#park on fremont

[wingedjewels]

Yellow-breasted Chat by Lee Greengrass Via Flickr: Lake Elizabeth, Central Park, Fremont, CA. This is about the most difficult bird I ever attempted to photograph.

[harminder]

🏞️ Enjoying Coyote Hills🚶

[orofeaiel]

Fremont Lookout, MRNP

[faggotfungus]

Postcard of "General Fremont," Big Trees Park. Santa Cruz County, California. Published: 1933 ⁰

[gayfranzkafka]

so weird that you can live in a city five full years ago and then visit on vacation and remember the exact side street you used to park on off of Fremont because every other side street was always full but this one always magically had parking and you not only remember it but it still holds true a full five years later huh. the passage of time

[eopederson2]

Mt. Fremont Lookout Tower, Mt. Rainier National Park, 2005.

A side trip on the way to Burroughs Mountain, one of the best easy day hikes from Sunrise, Mt. Rainier National Park, Mt. Fremont allows magnificent vistas of the Cascades north of Mt Rainier itself. Scanned from a faded print.

[formeryelpers]

California Nursery Historical Park, 36501 Niles Blvd, Fremont (Niles), CA 94536

This was an interesting find that I’ve driven by quite a few times. The California Nursery Historical Park is a city park on the grounds of the former California Nursery Company. Once was the largest nursery in the state, it was established in 1884 as a wholesale nursery, adding a retail store in the 1920’s. Today, it is a 20-acre park but it’s still a work in progress. I think they’re still in Phase One, with more to come.

The park has a few areas and features, including ‘The Woods”, a rose garden, a boxed tree forest (the trees were in big wood boxes and were for sale but they outgrew the boxes and are now rooted into the ground), fruit orchards, a water tower, community garden, and meadows. The historical buildings still need to be renovated. I noticed a lot of weeds and I think I saw a fox in the meadow. Cute.

There’s ample parking. The park is not that large but has a wide variety of plants, mature trees, restrooms, paths, benches, picnic tables, water fountains, and more. It felt safe and peaceful. Looking forward to seeing how the space develops.

4 of 5 stars

By Lolia S.

[jellogram]

It has taken exactly five hours on the strip for me to be like "Okay I'm done with this, take me home." It's like the location equivalent of McDonald's. It always sounds like a good idea and then you eat it and you don't feel full, you just feel different, and you're like oh yeah that's why I never come here

[iwilltrytobereasonable]

There’s a dude who’s maybe 50? bicycling around in sunglasses and cargo shorts without a shirt (thin but not ripped) with a bluetooth speaker strapped across his chest playing random jazz recordings that might be from the 30’s

[travelella]

Royal Gorge Bridge & Park,  Cañon City, Fremont County, Colorado, USA

Michael

[picsinhead-blog]

Quick Sundance/Slamdance Recap

Quick Sundance/Slamdance Recap

I went to Park City, UT for Sundance and Slamdance* last week, only my second time in person (the first was 2010). My primary purpose was to meet with filmmakers and to promote filmmaking in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region; I did, however, make some time to see some films. When I’m participating in a festival or event for work, I choose the films I see based on a set of criteria – it’s not about what Tim WANTS to see, it’s about seeing the work of filmmakers I’ve connected with or hope to connect with. The nice thing about this is that I usually don’t even read a synopsis of the film before I see it, so I get to experience the film without preconceptions – which means surprises.**

This is a rundown of last week in Sundance/Slamdance screenings, in the order I saw them, with brief reactions. Each and every one of these films is worthy of a lengthy review and discussion, and I’m more than happy to chat about them – but this is a document of my week in movies in Park City, not really about the films themselves.

Mutt (Sundance, Eccles Theater, Monday, 1/23 2:55 PM – PREMIERE) 24 hours in the life of a young trans man in NYC, during which individuals from various parts of his past enter his life, each challenging and illuminating aspects of his identity. I got to the theater by the skin of my teeth – the Sundance pre-roll had already begun. There was some confusion about the buses – I met a couple of filmmakers from LA, and we followed the advice of a very friendly person who seemed to know what she was talking about, but almost certainly added ten minutes to our ride to the theater. The lower level of the Eccles theater was packed, so I was up in the balcony. The screening was open captioned, I’m sure because several of the characters are bilingual, but also perhaps because of a push for accessibility at Sundance screenings.

Love Dump/Mahogany Drive (Slamdance, Treasure Mountain Inn Ballroom, Monday, 1/23 8:00 PM) Mahogany Drive is a wild short about three Black men who discover their Air BnB is killing white women. Love Dump is a parody of Hallmark romances about a couple finding each other among the trash in Chicago. My first Slamdance screening! The ballroom is small, with risers and individual chairs for perhaps 60 people. I met the filmmakers (director, writers/stars, and DP) in the hallway as they were encouraging people to see the film (it hadn’t sold out). I also met a young guy from New Hampshire who was attending film festivals in lieu of film school, and chatted with him about (relatively) obscure Cronenberg films.

Fremont (Sundance, Virtual, Tuesday 1/24) Fremont is the story of a young woman who served as a translator for the US Armed Forces in Afghanistan, and is now working at a fortune cookie factory. Wry and understated, Fremont is a delightful film.

Fuzzy Head/Write a Song About Heartache (Slamdance, Treasure Mountain Inn Ballroom, Tuesday 1/24 3:15 PM) Write a Song About Heartache is a clever short about a country singer and his unusual songwriting partner (you have to see it!). Fuzzy Head is a trip through the cluttered and unreliable recollections of a young woman whose mother has died of a gunshot wound – and the question of who pulled the trigger. Back to the ballroom at the Treasure Mountain Inn! Wendy McColm, Writer/Director/Star of Fuzzy Head had left printed sheets with ornate poetry and metal keys on strings with QR codes taped to them by hand. The QR codes led to her website (https://www.wendyfilms.com/). I found this personal touch, this engagement with the audience, to be very moving, and emblematic of the attitude of Slamdance filmmakers. I took one of the keys for my four year old niece, who I hope will use it as inspiration as she develops her creativity. I spoke with the Fuzzy Head team (Wendy herself, and her producers, cast, and art director) – they’re passionate filmmakers and lovely people.

Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls (Sundance, Virtual, Tuesday 1/24) With echoes of Ernest P. Worrell, online character Onyx the Fortuitous makes his feature debut in a story involving a devil worship cult, a haunted mansion, and some precious action figures. What’s remarkable to me about this film, which is described as a “throwback,” is how it melds internet culture with tried and true genre filmmaking – to me, it seems less of a throwback and more of a bellwether. Frustratingly, I was fighting sleep for the last part of the film, so I’m very much looking forward to revisiting it.

The Accidental Getaway Driver (Sundance, Virtual, Wednesday 1/25) An elderly rideshare driver picks up three prison escapees; they kidnap the driver and over the course of their time together, unexpected bonds develop, existing bonds are tested, and the four men’s pasts are uncovered as their futures become increasingly certain. It’s an intense, involving film that melds thriller elements with character study.

MiND MY GOOFiNESS: the Self Portrait (Slamdance, Virtual, Wednesday 1/25) Shot in portrait mode, this is a day in the life of one guy in LA who bounces from encounter to encounter – with friends, relatives, and strangers – with each encounter revealing at least some of how he sees himself. Quirky, engaging, and offbeat – a bit of a riff on Slacker.

Space Happy: Phil Thomas Katt and the Uncharted Zone (Slamdance, Virtual, Wednesday 1/25) A straightforward, pleasant, engaging documentary about Pensacola, FL local celebrity and late night television personality Phil Thomas Katt, whose lo-fi music videos for an eclectic group of would be local stars took YouTube by storm in the late aughts. There are moments in this doc that moved me more than anything else I saw during the week.

Past Lives (Sundance, Ray Theater, Thursday 1/26 8:15 AM) After emigrating from Korea as a child, a woman reconnects with a childhood friend years later at very different points in their lives. This was an early morning screening and it was fun to start the day with an excited audience.

Free LSD (Slamdance, Treasure Mountain Inn Ballroom, Thursday 1/26 5:00 PM – PREMIERE) Free LSD is a nearly indescribable sci-fi/horror/fantasy head trip starring the members of punk supergroup OFF! as parallel versions of themselves who have to save the world through their music. And drugs. The closing night film of Slamdance 2023, this was a super cool experience – an excited crowd, filmmakers who were seeing their film, a true labor of love, with an audience for the first time, and a film festival putting the closing exclamation on an exuberant year of programming. The best thing for me: the guy I’d met at the Love Dump screening sat with me, and after the film looked at me and asked, “Have you ever seen anything like that?” And – I mean, yeah, I have, sorta, but I’m twice his age, and it was so exciting to be there for someone having a singular, eye-opening filmgoing experience.

Jamojaya (Sundance, Virtual, Friday 1/27) A young Indonesian rapper is in Hawaii to record his major label debut and to shoot the accompanying video, when his father (and former manager) shows up unexpectedly, creating unforeseen complications. It’s a simple setup for a complex, ornate, stylish film that examines complex relationships across cultural boundaries.

The Persian Version (Sundance, Ray Theater, Friday 1/27 2:15 PM) A young writer explores her history and that of her family, from her parents marriage in Iran in the 1960s through her childhood in the 1980s and 1990s spent between Iran and the US. (Honestly, I don’t know how to describe this film in one sentence – I think I kind of did it, but I know I didn’t sell it. It’s a magical film that dances (sometimes literally) among tones, among generations, and through the lives of its characters. See it!) I bought my ticket to this screening about an hour before the Sundance awards were announced – this one won both the audience award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the U.S. dramatic competition. I was even more excited to see it, and the theater filled up with people making last minute decisions to see the film. It was wonderful to laugh and cry (not me, but the rest of them) with an audience through an utterly unpredictable film. I sat next to a young Sundance Industry volunteer from LA who had a loud and infectious laugh.

A Perfect Day for Caribou (Slamdance, Virtual, Saturday 1/28) An old man reconnects with his adult son and seven year old grandson in a cemetery on the day he plans to commit suicide. Offbeat, droll, often very funny, and gorgeously shot in black and white, A Perfect Day for Caribou explores generational rifts and the complexities of relationships defined largely by shaky memories and secondhand recollections.

Young. Wild. Free. (Sundance, Virtual, Saturday 1/28) In a weird mashup of Bonnie and Clyde, Something Wild, and Menace II Society, a Black high schooler meets a free spirited foster kid who pushes and pulls him through new experiences that range from mischievous to dangerous to exciting and ultimately to tragic. This is the only Sundance film I saw (out of eight – nine if you count Infinity Pool, see below) that did not fully work for me. Avoiding spoilers, I will just say that the narrative problems created by the ending are not justified by any dramatic contributions it makes to the film as a whole.

Unicorn Boy (Slamdance, Virtual, Saturday 1/28) A young animator in Los Angeles becomes entangled in the affairs of a parallel world filled with unicorns and rainbows and fantastic creatures, while trying to come to terms with personal crises in their real life. Okay – the only possible negative about this film is that I think it’s overlong, but it’s a wildly creative and very moving independent animated feature. It’s great.

Waiting for the Light to Change (Slamdance, Virtual, Saturday 1/28) A group of friends spend a week at a lake house belonging to one of their relatives; during the time, relationships are grown, tested, altered and redefined. Sort of a lo-fi, modern take on The Big Chill, the film is quiet and restrained, chilly, sincere, and honest.

*For those who may be unaware: the Slamdance Film Festival runs concurrently with Sundance in Park City, and is a festival with a very different vibe and energy – punkier, scrappier, smaller, but just as devoted to filmmakers and film lovers.

**For instance – most of the films I sought out were American productions, but I was surprised when nearly every one from Sundance heavily featured non-English dialogue – Spanish in Mutt, Dari and Cantonese in Fremont, Vietnamese in The Accidental Getaway Driver, Bahasa Indonesian in Jamojaya, Korean in Past Lives, Persian in The Persian Version.

[wingedjewels]

Townsend's Warbler by bubble_boy Via Flickr: California Coyote Hills Regional Park Alameda Creek Quarry Lakes Fremont Bay Area San Francisco USA East Bay Nature Birds Wildlife Photography Travel Wild Trails ebparksok

[harminder]

🔵 Stillness of the bay 🌊

[middleland]

Sandusky River by Robin Arnold

Via Flickr:

View of Sandusky river from the trail at Walsh Park. Fremont, Ohio.     

[thorsenmark]

Afternoon Sunlight While Walking Along the Fremont River (Capitol Reef National Park) by Mark Stevens Via Flickr: A setting looking to the southwest and downstream of the Fremont River while taking in views along the namesake trail in Capitol Reef National Park. My thinking in composing this image was to take advantage of the river flowing by as a leading line into the image. The vegetation and plant-life on both sides would help channel the viewer into the image. Finally off in the distance, one would come to the portions caught in sunlight. I later worked with control points in DxO PhotoLab 5 and then made some adjustments to bring out the contrast, saturation and brightness I wanted for the final image.

[goingplacesfarandnear]

Utah Adventure Day 1-2: Capitol Reef’s Colorful Canyons

Hiking the Cohab Canyon Trail in Capitol Reef National Park, the first stop our Utah Adventure © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com By Karen Rubin, with Laini Miranda and Dave E. Leiberman Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com Travel is as much about resilience, adaptability and problem-solving, as it is about personal growth, rejuvenation, and human connection. And so,…