Sunrise 6:02: Grace is a water baby

Nothing is a better cheer up for the Two Gimps than a visit by 20-month-old granddaughter Grace, who continues to show her proclivity for all things water, much as her father did. (The female Gimp isn't sure whether she loved the water from birth or quickly learned to love it as her mother was bound and determined not to pass on the fear of water she took into adulthood.) The payoff for Grace's ride over from the East Bay today was a new kiddie pool set up in the Gimp's backyard. Even Dad throwing a bucket of cold water on her didn't dampen her enthusiasm...

Sunrise 5:48: Grace's Giant debut

Father's Day festivities included a visit from Grace, who found one of the female DJ's many Giants ball caps and made her fan debut under the glowing gaze of proud Papa. The gathered group shared a delicious barbecue meal overseen by the man of honor, the male DJ. If the female DJ was still a dawn jogger, she'd be noting that the sun rose a minute later today than yesterday...

Sunrise 5:52: Day at Fairyland with Grace

Given that the female Dawn Jogger remains gimpy, it's a bit of an overstatement to say that she had a spring in her step this morning as she headed over to Oakland for a delayed Mother's Day celebration with Grace, Julie and John. It was warm enough that they decided to visit Fairyland, a place that didn't have quite the prominence of the Academy of Sciences in the female DJ's childhood - the visits were much less frequent - but remains a fond memory nevertheless. (And she is, in retrospect, much appreciative of any of her older cousins who accompanied her visits decades ago.) Fairyland today, after a great restoration effort, was actually sweeter than she remembered and Grace loved it - not so much this first time for the nursery rhyme-themed exhibits like the Old Woman in a Shoe - but for all the fun things to do, like riding the little train, crawling through tiny tunnels, sliding down age-appropriate slides and trying to catch bubbles. On her way home from Oakland, she picked up the male DJ, who isn't any happier about being home than she was...

Sunrise 7:23: It's all about Christmas - and Grace

This daily musing has long been about the "first blush" of dawn - and the sights and sounds of jogging close to sunrise. So just to be "of record," the female Dawn Jogger is using a photo the male DJ took just before dawn this morning looking out at FDR's presidential yacht, the SS Potomac, and the lighted wreaths adorning Jack London Square seen from their hotel room where they spent the night. But as the many photos show, it's really about Christmas spent with 13 1/2 month old Grace, seen first arriving for Christmas Eve services last night at St. John's in Oakland with parents Julie and John. It was a particularly festive and child-filled celebration - with Grace as pleased to be trying out her walking down the center aisle as anything that was going on with the service. The big hit from Santa, discovered this morning, was a new tunnel to crawl through, but attention was given to each package received, particularly if it was a book. She and her Dad liked her Elmo pizza man (the rest of the assembled adults weren't too sure about Elmo anything). But on Christmas morning, hits could come from anywhere, including a big blue box that was just the right size to sit on - and a cup holder that was fun to blow into. It was an excellent family-filled 24 hours. The DJs have now escaped to the Carneros section of Napa/Sonoma, where the skies have cleared and the temperature is chilly...

Sunrise 7:09: Grace on Sunday

Breaking the usual chatter about things seen at sunrise, the female Dawn Jogger is featuring Grace, who turned 11 months old yesterday. Both DJs - and Julie, John and Grace - attended the memorial for cousin Kelly in Potter Valley. In a great tribute and expression of support for her family, the whole town turned out for the day. Grace got her first sniff of cattle grazing in surrounding fields...

Sunrise 6:10: Excuse for Grace

The female Dawn Jogger got up this morning to find Clario's battery dead and truth be told there wasn't much to photograph on her outing this morning. Yesterday afternoon and evening was spent amidst family and good friends - the male DJ off to see James Taylor with daughter-in-law Julie (and dinnner with Grace before hand) and the female DJ to attend the wedding of her grade school friend's son. Good fun was had by all.
The male DJ took an iPhone photo of now crawling Grace...

Sunrise 5:58: Grace takes a bite

The Dawn Joggers were up and off early this morning for church. And while the female walked across a bustling Stanford campus this afternoon (filled with all sort of revenue generators - tech camp, golf camp, publishing course, and more), she thinks it better to concentrate on Grace. The DJs went to Oakland to have dinner at Camino, a new restaurant that's created quite a buzz - including a short write up in the New York Times - with Julie, John and Grace on Saturday. A hallmark of the restaurant's interior are two 30-foot long redwood tables, evidently made from a tree felled by a storm. One made the perfect teething ring for Grace, when she wasn't playing peek-a-boo (no, that's not some head scarf). All four diners gave the food "thumbs up"...

Sunrise 5:47: Proud papa

The Dawn Joggers headed over to Oakland to celebrate son John's first Father's Day as a Papa (as he calls himself to Grace) joined by Julie's dad, brother and sister. And yes, the female DJ is biased but rarely has she seen a better natured baby. The solid food introduction continues with asparagus a favorite. Hmmm, it took the female DJ five decades to like that particular vegetable...

Sunrise 5:47: Guacamole Gracie

If her bum right leg if forcing the female Dawn Jogger to take a day off, no need to let the First Blush space go to waste. What better pinch hitter than one of the latest photos of granddaughter Grace, courtesy of Julie. Grace has embraced the first solid foods she's been introduced to, including avocado. The DJs look forward to a Father's Day visit...

Sunrise 5:56: Grace dines out

The Dawn Joggers continue to awake at first light, so the female DJ went out for an early morning jaunt before church. But she's breaking a First Blush rule by showing a much more interesting photo than anything she saw this morning. Grace came to visit yesterday afternoon and the whole family went out to dinner at Mike's Cafe in Portola Valley along with friends Cathy and Mike. This was the first time Grace had sat in a still-a-bit-big-for-her high chair. She liked her new French bonnet and the plush crib toy the female DJ found in Pont de Vaux on one of the DJs day expeditions. Mike's was perfect for a six month old yesterday - lots of other kids eating outdoors with their families. Grace continues to be such a good baby...

Sunrise 6:36: Grace takes flight

The Dawn Joggers took off right after breakfast and headed to Oakland to visit Grace, Julie and John on another very warm spring day. The five of them went for a neighborhood walk, heading down the hill to the FM "Borax" Smith Playground, part of the land left to the city by the man who made "Twenty Mule Team Borax" a household name. There Grace took her very first swing ride, greeted with her usual aplomb. Fun to share even these small life events...

Sunrise 7:24: Grace visits

Grace, 10 weeks old today, came to visit the Dawn Joggers today. She likes to mimic sounds but any sound the female DJ tried to make, just made her smile. She's a very good baby her parents report...

Sunrise 7:25: Grace smiles

Yes, the female Dawn Jogger is cheating. She didn't walk or jog this morning. Instead the DJs went to the early worship service followed by a poignant but grace-filled healing service in the chapel. It's a tradition that they, along with Trinity priest associate the Rev. Frannie Hall-Kieschnick, remember from their years at All Saints Pasadena in which the "laying on of hands" was offered to start each new year. And yes it's incongruous to feature a photo of granddaughter Grace, who wasn't in attendance. But we all hunger for that look of joy at some point in our lives...