Alexander Peers Park

Our family has really come to enjoy Alexander Peers Park. Having two kids that are very spread out in age (6 years) there's something for both of them to enjoy, and plenty of shade for us parental units. There are several tennis courts, a wide open space for running, and a really cool rock-form play structure. It's also set back from the street, and is along the train line. Every now and then you get an opportunity to point and hear the Caltrain whoosh by!

Oregon Shakespeare Festival

We went to Ashland, Oregon last weekend for our annual meet up with family, and to catch a few plays. If you've got yourself a budding thespian (and we do), don't miss an opportunity to partake in some incredible shows! Ashland is located about 6 hours north of here in a tiny hamlet town that's reminiscent of an Old World society full of scholars and poets (and there are troubadours!). It's also worth mentioning the killer coffee shops, the great dining options, fantasy stores, hiking trails, and parks.

Lilith Park

OSF plays 9 months of the year, and boasts one of the largest repertories in the country. They bring in notable actors and artists from all around, and were even written up in NY Times this year!

There are several different theaters including an outdoor venue. It's so wonderful to drink mulled wine under the stars listening to iambic pentameter lilt away. Insanely enough, the kids pick up on it pretty quickly, and the actors are typically very physical with lots of gestures and body language. The minimum age to see a play is 6. Every year there are several family friendly plays and musicals both by Shakespeare and other notable writers. This year we saw Much Ado about Nothing, Don Quixote, and Music Man. If you have other younger ones and no one to watch the kids there are reputable daycare providers available (and pet sitters that will massage and walk fido, too, go figure).

The nicest thing about OSF is most of the actors in the company are down to earth, friendly, and typically live in town. Last year, we took the backstage tour and were guided by one of the leads from the show we saw the previous night! Matthew thought that was totally cool! We learned about how sets were designed, and how costumes are made. We even hung out in the green room, and learned more about life as a new actor!

Mark Bredard, our tour guide and principle actor

Can't make it up to Oregon? Arrange for OSF to come to your child's school! The company has a visit program that will work directly with your curriculum and teacher to bring Shakespeare to your young ones in a fun and dynamic way.

Court Couture...

Dressed to play.

Ulistac Natural Area

Right behind my neighborhood is a nature preserve that runs along the Guadalupe River and trail. It's called Ulistac Natural Area and it's home to several different types of habitats and multiple forms of wildlife. Today a bunch of us took a walk over with the kids and set down a few picnic blankets under the foliage. We had ourselves lunch, and the kids went on their own adventure running around picking up sticks and hunting for bobcats and snakes (none of which they encountered thank goodness!).

Along the trails are informative plaques about the native wildlife and vegetation. On past days we've seen jackrabbits, foxes, bunnies, and various birds. On some weekends there are park events such as art exhibits and nature talks, too! There are no picnic tables (we just sat on the ground...don't forget to bring a trash bag!), but Lick Mill Park is also located directly across the street with a playstructure, bathrooms, and tables, too.

In all a nice place to visit when you've got a house full of antsy kids and nowhere to go.

Almaden Lake Park...

The summers of my childhood were on a military base beachfront on Seneca Lake in up-state New York. It didn't have nice sand, or cabanas, or even a snack shop....heck, I don't even think we had a lifeguard. We were forced into hideously colored water shoes to keep us from slipping on slime covered rocks and from slicing our feet open on broken glass. But, we had a dock to jump off, and an endless supply of Kool-Aid Squeeze-Its (ironically because my mom didn't allow us soda due to a belief it contained too much sugar) so life was pretty good.

Fast forward 20 years. Wanna relive that summer by the lake feel, but without the broken glass and the added bonus of an on-duty lifeguard? Try out Almaden Lake Park! I was pleasantly surprised that it still retained a lot of lake feel (and smell) of yesteryear. A mere 15 minutes away from my home, within the confines of a local suburban park, lay an oasis of sorts. There were ducks and geese swimming around, you could rent paddle boats by the hour, and the sand floor reached out to the roped off area. No slimy rocks! The lake was regularly tested for safe swimming conditions (I swam in toxic dump drainage as a kid so I figure anything is better than that, but hey, it might be important to some people). There was also a nearby snack hut, and a water park for those too squeamish to swim with the fishes.

In any case, we had a great time, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to enjoy some lake adventures for just the day.

There is a minimal parking and swim fee so don't forget to bring some cash.

We're on Vacation!

Check out our current adventures on my personal blog :0)

Biking babies

So it's official...Math can now ride a two wheeler! Alexi is trying his best to keep up!

Tree Frog Treks

Tree Frog Treks is a science facility that runs programs, camps, and classes for kids of all ages. I have a friend who lives in the Haight and we dropped our two boys off at the camp for a "rocket science" Kid's Play Night, and then the two of us were able to go out for dinner and dessert sans children. Awesome.

Math came home with wild stories about touching all sorts of cool reptiles, learned how the frog cycle works, and built a small rocket. Dinner, drinks, and a movie were also included.

You do need to register ahead, but if you're coming to SF and want to do some grownup time this might be the perfect way! Drop off is at 5:30, pick up is at 9.

Perfect picnic...

We are meeting a friend and her daughter for lunch this afternoon. Here are a few of the picnic portables we're bringing along :0)

Vignette Wine Country Soda, made from California varietal wine grapes, yum!

Mollie Stone's has the best selection of crackers, cookies, and cheeses from around the world :0)

Fresh picked Brentwood cherries

Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam brie

Biking Mama

So it's official, I'm now the proud owner of and Electra bike :0) I love it so very much! It's perfect for cruising around my little neighborhood or to the grocery store or to the park. After much thought I decided not to get the coveted Bobike Mini. I realized I was a tad too klutzy to put the extra weight on my bike, and I picked up a trailer from a friend instead. This turned out to be a good decision since I can haul the kids in the trailer and my stuff in the front tray.

I was told I can now be the neighborhood bread girl since in Europe it's a very common style of bike for bakers to deliver bread ;0)

This morning we all did a family bike trip to Hobees for breakfast. So loving this new found mode of transportation :0)

I also picked up a Wordlock bike lock since I'm notorious for forgetting my combination. This is so much simpler since it's just a 4 letter word...much easier to remember!


And lastly, I've asked The Hubster to get me a Yakkay bike helmet as an anniversary gift, lol. Sure it doesn't sparkle, but it's way cute as far as bike helmets go. Safty first!

Electra bikes can be purchased from The Off Ramp in Santa Clara and Mountain View. Wordlocks can be found at all Targets. Yakkay helmets are only available internationally, but are sold on-line through a UK retailer called 50cycles.

Succulents

Photo by Caitlin Atkinson

What I wouldn't give for the vertical masterpiece above! It was created by a San Francisco artist named Flora Grubb (that's her real name!). She owns and runs a garden nursery, and specializes in works of art made from succulents and other cacti variations. And I'm oh, so smitten!

I'm no green thumb. In fact, I kill almost every plant I touch which is why I find succulents so fascinating! They are hearty little buggers, and beautiful, and require almost no botanical know-how to survive. Plus, since this is mounted on a wall, it would be up and away from my kids (who would invariably try to rip up each of those little suckers as cargo fodder for their toy trucks)! I have dreams of owning such a work of art someday *sigh*

Pretty Pictures

I've spent my day searching how to combine photos. Finally figured it out. Check it:

Taken by my 8 year old son with a tripod and some good lighting :0)

The Cheese Board Collective

So after my romp around Cal, I made arrangements to meet up with my neighborhood mom pal, bookgroup compadre, and friend, Ariele. Okay, let me start of by giving you some amazing background about Ariele.

• She's sharp as a tack funny and smarter than most everyone I know.
  
• She grew up in Berkeley going to a hippy dippy school across the street from where her dad started Berkeley Free Clinic.
• For many years she was a HS Math teacher providing progressive education to some of the most depressed schools in California. She speaks of her old students with nothing but heartfelt love and admiration, and she has an innate understanding of teenagers few can fathom.
  
• She's a true, blue friend. And for the life of me, I couldn't imagine my first visit to Berkley without her!

So we met up at The Cheese Board Collective, she with her two boys and me with mine. After the greetings we got down to business. Ariele promptly handed me a shopping bag (she came prepared!), grabbed us a playing card, and started piling her arms full of the most amazing looking pastries and breads I've ever laid eyes on. CBC make all their own baked goods on site, and there is a constant overturn of hot crusty goodness every few hours. The cases also had a wide variety of olives, French and local honeys, and other noshes. Since CBC is a co-op they take their cheese very seriously. It is mandatory that you "try before you buy" so when our card was called we spent the next 30 minutes trying every cheese known to man...and then some! You wanna try a cheddar? Well they have like 20 different varieties of varying sharpness, some with chives, some without, some white, some yellow. Wanna brie? How about a stinky one? How about a blue that's creamy? How about a crumbly blue that's slightly different in texture, but very different in taste? It went on and on like this. I was starting to get scared...the wrapped packages of cut cheeses were piling up, and it didn't look like we had any sign of stopping soon. Ariele assured me it was all good, and kept on ordering. Finally, when the tally was rung up I balked...it coudln't be that cheap! So I added another three selections to top it off. We weren't allowed to tip the proprietors, but they said we could donate to the homeless initiative they support instead. After this, we stopped next door to the produce co-op and bought some fruit and berries. Then again next door to the Cheese Board Pizza. There was a live jazz duet playing while we waited in line to grab a few slices of the daily offering. Finally, we took all the kids by the hand and walked a half block up to a fenced in park. We found a big tree and set to work on our impromptu picnic.

I can't imagine a better first trip to Berkeley, and I'll be back soon for sure.

Walk from Cal to the Cheese Board.

That's a LOT of cheese.

If you pull the Joker you get to skip to the head of the line.

Freshly baked bread...and it was hot, too!

Weird ass cow bread god?

Cheese, glorious cheese!

Our cheese pile...we're about halfway done at this point.

Best pizza I've had in a long time! Zucchini, red onion, feta, with pesto and pignoli nuts.

Don't I look manically happy?

Alviso Bay

This weekend we took a little walk around Alviso Bay. The marina is a 5 minute drive from our home. As you approach Alviso, crowded industrial tech buildings give way to cute little beach houses and small owner-run restaurants. It's a place that time forgot in many ways, but has a very East Coasty, Cape-Cod feel to it. Alviso was once a booming port that shipped agricultural products all over The Valley, but then in 1864 a new railroad line was put in. Alviso's become a veritable ghost town compared to it's micro-chipped neighbors over the years, but is listed on the National Register as a historic gem.

Alviso now attracts nature lovers and health enthusiasts from all around. One can capitalize on the miles and miles of dirt trails surrounding the bay. There are thousands of acres of marshes and salt ponds. Wildlife is dense, and bird-watchers would probably find this place paradise. There are informative plaques explaining more about marshes and indigenous species of plants and animals, too.

We had a nice time walking around the desolate, windy bay. After exploring a bit it got sortof creepy how devoid of human life the place was, but in a beautiful way. It seemed strange to find so much nature right in the backyard of the largest tech community in the country. But, it was a lovely way to spend some weekend family time apart from the computers and video games and televisions and iPods and iPhones and AppleTVs and DVRs and DVDs and CD-ROMs and Facebooks and Twitters. Apparently my camera was spared such neglect, though ;0)

Bakfiet Lustings

3 in 1

What I wouldn't give for any one of these bicycles! Aren't they gorgeous? And practical. I could totally see myself riding around my little neighborhood in one of these...preferably looking as relaxed and care-free as that model.

Light and compact

Bakfiets, pronounced "bach feets" are adult cargo bikes that are very popular in The Netherlands for hauling children, groceries, and any other sort of thing you might put in the back of your car. Bakfiets are now being imported into the US, and I want one bad...

Favorite of the Danish Royals

Pasta? and Satura Cakes

We eat out a lot. I love to cook, but I love to eat out more. And since we just recently figured out the practicalities of a babysitter, we've done most of our eating out with our kids. Dining with kids can be a tricky thing, and it can be especially tricky when your idea of dining doesn't involve some golden arches and an indoor play structure.

Palo Alto is smack between my older son's school and our house. Therefore, University Avenue is a typical lunching hot-spot for Alexander's and my playdate posse.


Anyway, here's a review of one of our favorite typical eating routines...

• Playtime at Johnson Park

• Lunch at Pasta?

• Dessert at Satura Cakes (or Fraîche)

There is a wonderful, fenced park on the corner of Everett and Kipling called Dr. Edith Eugiene Johnson Park. The concrete slide there is legendary, and even remembered by Gen X kids from around the peninsula far and wide. There is also a small garden next to the park good for future green thumbs.

Pasta? is a little local Italian restaurant here in the bay area. I like that their food is consistently tasty, fast, and reasonably priced. They have outdoor seating at both locations which makes it easy to pull up a stroller and people watch, and I've never seen a waitress cringe upon approach of my kids.

The hubby's favorite meal...

Satura Cake Company is another local to the bay area (and Hawaii, go figure). The one in Pali is just down the street from Pasta?. Satura is known for providing beautiful, organic, Euro-Japanese culinary confections. My favorite creation by far is their "cup-cake" Choco-Misu. It's a twist on a classic Italian Tirimisu, with a marscopne chocolate-coffee mouse filling ontop of a bed of soaked sponge cake. YUM.

The best part of is that crunchy toffee thing