What Dogs and Children Have in Common

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What Dogs and Children Have in Common

In the story you received from me a few weeks ago, I wrote about my experience with the pets that we’ve had over the years. A number of my readers sent me their comments, primarily sharing their pet stories. One response was different. My friend Gloria, who among her other talents, trains dogs, remarked that there are no bad dogs who misbehave, but rather owners who do not know how to take care of their animals, who are supposed to be our best friends. When we spoke on the phone, Gloria pointed out that a similar problem exists between parents and children.

This got me thinking. She is one hundred percent right. In our family, as probably many of my readers have pets and/or children for our own pleasure without taking the responsibility to educate ourselves on how to act and behave with those in our care. As a result, we have “misbehaving” dogs, who bark all the time, or we have children who drive us crazy. All of my stories about our experiences with our cats and dogs confirm this. How about our children? We are blessed with two wonderful daughters with whom we have a great relationship. However, they have pointed out to us that if we would be stricter, and more present as parents (I have always worked long hours), their lives could be different. But how can we learn? As far as pets are concerned, there are number of venues where your loving creature can be trained. The best ones start with training the owners. Before getting a new pet or even if you already have one, read Cesar Millan’s, “Short Guide to a Happy Dog” as well as “Cesar’s Way” and check out his videos.

With children, I think, the answer is more complicated. Among other things, sometimes there is a conflict between parents and grandparents, who now have more time and want to spoil their grandchildren. Our daughters were privileged to grow up with their grandmother Masha, who lived with us until her passing. I remember her complaining about Alona doing her homework while sitting on the floor, or about her messy room. My mother-in-law has passed, but she was part of what made our daughters who they are now – good people. I am sure that there are many books related to how to bring up children. I know about “Baby and Child Care” by Dr. Benjamin McLane Spock. He was an American Pediatrician, whose book, which was published in 1946, is one of the best –sellers of all time as well Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman. Enjoy and Share.

P.S. I’m writing this story in Los Angeles, while visiting our daughter Tamar and soon to be (September 16th) son-in-law, David. During our visit, they had a companion – a dachshund named Gary, whom they were dog-sitting for friends. My images of Gary and children were taken during this trip. Next week, I will write more about our LA experience.

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Manny<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />                                                               Signature

Which Traditions Are You Celebrating?

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Which Traditions Are You Celebrating?

Living in the Bay Area is like living in a big village. Starting in January 24, 1848, when gold was first discovered at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California, thousands of people from all over the world rushed to the Port of San Francisco. In addition people born in other parts of the United States and whose ancestors came from Europe, travelled there by land. Thus, the process of the melting pot started almost 168 years ago.

Nevertheless, each group tried to retain its individuality by celebrating specific holidays akin to their background that eventually became the traditions celebrated by many and not only by those who live in San Francisco. The Irish have their Saint Patrick’s Day, the Chinese celebrate the colorful Chinese New Year, Mexicans have Cinco De Mayo, the Japanese have their annual Cherry Blossom festival. Later on, more immigrants started to pour in, including people from different countries in Europe, Africa, Australia and Asia as well as different republics of the former Soviet Union.

Our family is originally from Latvia and we moved to San Francisco in August, 1980. There were also immigrants who came from Mongolia. It started in 1949. By now there are about 5,000 people of Mongolian descent in the State of California, with about 3,000 living in the San Francisco Bay Area. I came across this wonderful ethnic group and met some of them last year while we had an intern working for our company over the summer. Bill is a very smart and capable person. This year he is graduating from college in San Diego. It was thanks to him that I attended the Mongolian Festival in Golden Gate Park for the first time last year, commemorating the national holiday called Naadam. This year Bill’s parents invited me again to join them in the Park. “Naadam” literally translates to “Game”. Part of the celebration is “the three games of men”, which are Mongolian wrestling, horse racing and archery.

This year, the 18th Annual Naadam Festival took place on July 11th and was a very good opportunity for me to meet the people in their national costumes and of course to take photographs. Two of the images are going to be included in my next book “42 Encounters in San Francisco with Couples.” I expect it to be ready by Thanksgiving. Enjoy and Share.

P.S. I am sorry that I can only share four images with you. I did not see any of the three sports mentioned, but there were beautiful dancers and other performers. Check your calendar for next year’s festival. It is worth the visit. No special invitation is needed.

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Manny<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />                                                               Signature

How To Have An Affinity With Nature

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How To Have An Affinity With Nature

As a photographer and a storyteller, I have the incredible opportunity to share my insights with you. But how can I know what you are feeling while reading my stories or just glancing at my images? Sometimes the feedback I get is that you are receiving a positive message or that my photos make you smile. Can I expect more? After all, it has taken a lot of my time, discipline and motivation week after week to send you my images, since I’ve been sending them to you over the last four years. Why should I put so much energy in working on my stories and books? The answer came during our recent trip to The Sea Ranch, that I wrote about last week. On our relaxing trip, I was reading Mikkel Aaland’s book “The Sword of Heaven”. In the introduction of Part Three he writes, “Things that have affinity in their inmost natures seek one another”. I found a number of definitions online for the word affinity – “a feeling of closeness and understanding that someone has for another person because of their similar qualities, ideas.” “A relationship or resemblance in structure between species that suggests a common origin.” Reading this I remembered a message from one of my photography teachers, a well-known National Geographic Photographer, Sam Abel. He shared a lesson with us that he received from his father, who was also a photographer – “Be ready and wait, the object will appear in front of you”. I’m familiar with this concept in the mortgage business as well. Sometimes I do not see how to solve the challenging circumstances in one of my clients’ loan requests, right away. I put their file aside and then spontaneously, a solution comes, but only if there is an affinity between me and my client. But there is yet another important element, which is summarized in the Russian proverb, which I have mentioned previously in my writing – “The prey runs towards its hunter”. One needs to be a hunter, in other words, to have an affinity with its prey, the hunter needs to be ready for the encounter.

The famous French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson called it the “decisive moment”. When a photographer with a camera in his hands is ready, the subject will appear. You can see the remarkable results in his photography books.

Back home I am reading Mikkel Aaland’s latest book “The River in My Background.” There he describes his experience in Norway during the winter. “Beauty surrounds me, when just moment ago all was mundane and ordinary. All I have to do is slow down and look and the marvel of it will be revealed.”

As a photographer I am learning how to develop an affinity with the environments that I photograph. This is how I was able to create the images that became a part of my forthcoming photography book, “42 Encounters in San Francisco”. The book is being printed and you will soon be able to hold it in your hands, and enjoy reading and smiling on every page. Enjoy and Share.

P.S. The images of the fox that I captured in The Sea Ranch are a good example of the allegory of the hunter and the prey. When was the last time that you saw a fox in the wild, peeing and yawning before settling down for a nap? I was able to take those shots because in that moment, I had an affinity with nature. Fortunately for the fox, I was shooting with my pocket camera, not a rifle.

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Cheers,

Manny<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />                                                               Signature

The Simple Beauty

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The Simple Beauty

The term “Simple Beauty” is a bit of an oxymoron. It originates from the Ancient Greek word oksus which means “sharp”, “pointed” and the word moros which means “dull”, “stupid”, “foolish”. Out of curiosity, I explored examples of oxymorons online, and found some great ones like, “living dead” and “jumbo shrimp”. As Plato said, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. Beauty cannot be either simple or complex. Perhaps another title for this story could be “How to Find Beauty in Nature’s Simplicity”. But this would also be misleading, since who can define Nature? In the Torah it is written, “While God was creating our world/Nature every day was called “good”. And later on, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it”. (Genesis 3:6)

I thought about all of this while walking on a trail along the ocean in The Sea Ranch.

We decided to take this weekend trip at the spur of the moment. On the Tuesday before, my wife Elfa asked me what we should do over the 4th of July weekend. I suggested that we visit “The Sea Ranch”, as we haven’t been there for a long time. My wife is a realist, and was concerned that we would not be able to rent a house on such short notice, while I did not have a doubt. This is why we’ve lived and worked successfully together for so many years. She asks a question, and I have to find an answer. This time, the answer was on the web. She found a house that was available and at about 5pm on Friday, we reached our favorite destination. We went for a walk after dinner, and I was felt dizzy from the fresh sea air that filled my lungs. After sitting in the office for 10 hours, I often go for a half an hour walk in our neighborhood, after dinner. But here it is different. You are in the middle of the Nature. Everything is simple. The ocean waves crash the shore, wild flowers stick out from the yellow grass, and there is a specific smell in the air. A few people walk by, some with dogs. Sometimes a jogger rushes by on her or his mission. Rustic houses color the background. A flock of pelicans settle down for the night on a big rock not far from the shore. Black tailed deer and their babies have their supper in the open field. I feel welcomed, embraced, a part of the big picture we call Nature.

Enjoy and Share.

P.S. As a photographer, I can only focus and isolate a very small part of what my eyes see. The problem is always which four images to choose to share with you.

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Smile And Please SHARE It With A Friend!

Cheers,

Manny<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />                                                               Signature