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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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DON'T MISS!

I've written hundreds and hundreds of posts over the years. To help you find your way to the best of the best, I've tagged my favorites "Don't Miss!" Scroll down here to find them.

Another way to locate Riffs on Life that you might enjoy is to click above on your favorite category – "My Ever-Changing Family," perhaps, or "Funny Button." You can also use the search box located way up top to hunt for stories by topic. There's fun reading at "garden," "aging," "kids" and, of course, "Jon."

The Perfect Christmas Tree — I Finally Found It

December 4, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

Rows of perfectly shaped christmas tree on a tree farm. Creative commons photo

At the Christmas tree lot, the kids played hide ’n’ seek amid the trees, leaving me to find the perfect Christmas tree. The responsibility weighed heavy. Read more.

A Patch of Fireweed in the Northwest — What Color Are Those Blossoms? Do I Need to Know?

November 13, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 3 Comments

The sun was shining on a stand of fireweed, so the blossoms were pink and the foliage bright green. PHoto by Barbara Newhall

I couldn’t make up my mind about that tall stand of fireweed I saw growing on the edge of a woodlet in the Pacific Northwest last summer. Were those blossoms purple? Blue? Pink? Or what? Read more.

San Juan Islands Flora: Or, I Cling, Therefore I Am

November 6, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 7 Comments

Granite rocks with lichen and pickle grass in Washington's San Juan Islands. Photo by Barbara Newhall

We cling. We cling to stuff. We cling to moments in time. On vacation last summer I clung to the verdant San Juan Islands flora. Read more.

KidSpirit OnLine: Where Young Souls Take On the Big–Old–Questions

October 30, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment

The logo of KidSpirit OnLine.

Does truth have inherent value? What is beauty? Those are big questions, but the brave, young souls of KidSpirit OnLine are ready to take on the big ideas. Read more.

Olympic Sculpture Park Photos — Cool Art, Really Cool Park

October 25, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment

Orange metal chairs in a row at the Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle. Photo by Barbara Newhall

More Olympic Sculpture Park photos: At this seven-year-old park in Seattle, you can have it both ways — cool modern art and a stunning walk in the city. Read more.

The Olympic Sculpture Park — An Artful Stroll on Seattle’s Waterfront

October 23, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

By Barbara Falconer Newhall Photographing Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park was fun. Even more fun was downloading all my wannabe works of photo art and poring over over them for hours on end.  Especially the photos I took of Teresita Fernandez’s magical, elusive glass wall, “Seattle Cloud Cover.” And Mark di Suvero’s steely “Schubert Sonata.” Which […]

Atheist to Catholic–Two Brainy Women Get Religion

October 16, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

Outdoor photo of Holly Ordway, author of "Not God's Type: An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms"

Two memoirists, both very smart, move from atheism toward God, and from there smack, dab into full-fledged Catholicism. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

The Truth Behind That Happy Family Photo We Just Sent You. Sheltering at Home Week 39

happy-family-photo family-christmas-photo

We’re nothing like that happy family photo we send with our holiday card each year. Our photo rejects reveal we are a testy, scrappy lot.  Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • 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!

"South Beach Gizzy," $300, by Cordelia De Vere, who worked in glass until cancer struck in 2009. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Holiday Gifts: Fun, Funky Fiber Art — Woolly Scarves, and Down and Dirty Angels

huston-smith-at-93

Huston Smith on the Most Important Thing You Can Do in 2025

Stars and Stripes. A man hangs the American flag on the front of his house. Photo by Barbara Newhall

The American Flag Is Flying in My Liberal, Elitist, San Francisco Bay Area Neighborhood Today. Here’s Why.

grandmother-on-beach

When My Mother Was the Grandma

MORE DON'T MISS!

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