Barbara's Away Game
4/3/2012
I am gone…
Roadtrip No 1
part 1, Big Basin
I read in the guidebook of California that the Route No.1 counts to the most beautiful roads of the world. The coast road winds along the Pacific-shore. The guide promises a lot and in this case it holds its promise.
Our placid tour group planned last weekend a trip along the coast down to Santa Barbara, to stay there one night and to drive back next day. How was that? Plans are made to be cancelled. Saturday it was so heavy rain with strong squalls that we decided to stay at home.
In the afternoon the rain ended. A bit hyperactive we put the mountain bikes on the cycle stand and we drove to Big Basin. Dogs, visitors and we were happy. After the rain the air is very special in the forest.
Did I ever mention how beautiful it actually here is?
A short embrace just with pictures:
Four people, four bikes, four connected!
We were almost alone. Bad weather, nobody else went in the woods.
Here you see Gabi, a common sized woman. Next to her a Redwood, not thaaaat big. 
This tree burned a year or so. He lives, but now it’s hollow and you can see the sky through it. Pure wonder!
Moose [mus] is English and describes a northern and really big relative of a deer. Moose [mo-se] is German and means moss. Here a tricky combination of both. Play of words and feast for the eyes. Moose-moose!
They don’t fit on one picture. They are too tall.
Father of the forest! Not Nobbi, the tree! 
Mother of the forest. She is the tallest tree in that forest 329 ft, 100 meters, just pregnant with three tourists. 
Tyrannosaurus Rex, a dwarf!
Imposing Beauty, Enormous Gigantism of Mother Nature, Gorgeous Rainy Day!
Big Basin, Great Saturday, Huge Impressions!!!
4/5/2012
I am gone…
Road Trip No 1
part 2, Big Sur
On Sunday the sun shone. Road Trip Highway No.1; 12 hours car ride that was it absolutely worth.
Los Gatos, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel and the 17 Miles-Drive, Big Sur back through Paso Robles on the 101.
250 great pictures and endless of fascinating impressions. Neither the pictures nor the impressions I can and I want to present here. Only a short embrace. Just beforehand; we had huge luck with the weather. It was sunny and clear and the Pacific did its best to entertain us. If it was in flush cause of the bad weather the day before or of the breezy conditions of this day I don’t know. We know the ocean wild but this way I’ve never seen it before.
The passengers: Nobbi, Petra, Alex, Gabi, Barbara, Jonathan, Lissy and Ceallagh. 
Monterey, it’s always the same procedure, first a short side trip to the car dealer. Actually we should have bought the beetle. Still the ancient luggage would it worth. But six people and two dogs are too much for a beetle. 
17 Miles Drive. In the back the golf course, in front the wide beach with really strong waves. Without relation to anything you can’t see it, just believe me, they were huge! 
Sea-Lions-Rock, the dark spots are hundreds of sea lions. The waves hit the cliff hard. 
The power of the water and wind is stunning. It seems that the seagulls are standing in the moving air.
Suddenly the entire colony of sea lions jumped into the water. While we were wondering what’s going on there, giant waves hit the rock with unbelievable power. I guess the rock is something about 60 feet high, so the surf must be more than 75ft.
I know I don’t get an Oscar for this video, but I only want to show you the power. I made it with my little friend, the really smart phone. 
While the ocean is turbulent the seals chill on the beach. My heart beat faster as I saw how careful the young mother petted her baby. It was tenderly fondling.
After that the baby crawled around the mother to drink. 
Although Hwy No.1 is a tourist spot and on some vista points it’s hard to find a parking lot. But you also can find areas where nobody is, even on Sunday, where you can let the dogs off leash, just running and Ceallagh actually flying.
Lonely Cypress; watch the huge waves in the background! I’m really happy that we made a road trip, not a boat ride
Bixby Bridge, Hwy No.1
Mc Way Fall, it drops almost 90 feet deep. It looks like a runlet in relation to the giant wave on the right. The power coming there in the bay is unbelivable. I watched other videos on you tube. In no one I can find similar. It was a very special day.
This video is also made with the really smart phone. 
It was such a gorgeous day; even the moon was with us.
We saw a snake, one Californian condor, we listened the whole time to the ocean and the wind, we ate a really huge burger, we were joking, watching and holding our caps, therefor the wind didn’t blow them away. We were 12 hours on the road, every second was it worth.
Imposing Beauty, Enormous Gigantism of Mother Nature, Gorgeous Day on the Road!
Big Sur, Great Sunday, Huge Impressions
4/12/2012
I am gone…
Inspiration
We were in the museum; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Petra works in my hometown Aachen as a museum guide and is a walking art lexicon. What a luck so she could guide us and we didn’t need an electronic guide. I was looking forward to old acquaintances, which hang in my living room on 8 of 8-inch canvas. Actually I met some of them. (You can read about them in Hundred Masterpieces) I think it’s really tingling in the belly in front of some originals.
With Lichtenstein, Warhol and Haring in the back we stood suddenly in front of a flat screen showing a freeze frame. Interesting because until now we only saw canvas, even from the backside (a bizarre work) and sculptures.
We stopped and were surprised.
First you wonder what the screen is doing there between all the paintings. While particular viewing you notice that the freeze frame is not totally frozen. The only thing that’s moving in this bar scene is the cigarette smoke.
Here’s a picture of the video installation; Last Century from Sam Taylor-Wood:
You wonder how did she do it. Did she edit a photo? Maybe she pasted a video of the moving smoke in it? Doesn’t matter, for sure it’s interesting. Most of the visitors rest only short in front of the screen and walk away. Petra and I as former smokers and Gabi as acting smoker paused. We asked us: What happens with the cigarette? Will the ash become longer? Will it possibly fall? Out of this naive curiosity we stood still, looked and noticed suddenly that the chest of the woman went up and down. She’s breathing. You notice her blinking eyes as well as nuances of moving of the other actors. It becomes exciting. When will the smoker burn his fingers? How will he react? A thriller of art!
We were stunned, even Jonathan. He was with us in the MOMA, but what a luck, he never smoked before and hopefully never will.
I already told you from Petra and her love for the arts and her project to bring the artists of the 20th century on 8 of 8-inch canvas.
Video installation would be a totally new field, but out of modern technic that becomes more and more foolproof, quite doable. Of course she had the idea that we should try it. Our vacation project was called:
Gabatra (GAbi, BArbara, peTRA) meets Sam Taylor-Wood
We postponed the project day by day. But now at the end of the vacation and a rainy day we didn’t have any excuses anymore.
Our goal wasn’t under any circumstances the one-on-one copy of the original. It was just the challenge to translate it and if we actually are able to bring the effort of the actors to be a couple of minutes absolutely quiet.
Our bar: the guest room!
Behind the scenery: the dressing room...
...and the guest bed hasty folded away and pushed to the side. Please notice the professional improvised camera stand!
Here the result!
The Making of Gabatra meets Sam! (I hugely recommend every reader to click the video, even the readers those read usually just over them.)
It’s not that easy to be rigid...
After many tries, the third smoked cigarette, the needed routine, back pain and self cooked orange jam by the director...
Barbara’s Away Game proudly presents
Gabatra meets Sam:
What a funny afternoon! What a fabulous vacation! You were absolutely enchanting guests.
Dear Petra, dear Gabi, I totally enjoyed the vacation with you. You were, are and will be always welcome!
Like it ;-)
4/16/2012
I am gone…
Columnist’s note: Vacation is over. Gabi, Petra and Alexander are back in Germany again. You always get the daily routine back too fast. Memories and pictures remain. I will try to keep a bit of the beautiful days here in my column. The chronology doesn’t matter.
This column is dedicated to Gabi, Petra and all those responsible, which hang prohibition signs on strategically unfavorable places.
No Dogs allowed on Golden Gate
Actually we wanted to spend the Easter Holidays in Death Valley. For sure it would have been interesting, but we would had also spent a lot of time in the car just to wonder in snatches.
You have to set priorities.
On the phantasmal bucket list of this vacation were so many things left. One point was to bike over the Golden Gate Bridge.
Great idea! That makes everybody happy, even the dogs. So we planned: free parking at Fort Mason, with the bike over the bridge to the vista point on the left (I never have been there. You can’t go there with the car due to endless construction.), to Sausalito and either from there back with the ferry or from Tiburon, depending on the dogs’ condition.
Plans! Ha, do I really need to write this sentence again? I do, just in case there would be a first reader!
Plans are made to be cancelled!
Free parking works. In spring there are still free parking lots at marina. With the bikes at the shoreline and uphill to the bridge were great. The Golden Gate Bridge is so terrific.
Shortly before the bridge it became a bit uncomfortable. We had to share the road with lots of cars, pedestrians and other bikers. It was crowded. We came through, even with the dogs but it was like pushing a camel through an eye of a needle. Directly in front of the bridge, the walkway was blocked with people and bikes, I saw the prohibition sign!
No Animals allowed on Bridge! Great!
Nobbi always says: “Barbara, you are in bondage to authorities!” He’s right. I love rules and usually I love to follow them. There are stupid rules, I know, I can’t change it and I obey, mostly!
I turned around with both dogs, slightly disappointed and handed my camera to the others, therefor they could make nice pictures of the bridge. I was sure that I’ll have fun with the dogs. We go to the beach, we have a ball and treats. After four hours we will meet at the ferry.
The bridge-conquerors had the wrong ferry schedule, so they couldn’t take the ferry back, neither from Tiburon nor from Sausalito, it was too late. So they came back soon, just after two hours and we met at the car.
Although we had to split the group it was a really nice day.
Golden Gate Bike Tour, the slideshow:
No animals allowed on bridge. If you ask the dogs, they were fine with this decision. Time on the beach after walking besides the bike is a nice alternative.
4/25/2012
I am gone…
Final Cut
Maybe you wonder that here comes the next column about the vacation with Petra and Gabi and I even translated not yet all. How or better why she pulls this so in length.
I think exactly this is the secret.
Usually you go totally stressed and desperate of a vacation in it. You have two or three weeks a really good time, a couple of nice memories and when you’re back you start exactly where you stopped before. No, not exactly, you have more work than before, because nobody did your job in the time you were gone.
I don’t write about myself, I write about the people who really work. About the people who leave early in the morning the house, come back late in the evening but they can’t relax because the work in the head is going on until they sleep.
Vacation should be recovery; this is what we want to reach and we want to retain.
For my guests was reaching recovery successful. It was a perfect mix of nature, culture, sportive activities, fun, chilling and creativity, in a complete different environment with people you really like but you don’t see often.
The challenge is retaining recovery. Thereby I want to help.
Dear Gabi, dear Petra, please lean back and relax. Whenever you feel symptoms of rush or a couple of people ask for the moon at the same time, take you 4 minutes and come around, even if only mental.
This was the final cut of our spring break. In my head happens a lot, even in my life. If, when and what I will post on my website depends on the muse and on my mood.