Colors In Love: What's up?

January in the snow...

2012-01-30T18:23:00.002+01:00

A little January's review of skiing, ski touring, free riding...!
On days of that kind I feel like staying on our planet forever - just to see more and more of its sights...

Madness ;-) ...!!!

2012-01-10T10:34:00.003+01:00

After quite a few years of refusing to organize any kid's birthday party (they are fun for the kids, but absolutely chaotic for the parents in charge!!!), next week Wednesday I'll be hosting my younger daughters birthday party... She turned 10 on January 6th...

It feels like going back to kid's birthday madness, and I don't know yet how I will survive it - there will be about 12 giggling prepubescent girls running around - but it will be truly an act of love towards my 10 year-old-one...

At least the front side of her invitation card looks good ;-) ...!!!

Some of my 2011, part 5

2012-01-09T14:49:00.004+01:00

And this was fall 2011 in our garden...
The beauty of fading nature in fall sweeps me off my feet year after year...!!!

Some of my 2011, part 4

2012-01-09T14:38:00.004+01:00

And here some impressions out of my fall 2011...
As I said before: The weather 2011 was just sooo perfect...!!!

Some of my 2011, part 3

2012-01-09T14:01:00.005+01:00

And last but not least:
Crete's maritime side...!!!

Some of my 2011, part 2

2012-01-09T13:56:00.004+01:00

And here some of Crete's city life...

Some of my 2011, part 1

2012-01-09T13:49:00.002+01:00

Since I was so quiet during the second half year of 2011:
Let me at least share some of the corresponding pics with you...!

Spent three Cretan weeks in July/August 2011. Bleak landscape, yet stunningly beautiful!

Here are some shots of Crete's amazing mountain sceneries...

YAY, I'M BACK !!!

2012-01-09T12:54:00.002+01:00

Wow, finally I am back posting :-) ...!!! I've been quiet for quite a while...!!!

Well, 2011 was such a perfect-weather-year up here in the Swiss Alps! So whenever I had some free time to spare, I was outside doing all my running, hiking, climbing and swimming in mountain lakes...

Now the skiing season has started - but I will try to make sure to get back to regular posting :-) !

Hiking 4

2011-07-17T14:09:00.005+02:00

There's been quite a bit of hiking and climbing lately...!
Heading towards Crete in a few hours - so unfortunately I don't have time to write down some information about my alpine destinations...
Anyway - and since I have been so awfully lazy about writing for quite a while - just enjoy the sights and views :-) ...!!!

Hiking 3

2011-07-17T11:51:00.007+02:00

Hiking 2

2011-07-17T11:36:00.004+02:00

Hiking 1

2011-07-12T17:11:00.011+02:00

La tour Eiffel et des jeunes filles...!!!

2011-05-18T10:19:00.005+02:00

Four pages out of my daughters sketch-book...
Look at these fashionistas! I'm in love :-) !!!

After the thunderstorm...

2011-05-11T19:32:00.004+02:00

After the thunderstorm is the time where one should walk barefoot on grass and look at plants and flowers decorated with raindrops...!

Swiss gardening lesson...

2011-05-11T19:06:00.006+02:00

Root out last fall's plants plus weeds.

Dig over.

Hoe soil to make it loose and soft again.

Pay attention to the fine-levelling.

Visit the market garden and carry home your selection.

Arrange the plants.

Flexibility always helps!

Gently prick in the flowers.

Make sure the new plants feel homey and welcome them with a generous watering!

So are your hands and fingernails dirty now???

Pixies, Vreneli, jubilating biplane and more...

2011-05-09T14:04:00.012+02:00

Because of this year's super early spring and already summery weather, I am able to present knew hiking pics every week :-) !

On Saturday I went up to a remote mountain valley in the north of the «Klöntalersee» (Lake of Klöntal).

Entering «pixieland»...

One of the things I like so much about our area: It's green as green can be in the warm season...!!!

Pink beauty...

This thistle was in bloom one year ago... But she made it through winter - and in my opinion hasn't lost any of her beauty even in her post-blooming robe...

View to the south:
The «Glärnisch massif» with its highest summit, the «Vrenelisgärtli». Will be up there in June :-) ! Already praying to Mister weather god to help us to carry out our plans...!!!

It's always amazing how in the middle of nowhere one meets an alpine cabin. There was nobody there yet. But in summer alpine herdsmen will bring up there cows and make sure to produce an assortment of tasty alpine cheese...

More sights of the «Vrenelisgärtli»...

Uuuhhh - up here we do some fantastic ski touring and free rides in winter!

View down to my hometown, Glarus.

Definitely know what I wanna be in my next life: A daredevil pilot doing acrobatic flying...!!! The guy flying that biplane took my breathe away - it felt like witnessing a private airshow, he just did one looping after the other - right over the «Vrenelisgärtli»...!!! Thank you, stranger, I had a fantastic time watching you :-) ...!!!

Heading down to the «Klöntalersee» (Lake of Klöntal) which hasn't reached its summery water depth yet.

Looking for a fountain of youth...???

2011-05-02T17:01:00.009+02:00

Looking for a fountain of youth...??? Go hiking...!!!
Let me show you some of the things you might meet along the way:

The beauty of morning dew...

Prettiness in the background, prettiness in the foreground...

Some of my favorite flora: Alpine Anemone!!!

Walking over last winter's leftovers...

That's why I like it when the sky is decorated by some clouds when I go for a hike: It looks kind of dramatic...!!!

Standing on the top feels like smiling along with
huuuge cup cakes :-) ...!!!

And that's how it must look like when we knock on heavens door with puffy clouds waiting to be tickled by Saint Peter...

And the ladies and gents of the house of flora present you the fact that fantasy must be an eternal thing...

Back posting :-) !

2011-04-11T12:39:00.006+02:00

Wow - I haven't been posting for quite a while...!!! Especially Mrs. S. from L. has been complaining about my absence ;-) ... Well, I guess I've been too busy enjoying our first class alpine Swiss spring lately...!!! So let me share some of our spring views with you :-) !!!

In our garden...

Mountain lake «Klöntalersee»...

Surface looking like some abstract paintings...

Some winter remains, slabs of icy snow. When we put our feet on them, they would sometimes go into splinters. It sounded as if we were breaking glasses – crazy!!! And the whole time there was this slight sound of ice slowly but steady melting in the sun...

These fellows didn't make it through the winter... Yet their worn out bodies looked stunningly beautiful...

Hiking shoes are back in service! Walking up to the «Fronalpstock» (2'124m) last Saturday.

There is always a spot of color you meet along the way! Like some orange lichens...

or the magenta of heathers...

or the gentle green of some live-forever plants...

The view on top...

Heading downwards with an eye towards the Lake of Klöntal on the other side of the valley. I always, always love it when the afternoon light turns the mountains into some mystic and blueish silhouettes...!!! It awakens a very special and unique emotion I only feel when having those silhouettes in front of my eyes - as if there was a certain button inside of me which can only be operated by this view...

So now you know why I was too busy to write ;-) ...

Morgan!

2011-04-11T12:27:00.005+02:00

Haaa - came across a Morgan Freeman picture of the late sixties or early seventies and thought: «Yo, Mr. Freeman, you were quite a hairy freak back then!»

But when looking at current pictures of 1937 born Mr. Freeman, I have to correct myself: «Yo, Mr. Freeman, you have actually kept up your charming freaky ways!»

I definitely love his earrings :-) ...!!!

And his performance in «Driving Miss Daisy», the wonderful 1989 movie about an elderly Jewish lady and her African-American driver, was a true masterpiece...!

Grant is grand!

2011-02-23T13:44:00.009+01:00

Grant Hamilton's polaroid photography (link to click) pleases my «madly-in-love-with-colors-eyes»...!!! Easy-going beauty the way I like it: Turning simple things into a whole landscape...

And that's how it looks like when the landscapes turn into an universe...

An other type of views for a change...

2011-02-06T10:17:00.003+01:00

For once I am not posting alpine views...! Spent a few days in Lausanne, at the beautiful Lake Geneva.

Winterly view onto St. François church.

Instead of snow bunnies: Swans for a change...

Playing with the sun...

Winter trees...

Sail away...

My winter :-) !

2011-01-31T09:48:00.003+01:00

Last Thursday:

And yesterday:

Look what I found today...!

2011-01-26T17:15:00.002+01:00

This morning I stumbled over one of the wittiest and most creative websites I have ever met!
All I can say: I LOVE MAMIKA! She's my future :-) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Enjoy it too, click on this link :-) !!!

A few years ago, French photographer Sacha Goldberger found his 91-year-old Hungarian grandmother Frederika feeling lonely and depressed. To cheer her up, he suggested that they shoot a series of outrageous photographs in unusual costumes, poses, and locations. Grandma reluctantly agreed, but once they got rolling, she couldn't stop smiling.

Frederika was born in Budapest 20 years before World War II. During the war, at the peril of her own life, she courageously saved the lives of ten people. When asked how, Goldberger told us "she hid the Jewish people she knew, moving them around to different places every day." As a survivor of Nazism and Communism, she then immigrated away from Hungary to France, forced by the Communist regime to leave her homeland illegally or face death.

Aside from great strength, Frederika has an incredible sense of humor, one that defies time and misfortune. She is funny and cynical, always mocking the people that she loves.

With the unexpected success of this series, titled "Mamika" (or grandma in Hungarian), Goldberger created a MySpace page for her. She now has over 2,200 friends and receives messages like: "You're the grandmother that I have dreamed of, would you adopt me?" and "You made my day, I hope to be like you at your age."

Initially, she did not understand why all these people wrote to congratulate her. Then, little by little, she realized that her story conveyed a message of hope and joy. In all those pictures, she posed with the utmost enthusiasm. Now, after the set, Goldberger shares that his grandmother has never shown any signs of depression. Perhaps it's because her story serves some sort of purpose. That through the warm words of newfound friends, she's reminded of just
how lucky she is to be alive.

By the way...

2011-01-26T17:14:00.002+01:00

By the way: The new ski tour and freeride season has started...!
So I am back to:
First class whipped cream!

Glacier blue!

Winterly brushstrokes in the sky!

Flavoring 2011 ingredients...

2010-12-31T07:50:00.002+01:00

The things you should look for in 2011 are only a few hours away...
So get ready...

Five words, a number and an exclamation point...!

2010-12-24T08:30:00.002+01:00

An other New York...

2010-12-18T10:02:00.006+01:00

Got to know the series «New York Sleeps» by German photographer Christopher Thomas (born in Munich in 1961). He's capable to see an other New York...

Central Park, Bethesda Fountain, 2009

South Ferry Terminal, 2001

Colgate Clock

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Queensboro Bridge, 2008

Manhattan Bridge Arch, 2008

South Street Seaport, 2001

Manhattan Bridge, 2001

Rockaway, 2008

Portraits...

2010-12-18T07:03:00.004+01:00

Early morning, still dark outside, a sugar baker arranged a new white world outside - and I am looking at these beautiful, a million stories telling portraits by Valerié Belin...

Illuminated snowflakes...

2010-12-17T16:54:00.003+01:00

Advent season seems to be the story between a street lamp and snowflakes...

Let's go for some quotes...

2010-12-16T15:32:00.006+01:00

An A to Z of NYC...!

2010-12-16T11:09:00.006+01:00

All you need to know from A to Z about the Big Apple...
Thanks Laura :-) !

An A to Z of London...!

2010-12-16T11:05:00.009+01:00

All you need to know from A to Z about good old Lady London...
Thanks Laura :-) !

N is for neighborhood...

2010-12-10T12:39:00.010+01:00

Joe Schwartz, 1940s
Herkimer Street, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
«Tricycle Gang»

Came across photographer Joe Schwartz today. Schwartz described himself as a «folk photographer». Schwartz was born in Brooklyn in 1913 and grew up in the Kingsboro housing project. He was schooled in photography on the streets of Depression-era New York and shot his work from the perspective of the economically dispossessed «folks» who would figure prominently in his life’s work. Being a Jew and a New Yorker moved him to identify with other «outsiders» and minorities and to explore how racially distinct communities come together to make up a city’s urban landscape. Although societal norms during this time may have dictated otherwise, a majority of Schwartz’ work depicts the camaraderie between children and adults, working and playing harmoniously together. At a time when racial segregation, from schools, to restaurants, to public restrooms, was enforced, Schwartz was witness to scenes where skin color is upstaged by a true accepting exchange.

Joe Schwartz, 1940s
Kinsboro Housing Project, Ocean Hill, Brooklyn
«Some World Citizens»

Joe Schwartz, 1930s
Brooklyn
«Coming Home From School»

Joe Schwartz, 1940s
Ocean Hill, Brooklyn
«Miss America»

Joe Schwarz, 1940s
Kingsboro Playground, Ocean Hill, Brooklyn
«Kid-Folks Touching»

Joe Schwartz, 1930s
Hancock Park, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
«Telling Stories»

Joe Schwartz, 1930s
Sutter Avenue, Brownsville, Brooklyn
«How to Climb A Fence»

Green Christmas Tree

2010-12-10T10:59:00.002+01:00

The Netherlanders think green! Instead of cutting fir trees for Christmas, they recycle! Thanks Ingrid :-) ...!

When things work the wrong way...

2010-11-10T08:52:00.005+01:00

Charming :-) !
When things work the wrong way - you might meet poesy!

I love «Paris versus New York» :-) !!!

2010-11-06T17:09:00.002+01:00

Illustrator Vahram Muratyan compares and contrasts Paris and NYC. He has a fantastic flair for details and clichés! The way he contrasts the two cities is an absolutely wonderful twinkle in one's eye! (Click Vahram's name above to admire more Paris versus NYC examples!)

Amazing orange moments...

2010-10-30T08:56:00.006+02:00

I woke up just at the right time this morning! Five minutes later I would have missed this «mystery-early-morning-tour of light»... Thank you clouds, thank you mountain, thank you trees for coloring up my day the very moment I opened my eyes! Excellent royal service!

When colors meet Berlin...

2010-10-23T10:10:00.003+02:00

Having been to Berlin a few weeks ago, yesterday evening the Net offered me so much joy when I came across 28 years old and Berlin based photographer Matthias Heiderich. I love the way he plays with colors! Actually: Color-wise he seems to keep up the same way of thinking as I do...

P.S: «Kau Dich Glücklich» = «Chew Yourself Happy» = What we should consider with every bite we chew :-) !!!

Black Tie Beach

2010-10-22T10:56:00.004+02:00

Improv Everywhere (a group based in NYC): Missions which cause scenes of chaos and joy in public areas. Check out the «Black Tie Beach» mission below :-) !

Several hundred agents (from babies to grandparents) spent a fun day at Coney Island's Brighton Beach wearing black ties, suits, tuxedos, ball gowns, evening gowns...

Wanna be an Improv Everywhere Agent myself one day :-) !

Seventies Ads, Part 1

2010-10-19T19:21:00.006+02:00

Well, it seems to me that in the seventies they had a lot of fun when discovering the use of bare skin ads :-) ...! It socks ;-) ...!

The typical seventies student... Wearing nothing but his best clothes!

Hallelujah-ha-ha-haaa...!

«Neue Tapeten machen Leute» = «New wallpapers make people»
Well, Mr. Figleaf, you might look appealing in an ordinary living room - yet I am very happy we got over the seventies-wallpaper-period and go for the painted walls nowadays...! So I guess it's about time to get rid of that figleaf, Sir!

Seventies Ads, Part 2

2010-10-19T18:56:00.007+02:00

Amazing seventies: They had three-legged dingos back then ;-) ...!

What an eye catcher: Sunglasses which turn their owners into barn owls. Well, this summer I got the feeling these oversized frames are back in fashion. There were way too many barn owls in the streets...

Aha - that's the way real seventies machos used to look like, I suppose... The tag people were asked to look for in the ad looks pretty psychedelic... So macho + psychedelic = machodelic ???

Machodelic = I got to wear a beard plus a babygrow...???

Fall

2010-10-19T18:53:00.002+02:00

Fall sky...

Fall lake...

Fall green and red...

Swissness

2010-10-06T07:13:00.007+02:00

This morning in our local newspaper:
So much Swissness captured in one picture...
We have the farmers with their original Swiss pipes and suspenders, we have the original lousy Swiss weather, and in the background we have original Swiss cows taking part in an original Swiss cow menagerie...
Ay, caramba! Or let's use original Swiss slang: Gopferteckel!

A kiss

2010-09-29T13:07:00.003+02:00

Berlin is always a very special experience! Berlin feels like diving into history... The cold war is over, we don't live with a constant nuclear threat any more, yet Berlin's streets and buildings seem like browsing in a history book: Word War II, the divided city afterwards, all the joy and pain of the reunification. Berlin is living and breathing history...

I remember how the cold war made me feel as a school girl in the seventies/early eighties. I was too young to be aware of all the political details in those days, but I understood the position of American and Russian global power. I always found it kind of strange to watch Russian politicians on TV. There were these huge Russian military parades in the streets of Moscow. A thing which didn't make sense to me. All this marching, saluting and standing in attention provided me with uncomfortable goosebumps. Besides it seemed so odd that they were showing off some of their nuclear weapons during their parades - it made me feel as if they were little boys trying to threaten their enemy playmates.

And Leonid Brezhnev felt so unreal, so devious, his appearance on TV used to frighten me. He seemed more robot like than a person of flesh and blood... A face which didn't seem to be able to create any facial expressions, not to mention a smile - unreadable, scary! I instinctively felt and understood that life in the West had to be something completely different from life in the East.

I also remember my immense astonishment to watch two politicians embraced in a socialist brother's kiss. Two men kissing each other on the mouth...??? Yuck - schoolgirl me was quite shocked...!!!

So Dimitri Vrubel's East Side Gallery (a 1.3 km long section of the Berlin Wall near the center of Berlin on Mühlenstrasse in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg) painting «My God, help me to survive this deadly love» reminds me of my bewilderment sitting in front of the TV as a primary school kid...

The original kiss in 1979, during the celebration of the 30 years of the German Democratic Republic. Holy cow: We all survived this deadly love...

No Berlin run this time...

2010-09-26T18:28:00.003+02:00

Berlin was fun! But I didn't meet my 42K - I met a nasty flu instead.
Ja, jaa, jaaa - life is a b.... !

So I filled myself up with a chemical bomb and took a flight back home... Because once you are sick, your own bed and your own TV are the very best nurses in the whole world :-) !!!

And since the crowd had to run in the rain today, I can say:
«I'll be back next year with the sunshine in my pocket!»

Berlin

2010-09-23T09:23:00.002+02:00

I'm off for Berlin's Marathon this Sunday :-) !
Looking forward to being a bit faster than those unhurried fellows from the good old golden days...

Le petit Nicolas!

2010-09-21T15:46:00.011+02:00

Less well known outside France, «Le petit Nicolas», the creation of Rene Goscinny of Asterix fame and illustrated by Sempé got a new lease of life by the release of a live-action film in September 2009.

The French children's book was published for the first time in 1959. Nicholas is an illustration of an ideal childhood and a nostalgic memory of the 1950s. From 1959 - 1964 Goscinny and Sempé created about 160 Nicolas short stories.

Last week I watched the 2009 film. So sweet and charming and full of 1950s nostalgia - and the slapstick and situation comedy moments are just wonderful!!!

Here you can watch two teasers. Unfortunately I could only find them in German or French.

German (youtube-link) :

German (youtube-link) :

French (youtube-link) :

Post summer treat ;-) !

2010-09-21T14:28:00.002+02:00

Summer is over - but looking at this pic, the temperature goes up like a high striker ;-) ...!

Jayne Mansfield (1933 - 1967)

A little-known fact...

2010-09-17T18:14:00.006+02:00

It is a little-known fact that New York is one of the only places in the world where women are legally allowed to walk around topless... Humph, interesting :-) !

I wonder though, if that NYC lady from the 1940s already made use of that specific legal right... Well, if I could choose between topless in NYC and an opulent chocolate store in NYC, I would most probably go for the sweets ;-) ...

Hairier and hairier and hairier...

2010-09-17T18:07:00.002+02:00

The Ultimate Beatles Hairstyle Chart!

No pink? No pink!

2010-09-16T14:47:00.003+02:00

Having been a tomboy, I ask myself if I missed out certain female highlights during my childhood... So when I came across these pics today, I put myself in the little pink shoes of a girlie girl celebrating her birthday... Guess what - I'm happy I used to climb trees, had the attitude of a berserker and showed off my sore knee instead of my pink shoes ;-) ...

Ding-a-ling... Part 1

2010-09-14T19:36:00.007+02:00

What a super cute invention!!! A phone to get directly connected to somebody's heart! The style of the phone reminded me of my childhood - when the phones still had dialplates... When my index finger wanted to dial a 1, that was a quick way to go. But when my finger wanted to dial a 0, that meant a whole round trip...

I get kind of nostalgic looking at these phones... They look so stylish, so classy - they are actually some pieces of design!

Wow... Look at these curves...!!! Rita Hayworth- or Ava Gardner-like...

Here we even have arts of seduction in green...

And a pretty in pink! Don't you think the phones we use nowadays are some sort of soulless everyday objects compared to these stunning beauties? And what about the future? How will phones look like in a few decades from now? And will their users look back at our current phones as something which makes their nostalgic «design-hearts» fall in love with...???

Ding-a-ling... Part 2

2010-09-14T19:20:00.003+02:00

More beauties to put your dialing fingers on... To me they look like highly sophisticated upper-class ladies putting on their black high fashion dresses for the opera... My goodness - these ladies would never ever deign a look at an iPhone! They would consider Mr. iPhone to be bush-league: Looking fancy, but no class!

This one is my favorite lady! So elegant! Something like Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich in the shape of a phone!

Household snaps, part 1

2010-09-13T17:28:00.003+02:00

A household is such a ragbag of little treasures we meet, collect and keep...! And when one takes snaps of these little things, some sort of «household-cutouts», the result might become a ragbag itself...!

Household snaps, part 2

2010-09-13T17:25:00.001+02:00

And some more...

The longest legs ever!

2010-09-11T18:35:00.002+02:00

Oops!!! It only needs a little bit of golden fall evening light - and I become the model with the longest legs ever ;-) ...!!!

Such long legs make cocky and ready for some posing ;-) ...!!!

Some more heavenly brush strokes!

2010-09-11T18:25:00.003+02:00

I seem to be pretty much into that «painted sky»-thing at the moment... The sky in Zurich looked so tempting today - a fall day dreamy as dreamy can be!

Painted sky!

2010-09-07T18:02:00.003+02:00

Last Sunday I met a painted sky...
Who did these lavish brush strokes?

To fall for fall...

2010-09-07T17:57:00.004+02:00

The light gets so soft and tender when the days change from summer to fall...

So it's kind of easy to fall for fall...

Surf NYC

2010-09-02T11:23:00.006+02:00

Did you know that there is a surfer community in NYC?

Ahaaa - surf NYC goes along with my favorite orange/yellow subway seats...!!!

Surfboards combined with NYC fire escape ladders... I close my eyes and hear the rhythmic sound of their flip-flops, I smell the sweet scent of their sun lotion, I feel their thrill about leaving the city and meeting some perfect waves - and want to be one of them!!!

This movie is so cool and relaxing!

King of Cool

2010-09-01T10:14:00.008+02:00

Life magazine and Mr. Steve McQueen (1930 -1980), King of Cool, made my sunny day complete!

The two day motorcycle race across the Mojave Desert over, McQueen wearily puts on his jacket after a brief cooling-off.

At Big Sur, McQueen and his wife Neile take a sulphur bath at their house overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Epic photo, I might even say that cigarettes have never looked hotter...

The couple in their Palm Springs bungalow - affectionate chat - curr, curr, curr, I kinda like that!

A world full of signs

2010-08-31T14:16:00.008+02:00

As the esoterics out there always say:
Life is full of signs...

In affairs of the heart:
That might be a useful institution...!

If you want to know more about that attitude of life:
I'm the right person to get in touch with...!

Miss Kitty

2010-08-31T14:14:00.003+02:00

Miss Kitty traveling from BK to NYC...
I MISS THE SUBWAY...!!!
The trains with the orange and yellow seats are my favorites, siiigh...!

Internet Vices by Patrick Moberg

2010-08-31T09:52:00.004+02:00

Patrick Moberg is a young NYC (Brooklyn, what else...) illustrator whose work I like a lot. He mostly combines his work with comments which I also find very witty and inspiring. Stumbled across his «Internet Vices» last night, check them out and you will know everything you always wanted to know about twitter, youtube, facebook and so on...! Also check out his «Drawing of the day» section.

Some London Beat Some NYC Beat

2010-08-31T09:45:00.000+02:00

London (Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger) from David Hubert on Vimeo.

THE BEAT OF NEW YORK from tim hahne on Vimeo.

Good morning, Mr. Martin!

2010-08-31T09:26:00.001+02:00

Good morning, Mr. Martin, get that ski wax ready!
After a lousy summer, our winter can only get better!

A T-shirt for every day, part 1

2010-08-31T08:59:00.006+02:00

Ancient historical knowledge: We Swiss people have it all ;-) ...!

The best life motto ever :-) !

I can't make up my mind if I actually preferred to be the girl on the bike,
or the boy adoring the girl on the bike...

Don't forget: Big brother is - still! - watching you!!!

Yep - in the middle of everything, there is alway a woman ruling the world! Think of the James Bond theme (you can listen to it below), look at the T-shirt and agree: It's a girl's world, after all :-) ...!!!

A T-shirt for every day, part 2

2010-08-31T08:47:00.003+02:00

Hey - even Mr. Superman himself has to take a day off once in a while so as to do his laundry...

Whoops - don't worry, it can happen to all of us...

Life is... Your best jump...!!!

Don't forget: You are the owner of a spray can which entitles you to color your life any time you need a pair of extra wings to fly ;-) ...!

Paul Rand!

2010-08-30T17:24:00.005+02:00

Guess everybody who has ever used an IBM computer knows Paul Rand's bee which flies around as a screen saver.

Paul Rand: American graphic designer, 1914 - 1996, best known for his corporate logo designs, including logos such as for IBM or UPS.

IBM poster, 1981:
Eye Bee M

This short movie is a real Paul Rand graphic design feast...!
Hell, Brooklyn is really full of creative people :-) !

Billy Day!

2010-08-30T12:34:00.003+02:00

Two of my favorite movie scenes ever!

«Some Like It Hot», Billy Wilder, 1959.
Legendary closing scene with the final sentence which has turned into a world wide saying...

«One, Two, Three», Billy Wilder, 1961.
The movie is set in West Berlin during the Cold War but before they started to build the Berlin Wall. As a matter of fact: The shooting took place from June 1961 until September 1961, the construction of the Berlin Wall started on August 13th 1961. Because of this sudden switch in history, Wilder was not allowed to shoot near the Brandenburg Gate and had to work with a setting instead. In this scene Wilder reveals all his satiric skills... And sweet Swiss Lilo dances her ass off :-) ...!!!

Spiders? Spiders!

2010-08-25T09:41:00.002+02:00

However you might feel about spiders: There is one thing you have to admit right away - the beauty of their nets is truly magnificent! Our garden is some sort of spider colony, spider El Dorado at the moment - when the sun meets their nets - wow, that's quite a light show...!!!

Forrest Gump for one day!

2010-08-20T10:35:00.007+02:00

For those of you who know Forrest Gump and the way director Robert Zemeckis packed the whole 20thiest Century of American history into 142 minutes: The following story might offer you a good laugh...

Went for a 18K Berlin Marathon training run this morning (hip, hip, hooray: Brandenburger Tor, Siegessäule, Reichstag, Alex and so on - I'll run you on September 26!!!). Passed by a construction site at full speed, one of the workers shouted enthusiastically: «Ruuun, Forrest!»
I got the hint immediately and shouted back, not less enthusiastically and with my right arm in a victory-like upheld manner: «Jaaa, man!» That guy and Forrest definitely made my day!!!

Sweeping!

2010-08-20T06:35:00.004+02:00

My favorite drama queen : Mother nature creating colors embedded in a sweeping scenery...

Grandezza on a Wednesday morning!

2010-08-18T07:13:00.009+02:00

Edward Steichen (1879 - 1973): No other played with light and shadow, contrasts and shapes like him. His pictures always seem to be the gate to some mystic movie with a scenery of a deeply lush kind...

Click the link for a short documentary.

Cary Cooper (1901 - 1961), by Steichen (1930): Male beauty captured in the glimpse of a smile...

Love Flow 1: LOVE COMES ALONG!

2010-08-16T18:34:00.006+02:00

Guess I was a good girl this summer! Did all the artwork for my this year's portfolio at school... Topic: LOVE COMES ALONG!

Felt like describing how we walk through life and meet love along the way... So each piece of artwork within the portfolio (all of them are collages) is dedicated to a person I love :-) !

To take pictures of all the collages and to do some close-ups so as to highlight some loving details was a real LOVE FLOW!!!

I'm a happy little Miss sunshine, life feels like a skating rink!
P.S: Thanks for the love!

Love Flow 2. Josephine!

2010-08-16T18:14:00.003+02:00

Love Flow 3: Sun!

2010-08-16T18:12:00.002+02:00

Love Flow 4: Run Babe!

2010-08-16T18:09:00.001+02:00

Love Flow 5: Change!

2010-08-16T18:07:00.001+02:00

Love Flow 6: Grandpa!

2010-08-16T18:04:00.001+02:00

Love Flow 7: Butterfly!

2010-08-16T18:01:00.002+02:00

Love Flow 8: Clint!

2010-08-16T17:05:00.004+02:00

Summer is a question of state of mind :-) !

2010-08-12T19:02:00.004+02:00

Heavens! This year's summer definitely offers us a variety from super sweet to what the heck is going on weather...! Whatever - after all and no matter how much I got wet from today's heavy shower:
Folks, summer is a state of mind :-) ! The pics below show you mine!

Still life reloaded...

2010-08-12T18:58:00.002+02:00

One of the fun parts about parenthood:
The term «still life» gets a whole new meaning...

Do you understand what I am talking about???

I live in princess paradise...!

2010-08-11T15:25:00.005+02:00

If only the Swiss summers were a bit longer - and I would be the happiest person on earth... Two days ago our mountain lake «Mettmensee» made me feel like an alpine princess...
Well, I am an alpine princess ;-) ! Yo, clap your hands so that I can smile graciously and do some Queen-Elizabeth-like royal hand waving...

Winnetou!

2010-08-03T13:41:00.005+02:00

Came across a Pierre Brice documentary yesterday. Different kind of person, different kind of guy - always a bit too shy, always staying away from any film clique - and handsome in a way that it hurts ;-) ...!
Like that pic a lot - especially the necklace made out of bear-claws!
Yo, Winnetou, let's run away to Alaska: You shoot the bears, I create super hip and colorful bear-claws-necklaces... What a deal!!!

Heidi!

2010-08-03T13:29:00.004+02:00

Sometimes our life in the Swiss Alps seems to be coming directly out of a storybook: Nostalgic clichés wherever we go... So our national day, August 1, included kissing goats like Heidi...!

My favorite playground...

2010-07-14T08:46:00.003+02:00

Can't deny it: I'm a true mountain girl...!

Impressions of a perfect summer...!

2010-07-04T10:26:00.004+02:00

We had to wait for summer 2010 for so long... Finally it's here!
And all the prior experienced waiting makes it even more beautiful!

YES, I AM WONDERFUL!!!

2010-06-28T20:02:00.006+02:00

Was driving in my car today when they played that song on the radio... Yep, look at yourself in a mirror and say it loud: «I am wonderful!» Perfect inspiration which makes your day :-) !!!

Black Panther

2010-06-20T16:31:00.003+02:00

New Collage (paper, plastic, lace ribbon). For Tiffany: Be a Black Panther, my black child! But use all your wisdom - stay cool, stay calm, don't let them provoke you... Straighten your back, eyes front, focus on those who love you - and don't provide the others with any target... You'll get there, I know...!

I did it again!

2010-05-11T11:46:00.004+02:00

Last Sunday, May 9: My Marathon no. 3!

My head is still up in the clouds...! Because I was 13 minutes faster than in Zurich (April 2009, time: 4.22) and NYC (November 2009, time: also 4.22). These 13 minutes feel sooo good!!!

Guess I needed to get an experienced Marathoner first in order to feel my potential... Well, after three Marathons I can say: I'll crack the 4 hours!

That's the sublime thing about outdoor sports: You always find a new challenge to keep your joy and excitement going!

By the way: Had my two personal supporters, my aunt Alicia (as a first class «no-sports-woman», her admiration was quite outstanding...) and my uncle Victor (perfect Marathon chef who used to be a runner himself...). Marathoners highly appreciate their supporters work! THANK YOU, MERCI BEAUCOUP, MUCHAS GRACIAS!

The Tödi (Death Maker) was a Joy Maker!

2010-04-27T10:13:00.003+02:00

Made it up to the highest mountain in den Glarus Alps! Last Thursday and Friday was «Tödi Time»! We took the highest peak of Tödi's three principal peaks, the so called «Piz Russein», 3'614 meters. So what's up next in terms of my mountaineering? Well, I am already dreaming and palavering about higher peaks and more difficult routes to take...

Little break to refuel calories... I am the «Lady in Beige»...

«Yogi Tea» is also a loyal and helpful fellow climber high up there...

This is truly addictive!!! I can't think of any more beautiful blue color in the world than «glacier-blue»! Mesmerizing! I want to cross more glaciers...!!!

The view on top... Satisfaction!!!

Downhill on our way home...

By the way: Spring, finally :-) !

2010-04-19T18:04:00.002+02:00

Berlin - before Eyjafjallajökull...

2010-04-19T17:28:00.004+02:00

One day before Eyjafjallajökull became the world's most famous air traffic controller, I got back from Berlin...

Like that city so much! Still remember my very first visit in summer 1990, the Berlin Wall open for only a bit more than half a year... Crazy to see how the city looks like today: Still a huge construction area, still so much open space, just amazing! What I liked the most: All this extra space turns Berlin into a city where you can move and breathe freely!

Museumsinsel: The northern half of an island in the Spree river in the central Mitte district of Berlin - five museums (all of them spacious, what else!), so much beauty, so much art, so much «eye-food»!!! And behind the buildings the Berlin Cathedral and the Television Tower are waiting...

Holocaust Memorial...

Glass dome of the Reichstag Building: Like that palm tree trunk made out of mirrors :-) ! Feels like a playground!

Brandenburg Gate in the rain: Hey, your look has changed since I saw you first in summer 1990!

Eating dinner at the Television Tower restaurant: Berlin 360° while eating... Not bad! Berlin Cathedral with the «Under The Linden Trees» boulevard and Berlin's park «Tiergarten» in the background.

Cards I met in Berlin...

2010-04-19T17:08:00.003+02:00

Looks so hip: DDR promoting UdSSR :-) !

Instead of satisfaction...

Guess what - I'm taking this slogan into serious consideration...!!!

Because «ein Schweizer» makes love life - EASY :-) !!!

Colored

2010-04-02T09:41:00.006+02:00

Came across these two pictures.

Pic 1:
Black boy drinking water in the area of a public toilet. He has to drink water from the «Colored» tank. He has to follow the sign «White Men, Colored Men» - and from there he will have to follow an other sign saying «Colored Men»... The 1950s were the time when those signs started to disappear in the US - that's not even a lifetime ago...

Pic 2:
Colored Waiting Room. In South Africa those signs remained even longer - Nelson Mandela was freed in 1990...

These two pictures carry million pieces of human history information. Painful information! I embedded the information in a colorful collage (paper, plastic, lace, thread) - at the end everything looks innocent and harmless - a contrast I deliberately wanted to achieve. Too often we believe in the first look - and suppress the pain behind...

Was ist Heimat?

2010-03-04T10:50:00.004+01:00

«Heimat» is a German word with no simple English translation. It is often expressed with English terms such as «home» or «homeland». But actually the German meaning of «Heimat» goes much further, if not even far beyond...

In my opinion it's a word which describes an experiment, an experiment every one of us meets. An experiment which might look completely different for every one of us. It's our constant experiment to find a place, a person, a certain feeling, a specific scent in the air or whatever is individually needed to make us experience a moment of complete comfort and confidence within ourselves.

In my view «Heimat» means our inner sources of happiness - and at the same time we always try to find our outer sources to interact and to make things complete. Because «Heimat» can only unfold when inner and outer sources meet and become one.

So the question «Was ist Heimat?» («What does Heimat mean?») can't find one single answer. It's a question which follows us throughout our whole life. And the answers, which can be as manifold as colors, might change from year to year - just the same way our needs, and the needs of our loved ones, continuously change as we get older.

I wove a collage full of differently designed and colored strips which go from North to South, from West to East - symbolizing our inner and outer sources.

Partial-close-up: One aspect of «Heimat» - strips showing the mountains in the Swiss Alps where I was born, and strips out of a map of the same region. And some of the fabric-strips I included are made out of the so-called «Glarner Batik» - so some other pieces which are connected to my place of birth.

How comes snowdrops are so fast?

2010-03-02T10:56:00.002+01:00

God nows how much I like my ski tours and free rides in deep powder snow...!!! Yet it feels absolutely fantastic to welcome an early spring after this tough winter... So amazing to welcome snowdrops: Where have they been all winter long, just to break out and unfold within a few days as soon as they find a snow free spot? Let me show you how fast they are...

February 25

February 26

February 27

February 28

That girl...

2010-02-18T17:59:00.004+01:00

Very first day of spring promises today!!! Felt like that little girl watching the world from above - I saw drops of snowmelt falling from the roofs - I heard the birds singing of warm days - I listened to the snowdrops whispers of getting ready to break through the ground so as to lighten up my eyes with their green stems and white blossoms...

Pic: Liu Xiaofang