RECENT VIEWING
A Logger’s Life in the West: Train Dreams (Netflix)
Train Dreams is a quiet serious film set in the Pacific Northwest in the early 20th century and based on a novella by Denis Johnson. Logging was at its peak, and trains were the fastest means of transportation across great distances.
Robert Grainier is a logger, a dreamer, and something of a loner. He joins crews doing that demanding and dangerous work, leaving home and going wherever there is work to be had. When he meets and marries the lively Gladys, he builds them a small cabin. Reluctantly, he goes on the road for months at a time. Life unfolds slowly and then with a bang.
Robert is the focus and principal character. The viewer follows and experiences his challenges and his life’s tragedies in a changing America. The forests are gorgeous, action is at a minimum, and overall, it’s the depiction of one man’s life. His story is told partly in voiceover, and the narrator’s low tones resonate with understated emotion. It’s a good film and worth the investment of time.
Race Relations in Durham: Best of Enemies (Rent on Amazon)
With the events in Minneapolis this week and the resulting demonstrations across the country, it seems appropriate to re-visit 1971 in this moving film. I lived through this time as an adult, like many of my friends, but in Massachusetts, not the South.
Best of Enemies is a 2109 film about the 1971 movement toward desegregation of the public schools in Durham, North Carolina. Black activist Ann Atwater and her Operation Breakthrough group face off against the white community, especially the Klansmen led by gas station owner C. P. Ellis. After a Black school is mostly destroyed in a fire, a court order mandates that the community hold a 2-week charrette, work together, and come up with a set of resolutions that their elected body of citizens will vote on. In the process, the two principals, Atwater and Ellis, slowly recognize that they have some things in common and form a tentative relationship.
It’s a superb film—compelling, forceful, and occasionally painful to watch. The South, particularly Durham in 1971, was a different place for Blacks than it is today. It is history worth acknowledging and alas, timely, given that there are those in Washington who want to marginalize “the other,” anyone different, from another country, or not white. Thanks to a local friend for suggesting we watch it. Highly recommended!
CASUAL DINING IN CARY
Downtown Cary is developing its own unique restaurant row along East Chatham and Cedar Streets. Hank’s Downtown Dive, several pizza places, Taipei 101, Pro’s Epicurean Ristorante, and Scratch Kitchen offer European, American, and Chinese fare. Add in Zest Sushi for Japanese rolls and more, and now Lawrence Barbecue.
Also underway is the transformation of a 1950’s era service station into Lloyd’s Full Service on the corner of Academy and E. Chatham Streets. When this restaurant is completed, late this year or early next, it will have a fire pit and a stage for live music.
Lawrence Barbecue Cary
Chef owned Lawrence Barbecue has two large smokers and an eclectic menu. Think barbecued pork, smoked beef brisket, crispy chicken, and a range of side dishes from Brussels sprouts two ways, jackfruit, wonderful tater tots, and a rich mac and cheese. Add in oysters on the half shell, and there’s something for everyone.
The main space is open and simple with bare tables and a full bar at one end; just outside, there are plenty of picnic tables for the warm weather. Diners early this weeknight evening included two families with little kids, some young couples, and a few seniors.
For our inaugural meal, the Chief Penguin and I each ordered the straightforward pulled pork sandwich, piled high on a soft bun with pickles and a bit of cole slaw. It comes with a choice of side and, we got one standard one, the all-purpose tots which were super, and the mac cheese, a premium side. Everything was tasty, and Tyler provided great service. We will be back!
