January 2024

Spent a lovely day at SF’s Legion of Honor Museum with my friend Susan to see the BOTTICELLI DRAWINGS exhibition. Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445-1510) is considered a master of the Italian Renaissance, and the show traces the artist’s work from studying under Fra Filippo Lippi to leading his own workshop in Florence. I love exhibitions of drawings because of their delicacy and intimacy, the way they reveal an artist’s process and dedication to draftsmanship and line. BOTTICELLI DRAWINGS is a beautiful, quiet show on view at the Legion of Honor until Sunday February 11.

Ticket information is here.

Book recommendation for Rockette fans and anyone else who loves an engaging story set in an enchanting mid-century NYC: THE SPECTACULAR by Fiona Davis, about a 19-year-old dancer named Marion who defies her father to follow her Rockette dreams and becomes a crime-stopping sleuth along the way. (This Rockette does it all!)

I especially loved the behind-the-scenes action at Radio City Music Hall—author Fiona Davis did her homework to get the details right. A great escapist read, available wherever books are sold or your public library.

At the Mount Madonna Center for the annual Write On Mamas weekend retreat.

Two days of quiet with our laptops and manuscripts. Bliss.

Facebook reminded me I posted this six years ago. Well here it is again. My beautiful mother circa 1950.

Esquire posted 25 iconic photos of NYC at Christmas from the early century until now. One dated 1950 shows a bevy of Rockettes backstage, including my mother, looking gorgeous in fur as she peeks over a friend’s shoulder in the far back. My mother would have loved it.

(Have I mentioned she was a Rockette? At Radio City Music Hall?)

As I said to Tim Friday morning: “It’s been a road.”

Happy anniversary to us. 22 years!