Rushing home to celebrate Teddy's Fourth Month Birthday

Yes, the update on Teddy. 

I know, you guys have been dying to find out.

 Yesterday, DylanGrace decided that today would be Teddy's fourth month birthday. 

Papa had to stay home from our wild drive around the Bay to bake Teddy's cake.

Oh, I just want to mention that today our daughter met three authors. The first of the day was Mr. Jack Kornfield, followed by Ms Marie Mannschatz at Spirit Rock and later Mr. Lemony Snicket.

Lemony Snicket Narrates the Composer is Dead at Davies Symphony Hall

 Our gracious friends Kit and Charlie invited DylanGrace to see the concert. Afterward we had lot's of delicious cake at "Citizen Cake". 

Here are some shoes and handbags which walked in after us. 

San Francisco, MY CITY, is a breath of fresh air in fashion, attitude and culture.

Hiking - Our Religion

CHATTER

Dream of a Daughter

My daughter dreamed that our backyard was a beautiful  blue crystal pool. Dolphins were leaping and frolicking all over the soft surface of the warm water. Every time she jumped into the water for a few moments she would come out more beautiful.

Next to the pool her friend Oliver wrapped in flower garlands held a basket overflowing with fresh petals. He was passing out leaves and blossoms. Every single one would be a wish which would come true. 

MY DREAM-FIRESIDE CHAT with PRESIDENT OBAMA

Last night I dreamed I was in the White House. Mr. Obama had invited me to the Oval Office to help him "breathe" and calm his nerves through visual meditation. 

When I arrived,  I congenially reminded him being a President is only a job. However, we appreciate his taking this country, his land, to heart. We all love him for it. Just please, Mr. President do not start aging as fast as your predecessors! 

He revealed, being troubled, that he was unable to tell the whole truth. I assured him that it was okay. Also, he continued, "I am worried about Larry."

"What about him? I added. Are you second guessing your thoughts and the Chinese proverb from 400 BC  "Keep you friends close, and your enemies closer?"  Top economic advisor's shouldn't rake in the compensations from troubled Wall Street firms we just paid off, as he does, but we got to give him a chance."

"He too supported and signed that bill to deregulate derivatives." 

  

  I whispered, "Take a breath, let it all out, It's not your fault."

  " Those who read the good literature and papers, "I said,"  are well aware that your lips need to remain sealed about some of these issues; that is, I know that you knew there were bonuses incorporated into the A.I.G.'s bail-out. No?" 

He sighed.

  I too got a bit short of breath. 

Mr. Obama continued his thought. "When I think about the bankers who already made a ton of money...."

"So?"  I said and tried to conceal my own outrage. "Let it go."

"Yes," he answered, exasperated. "Once we buy up the 'toxic assets',  the same people who already made millions will make more millions."

My heart was skipping a beat or two. I assured him that we will be okay. 

  "Phil Graham," he uttered, "wrecked the economy. He buried the deregulation of derivatives into an eleven-thousand-page bill, for President Clinton to sign a few days before Christmas 1999. 

While all of us were flustered and angry about Bush winning and Al Gore losing. . . No one except Senator Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota saw it coming." 

I tried to soften the blows. 

"Please, Mr. President it is not your fault."

"Of course no one read the whole thing," he continued calmly, "or realized it's application. They only saw dollar signs." 

I told him to keep on breathing. "We will get to the bottom of this," I assured him.

 "Mr. President," I said softly, "call Professor Frank Partnoy over at the University of San Diego. He is a gifted writer you can trust. He worked on Wall Street in 1995. He will explain everything to you in laymen's terms. 

In his book  'F.I.A.S.C.O.', he explains how 'derivatives -credit- default-swaps' led to the current financial crisis.  They might help you understand, so you can sleep in peace." 

Just when I wanted to say good-bye, my eight-year-old daughter awoke from a dream and woke me from mine. Her dream I will tell you next...

Barbie and Martina

I am happy to let everybody know that after years of trying I finally found out that Barbie and I have at least one thing in common. 

We both turned Fifty this year.

Waiting for a Client at a Cafe in San Anselmo

Norouz-Iranian New Year and Free Roxana Saberi

Please free the Journalist Roxana Saberi NPR Correspondent, who is an American-Iranian Journalist living in the States. She went for a story to Iran and was detained in Teheran. Last her parents heard from her was one minute on the phone on March 9, 2009. She did not sound well. 

We all hope that todays Norouz, the Iranian New Year and the first day of spring in the Iranian calendar will mean her and other journalists freedom. 

I will light one candle for all of them.

 My family and I are so lucky having different cultures amongst our friends. Here we are eating and dancing away at Mitra and Massouds house. 

Thank you for inviting us to your beautiful home.

 

City of Oz and a Double Rainbow

Dear Followers,

 for all of you who are living in distant lands.

 Yes, I mean you Regine, JC, Elkan and Sigi

have  a look at this photo I took this

  Sunday morning.

 I hiked with Caroline, 

 Clair, and Jake the dog.

 Do you see the city of San Francisco 

laying like OZ

 in the background? 

Well, I guess it is hard to see!

The Double Rainbow was also impossible to photograph.

Lisa & Steven Tilden Park Wedding

Please view Lisa and Steven's

 lovely comments under my photos

 "Beauty of Decay and the Time to Idle". Sorry for that inconvenience.

 I am not fluent yet in the "Blogger Language".

 Leighsa, thank you for your amazing flowers. Please visit her company at www.branchoutflowers.com.

Beauty of Decay and the Time to Idle

Awakened One

I sat with Ms Marie Mannschatz,  in my studio. 

She is calm. Calm in heart. Calm in mind.

We worked in Marin County and created a fresh portrait for her upcoming book. 

 She teaches  in the moment with Jack Kornfield a silent meditation course at Spirit Rock. A couple of mondays ago she invited me to come to listen to one of his lectures. 

Candy for the chattering mind. 

Please visit her on her website and read her books. She is awesome.  www.mariemannschatz.de. 

Shrewdness-Survival of Artists

I have used the extra time as a gift from the Gods.

 I even unpacked my Nikon for my last portrait job or was it the one before last? I have gone thus far to shoot in public from the hip, clandestinely, sometimes while people are rushing by me, Robert Frank style. 

Seen the light of Henri Cartier-Bresson, wild and crazy with only an instant of pre-composition. All fired by the comments of Ms Anne Tucker curator of the Houston  Museum of Fine Arts:" It will be interesting to see whether in an era when documentary photography is no longer embraced by the art world, the current hard times will prompt artist-photographers to document human suffering, endurance." 

It is funny that I, before reading this I had these urges to walk to Sacramento and photograph in the trenches of tent city, just as I did back in the early 80's when times were rough. In fact I am walking more, touch the street-pavement, hear people on the street, laughing, cursing. Taking public transportation, eves-dropping deep into the pulse of society. Watching young angels reading Pulitzer Prize winner, Angel of Repose by Wallace Stegner-all visual delights.

In all her Glory

Thank you Susie for putting on the celebration of a century. 

Your scrumptious homemade food was savored by all. 

Your house was a glow.

 A magical home for a lovely family. 

C.D.Wright & Chopin

"Green hill of crystals",

the physical splendor of the great outdoors. 

If I had an I-pod I would climb the hills listening to the love poems of Ms Wright uphill. 

The piano preludes of Chopin downhill- skipping the whole way.

Meanwhile I meander in solitude and silence.

Where do you surrender when times are critical?

A TEDDY NAMED TEDDY

Have you ever known an over scheduled, pressured child who when her birthday comes wants to turn a year younger than she actually will. 

A child that plays with her Teddy yet would never admit it to any of her friends. 

A Teddy who is alive (even though right now he is ill with the measles).

 A Teddy who goes for walks in a BabyBjorn and a baby carriage. A Teddy that wears home knitted outfits.

 A Teddy who wears a bib while he eats. A Teddy who gets burped and can swing in the baby swings at the playground. A Teddy who at night gets bedded in the childs' bed under a mosquito netting.

 A Teddy who gets a book read, a song sung and the harp played and before the child  leaves his bedside, the ladybug night- light will be turned on. 

Mother of child just sits and cries tears of joy and exhaustion.

OH, DISGRACE

Dear Person who places trash where it does not belong:

Does trash really fall into the forest if know one sees you?

Does it really come free to the dumper? 

Does it still bother the dumper upon dumping?

Do you know that raindrops fall on a soda can, seep the color chemicals into the groundwater table?

 My dear dumper eventually you too will drink that water!

Daughter & Mom in the Woods

Have you gone to the woods with your child lately?

Has your child expressed the wish to stay under the trees forever?

  There to  commune with wilderness day and night? 

Has she shown you how to find her way back through thick growth?

Can she call a "Fort" her own?

Prestine Wilderness

The downpour for days now has been filling the trickling creeks and added tributaries and waterfalls to the already oh, so gorgeous deep California woods. 

Do you see the salmon spawn?

Dear San Francisco Chronicle,

I have had these two gnomes ( German "Gartenzwerge") for a few years now. They sat on my Aunt's balcony for the past 30 years in Duesseldorf, Germany. They stood protected from snow, rain, hail and wind; hence their beautiful color. Originally I had charmed my Aunt into letting them go into my possession so she too could have something of her's in this great country of ours.  My Dad then wrapped them up very carefully and I was able to take them with me on one of my many Lufthansa Transatlantic flights. I was worried about them  and still are.

From a "gnome aficionado" point of view I have never seen more beautiful crafted gnomes. Please judge for yourselves.

Very Warmly, 

Martina Konietzny