• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • WRESTLING WITH GOD BOOK
  • CONTACT

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
  • WIDOWED
  • FUNNY BUTTON

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."

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

October 30, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

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

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

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

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.

James Dobson: Bully Your Pet, Hit Your Kid, Make Them Obey You–And God

October 9, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Recent photo of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson at a podium, talking.

In his 1978 parenting book, “The Strong-Willed Child,” James Dobson says disobedient childen, like dogs, must be spanked into submission to parents and God. Read more.

Where Author Richard Rodriguez Sees the Face of God

October 2, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Author Richard Rodriguez spoke at Faith Presbyterian Church, Oakland, CA. Photo by Barbara Newhall

When asked why he believed in God, Richard Rodriguez, author of Darling: A Spiritual Autobiography, answered the question with a story about Mother Teresa. Read more.

Dale Chihuly’s Glass: Fine Art? Kitsch? Or Both?

September 25, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Dale Chihuly's early 1970s "Glass Forest" glass sculpture at Chihuly Garden and Glass museum in Seattle. Photo by Barbara NewhallI can’t make up my mind about Dale Chihuly. He’s a glassblower, which makes him a craftsman. But is he also an artist? He’s prolific and his work is popular; does that mean he’s pandering to a mass audience? Is his work fine art—or shameless kitsch? Read more.

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 56
  • Page 57
  • Page 58
  • Page 59
  • Page 60
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 85
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

GET MY Riffs on Life BY EMAIL

True stories often told through a humorous lens–because you just can't make them up!

We respect your privacy and do not share your email with anyone.

 

LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

I’m a Grammar Geek: I Don’t Get Nauseous. I’ve Never Received a Kudo. And I Never, Ever Lay on My Yoga Mat

stack-of-yoga-mats

I’m a grammar geek and I’m old: I don’t get nauseous. I’ve never received a kudo. And I never, ever lay on my yoga mat.  Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
  • My Ever-Changing Family
  • On Writing & Reading
  • My Rocky Spiritual Journey

 
Need some levity? Push my Funny Button!

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!

Auschwitz. Star of David patches were sewn on to the clothing of Jews during Nazi domination of Eastern Europe. On display at the Dohany Stree Synagogue, Budapest. Photo by Barbara Newhall

A Mother Who Prevailed at Auschwitz

adoptive-family

A Baby to Adopt — The Letter That Made It Happen Forty Years Ago

arranging-furniture-with-a-view

Our Living Room Makeover: We Made Do With Our Old Stuff. Sheltering at Home Week 49

condolence-cards

What Do You Say When Someone Dies?

MORE DON'T MISS!

© 2009–2026 Barbara Falconer Newhall All rights reserved. · Log in