A New Breed

I hadn't heard of Linda Hogan or Wendell Berry before, but am now familiar with Edward Abbey through the other readings. Linda Hogan's introduction tells us little of her childhood except that she is a Native American born in 1947, which makes sense because she writes in her story about how the natives regard bats. Her actual story tells us more about her life than the introduction does, such as living in Germany and Minnesota. I didn't know what "Chickasaw" meant, so I looked it up and it is a Native American nation. The introduction also tells us she questions, "How are all of us, both human beings and the other species who are our kindred, to live?," in her writings. Since some of the past authors have been compared to Edward Abbey, I was glad to finally read about him and his writing. Edward Abbey's introduction tells us he was a "fire lookout and park ranger in the Southwest," which made him an environmentalist. I wondered how he got the job, how he came to be at Arches National Park, and if he had a family. Abbey wrote about his "love of the desert" and his "bitterness about its desecration by the miners, dammers, developers, and tourists." I thought it was interesting that Abbey was a "ranger at Utah's Arches National Monument," which brings his writings closer to our home and since I have been to the monument, I can picture what he is writing about. The introduction tells us Abbey writes with "sardonic honesty," and "declares war against the atrocities he has witnessed." Wendell Berry's introduction tells us little about his life except for living on "a worn-out hill farm in his native Kentucky," and mostly focuses on his writing subjects. The introduction tells us the author writes about agriculture, Kentucky, attitudes toward the land, and culture.



"The Bats" by Linda Hogan is an essay about the author's thoughts on and interactions with bats. Her curiosity began when she saw two bats mating at the zoo and thought it was so beautiful. Hogan then describes taking two hibernating bats from a cold Minneapolis park, in a box to her own warm yard to "protect the children." When she opened the box, "the bats were mating." The male bat died four days later after impregnating the female, who flew away after he died. Hogan talks about seeing a bat cave in Germany, which had been an "ammunition depot during World War II." Hogan seems rather perplexed by the bats, stating, "bats hear their way through the world," and goes to great length to hear what they hear, to relate to them. In "The Serpents of Paradise" by Edward Abbey, he writes about an April morning. Abbey tells us of the mice that live in his trailer in Arches National Park and how he encountered a snake underneath his seat on the doorstep. He thought about going back inside for his rifle, but says, "It would be like murder and where would I set my coffee?" He grabs a "long-handled spade" and "scoops" the snake up with it, while the snake attacks the metal and slithers under a sandstone slab. He warns the snake that he will "chop [his] head off" if he returns, which the snake does within a week. Abbey captures a gopher snake and lets him loose in his trailer to capture the mice and drive away the rattlesnake. A gopher snake returns in May with a mate, which Abbey watches with amazement. "An Entrance to the Woods" by Wendell Berry is about a walk he took in the Daniel Boone National Forrest on an evening in September 1969. He stops and looks for a camping place, with "a shelter," "an air mattress," and "a sleeping bag." He feels "sad, even though [he] is not looking for company or [doesn't] want any" and feels "haunted," finding it hard to live on a slower pace. He knows he will feel the pleasure of total freedom from the chaos of his daily life. After a restless night, he is awaken by a bird singing and continues on his walk. He comes across a rock inscription from 1903. He sets up camp for the night and declares waking up in nature is "the best part of the trip."



In "The Bats" by Linda Hogan, she writes, "Bats are people from the land of souls, land where moon dwells. They listen to our woes, hearers of changes in earth, predictors of earthquake and storm. They live with the goddess of night in the lusty mouth of earth," romanticizing their lives and what it must be like to be one of them. Her heritage as a Native American comes forth in this quote, because they respect animals and believe everything in the world is connected and has a purpose. She also says, "the bat people are said to live in the first circle of holiness. Thus, they are intermediaries between our world and the next." Hogan makes it seem like they are like the undead, sort of where the vampire myth comes into play, and how the vampires are connected to bats. In "The Serpents of Paradise" by Edward Abbey, he writes about the friendship he has with the gopher snake, saying, "we are compatible," almost making it seem like the gopher snake knows why the man wants him there and is okay with their arrangement. In "An Entrance to the Woods," Wendell Berry writes about a "heavy feeling of melancholy and lonesomeness" coming over him in the wilderness, which "does not surprise" him, because he usually gets it in a unfamiliar wilderness. I sure loneliness is normal for a nature lover to feel when they first get there, because they are used to conversations, busy schedules, and deadlines. Berry writes, "I am happy. A man cannot despair if he can imagine a better life, and if he can enact something of its possibility," making it seem like he enjoys the freedom to go and walk whenever he pleases, not having responsibilities at home and being able to rely on himself and nature.



There was definitely a lot of creepy crawlers in these essays, that I wouldn't want to run into. In "The Bats" by Linda Hogan, she writes about seeing the two bats mating at the zoo, which made me remember a similar story. When I was young, I went to the zoo with my girl scout troop and saw two lions mating. My mother told us the lions were playing "leap frog." I thought it was pretty interesting that the "American military had experimented with bats carrying bombs" and I was puzzled by this. To me, small bats wouldn't make the best attack subject and probably couldn't carry the biggest bomb. I hadn't heard of those experiments before, but the military was probably trying to use everything around them to attack their enemies. In "The Serpents of Paradise" by Edward Abbey, he writes about Arches National Monument as a "sanctuary for wildlife." When I visited the monument in 1994, I don't remember seeing any wildlife, just the desert bushes and the arch. I'm glad I didn't see any snakes. I like seeing snakes, if they are behind the glass at the zoo. I would never want to keep a snake as a pet. When I lived in East Layton, one of my neighbors got bit by snakes twice in her backyard facing the mountain. In "An Entrance to the Woods," Wendell Berry writes about a melancholy he experiences when he first gets to the wilderness, but then becomes happy when he embraces nature, which I can relate to. I, when I go camping, the first thing I want to do is set up my and go take a long nap or curl up with a book, while having the windows unzipped in the trailer. I usually go out at night and sit by the fire, roasting marshmallows. Then I'll maybe take a walk the next morning down to the lake, and over time, I enjoy it more than when I first got there.

The Adventure of the Illustrious Client

I watched "The Illustrious Client" starring Jeremy Brent, made in 1991. I watched the movie on Netflix's streaming and the volume was really low, so I had to really concentrate to hear it, which was a bit disappointing. The streaming also kept freezing every ten minutes or so, which was annoying. I would give the movie three out of four stars. I thought the makers did a really good job of adapting the story from the book. I thought Kitty Winter's scars seemed very realistic and she was the most convincing actor in the film. I was also curious if one of the paintings hanging in Baron's office was of Kitty and thought they should have emphasized it more. I thought the villain and his two henchman didn't seem very scary, which made them seen not that threatening. The film didn't have any exciting special effects that usually are contained in a Sherlock Holmes mystery, such as magic, dark lighting, or eerie music. The classical music played in the Baron and Violet scenes seemed more upbeat than creepy. I wondered why Violet didn't seem to react like a normal person would, if her fiancé was a murder suspect and wouldn't try to find out the truth for herself. The actress just made Violet seem flat as a character, with only one direction. I would have liked to seen her actually reading the diary at the end instead of just her hand over it. The film contained mostly dialogue, with very little action. It would have been interesting to see the Baron poison the boy and beat up the investigator, and his interaction with Kitty, like they showed the henchman beating up Holmes and trying to beat up Kitty. Holmes does his utter his famous catch phrase, "Elementary psychology, Watson" in the film, which I liked hearing. I didn't catch who the seal on the carriage pointed to as the client, but noticed there was a similar seal on the diary.



"The Illustrious Client" starring Jeremy Brent, starts with a man finds a dying woman, and she says to him, "Why did you push me, Barry?," as she dies. He looks up and sees a boy with his dog watching them. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are visited by Sir James Damer, who tells them Baron Gruner is "the most dangerous man in Europe." Baron has been suspected of killing his wife, as seen in the beginning of the film. Baron is shown with a woman named Violet Merville, strolling through the gardens of his manor. James "won't give the identity of his client" to Holmes and Watson. Baron shows Violet his office, and she asks him about his locked diary. Baron shows her his porcelain collection. James reveals Baron and Violet "are supposed to marry next month." James tells them Violet's father, a General, is opposed to the marriage, but is not his client. Holmes sends a message to Shinwell Johnson, when he finds Mrs. Hudson eavesdropping at his door. Holmes visits Baron, who admits he was expecting him and tells Holmes "he has no cards to show." Baron brags about an inspector who was paralyzed while investigating the murder. Holmes is visited by Shinwell and Kitty Winter, a former artist's model, who tells them Baron "collects women." Holmes receives a death threat. Kitty is followed home by two men, who Shinwell beats. Baron reads through his journal of women in which he adds a photograph of Violet. The two men return to Baron to tell him about Porky. Holmes and Kitty visit Violet. Holmes tells Violet the boy who witnessed the murder, died of poisoning. Kitty tells Violet she was Baron's mistress, one of hundreds. Kitty shows her scars all over her body to Violet. Kitty tells Holmes about Baron's book of women and how he tried to make her read it. Baron threw a bottle of acid at her, causing her scars. Holmes is attacked by two men and left for dead. Watson reads of the attack in the newspaper and runs to Holmes's bedside. Violet visits Baron, who tells her he has to go to America on a business trip. Holmes gives Watson a porcelain dish to tempt the Baron, when he visits him. Baron points a gun at Watson and Holmes. Kitty throws bottle of acid at Baron. Holmes finds the diary and gives it to James.



"The Adventure of The Illustrious Client" by Sir Conan Doyle, starts with Holmes and Watson at a Turkish bath. Holmes and Watson are visited by Sir James Damer, who tells them Baron Gruner, an Austrian and expert on Chinese pottery, is the most "dangerous man in Europe." Baron has been suspected of killing his wife. Baron is engaged to woman named Violet de Merville, whom he met on a "Mediterranean yachting voyage." James wants Holmes to stop the wedding, so Violet won't meet the same fate as the Baroness. James "won't give the identity of his client" to Holmes and Watson. James tells them Violet's father, a General, is opposed to the marriage, but is not his client. Holmes sends a message to Shinwell Johnson, as he is a loyal assistant and reformed criminal. Holmes visits Baron, who admits he was expecting him and tells Holmes, he is "trying to play a hand with no cards in it." Baron brags about an inspector who was paralyzed by some "Apaches" while investigating the murder. Holmes is visited by Shinwell and his friend, Kitty Winter, who is a former mistress of Gruner's. Kitty tells them the Baron "collects women" and has a diary about the women he has used or murdered. Holmes and Kitty visit Violet, but she refuses to listen to them. Holmes is attacked by two men and left for dead. Watson reads of the attack in the newspaper and runs to Holmes's bedside. Holmes tells Watson to have Shinwell hide Kitty, so that she doesn't get attacked as well. Holmes gives Watson a porcelain dish, from "The Ming Dynasty" to tempt the Baron, when he visits him. Gruner figures out Watson is working for Holmes "as a spy." Holmes walks in, wearing "bloody bandages" on his head like a ghost. Kitty throws bottle of Vitriol, a sulfuric acid at Baron. Holmes explains to Watson, he had to use him, before Gruner left for America. Holmes finds the diary and gives it to James. As James leaves, Watson notices the "armorial bearings" on the coach.



The book and film versions of "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client" are very similar. The film starring Jeremy Brent contains many scenes of dialogue, directly from the book. The film shows more of the story, instead of just telling us through dialogue. The book doesn't mention Kitty Winters's scars from the acid, like the film uses to scare Violet de Merville into questioning her fiancé. In the book, Kitty tells Sherlock Holmes of the diary before she goes to visit Violet. In the film, Kitty tells Holmes about the diary after they see Violet. The book doesn't include scenes such as a flashback to the Baroness's murder. The book gives us a criminal history and reformation of Shinwell, which the film doesn't include. The book only mentions Holmes being attacked, as opposed to Kitty and Shinwell Johnson being attacked by the same henchman like the film does. We know from the film, Gruner pushed his wife off a cliff onto some rocks. In the book, we don't know how she died, so it made sense to come up with a scene showing the murder in the film. I thought these extra flashbacks and attack scenes were a great addition to the story. In the film, Baron points a gun at Watson and Holmes, which doesn't happen in the book. In the book, Gruner merely tries to attack them by hitting them, until Kitty throws the acid at him. The book only mentions Gruner having the inspector attacked and not the boy who witnessed the crime like in the film. In the book, Gruner doesn't seem as evil as he did in the film. In the book, there is no scenes of Gruner and Violet's interactions like they are in the film. I thought the book did a better job with the attack on Holmes, not letting us now it had happened until Watson reads the headline in the newspaper.

Spreading the Word

I hadn't heard of either of the authors before I read their introductions. Both introductions gave little to no reason why the authors write about what they do. I would have liked a little more background and personality thrown in, to understand them and their methods better. Jim Harrison's introduction tells us little of his childhood. I have seen the movie version of Harrison's novel, "Legend of the Fall," starring Brad Pitt, but didn't know the film was based on a book. Harrison mostly wrote about "Michigan's Upper Peninsula," which made me wonder if that is where he grew up or if it was just one of his favorite places. The scene of location usually is important key to the story, so the author has to know it backwards and forwards. The introduction also tells us "The Beginner's Mind" is about "a camping trip taken in New Mexico with fellow writer Doug Peacock," which is an interesting location in contrast to his series of Michigan settings in his writings. This tidbit made me wonder how he found The Gray Ranch in the first place and how it compared to Michigan. The editor also tells the story is "reminiscent" of Edward Abbey, who we will be reading from in the next unit, so I look forward to comparing the two authors. David James Duncan's introduction also doesn't tell us much of his childhood and family life. It does tell us he first lived in Oregon. When "logging destroyed the watersheds and fisheries," he moved to Montana with his family. Oregon and Montana must have been good as inspirations for his writings. His writing subjects are rivers and environmental protests "against the ways in which extractive industries like mining are threatening their survival." The editor compares him to Rick Bass, who I am not familiar with.



"The Beginner's Mind" by Jim Harrison, like the introduction tells us, is "a camping trip, taken in New Mexico with fellow writer Doug Peacock." He describes Peacock as "grizzly bear renown" and "the ultimate camper," who he feels inferior to, skill wise. They take two sleeping bags to sleep under the stars on an "April afternoon" and hike to Animas Peak in The Gray Ranch. Harrison mentions, two years after their first trip, The Gray Ranch, was "sold to Ted Turner," which he feels strongly opposed to. While they hike, Harrison "scours his guidebooks," looking for exotic things. He has to rest every now and then because of hip pain, which "torments" him. While he watches the sunset at the peak, in his sleeping bag, he ponders who the people and what the animals were like, who have crossed that land before him. He wonders how much Ted Turner is going to ruin the location's beauty with machinery. By the end of his trip, he says, "the gray ranch was still here, big as all outdoors." In "Northwest Passage" by David James Duncan, he writes about trying to recreate a photograph of "the Ganges and Jumna rivers in India" from "National Geographic" in his bedroom, by displaying the photo and building a tent, when he was sixteen. Duncan considers the Indian rivers to be a "holy" place and tries to find his own holy place near his home. He describes his friend Jered, who he went fishing with, even though they are complete opposites. They went fishing at the Columbia river for three reasons: they "shared a respect," Jered had "enough boraxed salmon roe for" both of them, and the location was "a joining of rivers." He describes the Columbia river "still beautiful at the confluence, even though mills lined the shores. They don't end up fishing, "just watching the salmon leap as the day grew dark."



Both authors described their experiences in clever and humorous ways, both leaving me to question the future of their locations. In "The Beginner's Mind" by Jim Harrison, he writes "a nap can give you an hour's break from needing to be right all the time, an affliction leading to blindness to the natural world, not to speak to your wife and children," which I thought was pretty funny. I think a camping trip would be quite a peaceful but restless experience as well. Harrison says, "Not so long ago, only a few minutes in geological time, we attacked the wilds with implements of greed and domination. Now, or so it appears, we are having run at it with sporting equipment, none of it as friendly to the earth as the human foot or the hooves of horses" causing us to wonder how much we are going to ruin the earth's beauty. In "Northwest Passage" by David James Duncan, he describes, a small river called Lacamas as looking like "Satan's own nostril risen from hell, blowing out an infinite, scalding booger. But it was steaming, poisoning, killing joke that shot across the Washougal's drought-shriveled mouth in a yellow-gray scythe, curved downstream and coated the Columbia's north shore with what looked like dead human skin for miles," which shows how much hatred Duncan has for the mills. By Duncan's description, we can how much he despises the toxic chemicals from the mills and how sad he feels that they are damaging the river's beauty. The only break in his hatred is when he stops to appreciate the salmons leaping out of the water, which give him hope, and he says, "salmon are not stupid, they grow tentative in rivers." He almost makes its seem like he hopes life will survive in such harsh environments.



In "The Beginner's Mind" by Jim Harrison, he writes he wasn't great a "life science and geology in school," which is relatable to me, as science was my worst subject in school. I do however enjoy Anthropology, because of the cultural explorations and how it relates to specific groups of people or animals. David James Duncan also mentions he "hated high school" I also hated high school, but love college. I felt like I was limited to a standard and specific learning experience and never had a chance to take the wide variety of classes like college. I have never slept under the stars in a sleeping bag in any place besides my backyard. When I go camping, I usually sleep in a trailer, a cabin, or a tent. Whenever I visit somewhere that is scarcely populated, but on the map, I also wonder who was the first to discover the location and how does it maintain its beauty. I look at farms close to the freeways and feel sad, wondering when they will start development on the latest housing or shopping district. In "Northwest Passage" by David James Duncan, he admits to ripping pictures out of magazines and taking them home to give them "a better life than one they'd led in the library." I would agree with Duncan, as photographs should be displayed on walls and framed, not locked shut in a book or magazine. Duncan writes he would "stare" at photographs till "they swallowed [him], and would virtually worship that daydreams, wanderlust, and longings these makeshift icons allowed [him] to feel," making it seem like photographs capture the beauty of places which is ironic as certain religious people in India believe photography steals a piece of their souls with every flash. I wondered how they would feel about the land's souls being taken. Whenever I see a photograph in a travel magazine of a place I haven't been, like Europe, I do stare like Duncan, wondering what it would be like to be there.

The Adventure of the Creeping Man

"The Creeping Man" starring Jeremy Brent starts with a gorilla being let out of his cage at the zoo. Something heads towards a house, while the dog barks. Edith Presbury faints after seeing a gorilla shadow in her window. The next morning, Professor Presbury is going over his lecture on Darwin with Edith's fiancé, Jack. Edith is told her vision was a "dream" by her father, who leaves her in Jack's care. Edith threatens to call off her engagement, because her fiancé "doubts [her] word." Sherlock Holmes gets a letter from Jack and he writes a note to Watson, telling him to "come at once." Jack visits them, telling him to call off the case. We see two men unloading a crate in an alley. Edith tells her father his fiancée, Alice doesn't like orchids, so he sends her red roses. Holmes and Watson visits the Presbury estate at eleven, right after the Professor has left. Edith tells them her window was ajar, but the door was locked. There is ivy growing under the window. The professor returns abruptly and calls Holmes a "common detective" before kicking him out. The dogs growls at the professor and Holmes notices the dog is chained for "safety." Jack visits Holmes during breakfast and they discuss the "altered" dog, Roy. Holmes tells Jack, Edith is in "grave danger." While the professor is gone, they find "E. Dorak" in his signatures on his desk. Holmes sits in on the professor's lecture. Watson tries to visit Dorak's Emporium's alley, but two men with a knife threaten him to get "out." Inspector Lestrado tells Holmes he is being accused of "unjustified harassment" by the professor. Watson visits Holmes and tells him the Emporium has a "beyond smell able" animal smell. During the night, Jack witness a gorilla shadow on the staircase. Holmes and Watson visit the zoo and Holmes finds hair and a cigarette by the gorilla's cage. Alice calls off her engagement to the professor, telling him he is "too old." Holmes and Watson break into the store and find the missing monkeys. They lock the owners in the cage until the police arrive. Holmes goes over the dates of the packages arriving. They find the professor in a tree, acting like a gorilla, who goes to Alice's window. The dog escapes and attack the professor. Holmes believes the professor was injecting himself with animal extract.



I watched "The Creeping Man" starring Jeremy Brent. I would give the film a rating of three out of four stars. I thought it was good adaptation of the novel, but there were special effect I had issues with. At first, I thought this case seemed like a waste of Holmes's time, but it turned out to be pretty interesting. I though the gorilla shadows on the window and the staircase were very realistic, but could have been made to make more believable. If I saw that in window, I would not faint from the fright of it. I like how the film shows what happened, instead of just talking about the events like Sherlock Holmes does in the books. I thought the dog they got to play Roy was pretty convincing as an angry dog with his fangs. I liked how they showed Holmes sticking his cigarette in his egg at breakfast and in the monkey music box, as well as his investigation of the gorilla cage. The scenes showed Holmes's sense of humor. Some of the actors in the film were too similar looking, so I couldn't tell if I was seeing the same man or different actors in a dark scene. I thought the professor acting as monkey could have been a bit more realistic and terrifying. His acting seemed silly, not threatening in the least. The zoo looked pretty rundown and they could have made the cages grander. They used the same cages for the alley and the zoo, which felt cheap. I thought the scene with the dates of the packages seemed unnecessary. I wished they would have used more close up scenes of the power of the gorillas, and the professor imitating their behavior. I though the scene with the monkey music box was pretty funny at the end.



"The Adventure of the Creeping Man" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle starts with Watson flashing back to receiving a note from Holmes, twenty years ago, telling him, "Come at once if convenient- if inconvenient come all the same." When Watson arrives, Holmes tells Watson he is thinking of writing a monograph "upon the use of dogs in the work of the detective." Holmes wants to write about dogs because he believes " a dog reflects the family life. Snarling people have snarling dogs." Holmes tells Watson, the case of the strange behavior of Professor Presbury and the trouble he is having with his dog, Roy, wanting to bite him. Professor Presbury, a widower with one daughter, became engaged to Alice Morphy, the daughter of his colleague and started acting strangely after their age difference "stood in the way." Holmes has Mr. Bennett, Presbury's assistant and the fiancée of Edith Presbury, tell Watson about Presbury's trip to Prague and the box he brought back. Ever since, he came back he has been acting like a different person and the dog has been attacking him. Edith tells them of waking up to the dog barking and how she saw her father's face in her window, which is on the second floor. Holmes and Watson go to interview the Professor, but he refuses to answer their questions. He does however allow them to search Edith's window. Mr. Bennett tells them of a signature of "Dorak" in the professor's blotting paper. They witness the professor swinging on the tree branches. Holmes sends a telegram to Mercer, and he replies Dorak, is a "suave person, Bohemian, elderly. Keeps large general store." Holmes deduces that "every nine days the professor takes some strong drug which has a passing but highly poisonous effect. His naturally violent nature is intensified by it." He believes Dorak is supplying him the drug. They watch as Presbury comes out one night in his nightgown and acts like a gorilla, climbing trees and the ivy, toward Edith's room and throwing gravel at Roy. The collar becomes loose on the dog and he attacks the professors. Watson has to stop a hemorrhage from his carotid artery caused by the dog's teeth. They find needles in the box containing extract from an anthropoid called a Langur.



The book and film versions of "The Creeping Man" were pretty similar in plot and theme, with a few differences. The film shows us the events where the book just simply has Holmes telling Watson of the events, which I believe is a better way of storytelling. It is always better to see events firsthand rather than hearing about them. Edith Presbury is made to be more a main and three dimensional character in the film, where she has little scenes in the book. Seeing Edith Presbury faint and her strained interactions with Alice, Mr. Bennett, and her father made her more realistic and believable. She just seemed like she was a passing character in the story. In the film, it would have been nice to see Alice and the professor interact more often, than just the break up scene. Monkey and gorilla were added in the film to give us a sense of reality from where the extract was coming from. In the book, the extract is shipped in from another country by a Langur, which is only mentioned once. Having the gorilla shaped shadows instead of the professor's face in the window and staircase, added suspense to the story. Not having the professor exhibit his strange behavior, as acting like the gorilla, until the climax of the film was better, than having them observe him twice before the ending of the book. It made his behavior more shocking at the revelation of the culprit than having us just get used to it as normal. The Bohemian box which held the needles is a relative staple in the story and mentioned well throughout, where as in the film, it doesn't come into play until the final scene and we don't get the back story of where he got it.

Orlando

On Friday, we flew to Orlando, Florida with a stop in Memphis, Tennessee. We ate a hot dog at Jim Neely's Interstate BBQ for lunch. When we arrived in Orlando, we drove to our rented condo in Kissimmee. The condo was at Windsor Palms Resort and it was on the first floor with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Dad and I went to Walmart to get groceries. They had a full section of Disney merchandise. When we got back to the condo, we made turkey sandwiches for dinner.

On Saturday, we went to Animal Kingdom. Dad accidentally brought the passes with water park admission instead of the ones with the theme park admissions on them. Mom and I went to the Rainforest Cafe shop while Dad went back to the condo to get the correct tickets. Mom bought a stuffed leopard, a stuffed frog, some flip flops, and some jungle animal figurines. When we entered the park, we first went to Finding Nemo: the Musical. Then we waited for Dad to go on Expedition Everest. In the gift shop, mom bought a stuffed Arctic tiger and a yeti. We ate some frozen lemonade and a cheeseburger at Good Eats for lunch. We went on the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. We got some pineapple from the fruit stand. We sat down at a nearby table where a guy behind us popped his mayo packet with his fist all over mom's purse and sprayed our clothes as well. Mom bought a safari Mickey antenna topper. We saw It's Tough to be a Bug! and Festival of the Lion King. There were a bunch of tour groups from different countries in the park who kept repeating a particular cheer and then clapped for themselves. The staff at the Lion King kept telling them to be quiet. We went into the stores near the exit and mom bought some shortbread cookies and a punk Mickey antenna topper. We left the park and ate dinner at Wildside BBQ. Mom went to bed and Dad and I went to see Fantasmic at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We arrived an hour early to get a good seat.

On Sunday, we went back to Hollywood Studios. While we waited for dad to go on Tower of Terror and Rock n Roller coaster, I went into the ride gift shops and bought some caramel popcorn. We went and saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Mom bought a stuffed Flounder from the movie. Mom waited for us to ride Toy Story Midway Mania which was a pretty fun ride. I suck at shooting rides. I got a score of 40,500 while dad got a score of 102,700. We went on the Backlot Tour. When they were doing their ship stunts before we got on the tram, mom got soaked with water from the air cannons. We ate lunch at the Studio Catering Co. We went and saw the American Idol Experience. We went back to the Condo to take a nap and then headed back to the park. It was raining off and on. We rode the Great Movie ride with the loudest people we have ever rode with, who screamed in every scary scene. When we went through the Wizard of Oz scenes, the lady behind us asked, "Where's Michael Jackson?". While dad rode Star Tours 3D, mom and I went through the shops. She bought some figurines from Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean figurines. We met Dad at the Anaheim produce stand and had a frozen lemonade. We went and watched the American Idol finale on the outside screen. We went through the shops as we walked towards the exit. We went back to the condo and made sandwiches for dinner.

On Monday, mom and dad celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary. We went to the Magic Kingdom in the morning. We rode on the train, the Jungle Cruise, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Mom bought a Mickey fan for her wheelchair. We ate clam chowder for lunch at the Columbia Harbor House. Then we went on Haunted Mansion and It's a Small World. We got some ice cream in Tomorrowland. While we were eating our ice cream, Disney's talking and rolling garbage can was out and about. After our nap, we ate dinner at Red Lobster. It was pouring on and off when we went to Epcot. We tried sodas from different countries at Club Cool. We walked around the World Showcase. We saw "The American Adventure" at the American pavilion. We got some caramel treats at Germany pavilion. We left during the fireworks.

On Tuesday, dad had to go to his tax convention at the Hilton Orlando. Mom and I dropped him off so we could go shopping. We went to The Loop, where we shopped at Kohl's, Old Navy, and Books a Million. We also had a pastry and watermelon at Panera Bread for breakfast. After our nap, we went and picked up dad. We ate dinner at Cafe Tu Tu Tango. We saw the restaurant on Rachael Ray's show, "$40 a Day." It has artists, tarot card readers, live bands, fire eaters, and tapas plates. Mom knocked over my water glass and got my leg all wet. Afterwards, we went to Downtown Disney. We had to put on our ponchos because it was pouring again. We saw the aftermath of a three car accident in a gas station parking lot.

On Wednesday, we dropped off dad at his convention. We went to Walmart. Then we got a pastry at Panera Bread. We went shopping at the Florida Mall and the Orlando Premium Outlets. We ate lunch at Chick-Fil-A. After our nap, we went and picked up dad and ate dinner at Outback Steakhouse. Then we went back to the condo to rest. We went and got some fresh fruit at Walmart.

On Thursday, we dropped off dad at his convention. We ate breakfast at Krispy Kreme. We went to Target, Giftland, Bargain world, Walgreen's, and Barnes & Noble. We picked up dad at noon and ate lunch at McDonald's. After our nap, we went to the Lake Buena Vista factory stores. It was raining but then cleared up. We ate dinner at Don Pablo's Mexican Grill. We went and got dessert at the Disney's Boardwalk. I finished reading City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, the first book in The Mortal Instruments.

On Friday, we went back to Epcot. We rode on Living Seas with Nemo & Friends, Captain EO, Soarin', Circle of Life, Living with the Land. We waited for dad to go though innoventions and tried more Foreign sodas. After our nap, we ate dinner at Wendy's. We went back to Magic Kingdom. We rode the monorail to the entrance. We rode on Stitch's Great Escape, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, and the People Mover. We waited for dad to go on the cars and went through all the shops. It was raining off and on. When we got back to the condo, we packed our suitcases.

On Saturday, we left for the airport at 5 am. We had a direct flight to SLC, which was really nice. We picked up Shadow from Idlewire.

The Sussex Vampire

"The Sussex Vampire" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a case about fact versus fantasy, has our detectives wondering whether a vampire exists or not in Holmes's time. Holmes and Watson receive a letter from Bob Ferguson's attorney, requesting their help in investigating Ferguson's Peruvian second wife being a vampire or not. Watson knew Ferguson from his college days, where they were Rugby players from rival schools. In the letter, Mr. Ferguson is suspicious of his wife after he found Mrs. Ferguson on her knees, with blood on her lips and the baby having a bite mark on his neck. When they go to house to investigate the incident, Ferguson also tells Holmes and Watson, he has caught his wife hitting his son Jack "once with a stick and once very savagely with her hands." They meet Ferguson's son, Jack from his first marriage, who is crippled from a childhood accident. Ferguson tells them, he is the only one Jack "likes" and Jack does not like his second wife or the new baby. They find out, after Ferguson's last confrontation, Mrs. Ferguson locked her self in her room, only letting her maid Dolores see her and bring her food, refusing to see her husband. Holmes concludes that it was Jack who poisoned the baby because he see his face "with jealousy, such cruel hatred" while Mr. Ferguson was playing with the baby. Mrs. Ferguson isn't a vampire and was just trying to suck the poison out of the baby's blood stream. She told Dolores to protect the baby from Jack in her absence, while she was recovering from the poison being in her system. Ferguson's dog, Carlo, appeared to ill, having Spinal Meningitis, but Holmes deducts he was the first victim of Jack's poison to see how it would work.



I watched "Dracula" starring Bela Lugosi and it was the first time I had seen the film the whole way through, instead of seeing clips of Lugosi as Dracula in various programs, but never the entire film. I thought Lugosi did an accurate portrayer, making him look slick and sophisticated yet creepy. I have seen the Gary Oldman version and can't help but compare that version to the original and the book by Bram Stoker. I thought the Oldman version was closer to the book than this one, giving us more of a back-story as to why Dracula was so obsessed with Mina, trying to keep her away from Harker and how he kept Harker prisoner at his castle. I would give the film 3 out of 4 stars, because I thought it was scary and quite a good if not accurate adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel. Obviously the original film version trailed from Stoker's version, having character Renfield going to visit Dracula instead of Jonathan Harker in the beginning. The film cut out Lucy having a fiancé or her final death. They captured Dracula's "psychic" connection with Mina, like they have in the book, rather well. Unlike the book, Dracula is staked in London instead of in his castle in Transylvania. In the book, Harker stakes Dracula, where as in the film, Dr. Van Helsing is the culprit. They both end with Harker and Mena getting married. I liked how they brightened Dracula's eyes through a spotlight as well as how creepy they made Renfield. The film, being made in 1931, had backdrop scenery with mountains as the carriage passed, which definitely looked fake. I also wish they would have had better special effects and could have shown Dracula's death on screen, instead of us hearing him moaning while John looked for Mina.



"Dracula" (1931) begins with carriage riders, trying to get home in fear of Count Dracula. A woman warns Renfield, not to go visit him, and gives him a crucifix. At sunset, in Dracula's castle, we seem him and his three wives waking. Renfield gets into carriage until the driver disappears. Renfield arrives in the castle, seeing a dirt floor with several small animals. Dracula greets his guest with a candle and we hear a wolf cry. After dinner, Renfield sees a bat and passes out, with Dracula coming inside. We see text on the screen saying, "Aboard the Vesta- Bound for England." When the boat arrives in England, all the crew is dead, and they find Renfield with Dracula's coffin. Renfield is observed by Dr. Seward, at his sanitarium, after Renfield wants to eat, "ants, flies," and other small creatures. Dracula attacks a girl selling flowers before he goes to the London symphony. At the symphony, he meets Dr. Seward, Mena Seward, John Harker, and Lucy. Lucy is attacked in her room by Dracula and Dr. Seward tries to give her blood transfusions, but she dies. Dr. Van Helsing tests Renfield's blood, and declares he was bitten by "vampires." After watching Renfield, Dracula bites Mena, but lets her live. He visits while she is telling John and Van Helsing about her foggy dream and they discover the bite mark on her neck. Van Helsing holds up a box to Dracula and he knocks out of his hands, declaring, "I dislike mirrors," confirming to Van Helsing that he is a vampire. Dracula escapes by transforming into a wolf. He has Mena meet him in the garden, folding his cape over the both of them. Renfield warns Van Helsing to take Mena away before it is too late. Nurse screams after finding Mena in the garden and Renfield makes her pass out. Meanwhile, we learn Lucy is a vampire, who "attacks children" by promising them chocolates. A wolf bane wreath is put on Mena's door to protect her. Dracula tells Van Helsing, "My blood flows through [Mena's] veins" and Van Helsing threatens to "stake him." Dracula tries to use mind control on Van Helsing, but he has drank wolf bane. A bat flies over John and Mena while they are sitting on the terrace, causing Mena to attack John. Van Helsing and Dr. Seward save John. Dracula forces the nurse to take the wreath down and open the door. Dracula kidnaps Mena, taking her to the abbey, where they are tracked down by Van Helsing and John. Van Helsing stakes Dracula while he is in his coffin and as Mena and John leave, we hear church bells.



"Dracula" starring Bela Lugosi and "The Sussex Vampire" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have very little in common in story line, except for someone drinking someone else's blood and the idea of vampires. The book was faster paced than the movie, but the movie was more suspenseful. The book questions vampires more, instead of just telling us they are real like the film. Watson in the book says, "the vampire was not necessarily a dead man? A living person might have the habit. I have read, for example, of the sucking the blood of the young in order to retain their youth." Holmes says in response, "You are right. It mentions the legend in one of these references. But are we to give serious attention to such things? This agency stands flat-footed upon the ground, and there it must remain." This scene in the book almost seems like Doyle's own beliefs in science are being by attacked by idea of vampires and he is trying to see logic instead of fantasy. I wondered if Doyle was influenced in writing the story of "The Sussex Vampire" after reading Bram Stoker's "Dracula" and was interested in the idea of vampires really existing. Both the book and film's stories deal with ancient mythology and customs, such as vampires from Transylvania or poison from South America. Mrs. Ferguson in the book is not a real vampire by Dracula, just someone trying to protect her child from poison. She is Peruvian, making her seem exotic like Dracula coming from Transylvania. Jack's character in the book, reminds me more of Renfield in the film than Dracula, because he is crazy as well. Sherlock Holmes would be Van Helsing, if he was in the film, trying to solve the case and Harker would be Watson, trying to help, but not completely understanding everything.

Call of the Wild

My favorite quote in Samuel Clemens' "Life on the Mississippi" is where he writes, about the river becoming " a wonderful book- a book that was a dead language to the uneducated passenger, but which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once an thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day." I love when authors compare things, such as nature, to literary items, making their readers understand more fully what they are trying to convey. In E.B. White's "A Slight Sound at Evening," he writes, "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau is a book "like an invitation to life's dance, assuring the troubled recipient that no matter what befalls him in the way of success or failure he will always be welcome at the party," making the book seem like a security blanket for the people who are scared. In Annie Dillard's "Heaven and Earth in Jest," she writes about her hometown as, "a good place to live, there's a lot to think about. The creeks- Tinker and Carvin's- are an active mystery, fresh every minute" If I had a body of water next to my house, I'd probably be out there walking the edges at least once a day, like Dillard. Her title to her essay comes from a quote in the Koran, which says, "The heaven and the earth and all in between, thinkest thou I made them in Jest?" It shows Dillard's knowledge of religion, which she writes about a lot, according to her introduction. She simply states, "we don't know what's going on here," which makes every human want to know more about nature, because it is of the unknown.



Each of these three essays gave me something new, such as a philosophy, to think about. Reading about the Mississippi River in Samuel Clemens's books about Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, made me feel like I knew what the river's elements were like during Clemens's time rather well. I thought it was interesting approach for Samuel Clemens to describe the river as a book in his essay, "Life on the Mississippi," with a lost language, which makes sense because each thing in nature has their own unique story and voice. I thought Clemens's philosophy about how "the passenger who could not read this book saw nothing but all manner of pretty pictures, painted by the sun and shaded by the clouds, whereas to the trained eyes these were not pictures at all, but the grimmest and most dead-earnest of reading-matter" Usually when I see a beautiful piece of nature such as a river or a cloud, I think about its beauty mostly, taking photographs to commemorate them, and only sometimes wonder where it came from or how it ended up there for me to see. I think Clemens reminded me I need to study nature more in order to appreciate it to the fullest. Since we read "Walking" and "The Maine Woods" by Thoreau earlier this semester, I was reminded of Thoreau's great style and narrative by E.B White's essay. E.B. White's "A Slight Sound at Evening" makes me want to go back and read "Walden" again. It's been three years since I read that book, but I felt it was great book at the time. I didn't know a water bug who ate "insects, tadpoles, fish, and frogs" by paralyzing them and eating them while they are still alive, existed until I read Annie Dillard's "Heaven and Earth in Jest." It seems like a scary bug.



Samuel Clemens' "Life on the Mississippi" is about his afterthoughts of his piloting the river, comparing the river to a book, making him read until the end. Clemens tells us, "the romance and the beauty were all gone from the river" after he became a river pilot and witnessed the power and unlocked the mystery of its unknown. E.B. White's "A Slight Sound at Evening" is a review and commentary of "Walden" by Henry Thoreau. He calls Walden "an oddity in American letters," and "one of the first of the vitamin-enriched American dishes." White insists the book should be given to every college graduate, telling us we should read "Walden" while we're still young, having "anxieties, enthusiasms, and "rebellions." White tells us after reading "Walden" for the first time, "in a time of hesitation and despair, [Walden] restored me to health." He genuinely respects Thoreau, calling him brave to pretty much giving up life as he know it, for the unknown "simplicity." White admits he pretends Thoreau is still alive, and uses him as a imaginary friend, talking to his spirit, calling him "a better companion than most." He feels like he knows Thoreau's soul through his writing, and wants Thoreau to know him as well. Annie Dillard's "Heaven and Earth in Jest" is a recollection of experiences while out walking to her favorite island in Tinker Creek in Virginia's Blue Valley. She first tells us of her old cat who would come visit her during the night and would leave bloody paw prints when she woke up in the morning. Dillard tells us about seeing a frog "being sucked by a giant water bug" and what it was like to see a mockingbird flying. She tells us seeing "hundreds" of sharks in Florida, while standing by the water on a "shallow beach." As she is telling us these animal experiences, she is also telling us her favorite routines in the morning, afternoon, and night. Her idea of a perfect day to walk is in January, between four and five thirty in the afternoon. Her main prerogative for walking is "to see what I could see" and she is "no scientist," but an "explorer."



I was familiar with Samuel Clemens and E.B. White's writings, but not Annie Dillard. I had read both of Samuel Clemens's books about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, as well as his writings about the Mormons. His introduction to "Life on the Mississippi" tells us he became a river pilot on the Mississippi River, whose inspiration "flowed through Clemens's life, as through his art." I thought it was interesting how Clemens got his pen name, Mark Twain, and I didn't know his river adventures were impacted by the Civil War. I also learned it took seven year to publish "Huckleberry Finn" after starting to write it. I had read E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little" books, as a child, so I was pretty familiar with him. I've always thought of him as more of children's writer, so it was interesting to see he had written some grown up essays like this one. His introduction to "A Slight Sound at Evening" tells us, his narrative voice is "modest and humorous, ironic and forgiving." I was also surprised to find out he worked on his writing while being employed by The New Yorker, an excellent literary magazine. I can definitely tell he loves "country things, especially gardening, farmyard animals, and sailing," because of the books I have read. I hadn't heard of Annie Dillard before, so I was pleasantly surprised. The Introduction to Annie Dillard's "Heaven and Earth in Jest" tells us she has an "energetic and eclectic style" of writing and her subjects are "religious mystic," "stand-up comedy," and her own "personal experiences" of "about what it feels like to be alive." Dillard won a Pulitzer Prize in 1974, which is a huge accomplishment. She also says she wanted "to bear witness equally to the beauty and terror" of nature.

The Mystics

I hadn't heard of any of these writers before I read their introductions. I thought Thomas Merton had the most interesting back story. His introduction tells us he was a monk with a vow of silence, and was only able to speak through his writing. I feel like a lot of writers have a hard time speaking, as it is, and are sometimes only able to write what they feel and what they want to say. The introduction tells us Merton also takes an "exploratory rather than doctrinaire approach towards" his experiences through writing, which I believe is a unique approach for someone who is religious. I believe writing should be half observation and the other half finding faith. I thought it was sad that "accidental electrocution" was his demise, wondering what could have been. Ann Haymond Zwinger's introduction tells us she studied art history in Indiana, which helped her illustrate plants her writings. Like her, I consider drawings as a "integral complements to the writing itself." She wrote books about the southwest deserts, mountains, and rivers. They describe her books as a way "to make you see" instead of just telling you what you need to know. Peter Matthiessen's introduction doesn't tell us much about his childhood, which was disappointing, because I like to get a feel of where the authors have been and what they have come from and rose above. Matthiessen writes about "his own expeditions to wild places around the world," which is pretty impressive. He also writes about "damage" to and "the excellence and elusiveness " of wilderness. Terry Tempest Williams's introduction tells us, she grew up in the Mormon culture, who was a "teacher among the Navajo," which is relatable to an Utah reader. She writes about "threats to ecology," "Native American myths," and the "metaphorical and environmental" links of the "landscape."



"Rains and the Rhinoceros" by Thomas Merton describes how much he enjoys the rain of the country, as is it is not for sale, how he listens to its messages, how the city rain doesn't compare, and how he comes up with excuses to hear it. He also describes the theories of Philoxenos, believed we need to live an active and contemplative life. Merton writes about a disease called Rhinoceritis as being "those who have lost the sense and the taste for solitude." "Of Red-Tailed Hawks and Black-Tailed Gnatcatchers" by Ann Haymond Zwinger, describes days when she took nature trips to the desert to observed the birds and how it became one of her favorite places in the world. Zwinger was afraid to go at first, because she thought she would be bored from being alone, and the heat would be too much. She was eating a can of tuna fish and described how the birds were flying over her head, using their individual hunting skills, trying to get her food. She describes the bees and their pollinating habits and other animals like the bighorn sheep. "The Tree Where Man Was Born" by Peter Matthiessen describes in great detail the predatory skills of wild dogs, hyenas, and lions he saw while visiting Africa, revealing it is a harsh survival for certain animals. He also writes about how the elephants are causing a problem in East Africa, because they are overpopulated. He then talks about the local tribes in comparison to the animals and how they use their skills to survive, calling on their gods to feed them. "The Clan on One-Breasted Women" by Terry Tempest Williams describes how breast cancer runs through her family, which she believes is the result of nuclear activity in her hometown. She along with her "mother, grandmother, and six aunts" have had mastectomies. She questions her Mormon faith as she voices her concerns about the lawmakers in Utah, saying "the price of obedience has become too high." She describes a dream she had about how "women all over the world circled a blazing fire in the desert" calling out to save the animals and land around them. Williams recalls her arrest from trespassing "at the Nevada test site." When asked why she had a pen and paper in her shoe, she told the officer, they were her "weapons."



In "Rain and Rhinoceros," Thomas Merton writes, "Solitary cannot survive unless he is capable of loving everyone, without concern for the fact that he is likely to be regarded by all as a traitor. Only the man who has fully attained his own spiritual identity can live without the need to kill, and without the need of a doctrine that permits him to do so with a good conscience." I also against hunting for other reasons beside necessary food and am saddened by the people who just do it for the thrill of it. In "Of Red-Tailed Hawks and Black-Tailed Gnatcatchers," Ann Haymond Zwinger writes, "I prefer the absences and the big empties, where the wind ricochets from sand grain to mountain. I prefer the crystalline dryness and the unadulterated sky strewn from horizon to horizon with stars. I prefer the raw edges and the unfinished hems of the desert landscape. Desert is where I want to be when there are no more questions to ask" because to her, it is full of open space and awe worthy experiences. In "The Tree Where Man Was Born" Peter Matthiessen writes, "of all African animals, the elephant is the most difficult for man to live with, yet is passing- if this must come- seems the most tragic of all." I agree with Matthiessen, as the elephant's extinction would be devastating. I know when I go to a zoo, I want to see majestic elephants, and if they weren't there for future generations, it would be quite sad. In "The Clan on One-Breasted Women," Terry Tempest Williams writes, "I must question everything, even if it means losing my faith. Tolerating blind obedience in the name of patriotism or religion ultimately takes our lives." I think everyone has asked themselves, what they believe in, and what they are willing to tolerate or stand up for.



I went to San Diego Zoo Safari Park in May and the tour guide was telling us the park had two (one boy and one girl) of the seven remaining white rhinos in the world and how they wouldn't mate. She informed us the park had taken blood and DNA samples from both and were probably going to artificially inseminate the female rhino to bring more rhinos into existence. I've always wonder how people can live in the heat of the desert, like Ann Haymond Zwinger. I guess they can do it, because they get used to it and the environment that surrounds them. In "The Tree Where Man Was Born" Peter Matthiessen writes, "Starvation is the greatest threat to lions, which are inefficient hunters and often fail to make a kill." When I think of lions, I think of them being kings of the jungle and ferocious, so Matthiessen enlightened my thinking. In "The Clan on One-Breasted Women," Terry Tempest Williams describes her family "as a Mormon family with roots in Utah since 1847." I have relatives on both sides of my family, who came over from Sweden and England, to join the church in the 1800s, as well. Like Williams, I do believe the nuclear poisons Utah has, has created a lot of unnecessary diseases in our citizens. My mother has Multiple Sclerosis, my grandmother had Breast Cancer, and I have had two Melanomas. When my mom was working, another lady who worked in the same pod as her, was diagnosed with M.S. around the same time. In my old neighborhood above Highway 89, there were three people who had brain tumors and two people with M.S. The area used to be a garbage dump and they continue to do rock blasting close by. These diagnoses have to have an environmental cause.

The Dying Detective

I watched "The Dying Detective" starring Jeremy Brett. I enjoyed the film because it expanded upon the book's version and added more plot. I thought the book's pace went too fast and was jumbled, leaving very little clues and details, and me scratching my head, wondering what I had just read and what was the point. I thought the film did a really good job based on the material and I would give the movie three out of four stars. I though it captured how sick Victor was and how sick Holmes was pretending to be much better than the story in the book. I like how the film added Mrs. Hudson, saying to Holmes, "You are the worst tenant in all of London," after he tells her, his sickness was a ruse, which nodded to the starting paragraph of the book, where Watson talks about Holmes's rocky relationship with her and how he "disliked and distrusted" women. Seeing Culverton Smith in his office with all his bugs, made his character seem more believable as a scientist and as a villain. I enjoyed Holmes screaming up at Smith while he was in his office, after he has kicked out Adelaide and the kids. Holmes threatening to bring Smith to justice, to his face, before he had all the details, was very interesting but I thought it seemed out of character for him. Holmes normally wants to have the last word and not let the suspects know he knows what they are up to before he wants them to know, leading them to believe they are fooling him. I thought the book and the end of the film captured Holmes's personality better, such as what he did with faking the sickness and having Smith, the culprit, examine him, while he gets them to confess.



"The Dying Detective" starring Jeremy Brett, starts with Adelaide Savage lying in bed, sleeping, while her husband Victor writes her a note, saying "Forgive Me." We see Victor riding a horse, leaving his estate. Adelaide asks Victor's cousin, Culverton Smith, where her husband has gone, and blames him for his addiction. Watson goes to visit Holmes, as Holmes is watching Adelaide pace up and down the street in front of his window. Victor meets with a man named John Gedgrave, who exchanges money with him, to take him to a Chinese opium house. Adelaide finally calls upon Holmes, telling them Victor is a director of a bank, which is having problems and he really wants to be a poet, believing he will write better under the effect of opium. Holmes and Watson attend a dinner party, being thrown at the Savages's house. Victor collapses after he slides across the wooden floor on a rug, and is taken to the hospital, having convulsions before he dies. Smith examines him and believes he had a "disease transmitted through broken skin," blaming the opium. Victor's lawyer visits Adelaide, telling her the will names Smith as the heir to the estate and tells Adelaide she will be given "enough money to live." Holmes concurs the disease with a professor, who tells him he found a "insect bite" on Victor's body. Holmes interviews Gedgrave, who suggest someone else set up the appointment for Victor to go to the opium house. Smith evicts Adelaide and the children from the home and Holmes confronts Smith about bringing him to justice, calling him "the sole expert" of the disease. Holmes receives a box of tobacco in the mail. Watson gives Adelaide some money and is urgently called to Holmes's bed side by Mrs. Hudson. Holmes refuses Watson's examination and asks for Smith. Watson goes to get Smith, apologizing for Holmes. Watson arrives back first and Holmes tells him to hide. Smith confesses he infected Victor with a mosquito and mailed Holmes the box of tobacco. He tells him there were "two tacks" in the bottom of the box. Smith turns up the gas and Holmes stands up behind him. The Inspector rushes in. Holmes asks Watson to retrieve the box, but to not open it. Watson and Smith fight over the box, with the tacks falling out onto Smith. Adelaide and the kids are able to move back into their home.



"The Adventure of The Dying Detective" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a case about an Eastern disease called Tapanuli Fever, which is deadly. Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock Holmes's landlady, calls upon Dr. Watson, to get him to visit the deathly ill Holmes. Watson makes an observation about Holmes and the women in his life, such as Mrs. Hudson, saying, "He disliked and distrusted the sex, but he was a chivalrous opponent." Watson arrives to see his friend, deathly ill, at Baker Street. Watson spots a "black and ivory" box sitting on the mantel and goes to examine it, which makes Holmes scream, yelling, "Put it down! Down, this instant. Watson- this instant, I say." Holmes insists Watson stays standing in the sick room, saying, "If you stand there I will talk. If you do not you must leave the room." Holmes has Watson bring Mr. Culverton Smith to examine him, because he doesn't think Watson is "qualified" enough to examine illnesses of that nature, which hurts Watson's feelings. Watson runs into Inspector Morton who asks Watson, how Holmes is feeling. Smith claims he knows Holmes, "through some business dealings" Watson tells Smith, Holmes got the disease from "working among Chinese sailors down in the docks" and has had the disease for three days. Watson arrives first, and Holmes instructs him to hide, while Smith is visiting. When Smith arrives, he confesses to Holmes, that he was the one who infected Victor Savage, his nephew. After being infected, Savage died four days later. The box on the mantle was sent Mr. Culverton Smith who tried to get Holmes off his trail. The box has a "sharp spring" which draws blood from the finger, infecting someone with the disease. Inspector Morton shows up to arrest Smith. Holmes apologizes for what he said about Watson's medical skills.



"The Dying Detective," starring Jeremy Brett and the story, "The Adventure of The Dying Detective" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are similar in plot but are very different in execution of the story. The book's story is fast paced while the film adds to the story with more details which makes the case more intriguing. The film version provides back story between Victor Savage, Culverton Smith, and Sherlock Holmes, which makes the case seem more real instead of just one exchange. Victor Savage is only briefly mentioned in the novel as Smith's nephew and first victim, with little to no details about his life or Smith's motive for infecting him. In the film, Savage is Smith's cousin, with a wife and two children, who he happens to be staying with at the time of his death. The film also shows more of Smith's diabolical characteristics by having him evict Adelaide and the children after Victor's death. The book summarizes Victor's murder in a few sentences, where as the film shows his illness and his death. The film gives Smith a motive for infecting Savage, as he inherits his estate upon his death. Smith infects Savage with an "infected mosquito in the neck" in the film, whereas we don't know how he was infected in the novel. In the film, Holmes confronts Smith with a threat before faking the illness to get him to confess, like in the book. Watson is with Holmes throughout his investigation in the film, whereas in the book, meets Smith for the time when he calls upon to examine Holmes. In the film, Holmes claims to have contacted the disease at the opium house, while in the book, he claims to have gotten the disease from "working among Chinese sailors down in the docks." In both versions, Smith mails Holmes a box to get rid of him and is captured by the police in the same way.