Jeff Lubeck

A Quake Before You Wake

The shuttering and roiling of the cabin acted as my wakeup call at 6:11:37 AM. Linda experienced the same. The source was an earthquake centered 3.2 miles below the earth’s surface and less than five miles from our cabin in Goat Creek. According to the United States Geological Service, the exact spot was on Elk Creek near the Elk Meadow trailhead.

The 4.2 earthquake (as measured Richter scale) was the second of this magnitude in the past week and 7th since the 6.5 earthquake on March 31st. I was out on a 4 mile walk on the cabin road at the time of the 6.5 quake and it knocked me off my feet onto the ground.

The March 31st earthquake was the strongest in Idaho in over 40 years. In 2010 geophysicists discovered a 50-100 year fault line that straddles eastern side of the Sawtooths for over 40 miles starting just north and west of Stanley Lake down to Galena Pass.

The irony, is that I had planned to hike the Elk Meadow Loop starting at 9AM. The only adjustment to my plan was to go stand on the ground level epicenter location for the quake this AM and the one on Tuesday (located at the Park Creek overlook).

Elk Creek in Elk Meadow west of the Lubeck Cabin and Epicenter of the 4.2 earthquake on 6/14/2020

Elk Meadow

Elk Meadow in the month of June is home to the North American Sand Crane. The Sand Cranes are extraordinary birds over 4 feet in height who use the meadows, and marshes as their breeding ground and nesting area. The birds live in the area from March through early July and then Migrate north.

This morning I captured the birds moving in the meadow, honking with pleasure. Click on the link below.

Video and Sound: North American Sand Cranes Honking in Elk Meadow

North American Sand Crane in the Sawtooth Mountains Spring 2020.

In June the meadow begins bursting with wildflowers. The first is the Shooting Star.

The Shooting Star.

Wild Larks Croft Lubeck Border Collies are known to patrol the area looking for “ground guys.”

The Park Creek Over look was the Epicenter of Tuesday’s Quake.

The view from the Park Creek Overlook.

A View Yielding a Rare Level of Insight and Honesty

Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always is an evocative coming of age film about teenage girls on the precipice of womanhood.

Never Rarely Sometimes Always is one of those films where the somber and sometimes sobering storyline is presented with a level of frankness, honesty, and sincerity that has you wonder if it is filming real people, in real situations, and in real settings throughout its 101 minute run-time.

The films script and characters appear to have been carefully considered and cast. In lesser hands – or built by Hollywood – Never Rarely Sometimes Always would have ended up as a cliche’, filled with gross over characterizations. There are none in Hittman’s feature. The result is, instead of telegraphed scenes, and predictable outcomes, you get to learn all have a certain level subtlety and nuance – like in real life.

Jeff’s thoughts and other Worthless Trivia ——-

The meaning and implication of the title words for Never Rarely Sometimes Always title words hit me like a bolt out of the blue.

Winter’s Bone (2010) probably tops my list of films where the storyline and actors seem so everyday real. I swear… 15 minutes in (and knowing nothing about the film) I asked Linda if WB was a documentary. WB starred Jennifer Lawrence – who I had never seen before and Jonathan Hawkes – who I really like but was completely unrecognizable.

A Hidden Life – Ultimately it is Not.

If the story to be told is hidden, does it really exist? Can love, a way of life, and commitment to a foundational belief continue to exist if a requested compromise is made or denied?

The film, A Hidden Life Written and Directed by Terrance Malick (Days of Heaven, A Thin Red Line) examines those questions in a visually luscious and spiritually engaging manner. The questions and the answers to them are relevant throughout human history.

The story in a Hidden Life is a true one. With Malick’s narrative, A Hidden Life is a film presenting life’s truths.

As with his other films, Malick presents elements of life on earth surrounding the story, at the time of the story. The visuals of these elements make A Hidden Life feel whole and one with remarkable context.

The performances by the leads in the A Hidden Life, August Diehl (Salt, Inglorious Bastards), and Valerie Pachner are superb.

A Hidden Life is not a quick fix of escapism or a good fit for viewers with a short attention span or subject to time constraint – imagined or real. It builds ever so carefully, with purposeful pace to reveal, and continually reflect upon, what is at risk of being lost – and there is so much to lose.

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Jeff’s Worthless Trivia & Other Thoughts

St. Valentin Church in the town of St. Radegund, Austria.

In June 2007, Pope Benedict XVI issued an apostolic exhortation for Jägerstätter. On October 26th, 2007, he was beatified in a ceremony held by Cardinal José Saraiva Martins at the New Cathedral in Linz. His feast day is the day of his baptism, May 21st. Ironically, Pope Benedict XVI (then Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger) lived at the same time on the Bavarian side of the Salzach River across from St. Radegund and Jägerstätter’s home. Ratzinger visited St. Radegund often with his mother.

Historically, I really enjoy Malick’s style of film presentation – and A Hidden Life is no exception. Unfortunately his reclusive nature – in level of work and personal nature – means there a large gaps in time between work products.

Malick usually takes an extraordinary amount of time in post-production. A Hidden Life was filmed in 2016 and in post-production for almost three years. It premiered in May 2019 at the Cannes Film Festival. It won two awards at the festival (Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and François Chalais Prize) and placed 2nd to Parasite as Best Film (aka Palme d’Or).

A Hidden Life debuted (in limited release) at the end of December 2019 (for Oscar consideration). The general release was the third week of January 2020.

A Hidden Life was the final film appearance for Bruno Ganz (Boys from Brazil, Wings of Desire, Downfall, The Reader). Ganz’ performance in Downfall (AAN FF) as Adolf Hitler is one of the very best I have witnessed in my life.

A Hidden Life was the final film appearance for Michael Nyquist (The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, John Wick, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol).

A Quake Before You Wake

A View Yielding a Rare Level of Insight and Honesty

A Hidden Life – Ultimately it is Not.

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