Killing Time 'Neath the Sun-Kissed Skies: Week 2

Congratulations, you survived week one of a summer without Auburn sports.  Maybe you rediscovered a hobby or went to a Braves game.  Eventually, the charm of the freedom wears off and you find yourself begging for the start of Auburn soccer.  When it does, we're here for you.  Here are some suggestions of ways you could spend your week.

Movie:

The Tall T.  The hostage western is an unappreciated subgenre.  One of the best known examples of the subgenre is 3:10 to Yuma.  The Tall T is part of the "Ranown Cycle" of westerns which star Randolph Scott and are directed by Budd Boetticher.  Scott is a perfect western star who would be largely forgotten now if not for one gag in Blazing Saddles.  Boetticher was a former matador who choreographed his scenes perfectly.  The two made a series of dark westerns in the 50s which included 7 Men from Now and Ride Lonesome.  The usual formula was to pair Scott as a tough and quiet white hat against a loquacious villain like Lee Marvin, Richard Boone, or James Best.

In the Tall T, Randolph Scott is a poor rancher who finds himself taken hostage by a group of bandits along with a wealthy newlywed couple.  Scott finds a kindred spirit in the bandit leader played by Richard Boone but knows that the bandits will kill all the prisoners if they either can't escape or raise the ransom.

Book:

The BFG.  I was a huge fan of Roald Dahl as a kid.  Dahl is best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.  The BFG is a charming book about a girl foolish enough to be awake at the witching hour and finds herself carried off by a giant to a country filled with giants.  Unlike most giants who eat little children, this is a Big Friendly Giant (or "BFG") who likes to travel the world to bring children dreams.  Together, they try to save the children of the world from the giant's nasty comrades.  You'll want to read it before the movie is released July 1.

Album:

American Beauty - Grateful Dead. Despite growing up with a lot of Deadheads, I'm a recent convert.  My introduction to the Dead was a series of live recordings.  I didn't have the attention span for a 47 minute rendition of a 3 minute song.  Plus, by the 90s, Garcia's voice wasn't what it used to be.  That's why I was surprised to discover how good the Dead's studio recordings were.  American Beauty is the perfect album for winding down after a hard day.  It mixes rock, blues, and bluegrass into a sound that was different than anything else out there in 1970 when it was released.  Here's my favorite track off the album, Ripple:

Food:

It's peach season.  Go grab some fresh peaches before they're put in a can by a man in a factory downtown.  They eat well with no preparation but if you'd like to try something a little different, you can grill your peaches.  Bobby Flay suggests coating them with some cinnamon and sugar, grilling them, then topping them with melted butter.  I had something like this at a cookout recently and they were great.

Potent Potable:

Snake Handler Double IPA by Good People Brewing.  Good People is one of the flagships of Birmingham's microbrewery market and Snake Handler is my favorite of their selections. I don't normally like IPAs but this one drinks well.  It is 10% alcohol so be careful.

Outdoor activity:

There's nothing more summer in Auburn than a drive to Lake Martin.  While you're there, prove that you're more of a man than Terry Bowden by diving off of Chimney Rock without breaking your ribs.  (My dad would be quick to point out that the popular jumping location is actually Acapulco Rock and that Chimney Rock is located across the slough with the rope swing but at this point, that ship has sailed.) The top ledge is around 60' high.  There are lower ledges around 25-30' if that's more your speed.  Or, if you prefer, here's a GoPro of someone climbing and jumping off.  Great view of the lake before the plunge.

Enjoy the summer y'all!