Edwardian Ball Night 2009

My Edwardian Ball History

This coming Saturday we will be attending the 2009 Edwardian Ball. This will be our 5th time at this fabulous event that celebrates all things Edward Gorey. People dress up in period clothing anything goes from Victorian to the roaring 20's or sport their unique Circus, Vaudeville, Cabaret-Punk style. There will be Ballroom dancing and fabulous circus acts, as well as the live music by the great Rosin Coven, the pagean lounge orchestra that instigates the Edwardian Ball every year (Eight musicians blend violin, two cellos, bass, guitar, harp, vibraphone, trombone, drums & lush vocal harmonies in a strangely beautiful mix of classical, jazz, chamber, tango, klezmer, sultry lounge, theatrical cabaret, and cinematic dreams.). This event has been getting bigger and bigger and this years ball has been moved to the Regency Ballroom. It has been one of my favorite events of all times: the music, costumes, performances are a fairy tale dream come alive. If you have never been, you should check it out. I will be there for sure.



2005 our first Edwardian Ball, when it was still held at the Kat Club.





2006 the Edwardian Ball moved to the beautiful Great American Music Hall
We had our portrait taken there. I am wearing a vintage flapper dress.



2007 I wore my He/She costume




2008 we took Valentina along

Flying my kite at Point Reyes

My darling husband
Ronny came along
with my favorite dog

Gizmo enjoys the beach

Christine's Birthday at Lovejoy's Tearoom

My lovely mom and I met our good friend Christine for a birthday celebration at Lovejoy's Tearoom (one of my favorite places in San Francisco). We enjoyed a delicious English high tea with sandwiches and scones and cream and a bottomless pot of tea. In the shelf behind us you can see Christine's birthday flowers and the card I had made her.
Don't you love the red crochet peace sign tea cozy in the shelf on the right hand side?

Close up of the birthday card I made for Christine



Close up of the birthday card I made for my friend Julia

New Year's Eve

Having a blast at the Church of Frank Sinatra New Years Bash!


With lovely Aimee


The hosts with the most: Fabulous Marci and Aaron


Last but not least: our dear friend Mr. Lucky

I stayed out on New Years Eve till 3:30 in the morning (that hasn't happend in a long, long time -like 15 years or so) Aaron and Marci , of the Church of Frank Sinatra threw a fantastic party. I wore a vintage dress that my dear friend Catherine gave me for my birthday last year. Mr. Lucky was there as well - he always shows up at the best parties. I really enjoyed talking to Aimee and her friend Scott. My kinda people, with whom you can converse about everything under the moon - from science (what are nutrinos and will the newly built giant particle collider in Switzerland solve this mystery) to fashion (Yves Saint Laurent exhibition at the DeYoung and how vastly influencial YSL was on Jean Paul Gaultiere); Super fun...we came home at 4:00 am and I went to bed with my lipstick still on.

Some of my lovely christmas presents

Christmas Dinner

We are a happy family

The Dinner table on Christmas
Lovely Nana Beate, Valentina and Christine

Belated I am posting pictures from our wonderful Christmas dinner, which was attended by my wonderful mom Beate, my Papa Paolo and our friends Christine and Chris. I cooked a German Sauerbraten , Semmelknoedel (German Dumplings) and Rotkraut (German Sweet-Sour Red Cabbage) and a Lentil Pate (for Chris, who is vegan). Now Sauerbraten is something else: A 5 pound eye round roast gets marinated in red wine, red wine vinegar, sugar, cloves, mustard seed, crushed Juniper berries, garlic, bay leaves, parsley and lemon for 8 days!!! Every day I turned the meat in the marinade. By the end of the 8 days the meat turned really dark. The marinate is cooked with the meat in a clay pot for 3 hours and what emerges is a black, very flavorful kinda sweet and sour gravy, that is absolutely delicious over the dumplings. After wine and dessert we sat in the living room listening to old western/cowboy and obscur 1920's songs and sang along. Blissfully silly and relaxing!