A Dash of Wine

When Phillip and I took our anniversary trip to Florence, Arizona, we saw a handmade sign in front of a house that just said “winery” with an arrow.

Obviously, we had to investigate.

It turns out the winery in question was not, as the sign seemed to suggest, in someone’s backyard, but a totally legit operation down the street. The Windmill Winery was quiet except for a few donkeys, and it turns out the tasting room is closed on Mondays. We moved on with no wine and only a little whine.

The scene was very different when we were back months later. Even though it was early Sunday morning, people were already bustling around and a DJ was spinning. The winery was hosting the Dionysus Dash, a 5k run for a charity that Phillip’s work supports.

The scene before the #dionysusdash at @windmillwinery – tutus, togas, and a wine tasting afterwards!

A video posted by stephanieliebold (@stephanieliebold) on Apr 3, 2016 at 12:24pm PDT

After the runners were done running and we were done running the raffle booth, we got to visit the barn for a special tasting set up for the event, then say hi to the donkeys and chickens and check out the lake and the outside of the actual tasting room.

Maybe one of these days we’ll actually visit during regular hours and go inside.

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April 7, 2016April 7, 2016

Hostile Border: A Cross-Genre Film about Crossing the Line

Did I ever tell you about the time Phillip and I walked into Mexico?

On the Border

Okay, before I start the movie review, here’s the short version: We took the trolley from San Diego south to the border, over this elaborate pedestrian bridge with tall metal turnstiles. On the other side was a Mexican soldier with a big gun just kind of hanging out there, not checking anyone’s papers or even making eye contact. We stepped off the bridge into a super sketchy part of Tijuana, rolling suitcases bumping along behind us, trying not to get robbed (or worse) while we looked for a bus where there wasn’t any.

I don’t recommend that particular way to see Mexico.

There are some lovely parts of Tijuana, but the border draws danger, making the city swell with the pressure of desperate outsiders.

Over the Line

The film Hostile Border begins, not on the border, but in Illinois, where it plunges you immediately into the world of the ambitious main character, Claudia. Minimal exposition. No flashbacks. It moves quickly and lets you fill in the gaps.

After Claudia’s history of credit card fraud and undocumented status catch up with her, she is deported – through another metal turnstile in a Tijuana port of entry – into Mexico, where she has little connection and even less knowledge of the language.

One thing the film does explain outright is the meaning of its working title, “pocha”, slang for “a Mexican American who can speak little or no Spanish”. It can also refer to something rotten. The first definition definitely applies to Claudia. Whether the second one does is a question posed throughout the film in various ways.

Does committing crime mean you are a criminal? What happens after you cross the line?

Veronica Sixtos’s performance as Claudia is so compelling you don’t miss words during her long stretches of silence, yet she conveys emotion and inner conflict subtly enough to be consistent with the character’s guarded nature.

Hostile Border is about the people who build fences to protect themselves, and the ones who believe crossing them is worth the risk. It pulses between the genres of thriller and western with moments of intensity balanced by scenes with room to reveal the complicated relationships between layered characters.

Inspired in part by conversations with actual deportees, this debut feature film for both director/cinematographer Michael Dwyer and writer/co-director Kaitlin McLaughlin won the 2015 the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival and a Special Jury Prize for Directing.

Hostile Border opens in select theaters (see list below) and on digital/video on demand platforms April 15. You can preorder it on iTunes now.

Theaters:

Arizona

Cinema Latino (Phoenix)
Harkins Theatres Spectrum 18 (Tucson)

California

Laemmle Noho 7 (LA)
Media Arts Center (San Diego)

Colorado

Sie Film Center (Denver)

Illinois

Gene Siskel Film Center (Chicago)

Texas

Cinema Latino (Pasadena)

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Images and preview courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films.

April 4, 2016January 9, 2018

Make a Travel Journal from Envelopes

The envelope travel journals we made in my most recent Southwest Maker Fest workshop came from a combination of this upcycled junk mail project and a simplified version of one my friend Trish came up with.

The idea is that you can make them from just a couple envelopes and some string, and then have a pocket-sized way to record memories from your next trip.

1. Fold an envelope in half – use a #10 (DL) envelope or experiment with other sizes, upcycle junk mail or reply envelopes, etc.

2. Punch a hole or two in the center (on the fold).

3. Cut the top flap at the fold or remove it altogether.

4. Repeat with one or more envelopes.

5. Thread yarn, string, or twine through the hole(s) of all the envelopes and tie them together. (Alternatively, you can bind the envelopes with ring binders, paper clips and/or rubber bands.)

The envelope outsides have become pages for writing, drawing, or collaging the story of your trip, and you can tuck momentos inside.

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