First step, make a new friend and make up a new game. (Notice the single red sock? She declared today "Mismatched-Joke-Dressing Day" while she was getting ready this morning.)
Outside at my favorite sidewalk cafe in the Outer Richmond.
Eating with dedication in hopes of winning a Rice Krispy treat for dessert.
One of the first things we saw was a piece of art made with all sorts of organic material. I asked Annabelle to stand in front of it and show me what she thought about it. She gave me the big shrug. Several people were watching us and a man asked, "What do you think of that?" With a look on her face that clearly showed that she thought it was ridiculous, she said, "It's just HAY!"
Sometimes I wonder what qualifies something as modern art.
This man, a local architect, obviously wondered the same thing at some point. So he drew up some plans, folded and unfolded them, and then carefully arranged them so that they would stand near some placards on the wall. I guess he really wanted his art to be displayed at SFMOMA too, so he just took it upon himself to make it happen. My kind of guy. I think I might actually try this myself.
At a window I asked Annabelle if she saw what I saw!
On the roof across the street...
She finally noticed him.
Outside on the roof terrace there was some pretty neat stuff. Lots of attendants issuing lots of reminders.
While we were outside some official looking people approached us and asked if they could follow us around and take pictures of us looking at the museum. I shrugged, "Sure. Whatever." They seemed relieved, as if many people don't agree to that. I don't think the photographer was expecting me to take pictures of her while she was taking pictures of us. This is only one, but I took many! I didn't mean to deter them from their task, but it was a funny situation and the irony of her discomfort with me taking her picture while she was taking ours made me laugh out loud!
They had crafting spots on every floor for children to get a hands on experience. Here Annabelle used foil to make a spider like the giant one hovering over her head.
A very neat video played with opera music in a dark room. We watched it twice, I could hardly tear her away from it.
Blue counterpoint. Adding some curves to all those straight lines.
One corridor was sectioned off with a curtain of heavy gold beads. The children were going nuts!
Sitting down to rest with Andy. If you can believe it, the first picture was a complete mistake. I had only intended to take a picture of Annabelle and I sitting together and was surprised to see who joined us when I reviewed the shot!
Annabelle walked up to look at this Rothko and then turned around to notice that she had a huge audience. She simply stood there, slapping her sweater back and forth and throwing it over her head like a jump rope. I realized that she seemed to be wondering why thirty people were staring at her, and her concentrated look and more aggressive sweater slapping prompted me to call her away from the center stage. One man leaned over to me and said, "Personally, I thought she made it look better." 
Rothko was evidently a big hit because the next room was entirely empty and Annabelle made good use of the space.
The first time I saw this Magritte painting (over ten years ago at this very museum) I realized that I really loved art. I had always been curious and interested, but it was Magritte (of all people!) who made me want to know more, to understand the whys and hows of painting. I have since been inspired by many others, but it was fun to pick up Annabelle and point to this painting and say, "It was this very painting that made mommy want to paint." Of course, she wanted to take my picture with it. Then she asked, "What's the match for?"
Today was the first time I realized that not many modern painters sign their names on their paintings. I looked and looked and only found a few. I was really hoping for certain names, but ended up with just these five. Here is Jackson Pollock.
Henri Matisse - look at his two S letters!
From "The Flower Carrier"
Frieda Kahlo, from her portrait "Frieda and Diego Rivera."
My favorite signature - Wayne Thiebaud.
Outside, throwing dimes in the fountain at the Yerba Buena Gardens.
Focus.
Here she tells me that she is "this proud" of her swimming!
Then she wanted me to know that she thinks she has a loose tooth. Annabelle has begun to tell me that her teeth are loose on a regular basis, though I have yet to see or feel anything remotely loose. I think it is partly related to watching her friends lose their teeth in kindergarten during the spring, but I also suspect that she is teething. She has complained often that her mouth hurts, or that she has a headache, and she goes long stretches without eating anything crunchy or chewy. During her most recent cranial sacral treatment, the doctor told me that her head had grown... she has also begun to write letters and words, so I suspect that her teeth will drop soon!
She asked me to take a few pictures of her making funny faces. Notice the marks on her hand? She got poison oak ten days ago and it made a scarred up mess of her hand and wrist. (If anyone knows a secret for getting rid of scars, please let me know.)
Another funny face. That is quite a tongue!
