Volley Ball

Christin's grand daughter, Emilia, is the captain
of the Austrian Ladies National Team in Volleyball.
Yesterday we drove to Maribor (Marburg) in Slovenia
to see her play.

...spit in your hand and slap the soles of your choes.
...that's how you maintain good footing.

Unfortunately, we lost 3:1 inspite of the fact
that they played quite well. I suppose the other team (Slovenia)
was just a little better.

A little Strategy Session.
Maybe the coach told them that it was "unforced errors"
which dug them a hole from which it was too
difficult to come out.

I'm glad I'm not a tree

Frost encrusted trees and
a frosty country side
tell you: "It's coooooold"

Today I am really glad I don't live up there.
Just imagine: You wake up in the morning,
you have to make a fire in the fire place,
and you discover you ran out of milk and bread and eggs.
The nearest grocery store is 2 miles away.
Isn't this fun???

Early Winter in Carinthia

There was but little snow covering the mountains
but a great deal of hoarfrost on the trees.
It was cold, -18 degrees Celsius, and there was
enough of a wind to freeze the tears which
the cold and the wind drove onto your cheeks.
The camera felt heavy and cold in my hands,
since I can't use the controls with gloved fingers.

On the way to St.Paul, atop the "Krutschen"
and looking down into the valley below.

Once there is more snow, and believe me, it will come,
I will venture out into the cold once more
to shoot some more of these pixtures.
In the meantime, I'm at home, near a warm oven
and a glass of "Gluehwein".

Santa Claus vs.Sankt Nickolaus

There seems to be some misunderstandings in certain quarters about the two above named gentlemen. Let me explain to you the facts of this matter:
Sankt Nickolaus is believed to have been a real life bishop somewhere in Turkey. The fact is, that he never existed and is only an invention so that children in Austria and other places, have another fun day.
At least, I can tell you that the one who visited me was my brother, all dressed up. I recognized him on his voice. The tried to cheat me with this phony character from Turkey. But I was too smart. I knew my brother when I heard him.

Now for the fact: Santa Claus is a real little fat guy who lives on the North Pole in a wonderful igloo. He lives there with Mrs. Claus and a whole bunch of elves. Together they work all year long to make toys for all the good children. Then on Christmas Eve 12 reindeer come and pull Santa atop a big sled all over the world to distribute the presents. Now that's the truth

Krampus day, 6th day of December

On the 6th day of December, in predominantely rural Austria,
the visit by the "Krampus" (the devil)
and St. Nikolaus (Santa Claus) is still practiced.

Young men dressed in devilish costumes, with frightening masks,
armed with noise making chains and switches,
roam the streets and, wherever they find a young woman,
they playfully use the switches on the girls legs. The girls crouch down
to protect their legs with their skirts and scream and laugh all at the same time.

Sankt Nikolaus, always dressed in bishop's regalia
and carrying an appropriate staff, hands out little presents
like nuts, figs, apples and the like.
The whole village takes part in this old custom, which I remember well
from my childhood days.....just the othe day?

Evening falls

How do you like this one??

Is it Fog ? Are they Clouds? Who cares !

The valley is covered by a heavy layer of fog.
Above the fog-line there is blue sky and sun shine.
These images should really be viewed in Large Format.

The setting sun gives the fog a pinkish hue.

Our two "house mountains":
The Petzen and the Hoch Obir

red and blue and white on white

or: the Deacon's overalls.

Karlskirche in Vienna

The "Karlskirche" was erected between 1716 and 1737
in accordance to plans by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
and completed by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach.
I visited this edifice in 2008 when it was in the throes of a major restauration.
Due to the scaffolding erected for the restauration of the ceiling pictures
I was able to come up close to these wonderful images.

A restaurer at work.

please view pictures below in the LARGE FORMAT

An Angel burns a book, obviously written by a non-believer.
Was this the first act of censorship? The first "book burning"?

The nourishing of the people:
left u/c: an angel offers a cup to a thirsting man.
A mother, guarded by angels suckles her child.
angels throw food into the outstreched hands of supplicants.
a woman feeds a sick person.
I have simnply described the happenings, and make no comment as to their
religious connotations.

Karlskirche in Vienna -2-

Angels carry the blood stained Cross of Christ
to Heaven.

The damnation of arch-angel Lucifer to Hell

The ascention of St. Charles

It is wonderful that these believes
gave such inspiration to the artist.

Steeples and Churches

The small "bone house" at the entrance to the church yard.

Praying must make you thirsty.
There is a "Gasthaus", a pub,
close to this church...almost part of it.

The little church at "Saager", dating from the 13th Century.

Line and lines and angles and angles.
Look at it in the enlarged style!!!

Giselbert HOKE

I was extremely fortunate to meet one of Austria's
foremost artists, to be invited to his home and studio
and to be permitted to photograph almost 100 of his paintings.
I will show here but 3 of his works. All of them are now
being worked into a PSG slide show with musical accompaninent
and if I obtain the artist's permission I will post them on my web-site
on photodex.

At one point in our four hour discussions he denied being an abstractionist.
and he said this:

"An artist working in the Abstract, must take an object and depict it in the Abstract.

For me, the Picture is the Object."

I am not easily enthused about "modern art". I must admit, however,

that the work of Giselbert Hoke impressed me profoundly.

I look forward to completing my PSG show, consisting in total of 104 images.

I hope I will obtain the artists permission to post it on my Photodex website.

Autumn in the Valley of the Roses - Herbst im Rosental

There is a particularly wonderful area in Lower Carinthia:
The "Rosental" (Valley of the Roses), which I visited each time
I came to Austria. Now I live there...I can be in the middle of
the Rosental within 20 Minutes. This is the first time, however,
that I have seen it in Fall. Its Rolling Hills,

covered with a variety of trees sporting "Fall Colours",
its villages nestled at the foot of the mountains or along the shores
of the river Drau, give the valley an almost somber look.

Eine besonders schoene Gegend in Unterkaernten
ist das Rosental, welches ich bei jeder meiner vielen Besuche
in Oesterreich immer gerne aufsuchte. Jetzt lebe ich da.
Innerhalb von 20 Minuten bin ich in der Mitte des Rosentales.
Heuer ist's das erste Mal, dass ich es im Herbst sehe.
Die rollenden Huegel, von verschiedenen Baumarten bewachsen,
die kleinen Ortschaften am Fusse der Berge, oder am Ufer des Drauflusses gelegen,
geben dem sonst froehlichen Tal ein ernstes Gesicht.