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James Mitchell starts his day by walking the couple blocks from his home to Ocean Beach. As he stands atop the sand dunes with his dog to watch the waves, other surfers appear, dotting the shore in small groups as they discuss the conditions. On an ideal day, they run back to their homes or cars, suit up and paddle out. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Marie Kazan-Komarek's childhood summers were spent digging in the flats for mussels and quahogs in Massachusetts. Her love of the ocean has been an undying passion of hers for as long as she can remember. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When Patricia Glasser was 22, she visited the San Francisco Soundwave Chorus for the first time and was instantly hooked by their enthusiasm. Now, 29 years later, she is still thrilled to rehearse with them every Thursday night at the St. Anne of the Sunset Church on Judah Street. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Renata Stoica stands at her living room counter carefully creating little spheres of cooled chocolate and then rolling them in flakes of almonds before placing them individually into wrappers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Raquel Miller's last training day before her professional fight on Jan. 21 was not just sparring in the ring with her coach Basheer Abdullah, but greeting friends, family and supporters who came to see her at Hit Fit SF in San Francisco. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

"Wiggle those fingers!" Robert Shapiro yelled to a room of entranced children and their parents as he made a card disappear into a balloon and then out again at the Potrero Recreation Center. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Christina Moretta is the exuberant person whose careful, white-gloved hands discover and sort historical materials for San Francisco. More than 2 million photos and other visual materials are taken care of by Moretta as a photo curator, archivist and librarian at the San Francisco History Center inside the San Francisco Public Library. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Walking down a hall lined with paintings and up the creaky wooden stairs, Vladimir Vitkovsky enters his Richmond studio each day to paint the afternoon away. The sounds of his brush strokes are accompanied by the sleepy Balboa street noises from outside his windows and the soft Russian music flowing from his record player. The walls are lined with drawings, paintings, sketches, photos, vinyl records and books. Piles of oil paints, cups of paintbrushes and boxes of charcoal sit in tucked away corners of the quaint room. The art crowding his walls ranges from humorous to sharp-edged, with faceless figures made of pointed angles, to jesters composed of smooth curving colors. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

From elation to dejection with the Giants, a special look at the history of the Black Panthers and rain finally falling in the Bay Area. From murals at the moscone center to dancing at the Treasure Island Music Festival, here are a few of our favorite moments this past week. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sausan Molthen calls out, "Shimmy shimmy!" as she leads the room of exuberant women through Egyptian dance moves while surrounded by hieroglyphics, gold statues and upside down chairs on tables in the Al-Masri Egyptian Restaurant in the outer Richmond district of San Francisco. When Molthen isn't the head chef cooking for the dinner rush or baking baklava, she's teaching women how to move like an Egyptian. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

"To me it's the giving back," Carmelita Lozano says about volunteering at St. Anthony's Dining Room. "It makes me feel rich. I feel very rich in my heart." Lozano is 91, and every week she goes to the Tenderloin soup kitchen to fold napkins, clean up spills and even sweep the floors. Every once in a while, clients ask her to hold their hand and say a prayer. "How can you refuse?" she asks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The creak of the ships and the lap of the waves against the shore are the sounds that normally accompany Hyde Street Pier at night, but once a month the voices of hundreds raised in song fill the air. From 8 p.m. to midnight on the first Saturday of the month, sea chantey singers fill the ferryboat Eureka to make music together. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This week Super Bowl City began its construction, more rain flooded the Bay Area, and protests shut down the Bay Bridge. From a tragic bus crash to a roller rink still being beloved by locals, these sweet, sad and touching moments were brought to us by Chronicle photographers this week. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This week the Bay Area saw a lot of rain with El Nino's arrival and experienced the annual No Pants ride on the BART. From storm clouds to candlelight vigils, here are a few of the most memorable images this week. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This week we went on the road with the Warriors and here at home hundreds of Santas ran in the rain. Chronicle photographers brought us spotlight moments at the "Queens of Drag" show and the questioning of police force in San Francisco. From sweet to mournful to beautiful, we saw all sides of the Bay area this week through the Chronicle's lenses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

From the love and solemnity of World AIDS Day to the quirky theatricality of the lighting ceremony at the Ferry Building, Chronicle photographers brought us an array of images that explore the varied facets of joy, comfort, heartbreak and honoring those we've lost here in San Francisco. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This week Chronicle photographers brought us snowy adventures, redwood hikes, flooding in the city, Thanksgiving cheer and even a little reindeer to get us in the Christmas spirit. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This week Chronicle photographers explored from high on the ski slopes to deep in the tunnels beneath the streets of San Francisco. From the excitement of Warriors' basketball to the sweet moments at the memorial for David Ruenzel, our photographers captured images sure to inspire, cheer and touch our hearts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A colorful cable car trundles to a stop along Market Street, parking just minutes before men stream on foot and from cars and buses to climb aboard and greet each other with friendly handshakes. When at least ten men have arrived, they begin to pray together - some holding onto the leather loops along the ceiling, others hanging out on the benches near the driver's seat or leaning against the cable car's distinctive golden railings. Extra prayer books and yarmulkes sit in a box at the front entrance to the cable car, in case a curious passerby wants to join in or one of the regulars forgot to bring their own. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

From the altars and honoring of the dead on Dia de los Muertos, to elections and the picking of the annual pardoned turkey, these are just a few highlights from this week in San Francisco captured by Chronicle photographers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

From baby lions to first responders, skating characters and the power of a choir's song - Chronicle photographers explored a variety of stories this week, whether bittersweet or beautiful, they brought those moments to life in these images. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Chronicle photographers explored homelessness in San Francisco, water issues and sex trafficking. In addition, they captured some lighter moments at a playground and Raiders fans cheering on their team this week. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This week Juanita the duck went on an adventure, the UP house found it's new resting place by truck instead of balloons, scientists explored a shipwreck off of Point Reyes and the de Young Museum celebrated it's 10th anniversary with a gala. From glitz to feathers, Chronicle photographers captured it all this week. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This week the Bay Area was full of visitors with the Blue Angels flying overhead, Fleet Week in full swing and the hundreds of Corgis who decended on Ocean Beach for San Francisco's Corgi Con Saturday. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]