Simply Curious

Pumpkinglow.com The site for pumpkin carving patterns


It's that time of year again! This is one of the best sites out there for free carving patterns. I did Calvin and Hobbes in the wagon last year - now to decide on this year's pattern!

Virginia Bowman Estep

This is a picture of my great, great, great aunt. Technically, my mother's grandfather's father's aunt. Amazing how looks can be passed down this far in a family!

Watched Treasure Planet this afternoon for the first time. (Yes, I know, I'm running a teensy bit behind on my movie watching!) All's I can say is, wild. They make Muppet Treasure Island seem normal. (Still one of my favorites!) What you have is 18th century clothing in what, the 28th century? Robots and all sorts of space creatures, a lady captain who'd make a fantastic Salamandastron Hare if Disney ever does the Redwall series (ooh, I hope not Disney! some other company, please!) and a funky little Flubber wannabe shape-shifter. No Squire Trelawney, no treasure brought home, and Jim Hawkins jumps abruptly from punk kid to naval graduate.

Now, Treasure Island has been one of my favorite stories for a long long time. I remember first reading it after my aunt gave me a Commodore 64 game based on it. The game sure was a lot easier to play after I knew the storyline! R.L. Stevenson is right up there on the shelves with my Tolkien and Twain books. (hmm, that sounds alphabetized, it just happens to be the authors I like enough to buy in hardback!) Great stuff, even after all this time.

I tend to be rather critical of the movies, but I do have a few favorites. Charlton Heston and Christian Bale starred in one several years ago that I consider to be truest to the book. Fantastic acting, great setting, you can almost feel the steamy humidity of the island. I think it was a TNT Original? I'll have to look it up. And corny as it may sound, my other favorite is Muppet Treasure Island. The costumes are beautiful, and Tim Curry's delivery of Long John Silver is out of this world. He's not good, he's not bad, he's just looking out for himself and woe to those who interfere or fall into his schemes.

I don't know where to put Treasure Planet. it was . . . different. In a bizarre kind of way. A Stevenson meets Star Trek thing. The graphics were quite nice, kind of sparkly and deep. I'm sure the effect was much better on a large screen. I did laugh during it (first time this week?) so that had its positive points, but . . . hmm. I guess there was just too many levels in it, aimed at different audiences.

It was just . . . wierd!