SEARCH BY CATEGORY

 

A Man Impossible to Classify: photo: r. whittaker One of my first experiences in San Francisco was of being flagged down by a stranger as I drove toward the intersection of Frederick and Stanyan Streets at the edge of Golden Gate Park. My friend Malcolm Hall and I, both college students, had driven up the coast highway from Los Angeles in my 1953 Plymouth. The year was 1965. We were headed toward the Haight-Ashbury.        Maybe forty yards short of the intersection, I saw him standing on the curb, a disheveled young man, not quite in the hippie mold. He was looking ... Dec 21, 2007, 749248 reads


 

The Dumpster: by Meredith Sabini       “We can’t use these. They look like heirlooms!” Gina, a guest at my holiday gathering, holds up one of the elaborately embroidered napkins from the buffet table. “Where’d you get them?”      “Out of a dumpster. The tablecloth and those candleholders were in there, too.”      “You can’t be serious! Why would they be in a dumpster?” The shock in her voice carried across the room, and others looked up.      It’s common that women ask ... Dec 5, 2007, 161673 reads


 

Cotton and Silk: Vorbeck quilt, detail I’m working on the last panel of a pair of drapes for my client, Kelley, a young, talented designer. She and her husband bought a house designed by Julia Morgan, the break-through woman architect who gave us Hearst Castle. They’ve been restoring and remodeling the house for over a year.      I’ve been working for at least nine months on my contribution of custom window treatments, and am looking forward to our next installation, which will take place two days before Christmas. Now we can walk around in the almost ... Nov 8, 2017, 14466 reads


 

Say Grace: I am deeply delighted to live on a planet that is so big and varied that I can confidently say that right this very minute somewhere in the world a crossword puzzle is being completed, a fortune cookie is being snapped open and a song just brought someone to tears. I love knowing that while I am fast asleep in California, a crowd is gathered around the Rosetta Stone at the British Museum, a marriage proposal is taking place and a leaf-cutter ant somewhere in Costa Rica is carrying a leaf piece back to its nest. It’s not at all unlikely that as astronauts eat dinner in zero ... Jan 4, 2018, 13131 reads


 

An Interview with Betsy Damon: Living Water I first heard about Betsy Damon from Sam Bower of greenmuseum.org. Water is Damon's passionate subject. She was studying sacred springs in China when she began meeting individuals interested in water from many different angles. Amazingly, this eventually led to an invitation to review a major water project in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan. Due to her critique, the project was scrapped. Even more amazingly, Damon, in spite of not being affiliated with any institution or group, was asked to design a new project. And it was built! According to her it's the first ... Dec 25, 2009, 48439 reads


 

A Conversation with Silas Hagerty: Dakota 38 photo: r. whittaker I met Silas, a young man in his twenties from New England, at a servicespace.org retreat. He was a filmmaker, I’d heard. Over the next few days many stories were shared. Silas’ filmmaking was done on a shoestring. He carried his gear in a bag and stayed at friends’ houses when he traveled. I remember Silas telling us about meeting a Native American elder at his home. I wondered how that had happened. The elder talked about a dream he’d had, an important dream, one that he’d tried to ignore. But finally he understood that ... Jul 28, 2012, 85973 reads


 

A Conversation with Jim Brooks: The Right Stuff I'd come to Elko to take in their annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering. A first-timer, I was neither a cowboy nor a student of cowboy poetry, but I'd been enjoying the performances and the friendly atmosphere among the ranchers, cowboys and the friends of cowboy culture.       It was the second day of the festival and I'd taken a break to visit Capriola's, a place I was told not to miss. It was full of all kinds of cowboy gear. Looking around, I almost wished I owned a horse or two.      Someone walked past me carrying ... Jan 2, 2005, 43590 reads


 

A Conversation with Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen: The Soul of Medicine Rachel Naomi Remen M.D. (an edited version of this interview first appeared in Parabola magazine, Vol. 44 #4) The name resonated in an undefined, positive way - Rachel Naomi Remen; “Have you heard of her?” I asked my wife. “Isn’t she the author of Kitchen Table Wisdom?” my wife replied. Indeed. And I’d heard of the book, a bestseller—as was My Grandfather’s Blessing. I’d read neither and yet somehow, I’d absorbed the sense of these books, like the sound of a bell in the distance, as a new influence appearing in ... Aug 21, 2019, 17268 reads


 

Remember to Remember - Nicholas Hlobeczy: I got to know the late Nicholas Hlobeczy over a period of several years. We often spoke about our mutual love of photography. He had the gift of seeing things with fresh eyes, almost like a child. And yet he was a thoroughly trained photographer having studied with the legendary Minor White. They were close friends right to the end of Minor’s life. The interview that follows is a testament to a wisdom born of experience and a long quest. We met at Nick's home in Corvallis, Oregon.   Richard Whittaker:  In one of my notes I have a quote you gave ... Oct 22, 2003, 103949 reads


 

A Conversation with Taya Doro Mitchell: Keeping Your Hands Moving Taya Doro Mitchell's home July 3, 2007 Oakland CA photo, R. Whittaker I heard about Taya Doro Mitchell from Phil Linhares and Michael McMillen. “You’ve got to go see her place!” they told me. The artist, I learned, had been working for many years in isolation. She’d just come to Linhares’ attention. It happened in an unusual way. On a piece of mail soliciting donations to the Oakland Museum, she’d checked the box to donate real estate. In short order, perhaps even in record time, two women from the museum were at her door. What ... May 18, 2008, 117358 reads


 
 

A Man Impossible to Classify photo: r. whittaker One of my first experiences in San Francisco ... Read More 749248 views


The Dumpster       “We can’t use these. They look like ... Read More 161673 views


Cotton and Silk Vorbeck quilt, detail I’m working on the last panel of a pair of ... Read More 14466 views


Say Grace I am deeply delighted to live on a planet that is so big and varied that I can ... Read More 13131 views


An Interview with Betsy Damon I first heard about Betsy Damon from Sam Bower of greenmuseum.org. Water ... Read More 48439 views


READ MORE >> 

A Man Impossible to Classify photo: r. whittaker One of my first experiences in San Francisco ... Read More 749248 views


Interview with Bill Douglass - Jimbo's Bop City and Other Tales At the time I'd first gotten to know the widely respected ... Read More 371307 views


Greeting the Light It was thanks to artist Walter Gabrielson that I was able to get ... Read More 326131 views


Interview: Gail Needleman Gail Needleman taught music at Holy Names University in Oakland, ... Read More 196683 views


The Dumpster       “We can’t use these. They look like ... Read More 161673 views


READ MORE >>