rio grande

vacationing can be tricky. no matter how badly you want to be the off-the-beaten path traveler--you know, the one cavorting and blending in with all of the locals--you're, nonetheless, a tourist. however, every once in a while you come across a real gem, and i found one of those tonight.

on our way through the small town of kanab, utah, we saw a sign advertising $2 westerns on mondays and couldn't resist (well, i couldn't, so my family tagged along).

walking in, we were greeted by an old woman named paula wearing haphazardly-applied pink lipstick. my mom had joked that the popcorn would probably cost five times more than the movie, but paula pointed to the concession menu where everything was a dollar, not to mention the decaf coffee and cookies included in our admission price (hehe). i asked what film was showing and she answered, "i don't know. we thought we'd take a vote. which one do you want to see?" she laid out four dvds and i picked rio grande. then, she proceeded to tell me, "60-some-odd years ago, i had a drama teacher who told me john wayne couldn't act his way out of a paper bag. i agree."

well, i might agree too. he may only really play one character, but that doesn't make him any less fun to watch on screen. and what about maureen o'hara? look at that face!

it was a lovely film, a lovely night, and a lovely vacation memory.