Descending Ashtray

Well, the last of our holiday guests departed this evening. It was a busy but fun holiday, though I am eager to get back to creating. Sarah’s mom was here first, then my mom and sister Rachel. Then it was New Year’s, and a party at our house, with special guests, Sarah’s friend Linnea and fiance Peter visiting from San Francisco. I went back to work on Monday, and came home tonight to an empty house. And by empty I mean Sarah, Jasper, and Coosje. The house feels very quiet, though.

We watched “Grizzly Man” this evening, an interesting documentary by Werner Herzog about a man who lived with Grizzlies in Alaska for 13 summers. Not to spoil the ending, but he was predictably attacked in his last visit, along with his girlfriend, both of them retrieved from the stomach of a large 25-year old male grizzly bear.

The director is also the narrator, and he makes a good point over a close-up of a large male’s face: the man viewed the bear as companion and friend, but the wild bear had no concept of this friendship, noticing the man only as an annoyance, feature of the landscape, and eventually food. He said it much better, but it was a powerful scene and amazing the “Grizzly Man” never made the realization in 13 years.

The soundtrack was very good, too. Amazing guitar work.

I can’t stop thinking about the adze and curved knives.