Pursuits : Elizabeth Thomsen

I was on my way home from work yesterday when I distracted by the amazing pinkish sky to my left. Between the trees, I caught sight of the fiery ball of the setting sun low on the horizon. It looked nearby, and I felt like I could catch it. So I turned the car around, took the road to Beverly Airport, parked the car, and rushed outside where the bright ball of the sun appeared to be balancing on the horizon across the field. I quickly shot the picture above through the chainlink fence as I rushed over, hoping to shoot over or through the fence and get the picture I wanted, but the sun sank below the horizon way too fast.

This picture for me is all about the one that got away, but I’m not too unhappy about it. I chased after a beautiful sunset, and I caught it. I have the image in my mind, even though I wasn’t quite fast enough to catch it with my camera!

The new Alice in Wonderland movie is only the latest film adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s novel. There have been over twenty earlier versions. It’s hard to give an exact number — do you want to count the X-rated musical version, the animated sequel Alice in Wonderland in Paris, and the direct-to-TV Muppet version?

The first film version was a 1903 British production directed by Cecil Hepworth and Percy Stow, with Mabel Clark in the role of Alice, and Mrs. Hepworth playing both the White Rabbit and the Red Queen. Only a single incomplete original print has survived, and the British Film Institute has partially restored it. It’s brief and dreamy, but the special effects are pretty good for the time, especially when Alice changes size and is trapped in the White Rabbit’s home. I also really liked the playing card costumes, which are faithful to the original Tenniel illustrations. It really looks like they had a good time making this!

Alice in Wonderland (1903) — More information about this film from BFI Online

This is my least-favorite time of year — the dull, damp, gray days when you know it’s almost spring but it feels like winter will never end. I hate the lack of color and light. When I feel like this, it’s time for phototherapy: I go to the supermarket to stealthily photograph the hot peppers.

I started doing Project 365 on January 1, taking and posting a photo every day. This is my third attempt, and it’s more difficult than it sounds. There are a lot of days that I feel too busy or just feel uninspired and hate having to scrounge around the house desperately looking for something, anything, to photograph before midnight. (And I think tonight is going to be another one of those nights.) Some days, I have to post a picture I don’t really like, but I still do it, and now I’ve made it through the first two months without missing a day.