it as an adult and it makes me appreciate my good taste in books! There have been several movies adapted from this book but the one that I remember from a few years back was excellent.  I found the trailer for it, it was made in 2009, I think, my son was 10 years old then and he also loved it.  (I always look out for and listen for the English robin when I am in England, I don't always see one, but it makes me so happy when I do!)

Tufted Titmouse trying to have a private bath.

Chickadee ready for a drink. (This looks like the Blue
tit in England!)

Cardinal.  Bright red, so this is the male.  This has to be where the expression "Pretty bird" came from!

 

American Goldfinch.  These bright yellow feathers with the black and white are just exquisite! This same bird in the winter will be a dull brown. That yellow turns to a dull brown!  Really, I promise that it does! Amazing!!

American robin.  This photo was from this hot Georgia summer. Please do not notice our poor dead grass, everything suffers in this heat except any birds who visit Kay & Richard!

 

Many people in the USA have been influenced by the viewing of a movie by Alfred Hitchcock called "The Birds".  Have you seen it?  It is a very well made film and it was based on a short story by Daphne DuMaurier. This is why works of fiction bother me so much.  I can't tell you how many people have told me that they don't care for birds because of the Hitchcock movie, "The Birds"!  It is fiction!
There is a wonderful story about Roger Tory Peterson who was one of the first in America to write and illustrate the first field guide to birds.  As a child he came upon what appeared to be a brown bundle of feathers on a tree trunk. Thinking it was dead he and his friends poked it with a stick and it flew up in the air with an explosion of wings. 
 Peterson would say later, " It was the contrast, you see, between something I thought was dead and something so alive... I came to believe birds are the most vivid reflection of life.  It made me aware of the world in which we live."