Beach Art

The beach was pretty deserted on Sunday: we wondered what function was going on that we didn't know about. It was a warm morning, and the tide was low. It was nice to have the beach to ourselves for a while.....


.....that is, until we got hungry and the seagulls got hungry, too! Then we weren't alone anymore. Those birds are relentless. Our children quickly learned how to shoo them away, or else their picnic lunch was going to be gone.


We spent over three hours frolicking. The tide got low enough for us to see some sea stars on the base of the bridge. The sandpipers amazed us with their long beaks. The beach sculpture created by some unknown artist before us became our picnic post and a place for us to watch the beach transform as the sun moved over our heads.

Outdoor tub

Most people we know here have a hot tub in their backyard. When we first came to California, it didn't make sense to me that Californians would have hot tubs and Bostonians didn't. It gets so much colder in New England; how come we didn't know anyone with a hot tub in the backyard? I still don't have my question answered. And I never cared to own a hot tub myself.


Until a few years ago, our friend Randy invited us up for an outdoor hot tub experience in Boulder Creek where he was living at that time. It was no ordinary hot tub. It was a cast iron 6 foot long old-fashioned tub that sat on a hand-made (by Randy) redwood platform in his frontyard. Along with the tub was a clever water-heating system consisting of a wood fired stove and a hose that ended up in the tub. Somehow Randy was able to heat up regular water by leading it through this clever system. That night, Jim and I got to experience what it was like to lay in a 'hot tub' as we starred at the stars beyond the redwood forests. It sounds idyllic, doesn't it? Well, it was! Randy even had candles lighting up the path that led to this oasis. In the dark, it felt very private, very peaceful, very Californian.


Lucky for us, when Randy decided to move to Vermont to be with Amy, he couldn't take his 300 pounds worth of cast iron tub with him. So he gave it to us as a gift. And what a gift it was! We now bathe our children in this very tub. It sits outside on our patio, next to a bamboo plant. The set up is no where near what Randy had done for it up in the Redwoods, but the joy that the tub still provides is priceless. Especially on a late November day!

Evening Sky

Yet another beautiful day in Santa Cruz. I wish we could bottle it up and bring it to Boston with us next year. We could open it up on a cold winter day sometime in mid February, remembering the mild California climate that we have begun to take for granted.


We walked to the farm this afternoon. Because winter is approaching, the sun goes down much earlier now. We caught it just before it went down. The clouds were performing a wondrous show for us: like ripples of waves, or a blanket of cotton candy covering up a bright blue background.


As the sun was setting the kids were naming the different colors that the clouds captured from the setting sun. Blue clouds, Mommy! Purple clouds! Pink! Orange! Black! And you know what, they were right! Though the photos don't show it, we did see all those colors as we said goodbye to this gloriously beautiful day.

Gymnasts

As I was getting ready for the day, I heard the two monkeys giggling upstairs. And this is what I found when I came up around the stairs.


They somehow were having a little competition of who can touch their feet on their head. And clearly, Claire was much more flexible than her brother.


Though he can jump, run, throw frisbee, and shoot a ball much more freely than she, when it comes to flexibility, the female monkey won the prize!

Goof Balls

Between our two children, there's never a dull moment. That is a true statement especially when I try to get a photo of them together. Stay still! I would say. I might have to repeat it many times; both in Thai and English just to make extra sure that they understand what I mean. To no avail. It usually takes many times to get the perfect one. But even then.... This series is to show you an example of my life as a photographer of twins. Can you tell who tends to stay more still? Hmmm.... maybe a tricky question, eh? Or is it?





These were taken in sequence, and I promptly gave up after this last one - at least I can see them both clearly!

Morning dew

The kids and I were outside changing Scooter's cage this morning. This is what we saw on our rose bush:morning dew on young leaves. Once the sun reaches our patio, this fleeting beauty will be gone.

Happy 60th!

My father turns 60 years old today, November 14, 2006. He is one year wiser! We had a lovely visit with him in Thailand. Perhaps the most memorable was the morning in Hua Hin when he took the four of us to the old working train station. He knew how much Momo and Claire loved trains, so he sacrificed his leisure morning at the Sofitel to take his beloved grandchildren to see the beautiful station. We left the Sofitel on foot and found a tuk-tuk, a Thai taxi, who took us directly to the entrance of the train station. The ride itself was an adventure. If you can imagine a three wheeled motorcycle with a passenger seat and a roof over us, then you get a tuk tuk. It was the kids' first time on the tuk tuk. I think they were intrigued enough to try it again.


We got to the station in between trains so the platform was empty. There were a few stray passengers using the benches as a rest stop more than a waiting post. There was an old steam train parked opposite from the station itself. That alone was worth the trip! A few days later, we actually got to ride the train from this very station which completed the experience for the kids.

We miss spending time with my father and remember our days in Hua Hin with fond memories. Tonight the kids sang 'Happy Birthday' to him on the phone. There was not much coming from the other end during the song. I could only imagine my father holding up the phone in Thailand, smiling at the happy birthday song gift from his grandchildren. Happy Birthday Kunta!

Pumpkin Patch

Even though Halloween has come and gone, there are still lots of pumpkins to pick, to play with, to cook with, to sit on. Along Highway 1 going north from Santa Cruz, there are a few pumpkin patches that attracted the kids from going straight home yesterday after our visit to Davenport beach.


We stopped at the smaller pumpkin patch, thinking that we didn't have the time to get too lost in all the pumpkins before lunch time. We were the only ones there, literally. There was no sign of anybody taking care of the property, or anyone else interested in the patch. Several hand written signs notified us of the honor system they have for the customers. There were some signs telling us what each of the pumpkins or squashes were called, but for many of the strange looking gourds, one could only guess what they were looking at.


There is something about big pumpkins, small pumpkins, and hay bales that kids love. Is it the color, I wonder? I must say, there is something intriguing about the deep orange of the pumpkin against the deep blue of the autumnal sky. Complimentary color schemes at work on the young minds, I guess.


Half way through our visit, Claire cried out, "Mommy, what is that?" It took me a little bit to find what she was referring to. Amidst all the hay and grass, on the ground in the middle of the field were three tiny baby mice. They were not alive, mind you, but they sure looked cute. With some reservation, I sat down next to her and started explaining to her about life and death. "They are not alive anymore, but they will be okay." I said. Of course it didn't take long for Momo to join us for the important lesson. Surprisingly, they didn't have too many why questions. There were just the "Can we take them home, Mommy?" and "Can we stay with them for a while?" As a closure to the lesson, I decided that we should dig a little hole, put the mice in there, tuck them in, and put a pretty mustard flower on top. We all said goodbye to the mice and dispersed to find some more pumpkins and squashes to take home. Phew!


Claire and Momo did return to see the fresh grave one more time. Hand in hand, of course. Then we paid for our butternut squashes and pumpkins using an envelope provided before Jim inserted it into a mystery slot. We returned home happy, but tired from the busy morning.

Davenport

It has been a fun Sunday so far. Though it was a cold morning to start, we went to Davenport Landing beach anyway. Jim had seen in the paper that around 10:30am, the tide would be at its lowest. There is a spot next to the beach where there are some great tidepools. So with that in mind, we packed up the car, and off we went.


There were the usual surfers and fishermen on the beach this morning. Also some dogs frolicked off leash with their owners. This beach is hardly ever crowded. It's just far enough away from Santa Cruz that people either forget about it, don't know about it, or simply are too lazy to drive 11 miles up the coast.


But it's perfect for us: more sand to play with, more treasures to be found. We waited for the tide to go down. It eventually went down enough for us to poke around and discovered some sea anemones, snails, and plenty of seaweed. But because it is almost winter, low tides don't go down as far as it would in the summer. The kids still enjoyed it quite a bit. Claire declared that "I'm so excited to see the tidepools!"


Momo found some rocks and stacked them behind one another to make a train. Claire helped him gather the rocks and told him which ones were the 'perfect' ones. "Can I help you, Momo?" she would say. "Of course Clairey, of course you can help me." he replied. Only if they could always be so loving!


When we were tired of the tidepools, Claire found a slanted slope to practice her primate instincts. Meanwhile Momo practiced his left handed frisbee throw. He's gotten quite good I must say. So good you have to watch where you are because his throws are strong enough to knock you down!

Natural Bridges

Sunny days can be deceiving in Santa Cruz. Yesterday was brilliantly warm, but today was not. Regardless, we spent this Veterans Day holiday on the beach with a picnic lunch!


We are very lucky to be a mere 5 minutes away from this beautiful Natural Bridges State Beach. It's called Natural Bridges because there is a large rock formation that has a big arch right in the middle of it. From certain angles it definitely looks like a bridge. On a very low tide day, one can walk under the arch and there are sea stars and sea anemones right by the base of the arch. The kids love to discover these creatures by themselves.


The beach is the best playground for children. We plop down our stuff, and let them be. So rarely do we have to say 'no' to them; so rarely do they need our undivided attention. We don't quite bring a novel and a beach umbrella with the hope of lounging and tanning ourselves yet. I suspect that will happen in a few years time when they are old enough to dig a fort for themselves to have lunch in like these young lads did today.

Zinnias

Jim gave me big break this weekend: the kids got to go to the beach and the farm with their Daddy alone while I rested, cleaned the house, and caught up with errands. Since the photographer was not part of the action filled weekend, she must retrieve a photo from a few weeks ago that she never posted.

This coming week may be a bit boring on the blog. I am scheduled for a laser eye operation on Thursday to correct my retinal holes. I imagine I will be away from computer work for a little while.

But rest assured I will be back! Maybe I will have Jim as a guest of honor on the blog... Until then, have a great week!

Music Class

As many of you know, our children love to sing. They sing when they wake up; they sing before they go to sleep; they sing when they are eating; they sing when they are happy. I never enjoyed music as much as I do now with them. So much so that sometimes I find myself listening to their music in the car, even when they are not in the car with me.


We started singing to them since the day they were born. I used to sing to them during our long walks in the morning and Jim used to sing them to sleep. I used to run of of children's songs to sing, Thai or English. Those were the pre-music class days. For about a year now, we have been going to a music class run by the organization called Music Together. The idea is that children and parents come together to sing and dance and play with instruments. There is usually one teacher who leads the class, and there are about 10 to 12 children with their parents. We always start with the same song, Hello Everybody. And always end with the GoodBye song. And in between, we may sing 6-8 other songs composed by the organization. The first time we went, Momo and Claire clung onto me for their dear life. And I myself didn't know any of the songs, so I just hummed along, trying to encourage the kids to have fun. The second class got better, although they still just watched the others intently. And now, they still like sitting with me, but they are so comfortable that sometimes I lose track of where they are in the room, or what instrument they are playing with.


Music comforts our children, as I know it brings comfort for most human beings. But if you have been one of the lucky ones to have witnessed their 'performances', you would know that not only does music make them happy, it has become the best form of entertainment in our lives! There are very few things that I would rather do now than watch our children sing at the top of their lungs, caring about nothing else in the world. It is a beautiful thing.

Strawberries

Can't you tell we live in California? I took this photo today at the farmer's market. Yup. Strawberries in November. Freshly picked I am sure. There were raspberries, too, but I was too in a rush to take a snapshot of them.

There is no doubt we are entering a new season, however. The nights are cool, and the sun is low in the sky. There was even a light shower tonight. Winter is nigh, even in California!

Pumpkins

There are so many pumpkins around right now, I wonder what happens post Halloween? Do the pumpkins go to waste? Do they get shipped off to pumpkin canning facilities? Do they rot and go back to being the soil from where they come?


We have a fair share of pumpkins at our house. Small ones, fortunately. Marjorie had taken the kids to a pumpkin patch along the coast just north of here a couple of weeks ago. And then Claire and Jim had a date where they also picked some more pumpkins after a delightful high tea. At any rate, we have carved them, lit them, and enjoyed their presence in our home.


Today at school the children got to decorate pumpkins using cut-up vegetables to make eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. After they woke up from nap, Claire asked to decorate our own pumpkins. Good idea, I said. That sounds like fun. Secretly, I wanted to partake in their fun at school today, but I was too embarassed to admit it (and actually had to run off to help induce a pregnant lady!). So with enthusiasm, I found some carrots, dried cranberries and zucchini from our fridge and pantry. I cut them up small enough to fit onto the pumpkins. Because we don't have toothpicks at home, I used dry spaghetti sticks as our adhering device.


The kids helped, but mostly, they watched me play while they ate the fruits and vegetables. Our fun continued with making banana bread. They actually were a big help! Claire added flour, eggs, and butter as Momo stirred. I have not tasted the end product, but it looks like a winner!

An Attempt at Halloween

Everyone in Santa Cruz is excited about the impending Halloween. Everyone except us, that is. Jim and I have never, in the many years together, celebrated Halloween. The first two years with kids, we didn't dress them up either. Too young, we thought. We would have done it for our sake, we thought. So this year, the children are about to turn three. Maybe they would be more interested, we feared.


It so happens that Halloween falls on school day this year. My fear worsened. That means they HAVE to dress up! What do I do? Where do I begin? I tried looking at some used costumes at children's stores. None appealed to me, of course. Why should they since I myself don't like the whole dressing up thing. After a few tries, I gave up. Luckily, we have a lot of friends who offered their children's costumes from previous years. I asked our friend Brenda, who has four boys, for a train conductor cap for Momo. And Julie, Jackson's Mom, offered a bumblebee costume that Jackson wore last year for Claire.

I was optimistic. Great, the kids can wear these to school next week so that they have something to talk about with their dressed up friends and teachers.


Today being Saturday, I thought perhaps we should TRY the costumes on to see if they really fit. After a few times of asking, and getting the answer "no, Mommy, I don't want to wear that, " I decided to bribe them. The truth is, I actually wanted to SEE them in these silly costumes since we had them at home. They probably would look cute. So I told Claire that I would give her a gift if she put it on. Mean, wasn't I. She bought it. She put it on! But for a mere one minute, just long enough for me to take photos of her trying to take it off (can't you see the look of the unhappy bumblebee in the photos?). As for Momo, he happened to be singing his favorite song, 'I've been working on the railroad.' So I laid the hat on him briefly. He gave me a impish smile, and took it off promptly as well.

What can I say? I tried. And honestly, I am happy that they don't buy this holiday either. Maybe next year will be different. (You see, they don't know about dressing up, looking silly, and getting a lot of candy for it yet). But at least this year, we will remain the Halloween party poopers, and I am perfectly fine with that!

Artwork

The kids love art. Momo, especially, likes to draw. He tends to spend a lot of time perfecting certain themes like trains, or tractors, or excavators. Like a real artist, there are usually a plethora of crumbled pieces of paper on the floor around him. Those are the rejects. The ones that aren't quite perfect.


Claire enjoys drawing, too, but less so. She prefers to get messy with paint, glue, or shaving cream. I let the teachers do that with them at school so that I don’t have to clean up more mess than I already have in the house!


Momo tries to autograph his artwork. It may look like NONO to us, but that’s MOMO to him. Kind of appropriate since sometimes we call him Mr. No (his nickname in Thailand, given to him by my mother).


For a while I was trading with a patient who is an art teacher. I would take the kids to her Blue Apple Studio and she would receive acupuncture treatments in return. They enjoyed it, but they were a bit too young to really benefit from all that she could offer. This coming spring, I think they will be ready for that kind of fun again.

Garden

I picked some cherry tomatoes from our garden today. I call it ‘garden’ even though the tomato plants are grown in pots, and so do most of our other plants. Our home in Santa Cruz is tiny, with no yard space, but a little patio and a pathway that wraps around the house. In some ways, it’s been perfectly fine for us with young children. I can’t even find time to water the plants we have let alone take care of a full blown yard. Someday, we will have more space. But for now, we have created our own little garden that is just as good as any.


Our brother in law, Nickolai, found some great wine barrels for us when we first moved in. He even cut each one in half so that we could use them for bigger plants. I planted a rose called ‘double delight’ in one, a bamboo in another, an olive tree in another, and a lemon tree in the last. That was the beginning of our garden. As time went by, I kept adding more flowers in smaller pots, lettuces here and there. This last summer I was able to grow a whole crop of arugula enough to make many batches of pesto. We also grew a couple cherry tomatoes, basil, lemon cucumber, sweet pepper, parsley, kale, oregano, thyme, sage and rosemary.


The kids enjoyed picking food from the garden this summer. They learned that tomatoes had to turn red or orange before they are ripe. They got to taste the fresh peppery arugula, and fed fresh kale to our bunny Scooter. They helped water the plants and watched them grow. The garden is as much a classroom as a functional place where food grows.


Even though it is fall and most plants are going back to the earth, we do live in temperate California climate. We should be able to grow one more crop of arugula and lettuce before the real rainy season arrives in a couple of months. I remember one year we had a garden full of swiss chard and a cherry tomato that never stopped producing all the way through the winter!