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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
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Barbara’s Riffs on Life

Good Books I Haven’t Really Read: Anna Quindlen, Stephen Prothero, David Talbot and a Book About French Love . . .

April 6, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 5 Comments

Portrait of Marilyn Yalom, author of "How the French Invented Love' with a lipstick kiss on her cheek. Photo by BF Newhall

There are seven intriguing books currently languishing on my bookshelf, crying out to be read. Books I’ve dearly wanted to spend quality time with in the past year, but haven’t. And that’s because I’m writing — and promoting — a book myself. Read more.

Shopping for a Mother-of-the-Groom Dress — Is That Me in the Mirror? Or Somebody’s Grandmother?

March 30, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 35 Comments

a long rack of fluffy white wedding gowns for sale at David's Bridal Salon, Pinole, CA. Photo by BF Newhall

My son is getting married. I’ll need a dress. A dress that makes me look terrific. It’s time to hit the department stores and bridal salons. Read more.

From the de Young — A Final Toss of the Bouquet

March 23, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment

The cross-shaped floral design of Monique Duncan of Plumweed Flowers Co., San Francisco, took its inspiration from Robert Rauschenberg's "Shadow (Tracks)" sculpture.

At times during my visit to the Bouquets to Art exhibition at the de Young on Tuesday, I wondered whether my soul might be better off if I’d just stand there quietly looking at the floral arrangements — instead of taking so darned many pictures. I took 254 photos to be exact.

Leaves, Twigs and Seeds at the de Young — It’s Art, but Is It a Bouquet?

March 21, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

A floral design by Arlene Boyle of Violetta, SF, was inspired by a soapstone and walrus tusk carving by Judas Ullulak (Allulak), "Inukshuk" (Like a Person), 1981-82. Photo by BF Newhall

Nothing seems to be off limits to the floral designers who’ve filled the courts and galleries of the de Young Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco this week with arrangements of flowers, twigs, branches, seed pods, pussy willows and succulents for the museum’s annual exhibition Bouquets to Art.

Bouquets to Art at the de Young — Where Poppies Dance and Cactuses Are Petit Fours

March 20, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

bouquets to art -- a floral arrangment that looks like a cake. Photo by BF Newhall

It’s not too late to catch a bus – or a plane – and head out to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for the annual Bouquets to Art show at the de Young museum — including a flower arrangement that looks like a cake. It’s on till Saturday, March 23, 2013, but if you can’t make it to the real thing, here are some fun photos I took the first day.

Photo Op: It’s Blooming Springtime on Our Hill — In March

March 16, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 11 Comments

Varigated camelia blossom with foliage. Photo by BF Newhall

It’s spring in March and the daffodils are going strong on the local hillsides in the San Francisco Bay Area. So are the camelias, abutilons and iceland poppies in our front yard.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Cemetery Comes to LIfe — With Tulips

Tulips of many colors hang upside down over the entrance to the Tower Chapel at Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, Calif., during its annual Tulip Exhibition. The design, titled "Puddle Jumping," is by the Merritt College Floral Design Department. Photo by Barbara Newhall

By now my faithful readers know that I’ve got a thing about tulips. So, of course, I dropped everything to take in a local tulip show last weekend. Read more.

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TO MY READERS

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DON’T MISS!

SXSW: Quirky, Lovable Austin, Texas

Oval portrait of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, ca. 1825. Courtesy Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan

The Lost Poems of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft — A Native Michigan Voice Rediscovered

"Flowers for all Reasons" by Judy Clark, accompanies Helen Frankenthaler's painting "Free Wheeling" 1971 at the DeYoung Museum. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Another Bunch of Bouquets to Art 2015

outdoor-dancing-studio

Widowed: Dancing Makes Me Cry.

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