Dilemma

I received a notice from the site which hosts Bailey Acres. They tell me that I am running out of space on the host site. So, I have two options -

1. Pay for more space at a cost that almost doubles the annual hosting fee, or
2. Delete some of the older photo albums.

I am inclined to go with option 2. I have some pictures from yesterday's Christmas present opening festivities which I'm not sure I can upload until I acquire more space.

So, if anyone wants to revisit some of the old photos I would do it in the next 24 hours. I think I will download the photos tomorrow evening and delete them from the site.

Australia

LaRue and I went to the movie Australia Monday night. It's a long movie at 2 1/2 hours. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it. But as the movie went along we both got caught up in the story and the characters.
The cinematography was gorgeous. Sweeping landscapes and extremely "large" camera shots.

Some of my favorite elements from the movie -
The character of King George.
The idea of the "singing" (you'll have to see the movie).
Walk-About

I like both Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. I thought they did a really good job. I will be surprised if this movie does get get an Academy Award nomination for something. And, yes, we will definitely be buying this DVD when it comes out.

The only complaint we had was the theater we were in. It has lousy sound - muffled and muddy. It was hard to understand all the dialog. So, I'm looking forward to seeing it again on DVD with the captioning on.

New Header Image

I figured it was about time to update the Bailey pictures at the top of the blog. And I'll soon have to add a couple more with Andy and Laurie's baby due any day now and Emily due in May.

Snow Removal

We had our first measurable snow last weekend. It was the powdery Utah stuff. So, LaRue decided to clear the walks the easy way - leaf blower!



Works on the car, too:



The next door neighbor got out his snowblower, but it didn't do as good a job.

Twilight Review

LaRue and I went to Twilight this last week. We wanted to go to a movie and there was nothing else playing that appealed to us. Where do I begin……
I have read the first 2 books and a chapter of the third. The movie follows the book fairly well but leaves out some elements that I felt could have been better explained in the movie. For example, the fact that Alice could see the possible future. The abilities of the other members of the Cullen family were never mentioned.
Overall, it was an adequate movie. Probably a better value as a rental, but only if you’re interested. And, if you are interested, read the book instead. It will cost you less and, as always, most books are more detailed than their movie adaptations.

Thanksgiving 2008

I finally got some Thanksgiving pictures processed and posted. They are here - Thanksgiving 2008

The weekend started really early on Thanksgiving morning. LaRue and I got up about 5:30 after not going to bed until about 2 AM. Then we took off for Roy to meet everyone at Robin and Emily's house for the Thanksgiving dinner. It's about a 4 hour drive. The weatherman was talking about snow, but we only hit a little rain.

We had a nice dinner in Roy and played with the grandkids. That evening we drove down to Provo to stay with Liz and Gary.
Friday was a day of shopping. No Black Friday 5 AM nonsense, though.

Saturday LaRue, Liz, Gary and I drove down to Ephraim to visit Nath and the McGraws. We also chopped up a bunch of wood for the fireplaces. Then back to Provo for the night.

Sunday was the drive home.

Bottom Line

I have been holding off saying anything on this issue for a couple of reasons. This is a family blog and not a political one. And some things really are better left ignored.

Well, I am going to throw in our 2 cents on the passing of proposition 8 in California.

Knock off blaming the LDS church. The Mormon church was not the only religious institution to support proposition 8. The Catholic church did. Jews did. Evangelical and many fundamentalist churches supported proposition 8.

But are they catching any heat? No. The people who are up in arms about the LDS church's position in this matter are behaving like the same people who persecuted the Mormons over 100 years ago. They are ignorant and bigoted .

Bottom line:

Proposition 8 passed because more people voted for it than against it.

Autumn Leaves

As the sun was coming up I snapped a few shots of the early morning light hitting the leaves of the apricot tree.

Salt Lake Tribune Article

Utah Governor Jon Huntsman wrote a really good column in today's Salt Lake Tribune stating why the nation needs John McCain. Here's a link to the column - Huntsman Article

Weekend Activities

It's been an eventful weekend. First Robin and I spent most of Friday putting plastic on the roof of the house. It's a temporary measure until next year when we can put on a new roof. We really want a metal roof. Last winter we found several places where the water dripped and this will solve those problems for this coming winter.
Here are some pictures of the result of our efforts:

Here's the house from the front -


Here's a look at the roof in the back of the house -


Finally, the back over the patio -


Then Saturday we celebrated Brighton's 5th birthday with a small party.

Here's a picture of the Superman / Spider-Man ice cream cake -


Brighton checking out the cake -


A really pleased young man -


We also included LaRue in the celebrations since she and Brighton have the same birthday. She received a few presents from Robin and Emily and from me.

Some New Family Websites

Andy has added a couple of new websites. One is dedicated to his film Butterflies and the other is a personal site.
Here are the links - Butterflies and Andy Bailey at Weirdribs
Finally, here's the location of John's new podcast - Batwing's Beat

Political Statement

Okay. So far Bailey Acres has not taken a stand either way on the upcoming election. And we get emails from people on both sides of the political coin forwarding us stuff either promoting their candidate or slamming the other guy.

The time has come to take a stand.

We're not voting for Obuma Obama . And we're not discussing it, either.

Trip to Granby, Missouri

Last Wednesday LaRue and I drove to Provo to drop off some items at Liz and Gary's house before heading east. Then it was a drive up to the Roy area to meet up with Robin and let him take the car for the duration of our trip. We had dinner with him and all drove back to West Valley to the hotel where LaRue and I were going to stay.

The next morning we rode the hotel's shuttle bus to the Salt Lake airport. Everything went smoothly at the airport and we were soon waiting for our flight. We flew Southwest to Denver and then to Kansas City. It was about three hours on the plane (including 25 minutes on the ground in Denver).

At the car rental in Kansas City we picked up a Mitsubishi Galant. Nice car, but not something I would ever buy. We found it not real comfortable for the long drive to Granby (186 miles).


However, we didn't go straight down to Granby but drove the short distance to Liberty to tour the Liberty Jail. It was really interesting to see the place where Joseph Smith was incarcerated for almost 4 months. The jail itself was very small and the men found it hard to stand upright.

From there it was a 3 hour drive to Granby through rolling hills of greenery. Quite a change from our desert area.
There are actually no motels in Granby so we stayed in nearby Neosho at the Booneslick Lodge. It was really nice.

We must have been quite tired since we slept in Friday morning. In the afternoon we went over to the church and helped a little with the open house preparations. Gary's mother had done a fantastic job decorating and we helped with some final food preparation.

The open house was really nice. Afterward we helped put some things away and headed back to the lodge. We had to get up at 5 AM to drive make the drive back to the airport.

Now I'm going to rant a bit - the Kansas City airport is not one I will ever fly into again. Unlike the Salt Lake airport, once you pass through security in Kansas City there is nothing but the chairs of the waiting areas of the boarding gates. In Salt Lake they have restaurants and shops inside the secure part of the airport. We wanted to get something to eat so we had to leave the secure area, go eat and then go through security all over again.

The flight from Kansas City to Salt Lake was five and one half hours due to stops in Dallas and Albuquerque. Following that was the drive back to Vernal in the dark. We hate driving in the dark. But we made it home safe and sound about 11:30 Saturday night.

Overall, we enjoyed our trip and I have put up some pictures. You can see them here: Missouri Pictures

Tow Trip

Friday evening Robin was driving to Vernal from Roy when the car he was driving -
the 1995 Hyundai Elantra developed a problem with the driveline. He had Emily drive out to get him and attempt to tow the vehicle the rest of the way to Vernal. However, being night and raining, they decided to leave the car at a rest area west of Duchesne.

Saturday after work Robin came by and he and I jumped into his van - and headed west.

This map shows the route. It's 76 miles from Vernal to the rest area.


We found the car safe and sound, hooked up the tow rope -
and started back to Vernal. But a few miles along the rope developed a little too much slack, got run over and broke. Robin made a quick alteration to the tow rope that involved a bungie cord to keep it from dragging and we were off again.
An hour and a half later we had the car back at home. Robin thinks he can fix it fairly easily, so it will sit at our house until he returns.

Cars - gotta love 'em.

It's A Boy

Andy and Laurie found out on their most recent doctor visit that they are having a boy.

Website Maintenance

I have done a little rearranging on the site. I decided to put the Archive links at the bottom of the sidebar instead of the top. I also added some links to LDS Related Blogs and Sites. These are some that I check regularly via their RSS feeds (I use Google Reader to do that).

Liz and Gary Wedding

Liz and Gary were married last Friday August 8 in the Manti Temple.

LaRue and I decided to drive to Ephraim the day before. Good thing we did. There was a major road closure Thursday due to heavy rains and mudslides. So, we had to reroute and detour through Provo. It added an additional couple of hours to the drive, but it was good we hadn't tried to drive down the morning of the wedding.

The wedding was wonderful. Gary's family along with some of his uncles and aunts plus his dad's parents attended the sealing with us. We had Andy, Laurie, Robin and Emily there as well. There was a really nice dinner afterward in Spanish Fork.

Saturday was the reception in Vernal. We had Gary's family plus George and Mage who fly in from San Diego.

I have finally managed to cull through some of the pictures that George and I took with our cameras and have posted a few. Here's a link - Liz and Gary Wedding

31 Years Ago Today

It was 1977 when we were married in the Manti Temple. If you haven't ever seen the photos from that day here's a link to the wedding pictures: John and LaRue wedding pictures.

And in just three days we'll be there when Liz gets married.

I'm Just Saying....

Don't dry a pair of pants that has a glue stick in the pocket.

Jay Leno Article

Jay Leno wrote this; it's the Jay Leno we don't often see....


As most of you know I am not a President
Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not
about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it
seems to hit the mark
'The other day I was reading Newsweek
magazine and came across some Poll data I found
rather hard to believe. It must be true given
the source, right?
The Newsweek poll alleges that 67
percent of Americans are unhappy with the
direction the country is headed and 69 percent of
the country is unhappy with the performance of
the President. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry
just ain't happy and want a change. So being the
knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What
are we so unhappy about?''

A.. Is it that we have electricity and
running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B.. Is our unhappiness the result of
having air conditioning in the summer and heating
in the winter?

C.. Could it be that 95.4 percent of
these unhappy folks have a job?

D.. Maybe it is the ability to walk
into a grocery store at any time and see more
food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last
year?

E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our
cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the
Atlantic Ocean without having to present
identification papers as we move through each
state?

F.. Or possibly the hundreds of clean
and safe motels we would find along the way that
can provide temporary shelter?

G.. I guess having thousands of
restaurants with varying cuisine from around the
world is just not good enough either.

H. Or could it be that when we wreck
our car, emergency workers show up and provide
services to help all and even send a helicop ter
to take you to the hospital.

I.. Perhaps you are one of the 70
percent of Americans who own a home.

J.. You may be upset with knowing that
in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of
trained firefighters will appear in moments and
use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames,
thus saving you, your family, and your
belongings.

K.. Or if, while at home watching one
of your m any flat screen TVs, a burglar or
prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun
and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you
and your family against attack or loss.

L.. This all in the backdrop of a
neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and
pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where
90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

M.. How about the complete religious, social

and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy
of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group
of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever
seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet
has a great disdain for its citizens. They see
us for what we are. The most blessed people in
the world who do nothing but complain about what
we don't have, and what we hate about the country
instead of thanking the good Lord we live h ere.

I know, I know. What about the
president who took us into war and has no plan to
get us out? The president who has a measly 31
percent approval rating? Is this the same
president who guided the nation in the dark days
after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to
bring g an economy out of recession? Could this
be the same guy who has been called every name in
the book for succeeding in keeping all the
spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist
attacks? The commander in chief of an
all-volunteer army that is out there defending
you and me?

Did you hear how bad the President is
on the news or talk show? Did this news affect
you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't
take a look around for yourself and see all the
good things and be glad? Think about
it......are you upset at the President because he
actually caused you personal pain OR is it
because the 'Media' told you he was failing to
kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day.
Make no mistake about it.

The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have
volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have
died for your freedom. There is currently no
draft in this country. They didn't have to go.
They are able to refuse to go and end up with
either a ''general'' discharge, an 'other than
honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a
''dishonorable' ' discharge after a few days in
the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment
in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?

Say what you want but I blame it on the
media. If it bleeds it leads and they
specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a
car crash with blood and guts. How many will
watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The
media knows this and media outlets are for-profit
corporations. They offer what sells, and when
criticized, try to defend their actions by
'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask
why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J.
Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill
his wife, but if he did he would have done it
this way......Insane!

Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New
York Times for the bottom of your bird cage.
Then start being grateful for all we have as
country. There is exponentially more good than
bad. We are among the most blessed people on
Earth and should thank God several times a day,
or at least be thankful and appreciative.' 'With
hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud
slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up
the country from one end to another, and with the
threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, 'Are we
sure this is a good time to take God out of the
Pledge of Allegiance?'
Jay Leno

What A Day

Let's review all the fun LaRue and I have had today.....

About 11:00 I'm getting ready to check some information online for hotel/motel accommodations for the upcoming wedding. I got most of it done and then the internet died. So, I reset the modem. Nothing. Finally, I try to call the phone people to check on it. Phone line is dead. Fortunately, a couple of days ago I had purchased a little prepaid cellphone. By the way, it's great. Just purchase minutes at a really good rate and talk till they're gone; then do it all over (shampoo, rinse, repeat).

I should mention that I had been suspecting the modem as the problem. Afterall, I installed it back in 2004.
So, I grab the cellphone and call the phone people. They say bring the modem in for testing.
Diagnosis - dead modem. I get a new one and take it home. Plug it all in and.......nothing. Now the phone company informs me that they are having some problems and are working on the lines. Should be up in a short (hours) while.
Fine and dandy. We have lots of other stuff to do than surf the net and yak on the phone.

Then the guy from the gas company knocks on the door. He's here to switch out the old meter with a new one.
After he does his thing he comes in to relight the pilot light on the water heater. Oh my, look at all the rust in there. Time for a new water heater!

Tomorrow Robin and I get the swap out water heaters. I put the current one in 28 years ago, so it's probably time for another one anyway. But the heater is bigger than the opening to the little cubby area. Last time, and again tomorrow, we had to not only remove the door, but the framing around the door to squeeze it in.

About 6 PM I wander past LaRue's computer and see a message on her screen that the anti-virus program has been updated. Internet is back! But no phone still. I call again and they end up putting in a work order. Sometime tomorrow a guy will be out to test everything.

Now it's 8 PM and I'm at work until 3 AM.

What a day!

Announcements

Two big announcements to pass along today. Here's a scan of the first one:



The actual announcements will be mailed soon with a picture of the happy couple.

Announcement Two:

Andy and Laurie are expecting a baby! Due date is December 30th.

A Neighborhood Visitor

I went to work this morning at 7 AM. And the first thing I dealt with was a visitor in Vernal - a bear!
First he was reported about a block from our house running down the road. Then he was seen in the parking lot of the nearby Smiths Grocery store. Then he was back in the road.
Wildlife officers, deputies and Vernal City police gave chase. The bear ran right up our street in front of our house.
The man who lives across the street walked out to get into his truck and go to work. He didn't even notice the bear until the deputy began honking his horn and hit the siren.
The bear was finally run up a tree in a field north of town. Wildlife officers tranquilized it and returned it back into the forest.
Thanks to one of the deputies I got copies of the pictures he managed to take of the bear. Here's a link to the photo set - Bear Pictures

Andy's Butterflies - updates

Andy just learned that his short film Butterflies has been accepted as part of the International Children's Film Festival! And it has been selected for a showing at this years Comic Con in San Diego!
It was earlier accepted in the Kid's First Film and Video Festival.

There is a website for the Butterflies movie. Here's a link to get information and a trailer: Butterflies website

Comic Con info: Comic Con

Trip to Ephraim

LaRue, Robin and I took a little trip to Ephraim last week. We spent the better part of a week there doing repair work at the houses and playing in the rain.

Because of the tasks we were undertaking, Robin and I spent our nights camped out in a tent. And it rained every night except one. But the tent was dry.

At one point Robin and I had a couple of items to take to the landfill. So we loaded up and headed to the Ephraim dump. Surprise! It's only open 2 days a week and we picked the wrong day. So we had to turn around and drive about 25 miles south to the dump between Mayfield and Gunnison. Thanks to the rain the dump was a mud bog.

I took a few pictures. I have more which I might post later. But for now here are a few to see: Ephraim Trip Photos

I also added a new version of the pictures using different software. Here's a link to the alternate set: Ephraim Trip Photos - 2

Let me know which set you like better.

Old Blue Truck

The old blue truck is once again parked on the street. For the past two years it was been sitting off to one side of the front yard.

Here's the story - a little over two years ago the gear shift on the steering column broke. There was no way to change gears without lifting the hood and manually moving the rod that connects to the transmission. So, when the city decided to re-pave the road we had to move the truck out of the way.
After that I pulled the steering column completely out. The inner shaft was broken in several places and we needed to replace the column assembly. Over the course of the next several weeks we tried to locate one at a salvage yard. No luck. So the truck sat.
One day I was getting a ride home from work with one of the deputies. He is a bit of an automotive tinkerer and asked about the truck. He said he would see what he could do to help. Over the next several months he tried to find a replacement column. No luck. Then he came over and asked to have the parts saying he might have found a supplier of parts. He ordered parts and said they sent the wrong size. He returned it and they sent another one that was still not right. Finally, he managed to do some welding and put the whole column back together.

Now the steering column is in the truck and working once again. Hopefully we can get the rest of the needed items attended to and have it re-licensed and functioning in the next couple of days.

Old blue is back.

Graduation Pictures

I have created 2 photo sets from this last weekend. First is a set of graduation pictures. The ceremony was at noon on Saturday. Robin and family were already at the University so LaRue and I joined up with Gary and Liz and went to the campus.

The graduation was really nice. It ran a little over an hour. Afterwards we all met outside to do pictures and visit. Then it was back to Robin's house to change and eat.

We all went to the Sizzler and had a really nice meal. Then Robin opened a present from Andy. Andy wasn't able to attend and he sent some things with Liz. He gave Robin a DVD of the movie - Where the Toys Come From. We had a copy of a videotape of this movie when the boys were little and Robin watched it hundreds of times. So, he really liked getting his own DVD.

Here are the graduation pictures: Robin's Graduation

When the boys Grandpa Hansen died the only thing he mentioned in his will was that his rifles be given to his grandsons. So, for several years LaRue and I have kept the guns for when the boys could take them. One of the rifles Robin got is a 30-06 that his grandfather used to hunt deer. It's probably been at least 20 years since Paul Hansen hunted with it.

Robin took the rifle and had it cleaned and made ready to use again. Saturday afternoon Robin, LaRue, Gary, Liz, Brighton and I drove outside Logan to a shooting range. And Robin fired his grandpa's rifle for the first time. It was awesome. Then LaRue got a chance to shoot it.

He also had Emily's handgun and let LaRue and I shoot that. It was really quite fun.

So, here's some shooting pictures: At the shooting range

Robin's Graduation

Just a quick entry right now. I am processing the pictures and will have images with more information posted this evening or tomorrow.

Last Saturday LaRue and I got up at 4:00 AM and journeyed to Logan for Robin's graduation. It was quite fun. We all went out to eat afterward followed by another event which I will detail when I get the pictures ready.

Saturday evening Robin, Emily, LaRue and I went to Ironman. It was awesome. However, because of the crowd we ended up sitting about 3 rows from the front. At that range it was a little hard to actually see all the screen at once. So, LaRue and I will probably go see it again and sit a bit farther back.

*Ironman note* - be sure to stay all the way through the credits for an additional scene at the very end.

Andy's Graduation

I have put together a few pictures taken last week at Andy's Graduation. Here's a link to the photos: Andy's Graduation

What We did Today

Since LaRue had no school today and I was off work - we slept in!

Once we got up and motivated, we went up to school to start moving things. LaRue not only has to change classrooms for next year, she has to change grades! So we went to get an early start moving some things and doing a little organizing. It was going pretty well until I went to get some stuff out of the car and wrenched my back.

So, it was break time. We decided to try lunch at the new Chinese Buffet here in town. It was pretty good. After that LaRue went back to school to finish up.

Now it's home again and hoping there's something worth watching on tv.

BYU TV - First Look

Andy was on the BYU TV program First Look last night. First Look is a program where BYU media arts & animation students share insights as emerging filmmakers. Documentaries, animation shorts and more are featured. They did several segments with filmmakers. Andy's interview was the first and then they showed one of his shorts films.

I know that BYU TV keeps their programming available for two weeks for online viewing. You do have to install their streaming software. Here's a link to their streaming service - BYU TV

Andy on TV Update

It seems there was some mix-up in the schedule - Andy's interview will not be on until April 16h at 9 PM (Also the 18th at 4 AM, the 21st at 9:30 PM and April 23 at 5 PM).

So reset your VCR's for a couple of weeks down the road.

Andy on TV

A few weeks ago Andy told us that he had been interviewed by BYU TV for an upcoming program to air in April. He just learned that it is on tomorrow evening! The program airs at 9 PM Mountain time. It's called First Look.
For you satellite folks, both DishNetwork and Direct TV provide BYU TV.

Newspaper Article about Andy

We just learned about a story in the Deseret News from January that talked about the 2008 LDS Film Festival. There was a paragraph about Andy and his film "Butterflies".

Here's a link to the article: Deseret News Jan 10, 2008

Salt Lake Tribune Letter to Editor

In the Public Forum today there was a great letter to the editor about that whole taser incident with the Utah Highway Patrol here in Vernal.
Here's a link to the letter: Taser Clown
As a side note - if you have seen the video of the traffic stop on YouTube (no, I'm not going to link to it), you should know that the 9 minute YouTube video is only 1/3 of the actual length of the traffic stop. I just wonder how edited that YouTube video is.

Movie News

LaRue and I went to the movies the other night. We went to see Jumper.

Overall, I would say it was a fun movie. I thought it ended a little abruptly. Seems like it could be open for a sequel or even a tv series. A good popcorn movie.
Be advised - it isn't like the book. I would recommend reading the book as well.

TV Movie stuff:

A lot of mixed feelings about the updated Knight Rider. I actually liked the new KITT car. I liked the nanobot technology. I had to get used to Val Kilmer as the voice of KITT - he's a little monotone.
I liked the fact that they get the basic sound of the music, but I missed the opening voice-over. If this becomes a series they might reinstate the opening dialog.
I also enjoyed the part when Mike drops a chip on the floor and KITT displays an image of Chief Iron Eyes Cody from the old anti-littering tv commercial from 1971. Here's a link to the ad on YouTube - Crying Indian
I didn't like the gratuitous sex scenes. The two girls in bed with Mike and the lesbian scene with the FBI agent added absolutely nothing to the story. Afterall, we watch Knight Rider to see a cool car and driver beat the bad guys.
If it does become a series I will probably watch a few episodes.

New Link

I have added a new link to the Family Sites list of websites. It's RuiesSpin, a place for LaRue to post her thoughts and her "spin" on things. Her first posting has to do with the impending destruction of the church building in Ephraim that she used to attend.

Here's the link: RuiesSpin

Church Video

The church has posted a short video originally produced for the large number of journalists visiting Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics. It has been updated to help counter persistent myths about the Church.
Myths & Reality was developed as a primer on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.



If the video doesn't play you can try going to the LDS site and viewing it there - Church Video
You will have to click the VIDEO tab above the image to view the video.

7th Annual LDS Film Festival

January 16 - 19 was the 7th Annual LDS Film Festival.



There was a total of 40 events during the four day period. Included were 24 finalists in the short film catagory. Andy's movie "Butterflies" was one of the finalists -



There was an awards presentation Saturday evening. Andy's film got third place and the audience choice award.

There will be a dvd featuring the films will be available sometime in February through the festival website.

Movies

LaRue and I have seen a couple of movies in the past few weeks.

First was National Treasure: The Book of Secrets.

It is pretty much what you would expect if you saw the first National Treasure movie. A fun "popcorn" movie. And, yes, I rather imagine there will be a third one. My initial title for it would be - National Treasure: Page 47.

Then last night we went to see The Bucket List.

We both really liked this one. There's a good review over at Cinematical.com. Click for their full review - The Bucket List

Some Christmas Pictures

Here are a few pictures from the Bailey Acres Christmas festivities - Christmas 2007