Friends & Inaugural Week

How adorable are our friends Isabelle, Lenny, & their little Phoenix? A bilingual, French-American famille living in Washington. These are from Inauguration Eve & taken on Pennsylvania Avenue. GG can't wait for Phoenix to come over soon--she adores him (& he speaks French so much better than her editor:)

ciao-meow!
GG Central

Now, for the hard part...

The work, that is...

GG's nom de plume originated at one of our favorite places, the National Cathedral. That's a story for another day. Here's a lovely photo of the illuminated Cathedral by Rachel Cooper. The national prayer service is at 10am & you can watch online here & you can light a virtual candle for President Obama.

a tired but happy ciao-meow,
GG & her editor

Signed, Sealed, Delivered!

Miss Natasha "Sasha" Obama approves. So do we! The girls are adorable, Michelle looks lovely, & everyone is either exhausted, eating, or attending to other things for a little break (or all at the same time!). Here are some more photos, here the text of the Inaugural Speech. Watch the parade & have fun. Ciao everyone! (Photo/AP)

xoxo,
GG's exhausted editor

Happy Inauguration Day!

We're too superstitious to post a thing until the deed is done. Until then, thank you to our friends & readers --especially those abroad (this means you, too, Anita!) for your good wishes & hopes for our President-elect & America. It means a lot -- it's been a long haul.

We'll see you soon!
ciao-happy-meow!
GG & her editor

(image via Vintage Holiday Crafts, a wonderful resource)

Inauguration Eve

(photograph/David Katz/Presidential Inaugural Committee)

Inaugural Countdown: Blair House

The Obama family has been staying at Blair House [the President's Guest House] this last week. One more night. There's a Lincoln Room & we were wondering last night whether Barack (are we still allowed to call him that? It feels weird now...) has walked around the room very much. David Axelrod said that Obama wrote "the lion's share of his [Inaugural] speech last weekend." Wonder if he's tried it out on Abe? We sure would.

You can take a virtual tour of Blair House & the Lincoln Room. Pretty soon, we'll be walking by without much of a thought. At the moment, it seems the center of the universe.

ciao-meow, GG Central

Scenes from We Are One concert

Pete is singing This Land, right now. Here are some photos of Bruce, Queen L., & Jack Black (is he excited or what?!) for now. Go to David Katz/Presidential Inaugural Committee's flickrstream for more shortly.

Ciao-meow & love to all from Washington, DC!
xoxo, GG & her editor

(Kevin Mazur/Courtesy of HBO via image.net)

Inaugural Countdown: Sunday Scenes

(Photographs by David Katz/Presidential Inaugural Committee)
GG collage

Lincoln Memorial Inauguration Concert

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is doing an amazing job. Some photographs of yesterday's rehearsal for today's We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Go here for the flickr set. If you don't have HBO, watch online if you have a good connection. If not, WAMU-FM & other NPR stations will broadcast live, online, & regular ol' radios. It's too cold for GG & her editor, so we'll be listening at home.

Update: Go here if you suddenly decide you must be there. But it's very late for it.

The Boss has come a long way from playing free concerts at American U. Go Bruce! (Doesn't Pete Seeger look snappy in his arancia-colored jacket & cool cap?) See Bono's close-cropped head--hey, put on a hat, silly! Other folks are so (wisely) bundled up that it's not easy to tell identity. We can't find Stevie in the shots but he will be there today: signed, sealed, delivered:)

ciao-meow & go Steelers!
GG Inauguration & Sports Central

(photographs by David Katz/Presidential Inaugural Committee/GG collage)

A café, a balloon, a celebration

A balloon & a café au lait (or un chocolat chaud) . What more could you want? (Rhetorical. No emails with lists, please:) From Pure Wonder series by Ellen von Unwerth, Vogue Italia, Giugno 2007 (scans from personal copy).

Over the weekend, we'll post links to some Inaugural activities, but if you don't have a plan (whether you're here or not), make one now. Have an impromptu festa. Wherever you are, have some fun (& invite others who might not have plans)!

Have a great weekend!

Ciao-meow from GG & her editor

PS: Buon compleanno, Maria Caterina!

Elizabeth Alexander, the Inaugural Poet

We're thrilled for Elizabeth Alexander (who grew up in Washington, DC). She said the other day that the poem is basically finished. Go here for details & to read poems. Pardon us while we commence festivities, including Maria Caterina di Perugia's natal day celebration (today!) GG is miffed that she's not coming with us (but we don't know where/what yet) & it's simply too icy cold out to take her with us. (Photo Elizabeth Alexander/website.)

xo, GG's editor

Almost Ready in Washington, DC

Almost here, thank goodness. Almost Ready by Washington, DC interior designer Rebecca Maddage; her flickr sets, here. They run the gamut from architecture to animals, Scotland to Iceland & on from there. Really lovely. (Used with permission)

xo/GG