Blue Eyes and Pink Ties

I think I can begin to write about this now. Saturday was a night to remember for so many reasons, a few of which follow. The evening began with a frantic change in the night's planned form of transportation. My Godfather had kindly agreed to loan me the use of his Cherry red Boxster for the evening, but less than a quarter of a mile out of the garage a scary orange light came on and she started making really bad noises. So I took her back to John and left her there. This would turn out to be a boon.

I raced home and quickly washed my truck, and was happy to see it clean up so nicely. I then showered (quickly) and rapidly but accurately donned my tuxedo, pink bow tie and cummerbund. Out the door at 5:15 and on my way to pick up Katrina in Mill Valley to begin, as she would later put it, our "magical night, fairytale evening..."

We were going to the Ball!

I pulled up and Warren, I mean Mr. Weagant, came to the door and it never felt more like Prom. He admired my outfit, shook my hand and shared my amusement and laughter about the situation. Kitt was ready with the camera and Katrina, well, she looked absolutely amazing. She was wearing a pale blue, Satin McClintock full length, and white, vintage arm length gloves; finished by pretty little shoes with a nod to the Pink Tie theme with their flower detail. You know, that's just exactly how they're going to write it up in the magazines.... but I digress.

After a hilarious but hopefully quality photo opp in front of the baby grand, we swallowed a few errant jitters and hopped in the car. Our first stop was the Globe Restaurant and Bar, and a few precious moments with Scott. He kindly filled out a prescription against the pre-Ball jitters, Kat's in the form of Brandy and Soda, and mine in the form of a simple Pinot Noir. Jittery was soon a thing of the past. It was so nice and comfortable there with two of my best friends and my favorite beverage, that it was tough to leave and indeed we wound up departing behind 'schedule' but as it turned out, right on time.

With a hug and a wave, and a promise to return at the night's end, we were off to the night's main event, The Pink Tie Ball. At the invitation from lovely Jane again, we had seats at Table 27, a perfect view of the dance floor and live music, and completely awesome table mates. We pulled up to the Ritz around 7 p.m. and were swiftly ushered in. Down the elevator went, and out we spilled into a full reception area. We registered, got our table assignments and gave them my credit card information for all the stuff we were going to bid on at the auction.

Jane, in her ever-present clairvoyance, found us immediately, pulled us out of the crowd and promptly placed us before a photographer. A photo or two of the two of us, and then one of Katrina alone, full length. We gave our names and the designer of her dress and then laughed our way into the silent auction room. Two glasses of pink champagne were acquired and then we proceeded to peruse the goods. We saw the mayor of San Francisco, a couple of times; and my friend Ingvar was there with his wife Alicia, and both of them looked fantastic.

Beautiful people, dresses, shoes, and hair everywhere. The two of us just wandered and talked, occasionally considering a bid here and there, but not really. It was truly fantastic to be there with a friend, especially this friend who was at least as enthusiastic and excited as I.

At the third chime of the dinner bell we headed downstairs for dinner. Tom Pontilio, and his orchestra (I have no idea who he is either...) provided the musical entertainment; and the Ritz's kitchen provided a tasty meal and really fantastic desserts. The live auction was held during dinner, and Katrina got to flex her bidding paddle muscles on a weekend trip to the Sonoma Mission Inn. She was outbid, but the final price of more than 5G was a good amount.

We danced and danced... that is to say, Katrina danced, and I stepped on toes. Really though, after a few minutes enough of my early ball room lessons came back and I was nimble enough on my feet to take Jane for spin and thank her for making such a wonderful night possible for us. Jane looked stunning in a sequined black gown and matching shawl, and just lovely hair. She was all smiles and rightly so, as the Benefactor Chair for the event she was integral to it's execution and it went off without a visible hitch.

Later in the evening found us at the upstairs lounge chatting with Jane and her husband Bob, two friends of theirs Frankie and Mary Beth and Will Weinstein. The rain had started falling again, and we knew there was a good warm spot waiting for us around the corner. We said our thank yous and good nights and cruised back over to the Globe for a nightcap. Scott was all smiles, and despite being at the end of a long shift tolerated our review of the evening and punctuated it with his always funny wit. Kirra, Shelley and Sheila showed up for a bit, but it was soon time to get the Belle of the Ball home before she pumpkined on me.

On our way home we had a lesson in how quickly life changes, and that is as fast as a snap of the fingers. But that's a story for another time. Suffice to say I'm happy we weren't in the Boxster.

Dancing and dining, laughing and meeting new friends, deliciously decadent desserts, and some truly touching conversation made this Fairytale evening a night I will never forget.

Photo Realism and Meeting my Heroine

Where to Begin? There have been days and days since the last posting, and frankly longer since I've really even thought about this little enclave I'm so trying to discipline myself to use. I could not, however, pass up the opportunity to recap the past couple of weeks.

On a Thursday evening not long ago my dear friend Jane invited me to attend an evening of Art Appreciation. Though I was sick as a dog, weak and faded from the flu that has been going around, we decided it was just too nice an opportunity to miss. We ponied up and went into the city to attend a showing of Robert Bechtle's works on paper at Crown Point Press, right around the corner from the MOMA.

As a very recent inductee into the world of modern and contemporary art, I am in a state of constant vesseldom... that is, I approach each of these experiences as an empty vessel to be filled with new knowledge, awareness and (hopefully) appreciation. Art, like Wine, is a personal thing, and yet also like wine, a little education goes a long way towards enhancing one's experience and appreciation. One of Jane's favorite things is the speculation and appreciation of Art, mostly modern and contemporary, but her knowledge base is vast and extends (so far as I've found) everywhere.

It was a lovely evening despite my inability to remain standing too long (a glass of Cab or two certainly helped keep me on my feet.... and that's hardly ever the case). We went to the show at Crown Point and then promptly whisked ourselves around the corner to the MOMA where my good friend Kirra was volunteering that night. The event, as it happened, was the Member's night opening of a Bechtle retrospective. Fabulous. Innumerable works, superb display and room arrangement, and the chance for me to bump into friends and gaze at Bechtle's fascinating art. Needless to say, before long I realized if I wasn't home in bed quickly the floor around me would soon suffice; so we left.

The following Thursday was to hold new, even more pleasant surprises. Jane again had the generosity to invite me to an evening at the home of some friends of hers who live in Sea Cliff. They were hosting an evening known as the Collector's Forum. Basically it is a group of very wealthy people who in one way or another support the art and museum world. Most are benefactors of the MOMA and all are collectors of some degree. I asked if we could also invite my Art History professor, Deborah Loft, who is one of the most inspiring and quality teachers I've ever had. She kindly accepted our invitation and the three of us were the first ones there.

Walking in the door, Jim and Jean's home was striking from the moment. An original, and I say beautiful, Claude Monet hung above the fireplace, and the entry was adorned by a Neri sculpture in Marble. The guest of honor on this night was... you guessed it, Robert Bechtle, come to show some slides and spill the beans on his technique and some history of his career. What I discovered just the day before was that there was a chance that his wife, one of my current Heroines, might also be there.

She was. So I met and spoke with Whitney Chadwick, author of Women, Art and Society, the text we used two semesters ago in our History of Art by Women course. The slide show was great, but the chatting with Whitney and Robert afterwards was even more enlightening. After some delicious tiny warm chocolate cakes (I had three), the three of us jumped in Deborah's car and made our way back across the GG.

I have found myself in the last few weeks, moving in circles I didn't even know existed. I have taken it on as an opportunity to educate myself via experience, to encounter kinds of people who live very different lives and involve themselves daily in very different endeavors than I. It is a world I'm not sure I'd ever be entirely comfortable in; a little to much attention paid to what others are looking like and doing, and not enough attention paid to who those people actually are, but I am with a good friend who knows the ropes well and isn't afraid to just pull me right along to the next big adventure....

Speaking of which... Next Saturday promises to be the icing on the proverbial cake.

For Those Who Know....

Saturday, February 5th sees the closing night of a much loved event! Foundation, the monthly beat fest put on at The Endup and featuring 3 all-time favorites, is finishing up at least, as they say on the website, "for now...."

So come one, come all, wear your sexiest but bring your towels and prepare to dance your butt off all night. $10 at the door before 11p, and well worth it...

Much love and thanks to Miguel, Julius and Jay-J, these evenings will be missed!