Arndts & the Penguins on the Road/The Vacation House MERGED

[salex]

Are their trips deductible as part of their ministry or part of the film making cost? I once spent a week at the Home Ranch in Colorado and one man there had his wife and 3 or 4 kids with him--your basic family vacation, except, he was a professional photographer and each day took a few pictures of the mountains, or of his kids / wife with the horses, in the scenery.... so, I always assumed he was deducting the trip by creating stock photos.

[truthteller]

Rick has their whole deal set up as a 501-c 3 not-for-profit. All the rentals, gas, mileage, etc. is written off through his "ministry." :roll:

[nausicaa]

One of the MB's said they were only staying at this place for a week or so. They are probably heading even further north.

Most filming is outdoors and the snowy woods in central Maine probably don't look that much different from the snowy woods in upstate NY so that's probably not an issue as far as continuity goes. But unless Daddy envisions a series that goes on as long as Bonanza did, how are they going to account for their own aging? It's just so strange.

It looked like they were shooting some indoor scenes though, and that house is very distinct.

Yes, it's strange. I have many, many questions about Vine Valley. How do you defend spending so much time and energy on something that it is unlikely will make much/any money for the family? The men who work are taking time away from their jobs for this. It's not just something Father Arndt is doing with the younger kids as a fun side project. They are putting a lot of resources behind this. But even fundies have better family-friendly, Christian movies to watch than the likely quality of this project. Alone, Yet Not Alone is Godfather II compared to this (they actually had auditions and hired like, real actors. So you know, people could act, and there could be romantic storylines since everyone wasn't brother and sister irl!)

Who wrote the script? Is there a script or are they just making it up as they go along? I mean, I did stuff like this with my siblings and my family's camcorder when I was twelve, but my parents certainly weren't going to gallivant across the Eastern seaboard to get me the correct shots!

[keen23]

Eh, 10 pizzas between 11 guys and 2 women, that's not so bad. My brothers and Dad eat a lot, so it doesn't seem way OTT.

[truthteller]

It looked like they were shooting some indoor scenes though, and that house is very distinct.

Yes, it's strange. I have many, many questions about Vine Valley. How do you defend spending so much time and energy on something that it is unlikely will make much/any money for the family? The men who work are taking time away from their jobs for this. It's not just something Father Arndt is doing with the younger kids as a fun side project. They are putting a lot of resources behind this. But even fundies have better family-friendly, Christian movies to watch than the likely quality of this project. Alone, Yet Not Alone is Godfather II compared to this (they actually had auditions and hired like, real actors. So you know, people could act, and there could be romantic storylines since everyone wasn't brother and sister irl!)

Who wrote the script? Is there a script or are they just making it up as they go along? I mean, I did stuff like this with my siblings and my family's camcorder when I was twelve, but my parents certainly weren't going to gallivant across the Eastern seaboard to get me the correct shots!

Why are the Arndts wasting so much time with this nonsense? Simple. Rick received in a dream that it's "God's Will" that he have a "Media Ministry". Therefore no amount of time, money, resources will be spared to realize his dream. The MBs, being the meek, docile little angels they are, will never utter a word in protest.

[nausicaa]

Why are the Arndts wasting so much time with this nonsense? Simple. Rick received in a dream that it's "God's Will" that he have a "Media Ministry". Therefore no amount of time, money, resources will be spared to realize his dream. The MBs, being the meek, docile little angels they are, will never utter a word in protest.

God what an egomaniac. At least if you're going to drag your family around for several years, have the sense to cast some actual actors, directors, and camera people. Who's doing the costuming? Target?

[JenniferJuniper]

Why are the Arndts wasting so much time with this nonsense? Simple. Rick received in a dream that it's "God's Will" that he have a "Media Ministry". Therefore no amount of time, money, resources will be spared to realize his dream. The MBs, being the meek, docile little angels they are, will never utter a word in protest.

IIRC, there is no script, just a general outline about an arrogant, liberal, Godless college professor (played by Daddy Arndt) who wanders out into the woods during his sabbatical, and presumably with the help of the basket carrying woman he meets (played by Mommy Arndt) finds his way back to Jesus.

Daddy is a frustrated actor as well as a frustrated baseball player and he's forcing the family into his fantasy world. This includes requiring his oldest sons to help support the family so he can have fun playing baseball player in the summer and actor in the winter. I say "forcing" because the sons are obviously too emotionally damaged to protest, never mind break away altogether.

Cathy is an enabler with her own control issues and between the two of them they managed to neuter their pups. Its equal parts disturbing and fascinating.

[nausicaa]

IIRC, there is no script, just a general outline about an arrogant, liberal, Godless college professor (played by Daddy Arndt) who wanders out into the woods during his sabbatical, and presumably with the help of the basket carrying woman he meets (played by Mommy Arndt) finds his way back to Jesus.

Daddy is a frustrated actor as well as a frustrated baseball player and he's forcing the family into his fantasy world. This includes requiring his oldest sons to help support the family so he can have fun playing baseball player in the summer and actor in the winter. I say "forcing" because the sons are obviously too emotionally damaged to protest, never mind break away altogether.

Cathy is an enabler with her own control issues and between the two of them they managed to neuter their pups. Its equal parts disturbing and fascinating.

Yes, a few months back I think I finally figured out that it's not Rick and Cathy who are taking care of the MBs, it's the other way around, at least financially.

[lizziesmom]

Is an American pizza bigger than a European? Because if not I'll feel very greedy.

Large pizzas look like this:

[JesusPony]

I totally called the pizza, guys. :P

Daddy is a frustrated actor as well as a frustrated baseball player and he's forcing the family into his fantasy world. This includes requiring his oldest sons to help support the family so he can have fun playing baseball player in the summer and actor in the winter. I say "forcing" because the sons are obviously too emotionally damaged to protest, never mind break away altogether.

Cathy is an enabler with her own control issues and between the two of them they managed to neuter their pups. Its equal parts disturbing and fascinating.

I struggle to understand this family, but this explanation helps some.

[formergothardite]

Vine Valley is the movie that will never end. I really think that Daddy is going to be forever coming up with new scenes that they need to shoot or new things that need to be edited and this will never end. There will never be a finished movie because then what the fuck would he do?

[Patsy]

Large pizzas look like this:

I think the actual diameter of an American pizza would probably be more helpful. Personally, that doesn't give me an accurate idea of the size of an American pizza. It's an angled shot of stylised food, and the way other food items are gathered around it are probably partially designed to be misleading about size, anyway, given that it's a marketing picture.

[0 kids n not countin]

The man-boys took note of the whoopie pies at the gas station:

Philip Arndt:

Some gas stations here in rural Maine have these huge “whoopie†pies. They’re about 930 calories apiece!

They do love their junk-food!

[Coconut Flan]

There really is no "size of American pizzas." They come in "personal size" which is usually around 6 inch diameter but can vary, small, medium, large, extra-large and whatever the pizza place chooses as its designation.

I just checked two local spots and a large at one is 12" and the other place it's 14'.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I can eat an entire 9" pizza by myself, and I am quite a small woman...I know men who can eat a whole 12" one

[miffy]

Australian pizzas are pretty much the same, the size of a dinner plate or larger. Then there are the huge but thin 'new York' pizzas.

[RachelB]

I can eat an entire 9" pizza by myself, and I am quite a small woman...I know men who can eat a whole 12" one

Back in high school I could eat a 12" pizza. (I'm also small, but I was running daily back then, and constantly hungry.)

[eightykatie]

Don't know if they read here or not, but they've also been to the following places:

Never heard of Kelly's Roast Beef, have any FJers eaten there?

Also they stoppend for ice cream:

famteam.com/today/images/thumbs/20140201_220045.jpg

Kelly's has dreadful food. Even their fries are nasty. And the rest is pretty bog-standard dreadful. Although I heard their lobster rolls are OK. We go there for a school fundraiser once a year.

[MamaJunebug]

Remember that Cathy comes from some pretty good money. IIRC her siblings run the family business their dad started. So my edja-macated guess would be that whatever income they have from the ministry [sic] and their various businesses, they've got Cathy's inheritance to spend, too.

After all, she herself doesn't spend much on clothing -- and very very little on haircare products!

[TheJewAmongUs]

I don't think it's that unusual for them to each eat half of a pizza during the Super Bowl, especially if they didn't have any other snacks. It might be "greedy" if that were their regular Sunday night order, but I'm sure this is a major annual event for them. However, knowing the Arndt's, those pizza were for 2 meals.

[miffy]

I don't think it's that unusual for them to each eat half of a pizza during the Super Bowl, especially if they didn't have any other snacks. It might be "greedy" if that were their regular Sunday night order, but I'm sure this is a major annual event for them. However, knowing the Arndt's, those pizza were for 2 meals.

Yeah, lots of people let loose on holidays. Whilst most fundies are under nourished & even if they are fed large meals, the meals are lacking in nutrients. The Arndt's get the whole nutrition & fitness thing.

[Iokaste]

Tuesday Feb 4th, 1:22: Luke posts a picture of a lighthouse

Tuesday Feb 4th, 2:05: Daddy posts a picture of a lighthouse

Tuesday Feb 4th, 9:52: Daddy posts same picture of lighthouse and comments: "Wow, Luke — you and I must have been standing right next to each other when we snapped our respective photographs!"

-what! oh, wow! You think Daddy Arndt?! This "boy" that you have put such a tight emotional leash on, who is never allowed anywhere without a member of his immediate family, is stading right next to you on a family outing, what are the odds!

And seriously what's up with the whole "conversational" style of the blog, they are in the same house, they are the only people there, I was about to say "Don't they see how weird it is?", but given that it is the Arndts, no need to look for such things as reason and understading of how others would see this, but odd and creepy it still is.

[ILoveJellybeans]

The way they talk to eachother is weird. Its like a special Arndt Facebook just for them and only them. Its not weird to comment on your family's photos on Facebook, but it is weird if 100% of that online interaction is between people who live in the same house.

[Guest LilaFowler]

Does anyone know if Wizzy has female friends?

[gustava]

Does anyone know if Wizzy has female friends?

Female penguins. :penguin-no: