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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
  • MY EVER-CHANGING FAMILY
  • WRITING & READING
  • MY ROCKY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
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A Case of the Human Condition

I’m Barbara Falconer Newhall and I’ve got an incurable Case of the Human Condition. And since you do too, I’m counting on you to laugh and cry along with me as I riff on life as we know it . . . Below you'll read about my creaky, old fifties house, my forays into home gardening, my shopping stories, my spectacularly low-fashion wardrobe -- and more.

The Summer Solstice, Arriving Right Now in a Sky Near You

June 21, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Yellow, orange and lavender sky at sunset on the eve of the summer solstice 2014 in California. Photo by BF Newhall

It’s midsummer. Right now. Today. It’s the summer solstice. Read more.

At the LA County Museum of Art: Van Gogh, Kandinsky and a Bump on the Head

June 19, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

After Barbara Falconer Newhall bumped into a glass wall, spilling her latte, a barista arrived with a mop to clean up the mess. Photo by BF Newhall

Like any normal, safety-conscious person, I was watching where my feet were about to step as I left the café at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.. I did not see the – tastefully faint – safety strip in the glass wall. Whack! My forehead hit the glass. Wham! The back of my hand hit the glass. Bam! My knee hit the glass. Splash! My latte crashed to the floor. Read more.

Robert Morse — Don’t Miss His Madcap “Mad Men” Season Send-Off

May 29, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

actor robert morse in black tie smiling

Spoiler alert — skip this if you haven’t had a chance to see last Sunday’s “Mad Men” half-season finale.

Travel Adventures: The Poop on China – And the Pee

May 22, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

In Suchow, this little boy was set out on the doorstep of his house to pee, To expedite things, his pants were open at the crotch. I have preserved his dignity by retouching the photo to close up his fly. Photo by BF Newhall

I’ve been contemplating writing this little photo essay on the toilets of China ever since I traveled there last September. It’s taken me all this time to overcome my mid-century Midwestern upbringing, where nice people didn’t talk about poop and pee in public. My nose for news finally prevailed, however when a Mainland Chinese couple allowed their toddler to urinate publicly on the streets of Hong Kong.

To the Himalayas and Back — In a Day and Duty Free

May 18, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

An array of wood carvings of gods and goddesses including buddha and ganesh on display table at Himalayan Fair Berkeley, May 2014. Photo by BF Newhall

Bay Area residents — it’s not too late to catch this year’s Himalayan Fair at Live Oak Park in Berkeley. Today’s the second and last day of the annual celebration of the cultures of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and North India — and a terrific shopping opportunity.

Photo Op: When the Sun Shines Sideways

May 8, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The shadow of the photographer appears along side the shadows of the grass she is photographing. Photo by BF Newhall

I took a late afternoon camera walk in the woods the other day. The sun had dropped low in the sky, so the light was soft and was coming at everything sideways. Read more.

I Brake for Floor Plans — I Like to See How Those Other People Live

May 1, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Floor plan of condo on East 86 Street, Manhattan, with three bedrooms and 3.5 baths.

It’s Sunday morning. I pull the New York Times Magazine from the fat stack of newspapers on the breakfast table, fully intending to read the informative, thought-provoking articles inside. But I get no farther than page two, because that’s where the real estate ads are – the ones with the floor plans. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

There’s a Pollinator in My Pollinator Garden

woodland-skipper-butterfly

The columbine, the statice and the armeria had been planted only a week earlier, but already there was a pollinator in my pollinator garden.  Read more.

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  • A Case of the Human Condition
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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

DON’T MISS!

Elderly woman with mono. Author and blogger Barbara Falconer Newhall succumbs to mono and curls up with an alpaca blanket for comfort. Photo by Jon Newhall

Mono — It’s Never Too Late to Come Down With the Cool Kids’ Kissing Disease

obsolete-tech-books

Widowed: My Husband’s Stuff Is Still Here. I’ve Got My Reasons

toddlers-1941

We Humans Are Ineffable

A poster for Barbara Falconer Newhall's author event at Orinda Books, May 16, 2015, for her book "Wrestling with God." Photo by Jon Newhall

At Orinda Books: The Author Talked — And So Did the Audience

MORE DON'T MISS!

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