Roof top: San Francisco

I stand in front of a Chagall in Ms G’s bedroom, “All my nudes are in here”, she says with a sincere and nearly shy smile. In the living room, she obliges me and quickly points out originals and lithos of Picasso, Matisse, Miro…an Andy Warhol litho of Mick Jagger signed by Mick Jagger…and quite a few other remarkable pieces of art I am too ill informed to understand their worth. I only know they look fantastic and their beauty moves me to tears. Of all of them, I am  transfixed by the erotic Chagall and return to the bedroom to drink it in. It’s one I’ve never seen before: very pretty floral, blue and green. But on closer examination, I see it is a woman straddling a man’s face, naked, his hands on her buttocks and his face wide with glee. I have a good chuckle and have to hurry out of the room, suddenly feeling “caught” for staring at them, now that my eyes understand what they’re seeing.

Ms G is a naturally beautiful woman about – I dunno – ageless, a few years older than me. Doesn’t look like she’s wearing a stitch of make up and she’s comfortable in her dancer’s body. Her hip ash blonde is in a girlish pony. She opens her doors wide, letting us all in, willy nilly, despite the rare and precious everything she has gathered into a nest of beauty. I take off my shoes immediately with reverence and gape at the art, the architecture and whimsy. The crew is friendly but busy and they tromp through with their shoes, focused on the shoot, and shooting a grateful “hello”. Ms G sees that I am swollen and sore from a long morning shoot and lays me down on the guest bed with a spectacular view and a tall cool drink.

She has a dog who constantly chews, even at the age of nine: a rescue with separation anxiety. Cathy tells me later Ms G’s charitable focus is to rehabilitate prostitutes, contributing to halfway houses and programs. A heart for the abandoned.

Ms G has lent us her fabulous apartment to lounge in while we shoot on her roof top patio with a view that spans the city out to the Golden Gate Bridge. She hands out sun hats for the roof, fine zinfandel and syrah (one must try both and they are both excellent) and an assortment of yummy nibbles. It’s the most amazing loft I’ve ever seen: made out of an old car garage. The high ceiling is corrugated metal painted white, huge black beams criss cross. The floor is wide plank wood and everything functional is modern art: even the toilet flushers. (though it took me a minute to realize that’s what they were)

I am always so grateful when I see affluence going into the hands of someone who knows what to do with it. Ms G and her husband make meaning with their means. She houses beauty and creates sanctuary and even the dog who chews up a very very very fine carpet is not turned away.