Summer in New England

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Oh, New England in the summer can be so deceptively livable! The hot days, warm nights, beautiful lush landscape, together with some very swimmable lakes and ponds, bounty from the land (farm fresh produce!) and the sea (live Maine lobsters!)... But then, add the mosquitoes, biting flies, no-se-em bugs, and the humidity too dense to breath. Fortunately, we got to experience all of them, in the three states of New England we visited during our two-week stay. Above all the pleasantries, seeing many old friends topped the list, by far.

The kids remembered their year of living there. Stories would flow from their young and photographic minds about things they did 'back then'. We also gained some new memories on this trip that will be cherished for many years to come.

For now, we are back home, in the sunshine state, where school life has begun again!

Going East

After sleeping on the plane tomorrow night, we will be transported back to our old home turf!  

We look forward to swimming in Walden Pond, going to the farms, climbing our favorite trees, and playing with old friends!  

We shall see how much the children will remember their New England life.  And we will all get to see how much they have grown!

Birthday

Vacation just got a little fancier today with a birthday celebration for Jim. The kids and I decorated the 'dining' area this morning, as bacon and grits were cooking on the stove. Must have been a special morning, indeed.

There was a handmade birthday banner, flowers from the garden, a homemade card, a homemade strawberry-rhubarb pie, a hike in the woods with a son, a new pair of bike shorts and a jar of Marmite. There were also many kisses from the little ones. To end the day, we celebrated around a camp-fire with songs and stories, along with many other people at Santa Cruz mission State Park. It was a glorious summery Santa Cruz evening.

I think all in all, the birthday boy had a good day!

Look who is sewing!

These kids have been watching me sew this and that for months... and now, I feel comfortable enough to teach them how it is done! Granted it will take a while for them to actually make something on their own..., but children learn fast!

I still remember when I was a little girl, about the same age as these guys, playing under my grandmother's old-fashioned sewing machine. Hers was not an electric one, but one that had a manual pedal on the bottom. I still remember the calming rhythm of her moving the pedal as she sewed clothes in the afternoons. I would be sitting near by, playing with left over fabric pieces, pretending to be making clothes for my stuff animals. Those are good childhood memories...

Sand Dunes

Lake Michigan, the only all American lake (the other Great Lakes border Canada as well), sits on the West side of the state. When visiting the grandparents, we are a mere 45 minute drive away from this gigantic lake, that to anyone eyes', looks no different than an ocean.

This visit, we went to a different beachfront than usual. We wanted the kids to see the sand dunes that make a great runway into the lake.

Because we had not been there before, we didn't quite know which path to take to get to the lake...but we were up for an adventure.

The day was warm, and humid. The path was pleasant at first, but the deeper we got into the woods, the more flying creatures appeared. Mosquitoes. Everywhere.

We realized that if we stopped at all, we would be eaten alive by these large blood-sucking pests. So we did our best to keep charging ahead, not knowing how far we were from the shore.

It felt like a long time of walking fast, focusing on the end. Californians are not used to mosquitoes due to frequent droughts and low humidity (how did I make it in Thailand?). I was not going to lose the battle, however. Not even with all the questions coming from the five-year-olds like: "How can they eat us alive?" or "Where did the mosquitoes come from?" or "Can we stop to look at that wetland?"

A mile or so later, we reached our destination at last. Soft sand, calm waters, not another soul in sight (because, ummm, we chose the longest path to get there). And we had left behind the mosquitoes in the woods.

We surely went back a different route, much shorter, more direct, and for some reason, much fewer of the dreaded insects!

Vacation part I

Lassen National Park, California

Gathering for campfire

Butte Lake, Lassen National Park

Grand Haven Light House, Michigan

On the shores of Lake Michigan

We have been to so many places in the last couple of weeks, I can't possibly write about it all in one posting!

And as you know, sometimes, pictures can tell a thousand words.

So I will let that happen here for now, and will be back with some stories to share.

Summer!

See the dolphin in the water?

Summer is in full swing here.  It does not get hot too often in Santa Cruz, especially in the summer time.  So when it does, we feel extra summery around here.  Lots of beach, pool, more beach, and more pool.  Picnics with friends, post-dinner walks and blackberry-picking.  These are just some of the things we are enjoying right now!  How very lucky we are...

More Art

Frog, by Momo

Vase of flowers, by Claire

Scorpions in the desert, by Momo

Who needs some expensive art work, when our own 5 year old artists-in-residence can produce such pieces?

The only question is, what happens when we run out of wall spaces for the exhibit?

Home

Sometimes Claire will say that she is a 'home body'.  Like today. It was beautiful out with no fog in sight. They had just spent a few hours at 'camp' in the morning (which gave me some time to straighten up the house, and make a few things for it), and when they got home, they just wanted to stay home.

I am glad they like their home, because I do, too.

4th of July in Wine country

Streams of cars were heading into town for the long holiday weekend, as we were heading out on Friday. That was a good feeling...

We spent the weekend with family in Sonoma.  Great parade, great fun, and very relaxing to add.

On the way home, we drove down the coastal route to avoid some traffic, stopped at a beach, before saying 'home sweet home'!  That's the way a holiday weekend should be!

Santa Cruz Mission State Park Fun!

Some of you may not have heard that the governor of California is wanting to close some 200 California State Parks, because of the state's budget deficit.  That would be most of our 'playgrounds', many of our favorite places in the area.

And the worst of it is that he means it.

Last night, we attended a free event at one of such state parks, just down the road from us.  It was called "Old Fashioned Campfire", at the Santa Cruz Mission State Park.  Offered there were make-your-own tortillas, the old fashioned way, on an outdoor griddle.  People were free to bring food, extra toppings for the tortillas, their families and friends. 

There were also music, sing-alongs, and skits so funny I cried laughing.

There is no better way to enjoy a summer evening in Santa Cruz.  There is no way the state can close these treasures! 

Many groups and petitions are being gathered to prevent this proposal from happening.  And we are strongly behind them!

Here we go...just the beginning!

No need to narrate. He is quite comfortable in his own skin!

Ollaliberries

We were just going to go pick strawberries at Swanton Strawberry Farm, with our friend Sophia on her last day in California. But when we got there, the worker there said that there was no U-Pick there today, but 9 miles up the road, we could pick strawberries and ollaliberries if we wanted.  

After a couple of strawberry truffles and chocolate dips, away we went!

Ollaliberries are related to Blackberries. Don't ask me the difference, I can't really tell you yet. All I know is that I had never heard of them until we came out West. And somehow, they seem more prized than their regular cousins... Regardless, we all love them.  Fresh, jammed, in a pie. You name it. 

We picked our share, and even went over to the strawberry fields to pick some of those as well. And we ended the day with a scrumptious pie, that is big enough to another day's end treat!

Chadwick Garden

We took my mother here the other day, one of my favorite spots in Santa Cruz!  It is a small piece of hilly land, that is intensively cultivated by the UCSC Agriculture program.  There are hundreds of apple trees, all different kinds, as well as plums, pears, lemons, oranges, all growing together with other vegetables, and flowers and loquat trees.

We returned the other day to 'adopt' a few more plants from their nursery.  Now our humble patio is turning into a real 'garden' of sort!