Movie premiere

Well, that was a fun experience! My new film "The Decisioneer" played in the Eagan Art House Short Film Festival at the Emagine theater in Eagan last weekend. If you remember, this is a project I've been working on--off and on--for about two and a half years. I have mentioned it here and here, as well as a bunch more on Instagram. 

I will post the final product on this blog eventually, but I want to try to get it into more festivals first. Maybe we can screen it in my basement the next time you visit?

Me in front of the multiplex (photo by R):
  

My laurels:

Here I am with two of the cast members, Rob and Angie, on the (mini) red carpet (photo by R):

Reclining seats in the theater (photo by Angie):

Splash intro produced by the organizers, announcing my film (photo by Angie):

I went on-stage for a Q&A session at the end of the event where I contributed to the discussion about the challenges of shooting during a pandemic and also answered the question "why shoot on film in 2021?"

We didn't win any awards--I'm not sure the audience knew quite what to make of it--but it was sure fun to share my work. I stand by it proudly and think it holds up well to repeat views and a closer examination. This is an art film after all.

I really enjoyed the evening and want to do it again. The deadline for the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival is approaching. That is kind of the big one around here and, I'll be honest, I really hope I can get in.

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Camp Du Nord 2021, part 2

These first few were taken out on Blueberry Island. Omri and I kayaked there near sunset. It was a gorgeous evening!

 

Log rolling:

This was the afternoon of the family triathlon, and I think we were just in the mood for running:

Time for an ice cream sandwich:

R and I took a long paddle one morning while the kids were at Age Groups:

There was a short hike too. We took in the view and then raced back to pickup the kids on time:

Omri ate a lot of ice cream sandwiches:

And we took a lot of hikes:

Putting a Band-aid on the owie:

The sauna was great. We did about four rounds of heating up and jumping in the lake.

Dinner on our back porch:

I took a few photos on my film camera too that may appear on the blog eventually, but this otherwise wraps up my coverage of another fun year at Du Nord.

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Camp Du Nord 2021, part 1

I'm finally getting around to posting about our August trip to Camp Du Nord. If you remember from last year, it is a YMCA family camp located up near Ely, MN. We stayed in a rustic cabin for six nights, attended some organized activities during the days, and had some downtime too. I think we've all been looking back fondly on the experience over the last month. It was a good opportunity to bond as a family and to get away from our normal routines for a while.

These are the photos I took with my Canon, which I didn't always have with me (especially on the water). I'll post iPhone photos next time. 

 

This was our backyard for the week:

Omri did a lot of climbing on rocks. Come to think of it, I always liked doing that as a kid too.

There was much to explore:

I believe she's attempting to test the depth of the drop-off:

We had raw s'mores one night:

This is why we couldn't have campfires... That is the plume of smoke from forest fires in the distance:

The wind was going in the right direction for a nice afternoon at the beach, however:

One of the best parts of the week was just having some time to read:

R and Omri also did some more inkle weaving.

The results were beautiful this year!

Evening entertainment: the Du Nord talent show:

Each morning the kids went off to "age groups" for a couple of hours which was a chance for them to participate in activities with others kids their age...

...and a chance for R and I to go on some hikes on our own. Here we went to the edge of the Boundary Waters:

That's an island on Slim Lake:

One smoky morning I attended a photography class. Here we are practicing our landscape photography:

Omri and I made these little pine cone creatures at the Family Art Center:

Three of us did the Polar Bear Plunge this year. This meant jumping in the lake five mornings in a row at 7:45.

Veronica's private changing room (in the cabinets of the cabin):

Another look at the interior of the cabin:

On the last night, the age groups performed some songs and skits.

It was pretty entertaining!

The beauty of Minnesota:

My people:

More to come!

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Omri's 7th birthday party

It was a rowdy crew! But it was great to be able to hold a party again this year. We kept things outside.

 

As in previous years, there was a treasure hunt:

The kids decided the best way to excavate their treasure was to smash the gold blocks on the deck:

I had a hard time taking photos of the piñata because I was holding the rope it was tied to with my other hand:

That's a wrap on another birthday. Omri was a pretty happy boy!

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