Notice how the flowers grow. They do not toil or spin.
But I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of
them.
I
printed the car ride scavenger hunt form and brought it along to pick up my
seven-year-old granddaughter, Addison, who was going to spend the day with me.
Our first stop would be the movie theater to see Peter Rabbit. Although the theater is not far away, I knew Addison
would enjoy the scavenger hunt, even for the short ride. It’s something we do
regularly. True
to form, Addison got started on the scavenger hunt right away and checked off
most of the items by the time we arrived at the theater.
While
Peter Rabbit received no more than
three stars by most movie critics (and I can agree with some of their
arguments), I found it to be delightful for the following reasons. I thought the
mixed media of live action with animation was brilliant and beautiful. I was awed
at the splendor of the English countryside, its cottages and abundant gardens,
profuse in colorful vegetables and bright sunflowers, and of course the
adorable bunnies featured throughout. Immediately I was caught up in the plot, recognizing
the familiar tale by Beatrix Potter and enjoying the twist that involved a
manipulative heir to the McGregor estate falling in love with his next door
neighbor, Bea (short for Beatrix?), an artist who paints pictures of rabbits
and nature and is a mother-like figure to Peter and his triplet sisters and
cousin. Although not true in real life, Bea says that rabbits touch foreheads
to apologize. This becomes a motif throughout the movie and lends itself to a
heartwarming happy ending.
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Photo credit: The
New York Times
|
When
we left the theater, I was still basking in the beauty of the movie’s scenery,
even more so when the weather of the day seemed to complement it. Addison and I
then decided to enjoy a fast-food picnic at the waterfront, followed by a walk
skirting the shoreline. Still not ready to cap off the afternoon, we elected to
take on the challenge of a sunflower maze at a nearby farm.
