Just some ramblings on all manner of good things
Thank you so much to everyone for joining us for Legends of Western Cinema Week!
And.... Hamlette is the winner of this week's giveaway / the journal! Congratulations, Rachel! 🎊
It was a whirlwind of a week here, but I had a grand time. Hope you all did too! Make sure to visit the linky widget below to find any posts you may have missed and keep the discussion going. :)
~
🌲 Happy trails! Hope you all have a great weekend! 🌲
Answers to our game are below.
~
1) Lonesome Dove
2) Longmire
3) Union Pacific
4) Stagecoach
5) The Big Country
6) Angel and the Badman
7) The Lone Ranger
8) Open Range
9) Rawhide
10) The Ballad of Lefty Brown
~
Scores:
Chloe the MovieCritic // 9
Olivia // 10 points
Quiggy // 10 points
Thanks for playing! :)
Time to do my tag answers!
And I have no idea how I'm gonna narrow this down. So many titles could fit in one or more categories, so we'll just go entirely off my fleeting thoughts and feelings in this very fleeting present moment. xD
Shall we?
Here goes!
Legends of Western Cinema Week Tag 2025
Share one or more movies / shows / stories for each prompt:
1) Cliff -- a tense cliffhanger -- Stagecoach (1939)
The ending... *chef's kiss* justly and absolutely deserves its great status.
2) Gulch -- a cool ambush scene -- Shadow on the Mesa (2013)
It's been so long since I've seen this... but I definitely remember this ambush-y scene in the willow bottoms midway through the film. Always felt unique to me.
3) Canyon -- a big gunfight -- Tombstone (1993)
I know there are fierce debates about its historicity etc., but de famous gunfight in the middle there is Epic.
4) Mountains -- high stakes -- Rawhide (1951)
This noir-ish classic with Tyrone Power and Susan Hayward has the most terrifying stakes I think of anything I've ever seen. It all ends happily, but I still haven't hardly been able to rewatch it.
5) Valley -- a beautiful romance -- The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)
Ok. So I had a whole bunch of ideas for this one. (Open Range was my first choice, but it's needed elsewhere... ;)) But then I got thinking how this one would be really neat in the spot as well. It's the ongoing part of romance. The Ever After with life companions who actually know and understand what's really going on with each other, who go through the rough things together, and who ultimately face up to things rather than running.
6) Desert -- a suspenseful plot -- Silverado (1985)
Silverado keeps you guessing. Never know exactly what'll happen next! XD
7) Forest -- themes about renewal -- Open Range (2003)
There were quite a few in the runner up for this nomination -- which made me realize how common this thread is in westerns period and why I love both it and them so much -- but yes, Open Range won the day. The hard things happen, but through them all a new leaf is being turned, and in the end it's so genuinely sweet and gentle and hopeful and real.
8) River -- traveling to a new home -- Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
From the first moment that stage comes rocketing into view in the beginning till its determinedly unruffled ending, Apple Dumpling is all about finding a place to belong.
9) Plains -- characters who are farmers -- The Westerner (1940)
Whenever the category comes up, this is always the first one that comes to mind. Always interesting to see Gary Cooper in such a young role too.
10) Mesa -- an animal central to the story -- The Tin Star (1957)
I wanted to say Silverado (as the whole pajama duel over the horse is quite the inciting incident), but we'll go with this one as the horses here (particularly Kip's) do play an even more major role in essential plot points. (And yes, this one could work for the romance heading as well. Obviously. ;))
I haven't seen all of these, but tried to do a mix of well known and more obscure titles. Leave your guesses in the comments. (Per the usual, comments won't be published here till the end of the week.) I'll post your scores and the answers at the end of the party. Have fun!
1) Nleesmoo vedo
2) Mongierl
3) Niuno Accfipi
4) Hgestccaoa
5) Het Gib Uctyorn
6) Glean dna eth Dmanba
7) Hte Nole Agrern
8) Pone Eagrn
9) Iwedrah
10) Eht Lldaba fo Feytl Wrbon
~
Welcome to this year's Legends of Western Cinema Week!
Hurrah!
I've been looking forward to this week so much. :) :)
I'm once again happy to be co-hosting with Rachel of Hamlette's Soliloquy and Olivia of Meanwhile in Rivendell... We've concocted some fun goodies for this week, but can't wait to see what you all contribute as well!
First off, you'll find our tag for this year below. You can fill it out on your own blog (or, if you don't have a blog, feel free to leave your answers in the comments section here).
You'll also find my giveaway for this year below the tag. I hope you'll enter that as well. 💜 And definitely make sure to leave links for anything you do in the party box at the very bottom so we can all find it.
Hope you all have a lovely rest of your Monday and here's to a great week! 🎊
~
Share one or more movies / shows / stories for each prompt:
1) Cliff -- a tense cliffhanger
2) Gulch -- a cool ambush scene
3) Canyon -- a big gunfight
4) Mountains -- high stakes
5) Valley -- a beautiful romance
6) Desert -- a suspenseful plot
7) Forest -- themes about renewal
8) River -- traveling to a new home
9) Plains -- characters who are farmers
10) Mesa -- an animal central to the story
For this year's giveaway prizes, we have:
1) this leather covered notebook (with blank, unlined pages, suitable for note taking or art)
2) this decor sign with a quote from John Wayne (obviously one of my favorite quotes)
I hope you're interested in one of those! If so, be sure to enter the rafflecopter below and also leave a comment on this post listing which item is your favorite.
Unfortunately, due to shipping etc., I have to limit it to US entries only.
And again, be sure to link any of your party posts in the box below so everyone else can enjoy -- can't wait to see what everyone shares! :)
~ ~ ~
Howdy everyone!
I'm delighted to be announcing this year's Legends of Western Cinema Week! And which I'm happy to be once again hosting with Rachel of Hamlette's Soliloquy and Olivia of Meanwhile in Rivendell...
Running from August 25th-29th this year, it'll be a grand occasion to share and discuss our love for all things classic and western.
Exciting plans are in the works (including a tag, as usual), but, most of all, we can't wait to see what you all bring to the party! You can contribute movie reviews, character studies, lists of top favorites... whatever you dream up.
There's no official sign up, but if you have questions and/or looking for suggestions feel free to drop a comment below and I'd be happy to discuss. 💜
(And note: this is for any and everyone who would like to participate, no level of expertise required! The whole idea is to make introductions to the genre and spread the love. :))
Also, it'd be greatly appreciated if you could grab and share one of the buttons here (created by Rachel).
Thanks muchly!
Finally, happy Monday everyone and hope you're all having a lovely start to your week! :)
Squeaking in under the wire, but very happy to answer Rachel's lovely tag questions for her (12th!!!!) annual Tolkien blog party. (Which great party you can find here.)
1. The Shire: What place in Middle-earth do you think would feel the most like home for you?
The Shire is, of course, very much the homiest thing ever, but, other than that, Ithilien. I'm very much an Ithilien girl. ;)
2. Bree: If you could create a Middle-earth-themed restaurant, what would you serve there?
Oh boy... so many choices. Well, while hosting (and helping with) some largish events in this last week (we're in the midst of a crazy 10 days or so here -- it's all been absolutely lovely, but just one thing after the next)... Anyway, in the midst of all that, I realized I literally feel like I can identify very closely with Barliman Butterbur and his inn at Bree. XD
But that doesn't narrow down cuisine, so putting that aside, hmmm....
 |
| Cranberry-orange cider for our event last Saturday -- definitely very Shire-ish |
Home atmosphere wise, I do want to create a combination of Shire hospitality and Rivendell, but also.... Tom Bombadil's house has always -- always -- intrigued me. And I love the menu -- the bread and cheese and honeycomb and berries... and the clear water, heady as wine. Not sure exactly how you would encapsulate all that in a restaurant, but it kind of reminds me of what I've heard regarding (simple) French cuisine. So maybe some basics like the above (bread, wine, cheese, honey, cream, and berries), and maybe some light soups, changing with the seasons + pastries or something? I do like baking (and eating) pastries.
3. Rivendell: Where in Middle-earth would you like to hang out with your friends for a week or so?
Rohan, with its wide spreading land bounded by mountains. And either when it's green and rippling with thick fresh grass, or when the snow flies and that same grass is all crunchy with frost underfoot.
4. Moria: Have you ever delved into the history of Middle-earth (or the history of Tolkien's creative process)? If so, did you learn anything cool you'd like to share?
I have delved into various things over the years. It's been awhile, but I do remember doing a deep-ish dive and finding out some interesting things re his women characters. I wasn't able to encapsulate everything, but I did write down a bunch of subsequent thoughts here. (Don't take it all as my final opinion on the subject, but I do still find everything I touched on in there fascinating. And again, not that Tolkien did any of it on purpose. I just think one could make an argument that his imagination was saturated with certain imagery.)
5. Lothlorien: Would you like to sleep in a tree?
The idea sounds marvelous, but in reality I probably wouldn't get a great night's sleep. 😅
6. Edoras: Do you like horses?
Yes. I am worried they make me sneeze (though also hoping that's just the hay 😂). But yes, I love horses. <3
 |
| One of the gorgeous animals at our local draft horse show |
7. Minas Tirith: Have you ever dressed as a Tolkien character, whether for a convention or Halloween or anything else? (Bonus fake internet points if you share a photo!)
No, haven't done that.
 |
| Tempting display of succulents at our local greenhouse -- something about it just made me think of LOTR |
8. Erebor: Do you have any Middle-earth merchandise you particularly treasure?
I have quite a few wooden wall hangings with quotes. One favorite is our "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure" one. We've created a family tradition of pulling it out and hanging it on the doorknob on days we're planning to do something new and exciting. We don't remember to pull it out all the time, but it's a lot of fun.
 |
| The actual sign and door |
9. Mordor: Have you ever read anything by Tolkien that wasn't about Middle-earth?
Yes! Farmer Giles of Ham (multiple times) and, it's not quite the same, but I'm also a fan of his translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, etc.
10. The Grey Havens: How long has it been since you last ventured into Middle-earth via book or film?
Far too long. I have the aforementioned wall hangings up around the house, but since I actually delved into LOTR properly... I think it's been a couple years actually.
~ ~ ~
Thanks again so much for the tag, Rachel -- they were great questions and most enjoyable to fill out! :)
Hey howdy everyone, the great day has dawned! Time to kick off our annual Legends of Western Cinema Week, which I'm once again happily co-hosting with fellow bloggers Rachel of Hamlette's Soliloquy and Olivia of Meanwhile, in Rivendell...
LOWCW is always such a highlight of summer here.
Y'all are heartily welcome to join in the party by sharing any western loving posts, film reviews, character studies, etc. on your own blogs. Be sure to come back and leave a link to anything you post in the widget at the bottom of any of our kick-off posts so that everyone else can read your contributions. Just reposting the guidelines here for easy reference:
1 -- any posts must be about the genre
2 -- new for the occasion
3 -- appreciative of the subject / not derogatory
And yes! We have a party tag. You can copy and paste the list below to fill in the answers on your own blog. This year we had a lot of fun coming up with single word prompts. And whatever western you choose for each answer doesn't have to be your absolute favorite of all time, just one that you feel fits that particular category really well. The idea is to have ten westerns total (unless there's one you really want to highlight in multiple places).
Leave a comment below with any questions, but this should be lots of fun.
~
Our first prize is a dvd copy of The Rare Breed (review coming soon)
Second prize is this beautiful blue-green coffee mug. (This color does go in and out of availability, so if there's any issue with that I'll discuss a possible substitution with the winner. Same mug, just in a different color.)
Third prize is this wall sign (I think it's close to 4" x 6")
And there you have it! Super excited for this week and looking forward to seeing your tag answers + any other posts you come up with. Have fun! :)
Howdy!
I'm so happy to be announcing this year's return of Legends of Western Cinema Week for July 22nd-26th, and which I'm co-hosting with Rachel of Hamlette's Soliloquy and Olivia of Meanwhile in Rivendell...
Come party time, we'll have a blog tag you can fill out on your own blog, and hopefully lots of other fun little tidbits (possibly some games and giveaways, etc.), but the majorly exciting part is that you'll all be welcome to contribute additional blog posts of your own discussing all things classic and western (primarily relating to film, but books are always welcome as well :)).
The only rules are that:
1 -- any posts must be about the genre
2 -- new for the occasion
3 -- appreciative of the subject / not derogatory
There'll be more details available when the event arrives, but just getting the news out there now so you can start thinking what you might like to contribute. Also (unless you want to!) you don't need to tell us what you plan to share ahead of time, which leaves some nice flexibility.
Last but not least, Olivia did a great job with our buttons this year -- I'm just tickled pink about them. Aren't they lovely? We'd much appreciate it if you're able to grab one or two and splash them about so anyone else who might like to participate gets to hear about it. Thanks so much everyone and looking forward to celebrating with y'all soon! <3
Below you'll find all the entries from this year's party. If you haven't had a chance yet, feel free to keep reading through them, commenting, and spreading good cheer. :)
And... we have two giveaway winners: Rachel and Chloe! Congratulations! (I'll be emailing the winners directly.)
Thanks for a lovely western week everyone -- hope you all had a great time as well and hope to see you again soon!
1. The Big Country (1958)
2. Dodge City (1939)
3. The Fastest Gun Alive (1956)
4. High Noon (1952)
5. Open Range (2003)
6. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)
7. Silverado (1985)
8. The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)
9. Stagecoach (1939)
10. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
11. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
12. The Tin Star (1957)
13. True Grit (2010)
14. Union Pacific (1939)
15. Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958-1961)
~ ~ ~
Scores:
Chloe the MovieCritic // 8
Elisabeth Grace Foley // 13
Hamlette (Rachel) // 14
Jenelle Schmidt // 4
Olivia // 9
Thanks so much for playing everyone and I'd love to hear if there were any surprises !
