13 June 2020
990
R. Linda:
In our family quest (the adults anyway), we invested in an outdoor movie screen and projector to entertain children who have not socialised in a long time because of the obvious (and keep what's left of our sanity). The screen is one of those that blow up and when done can deflate and store until the next time.
We decided Friday nights would be movie nights for the entire family. What I didn't bargain for is that doing this outside was not all a private affair, but that sounds travel even when your neighbours don't live right next to you, five acres on each side, filled with woods and meadows.
So the movie chosen was Jaws! Yes, and trying to find that movie was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Tonya had to upload it to her computer since no movie outlet or store had it. After several attempts of trying to find a way to plug her computer into the projector, she was successful.
While she was doing that, the kiddos were popping popcorn in the microwave, I was setting up lawn chairs, Mam was putting throws and pillows on the chairs to make everyone comfortable, and the weather was as Ben says, "delicious." It wasn't hot at all, I had set up tiki torches but there was no need really, there were no buggies, and since we have no city or street lights, the darkness was conducive to a great show on the screen.
We had sent for pizza as well and cokes, so we were getting situated and comfy as the movie started. If you've seen Jaws, and I would think you have, you know that maybe 10 minutes in there is a scene where bathers are jettisoning themselves out of the water because someone has cried, "SHARK!" Well, the screaming and hollering in the movie was enough that the sound carried to me neighbour on the right. She had been sitting on her upper deck with an umbrella drink with her betrothed, to enjoy the stars above and the romance of a cool evening. What she wasn't bargaining for was the screaming coming from me abode just down the hill from her blissful balcony.
The screaming scene over, we were sitting watching the movie when we saw flashing blue lights tearing down our long driveway between the trees. There was one siren going and three police cars! Yes indeed, R. Linda, our neighbour hearing the blood-curdling screams called the local police who came immediately to quell the disturbance.
We were sitting in our lawn chairs watching all this as shouts were heard to "DO NOT MOVE!" and with guns drawn the police slowly stalked the chairs. Tonya had the presence of mind to pause the movie, Mam paused herself with a piece of pizza halfway to her mouth. The rest of us with wide eyes watched as a large handheld spot was directed at us. It was like a scene out of Space Invaders where we were shocked still and because of the bright light could only see dark figures slowly coming towards us.
The policemen all stopped and put their guns away, and put the spot so it was lighting up the ground. I put me hands up and asked if I could get up and was told yes, and I asked what was the matter. I was told there was a complaint of people screaming for their lives. I started to gesture at the screen and projector and explain we were watching a movie, that it was Jaws, and it was Friday movie night and I sort of figured someone must have heard the sound of the movie disturbance and that sound wafting on the still air carried to someone who thought it was real and called the minions of the law.
One officer heard that and left and the other two laughed and put out the light. We offered them some pizza but they declined and told us we should let the neighbours know about the movie so they could rest assured nothing untoward was going on. I explained I hadn't thought the sound would travel (being in rural America), but yes, I would inform the neighbours. The one officer was all about the movie set-up. Seems he has four young ones at home and he said they are bored and thought the outdoor movie was a great idea.
So off they went, the one to let our neighbour know all was well, and of course, we lowered the sound and continued on.
You'd think the thrill of the evening was gone, but the kiddos made that incident seem like a mere interruption, so we got settled back in and the movie commenced.
Now the 6-year-old was sitting right in front of the screen. He was good until the ocean scientist got in his wetsuit and went to look at the underwater damage to the fisherman's boat. What he wasn't bargaining on was the sudden appearance of the dead fisherman's head floating up to the hole in the boat. Not only did the wetsuit scientist react, but so did our 6-year-old straight up out of the chair, pillow and throw blanket flying as he leapt into my arms.
He was asked by me Mam if he'd rather go inside with her, but he said he was fine and after a minute or two went back to his chair. That did not last long because when the boy was eaten by the shark he got up and once more I found him with his head hidden in me shoulder. He looked back and just as he did, the severed leg floated down into the water and he shouted, "THAT'S ENOUGH OF THAT!"
Both Tonya and I saw Jaws when we were his age so we didn't think he'd be upset by it. He is quite the "boyo" as Mam says so his reactions were quite unexpected. However, he refused to not watch the movie and stayed with me the rest of it, but at the end, he got up and swinging his arms around like nothing had bothered him, asked me if the shark had a name. I told him it did, it was called Bruce and he was taken with that. All the next morning he was running around calling himself Bruce and using his hands like shark jaws. And here we were afraid we'd scar him for life, not likely. He's all set to holiday at Cape Cod (he has no idea of Martha's Vineyard).
Well, we have learned our lessons, we make sure the sound is not movie theatre loud. We make sure the neighbours know that Fridays are kiddo movie night, and invitations are extended to neighbours in hearing distance if the pandemic gets over and we can go back to normal, though me Mam suggested we turn the sound back up, turn the screen in the opposite direction so the neighbours could sit in the buggy woods and watch too! I dunno about her sometimes, that may sound nice but I think she's being far from nice.
Gabe
Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved
990
R. Linda:
In our family quest (the adults anyway), we invested in an outdoor movie screen and projector to entertain children who have not socialised in a long time because of the obvious (and keep what's left of our sanity). The screen is one of those that blow up and when done can deflate and store until the next time.
 |
| The screen -- projector in the left corner |
So the movie chosen was Jaws! Yes, and trying to find that movie was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Tonya had to upload it to her computer since no movie outlet or store had it. After several attempts of trying to find a way to plug her computer into the projector, she was successful.
While she was doing that, the kiddos were popping popcorn in the microwave, I was setting up lawn chairs, Mam was putting throws and pillows on the chairs to make everyone comfortable, and the weather was as Ben says, "delicious." It wasn't hot at all, I had set up tiki torches but there was no need really, there were no buggies, and since we have no city or street lights, the darkness was conducive to a great show on the screen.
We had sent for pizza as well and cokes, so we were getting situated and comfy as the movie started. If you've seen Jaws, and I would think you have, you know that maybe 10 minutes in there is a scene where bathers are jettisoning themselves out of the water because someone has cried, "SHARK!" Well, the screaming and hollering in the movie was enough that the sound carried to me neighbour on the right. She had been sitting on her upper deck with an umbrella drink with her betrothed, to enjoy the stars above and the romance of a cool evening. What she wasn't bargaining for was the screaming coming from me abode just down the hill from her blissful balcony.
The screaming scene over, we were sitting watching the movie when we saw flashing blue lights tearing down our long driveway between the trees. There was one siren going and three police cars! Yes indeed, R. Linda, our neighbour hearing the blood-curdling screams called the local police who came immediately to quell the disturbance.
We were sitting in our lawn chairs watching all this as shouts were heard to "DO NOT MOVE!" and with guns drawn the police slowly stalked the chairs. Tonya had the presence of mind to pause the movie, Mam paused herself with a piece of pizza halfway to her mouth. The rest of us with wide eyes watched as a large handheld spot was directed at us. It was like a scene out of Space Invaders where we were shocked still and because of the bright light could only see dark figures slowly coming towards us.
The policemen all stopped and put their guns away, and put the spot so it was lighting up the ground. I put me hands up and asked if I could get up and was told yes, and I asked what was the matter. I was told there was a complaint of people screaming for their lives. I started to gesture at the screen and projector and explain we were watching a movie, that it was Jaws, and it was Friday movie night and I sort of figured someone must have heard the sound of the movie disturbance and that sound wafting on the still air carried to someone who thought it was real and called the minions of the law.
One officer heard that and left and the other two laughed and put out the light. We offered them some pizza but they declined and told us we should let the neighbours know about the movie so they could rest assured nothing untoward was going on. I explained I hadn't thought the sound would travel (being in rural America), but yes, I would inform the neighbours. The one officer was all about the movie set-up. Seems he has four young ones at home and he said they are bored and thought the outdoor movie was a great idea.
So off they went, the one to let our neighbour know all was well, and of course, we lowered the sound and continued on.
You'd think the thrill of the evening was gone, but the kiddos made that incident seem like a mere interruption, so we got settled back in and the movie commenced.
 |
| This is what it looks like at night and facing the driveway none can see the screen facing the back of the property. So when the neighbours looked out they saw nothing, just heard the screaming. That's The Call Of The Wild you see on the screen, we have since learned to look for kid-friendly, with not a lot of screaming going on, movies |
He was asked by me Mam if he'd rather go inside with her, but he said he was fine and after a minute or two went back to his chair. That did not last long because when the boy was eaten by the shark he got up and once more I found him with his head hidden in me shoulder. He looked back and just as he did, the severed leg floated down into the water and he shouted, "THAT'S ENOUGH OF THAT!"
Both Tonya and I saw Jaws when we were his age so we didn't think he'd be upset by it. He is quite the "boyo" as Mam says so his reactions were quite unexpected. However, he refused to not watch the movie and stayed with me the rest of it, but at the end, he got up and swinging his arms around like nothing had bothered him, asked me if the shark had a name. I told him it did, it was called Bruce and he was taken with that. All the next morning he was running around calling himself Bruce and using his hands like shark jaws. And here we were afraid we'd scar him for life, not likely. He's all set to holiday at Cape Cod (he has no idea of Martha's Vineyard).
Well, we have learned our lessons, we make sure the sound is not movie theatre loud. We make sure the neighbours know that Fridays are kiddo movie night, and invitations are extended to neighbours in hearing distance if the pandemic gets over and we can go back to normal, though me Mam suggested we turn the sound back up, turn the screen in the opposite direction so the neighbours could sit in the buggy woods and watch too! I dunno about her sometimes, that may sound nice but I think she's being far from nice.
Gabe
Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved
