C and I watched Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. I think he's a thoughtful, intelligent and caring man. I hope he can hold fast to his beliefs this term. Later in the day, as we were driving, C and I talked about how it was also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. C's class learned some march songs of the Civil Rights Movement in his music class last week with Miss Jackie. He was singing, "We Shall Overcome" and some song I didn't know, that has "Yonder mountain" in the lyrics. I was impressed. Then he told me that if he was a white person who was alive when MLK was, that he would also march with them. #proudmama

Tonight we celebrated the 98th birthday of an amazing man, Charles Campbell. I feel so honored to have worked for him for 9+ years. Thank you to Jim Pennuto who convinced me that this was an offer I should NOT refuse! When I started working at Campbell-Thiebaud Gallery in 1992, Charlie was 77. That seemed old to still be showing up for work every day. Amazingly, I ended up quitting before Charlie did!

Every aspect of his life is a marvel. He was in Siberia with his parents when the revolution happened. He was in Shanghai and went to an international school there while his parents had a concession (something mining related, I believe). He was in the Coast Guard, and had some post where he typed a lot - you should see this man's typing posture - it's unparalleled. Then he came to SF and managed a jazz band in the 40's. Then he owned a frame shop across from the SF Art Institute in the 50's and met all the Bay Area figurative and Ab-Ex biggies. Diebenkorn, Bischoff, Wonner, WT Brown, Joan Brown, Thiebaud, and on and on. Then he started his own gallery. Then in 1990 he partnered with Paul Thiebaud. And Charlie never stopped. He never stopped reading, traveling, appreciating art, people, wine, music, dancing, collecting.

This evening he threw a birthday party at Bimbo's and invited all his friends. His former traditional jazz band crew, the Yerba Buena Stompers reunited and played and recorded their show for Charles. His wife Glenna (she's in her late 80's), ever sharp of mind and opinion, was there. She's battling a bit of aphasia and tired out towards the end, but not Charlie, he danced and clapped and held court till the band wound down.  C came to the party with M and me, and we all danced. I was lucky enough to have a dance with Charles. He can hardly see, due to macular degeneration, but he can dance and knew every beat, twist and punch of each song. During our dance, he kicked out his foot behind him and to the side and kicked me in the butt. Again, I am honored.

North Beach at night. It shimmers with history and the promise that each night brings.

How lucky am I to have these two jewels in my life? My treasure chest is filled with laughter, love and kindness. They are two handsome soccer-playing string beans. They torment me with dirty socks and made-up languages.

We took a hike up to the top of Mt. Davidson this afternoon to see the cross (in memory of those who died during the Armenian genocide), to explore the trails, and to breathe in the views of the city.

Driving back to the city after from a visit with Dr. Bose. Though I've seen it many times, that first glimpse of the tip of the Golden Gate always fills me with awe.

C has been practicing kung-fu for over a year now with Silver Dragon Kung Fu (formerly Tat Wong). He loves doing all the moves, chopping the air, flipping people, blocking, hitting and kicking. While he loves to perform bathroom mirror kungfu, sometimes he doesn't want to go to his classes. I'm not sure what the hesitation is, but I think it has to do with his always having to leave a playdate to "go to kungfu" - what a drag!!!

Despite his recent requests to quit the classes, I am hoping that a private lesson with Sifu Alex Cardenas (see man wielding swords to the left) will reignite his dragon's fire! Alex is an amazing fellow. He has that magical ability to lead a class of wild youngsters, maintain control, teach them life lessons and make them laugh at the same time. His pep-talks to the kids inspire me as well!

I am grateful for my new job at such a special place. Throughout the day I was greeted and welcomed by the staff who popped in to the office to say hello. The hours were punctuated by the sounds of children's voices, from the squeaky kindergarten girl to the breaking voice of an eighth-grade boy. I love being witness to their experience.

Started the day with a yoga class at Bernal Yoga. KT was back from her travels and I was back from mine. It had been several weeks since I'd done yoga. Winter illnesses, the pre-holiday rush and trips away kept me from my Sunday classes. Today I was back, still low from the loss of Mavis, but knowing that my body needed to stretch and that my nervous system needed the calm. 

We started off chanting Patanjali's first sutra:

This can be translated from Sanskrit to English as, "Now begins the discourse on yoga" or, "Here begins yoga."

KT went on to share her favorite translation with roughly says, "every moment in your life, every choice and every turn, has brought you to this one perfect moment where yoga can begin."

How's that for fresh beginnings? Whenever I start to regret something from my past, in particular, choices that I've made, I remind myself that if I'd taken a different course, that I wouldn't have the tremendous gift of C!

Gotta keep bringing it back to the present, to this "one perfect moment." Within that moment is the promise of everything.

It took us a long time to get out of our pajamas today. I'm still taking down xmas decorations and unpacking from our Memphis trip. It was C's first chance to really get into his new presents. 

The blue sky beckoned though and we finally made it out by 2. I jimmied his bike and my 90's rollerblades into the car and we headed to Ocean Beach. (via the Submarine Center in West Portal). The Great Highway was closed to traffic - I suppose because sands had blown into the pavement, though I'm not really sure, and we skated and rolled down the street.

The ocean was incredibly calm and the day was rich with shades of blues & grays and the golden light of a late winter afternoon. The paths are too bumpy for roller blades, but C rode like a champ across the open lanes. We stopped to take in the ocean and sit in the sand. C said that he had a business called the Pacific Workshop and that he was going to turn regular paper into sandpaper. He followed up with a demo: burying a piece of paper in the sand, hitting the sand with a large chunk of rock, and then extracting the distressed paper, which indeed had a rough surface. "See, I made sandpaper!"