Winter Lingers in Wilton

While the other night was a chilling 21-degrees, today there was a glimpse of hope: a planter filled with fake daffodils on Ridgefield Road in Wilton, Connecticut.

For further inspiration, here is a shot of the Reader's Digest building in Pleasantville, N.Y. last March.

                                                                                       Photo by Bonni Brodnick

We've changed the clocks. We'd readily change our wardrobe from winter to spring wardrobe. (By the end of March, my cashmere sweaters are dying to be put in dockage.)

If You Had a Few Life Lessons to Share ...

... what would they be?

I'm putting together a list:

• Never trust the parking signs in NYC. If you think you’ve found a parking space that’s good for the entire weekend, be sure to check it every day. (I learned where the Car Pound is last weekend. Pier 76.)

• Never mix a light-color load of laundry with anything red (even if it’s a red oven mitt that’s been washed a crazillion times.)

• When your phone rings and it says, “Private Caller,” do not pick up. Trust me, it’s not Gwyneth, Bradley or Meryl. 

        Have any helpful tips you'd like to share?  Write on.

Happy 80th Birthday, Gloria Steinem!

While there are miles and miles to go for gender equality -- especially in the work place -- Gloria Steinem's leadership in feminism and consciousness-raising continues to inspire us.

"This is What 80 Looks Like."  Great column by Gail Collins.  (Click here.)

Audubon: For the Birds

The colors and song in John James Audubon's watercolors truly came alive when I viewed his work at the New-York Historical Society's exhibit: Audubon's Aviary: The Complete Flock (Parts I-III).

Crank up the volume. Hit the arrow above. Whatever you do, celebrate the sesquicentennial of the New-York Historical Society's purchase of the Audubon avian watercolors. The exhibit is sumptious.

While at the museum, check out Bill Cunningham's profoundly whimsical exhibit, "Facades". Photos of his muse and fellow photographer Editta Sherman will make you want to immediately change your outfit, put on something retro and pose in front of an iconic New York building of the same era.

HUFFINGTON POST: "How Sharing Pringles Saved My Flight to Hawaii"

                                                                                            Juanmonino via Getty Images

On a recent trip to Hawaii, during the first six-hour leg headed to Arizona, I settled in and looked forward to a relaxing flight.

Until two children took the seats next to me ...

          ~ ~ ~ Click this line right here for my new Huffington Post. ~ ~ ~ 

John Shearer, "Chasing the Light" with a Lens of Precision

"Once in a while there is that special point in space and time when the spirit of the subject and the photographer join in a split-second of time and communion," said John Shearer.

That talent for precision is visible in "Chasing the Light," an exhibit that has transformed The Lionheart Gallery into an exposé of black and white photographs that uniquely capture seminole moments in American history.  

At 17, Shearer was one of the youngest staff photographers ever hired by a major publication. On staff with LOOK from 1966-1969, he covered civil rights marches in the South and the race riots of the turbulent 60s. Shearer went from LOOK to LIFE where, after Gordon Parks was the first African American staff photographer, John was the second. He worked at LIFE until the magazine ceased weekly publication in 1972.

One of Shearer's images burnished is our memories was taken while covering President John Kennedy's funeral in Washington, D.C. on Monday, November 25, 1963, a day that silenced our nation with grief.

And while most mourned the assassination of a great president, it was also a moment that would change Shearer's life. 

"On the way to Washington, Arthur Rothstein (LOOK magazine photographer) told me that I could take pictures and that he had arranged for me to have press tags so that I could have access," Shearer recalled. No easy task when there were hundreds of photographers covering the event.

"Never having worked an event like this, I kept moving around, shooting over the shoulders or under the legs of other photographers," he said. "More than once I was told to move because I was blocking someone's shot."

With an eye that knows precisely when to hit "click," Shearer lifted his new 200mm camera just as Jackie Kennedy leaned over to John-John and whispered something in his ear. John-John looked at his father's coffin and made a crisp salute as the coffin departed. "I had my picture," Shearer said.

                                                                   Photograph by John Shearer

Shearer's photographs, which have been shown at the Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, can now be viewed at this stunning exhibit, "Chasing the Light," which runs until April 13 at The Lionheart Gallery in Pound Ridge.


To see John Shearer's complete biography and portfolio, please click here.


                                   
                                                                                                               

Monday, March 17th: St. Patrick's Day + Purim Meet to Fete as a Twosome Today

What a great congromulation (new word) of holidays and festivities. Just as we had the double-celebration of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah in November (Happy Thankukkah!), today we have 

St. Patrick's Day and Purim.

Happy St. Purtrick's Day!

                                                                 Photos by Master Laurence Waltman

Just Feet From the Waterline

                                                                                 Touching Our Toes on Waikiki Beach 

There is something supremely special 

about a solid mother/daughter relationship. 

I count my blessings each and every day. 

Lei at Your Local Walgreen's

My Philadelphian Cousin is a Hawaiian Surfer

                                                                                       Jonah surfing in Pupukea

[Click here to set the mood, then read on ...]

While most of us are surfing the net and spending way too much time desk-side, others are riding monster waves mornings and evenings.

One of the greatest things about this trip to Hawaii has been reuniting with my second-cousin Jonah Kogen, who lives in Honolulu and goes tubular daily, seeking gnarly curls from Oahu to Kauai, Big Island, Maui, Bali, Vietnam, Lombok, Sumbawa, Java, and both east and west coasts of the U.S.. Upcoming on the surf itinerary is a trip to Padang on Sumatra and the surrounding islands for a 10-day boat trip.

What made this Philadelphia native move to Polynesia and hit the rails daily?

A different life where he could work hard, surf hard, never wear covered shoes and down jackets, and live the life of pono (making a conscious decision to do the right thing in terms of self, others, and the environment), aloha (love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, sentiment, grace, charity), aina (connecting with nature), ohana (being in a community of people who have a common bond) and mana (or power, but not like having the corner office or the biggest car. 

In Fundamentals of Hawaiian Mysticism, Charlotte Berney explains, "Having meaningful work to do, enjoying harmonious relationships with those around you, and being in service in some way all help to gather mana.")

Wave to go, Jonah, for all you seek and are achieving in this Pacific paradise.

Click here to share the feeling of aloha.
                                                                         

Lei it On

Lei convey heartfelt messages like, "Welcome," "Congratulations," "Good luck" and "I love you."

When I arrived at Honolulu Airport, my daughter presented me with the customary lei and a kiss.

 * * Lei Etiquette * *

1. Don't wear it as a necklace. Drape the over your shoulders, half in front and half in back. Open lei are worn around the neck, with the ends gaping over the front in equal lengths

2. Never wear a lei before you give it to someone else. Hawaiians believe the lei absorbs your mana (spirit); if you give your lei away, you'll be giving away part of your essence. 

Are We In Paradise? Hawaii is Very Close.

Happy to be distanced from The Big Chill in the northeast. Nine-degrees and the sound of barren trees crackling in the wind has been replaced by the gentle swish of palm trees swaying in a tropical breeze. (I'll choose Door #2, thank you.)

I'm in Hawaii to visit my darling daughter who is a corps member with Teach for America on Oahu.  Her two-year commitment to teach 6th graders math and science at the middle school on Wheeler Air Force Base is no easy task for this new college graduate. She teaches six classes a day, 30 students per class. And as one of my sassy friends commented, "I admire  any woman who can put up with six periods a day."

Before I bubble over about the joy, pride and love that I have for my 23-year old, let me take you to my first stop on the Bonni Hawaii Tour.  Daughter got a lift to school with one of her roommates so that I could borrow the car. Funny … there was no gas in the tank.  (Hey, what are mother's visiting from out of town for?  Fill 'er up, please).

And with GPS, the world is your oyster. Pick a place. Any place. This techno-path finder will get you practically anywhere on earth. My first stop was  Hawaii's Plantation Village in historic Waipahu.

Starting in the 1800s, immigrants seeking work on the sugar plantations came to the Islands. One of the lures?  $5 a month on a 3-year contract. Plus housing. 

Terrific tour by Lorene, a native Hawaiian who filled the two hours with such interesting anecdotes as:

. She attended high school in Honolulu with Bette Midler, whose mother named her three daughters after movie stars:  Bette (Davis), Judy (Garland) and Susan (Hayward.)

. Leaves from the Noni tree soothe aches and pains. Noni also comes in balm form that is available at GNC should you have no Noni trees in sight.

. When children reached their 1-year birthday in the 1800s,  they were feted with a "Baby Luau." Parents were so happy that their baby hadn't died in its first year that they threw a whooping mini-version of the grownup luaus.

Good night! [Pō maika`i. (PO my-KAI-ee)].

Aloha!

We interrupt this program as we are inflight to Hawaii and will be back with you momentarily.

The Red Carpet: Björk + Her Memorable 2001 Academy Award Moment

Oscar Night!  We'll always remember Björk's iconic fashion statement and faux-pas when she wore the famous Marjan Pejoski tulle swan dress.

Björk was the bomb that night. And we love her even more for her go-to-hell, unabashed fashion chutzpah. 

Armor Up in Gaultier

I'm armoring up for the next round of snowstorms. As we are in the beginning of March, this garment, -- designed by Jean Paul Gautier -- features MPF (moon protection power) and will shield you against even the most searing moonbeams that may reflect off the snow.