Film Crew painting mural on the side of a restaurant called "Noah's" which has been re-named "Nor'easter Diner" for the film
Dear Family and Friends,
Happy October! The weather is starting to cool, and the leaves are starting to turn. October is, and always has been, my favorite month of the year. Maybe it's because I was born in October, the childhood memories of dressing up for Halloween and going trick-or-treating, the beauty of the changing season, or perhaps just the anticipation of the several wonderful holidays approaching during the months following October, but I have always absolutely loved this month. I was recently in the grocery store, and Clara started fussing while I still needed about 30 minutes of shopping time. In order to appease her, I grabbed a bag of candy corn and let her play with the bag in her stroller while I finished shopping. It worked! She loved the bright colors of the candy and the sound of the crinkling plastic. (In the future I plan to bring an actual baby toy along for Clara to occupy herself with so that she doesn't grow up thinking she can fuss in the store and get candy as a result! haha) I snapped a picture after we got home, because she was still enjoying playing with the wrapped candy corn while Joey and I put away the groceries. (Don't worry, we didn't let her eat any!!!)
The big news in Stonington Borough the last week or so has been the filming of a 30 million dollar Hollywood movie called "Great Hope Springs". The movie stars Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carrell. It is supposedly a comedy about a married couple who decide to attend sex and relationship counseling, because after 30 years of marriage they are struggling to keep the spark going in their relationship. The movie is set in the fictional town of "Great Hope Springs" Maine, which is actually Stonington Borough. It's been interesting observing different aspects of the filming. Last Monday I took Clara for a walk in her carrier, not realizing that filming had begun. We walked down Water Street, which is the main street where all of the shops and restaraunts are located, and happened upon a scene being shot with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. We had a pretty good view. I've never been celebrity obsessed, but I do admire people who are able to essentially perfect their craft, and Meryl Streep has definitely achieved that. I love her work, and so it was a treat for me to see her in person filming a scene. A nice lady watching the filming offered to take a photo of Clara and me and then e-mail it to us. (see photos above) Meryl Streep is in the picture under the arrow I added, but you would never know since her back is turned and she is so far away. At least I can say truthfully that Clara and I are in a picture with Meryl Streep. The top picture shows Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones filming a scene.
The film crew has created different sets in the Borough. They made fake store fronts in some of the building windows along Water Street, built a fake movie theater, renamed a restaurant and re-decorated the outside of it, and turned the lovely Stonington Inn into "Captain's Inn at Great Hope Springs." They also shot scenes at Stonington Point, the Lighthouse Museum and at a house two houses down from Calvary Church. It's going to be really interesting to see the movie. Even if it turns out to be the worst movie ever shot, we will still have to own a copy. This is actually the second Hollywood film to be shot in the Borough. "Mystic Pizza", starring Julia Roberts in the early 90's, also included many scenes here.
In family news, Clara is going to be baptized at our church on October 16th. My parents will be here visiting and my aunt and uncle from Virginia are coming up for the Baptism. We are really looking forward to the service. Joey also has an adult choir Evensong service that afternoon for which I will be playing the violin. It should be a fun weekend with family and new church friends. Here's wishing you a fabulous start to October!
Erin, Joey and Clara
