THE GREATEST SLALOM NIGHT RACE ....

Kitzbuehel, the Hahnenkamm, the Streif, was a disappointment for the Austrian Ski-enthusiasts, of which there are about 8 million. A Frenchmen, Jean-Baptiste Grange snatched the Goldmedal from the Austrian. So, it was: wait till the night slalom in Schladming.
About 50,000 were expected to gather to see the race. I considered the likelyhood of seeing anything if you are jammed in between such a mass of people as very very small indeed. Therefore I decided to stay home and watch the race on Television.
The Austrians had six entries, so did the Canadians. Then there were the Suiss, always good for a gret race and a win. The Italians (from the South Tirol) had to be considered. Germany had some strong entries, so did the USA. There also were skiers from Sweden and even some from Japan.
The skiing world met in Schladmning to watch the great race.
Austria had great hopes. There is, after all, Benni Raich, who had won on this course four years running. There is crazy Manfred Pranger, who, at the start gate, with eyes closed, races the entire course in his mind. Having learned every gate by heart, he moves his body through every virtual curve and turn. Then he throws himself with abandon down the mountain. There is Hirscher, Herbst and Matt: all technicians of the first water. How can we not win?
Well, there was this Frenchman, called Jean-Baptiste Grange, who, when all the runs were finished, came in first, then 0.04 seconds later came the Swede, Andre Myhrer, and then, 0.60 seconds later, can you believe it, another Swede, Mattias Hargin. Then came an Italian, and a Croatian, another two Swedes and another Italian. Then, in 9th place, Benjamin Raich, the first Austrian. The crowds, and there were 50,000 vociferous supporters of every racer, was exuberant and noisy. The conditions were perfect.
The course was stone hard, but not icy,
the night was brisk, but not freezing cold,
the air was pure without even a trace of fog.
the snow fell, but only in gentle flakes,
the lights were bright without being blinding.
It was a perfect night.
If only an Austrian had won, or came in second, or third, or......

Bert

The NIGHT SLALOM IN SCHLADMING

... of course attracts the Prominence:
Anybody who is anybody was there.
Austria's Chancelor Werner Fayman
applauds the skiers.


above and below:
One of Austria's great hopes: Manfred Pranger
readies himself for the race.

...he finished in 12th place,
only 1.72 seconds behind the eventual winner:
Jean Baptiste Grange of France, who mastered the course
in 1 minute and 46.54 seconds.
Andre Myhrer of Sweden was Second,
only 0.04 ( 4 /100th) seconds behind.

A small section of the crowd of almost 50,000 fanatics.

Night Slalom in Schladming

This course spelled disaster not only for Austrian Skiers
but the Swiss Ace, Silvan Zurbriggen, also was unable to place.

Brad Spence of Canada could not conquer the
difficult Schladming Slalom.

The Canadian, Michael Janyk, (below)
placed a respectable 14th

Below:
The Slalom Course at Schladming.
The worlds Slalom Aces met here to decide
who is the best of them all; today !!
Wait until tomorrow.

THE DREAM HAS ENDED

Austrian Flags are waving !
All dreaming about a victory of one of their aces.

Marcel Hirscher of Austria threads a gate
half way down the course.
One of Austria's hopes is dashed.

Reinfried Herbst, Austria's last hope,
throws himself down the steep slope
and through difficult gates. Half way down he is
leading the pack.

... but then comes disaster: with 24/100th of a second
in the lead, one moment's miscalculation,
he hits the snow
and the dream is over.

DOGGY-DOG-DOG

I was talking to our dog the other day,
(her name is Doggy-dog-dog")
and she complained that she had never yet
been on my Blog.
"Am I that ugly, that you don't want your friends
to see me?" she asked.
I assured her that she was NOT ugly, but in fact
that she was an absolutely beautiful dog.
One of the most beautiful "Airdale Terriers" I had ever seen.
"Well". she said, "then put me on your Blog"

Above: Close-up study in profile with new neckless.

Below: At the Beauty Parlour, with her personal beautician.

Okay, doggy-dog-dog, are you satisfied now?

Disandat

I am getting quite busy, doing and planning things.
First to the "doing": I showed you some of the pictures of Karl Brandstaetter. I am planning to produce a similar show as I did for the artists Giselbert Hocke and Dinese. Last week I was invited to his "Vernissage" (a word I had never heard before I met these artists) and everybody who is anybody in the artworld was there. Karl had produced a "Faust Cycle"!
..to understand that, one has to know about "Faust" ... a mythical figure, who is the main character of Wolgang Goethe's major work by the same name. I will not commence a dissertation about this. Smarter people than I have spent a life time studying and writing about this epic.
Three days after this "vernissage" a friend of his and mine and I were asked to visit Karl at his home.
Some years ago, after a lengthy sojourn in Paris, Karl returned to his roots and purchased an old, delapidated house atop of a hill rise, (about 700 m elevation) and commenced to refurbish this hovel into a wonderful home. (Must have cost him a bundle)...
There is a real dychotomy in this man: His paintings are a riot of colours and forms, his home is as orderly as that of a book keeper. Even on his work bench, the tubes of paint are lined up in a row, like soldiers.
Karl is the very personification of a friendly, hospitable man and I look forward to working with him on this pending show.
Well, what else am I doing? I am studying the Operation Manual of the D700 which I purchased recently. It (the manual) is about 2 inches thick. Fortunately many of the operations of the D700 are identical to the D300. So my learning process is not as voluminous as first I feard.
What then, am I planning?
Next on the Agenda is a trip to "Cinque Terre"
Cinque Terre is an island off the Italian Riviera, noted for its beauty and preservation of the old, nay, ancient buildings, in 5 different towns: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazzo, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. I will report in photographed detail about this trip which will commence on 14th February.
On the 12th March we shall drive to Tristach, on Lake Tristach, in East Tirol. There a friend of mine, Charly Reicheneder, will guest with his Tenorsax in a very good local Band. We were there before and this Blog contains several pictures of this previous trip.
A visit to Vienna, at a yet to be determined date is planned. ...and Vienna is always a beautiful City to visit. I wouldn't even mind to live there.
Then, yes, then on the 11th of April I will board a flight with the final destination of Harare, capital of Zimbabwe, onward to Hwange, Zim's largest Game Park, from there southward into the Okawango Delta, South to the Kalahari Desert, over to Namibia with the famed Etosha national Park, Northward along the red sand dunes of Namibia to Caprivi and finally back to Harare and then return to Bleiburg, from where I shall inundate you with pictures and reports.
So, there it is: A tough life.... but somebody has to do it.
Greetings from beautiful Bleiburg
Bert

Brandstaetter, The Painter

We were invited to his home and drove through
heavy fog in the valleys, making driving treacherous.
Karl Brandstaetter lives on top of a hill...
...above the fog line and we found blue sky
and brilliant sun shine once we broke through
the thick, gray blanket.

Karl shows us where, just a hill and a half over there,
his good friend Giselbert Hocke lives.

Karl is not only an accomplished artist of the first rank,
but also a mean cook and a connoseur of good wines.

His kitchen window, a stained glass creation.

KARL BRANDSTAETTER

I met Karl Brandstaetter, a renowned Austrian Painter,
well known and respected throughout Europe,
during a "Vernissage" a "first time exhibit" of new paintings.

You have to study these images for some time
before they make an impact on you

I will show this series of paintings, which deal with
"Faust" the mythical figure in Goethes work by the same name,
and hope to talk about them at some length.

South Carinthia

Inspite of the fact that all my thoughts center around
my upcoming Safari to Botswana and Namibia
I drove into the Carinthian country side.
Hoar frost covered every tree and the valley below
was covered by a thin layer of snow
and a cold cold haze was in the air.

...maybe I should have brought my polarizing filter.

AFRICA -3-

In the southern part of the Namib desert is a depression, surrounded by high red sand dunes, called the "Sossusvlei Pan"... It is a further stop of our planned safari... Several large sand dunes, such as Elim Dune, Dune 45, Big Daddy and others will attract us.
It is said, that due to its colourful richness, these dunes are among the most photographed features of this entire area.
We shall prepare to reach the famed "Etosha National Park" in Namibia. It is said that the game viewing in Etosha is among the best anywhere. Needless to say how much we look forward to this safari....

AFRICA -2-

I'd like to tell you a bit more about the "Central Kalahari Game Reserve". (CKGR)
It covers an area of about 53,000 sq.km...is therefore twice the size of Massachusetts, or speaking in Austrian terms, it's a bit larger than the provinces of Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria and Salzburg, or more than 64% of all of Austria. The CKGR occupies 1/16th of all of Botswana's total land area.
All the varieties of Animals mentioned before find a home in this area which is mostly flat, gently undulating, with sand dunes covered with bush and grasses as well as some tall trees.
The Bushmen, also called "San" have roamed the land as nomadic hunters for thousands of years.
However, since the 1990s efforts were made by the Botswana Government to relocated the "San" outside the CKGR and the majority indeed left the Park. Recently, though, the Botswana Supreme court proclaimed this eviction as illegal, thereby allowing people to return to the CKGR.
(Information above and earlier was taken from "Wikipedia")