We had fun, I'll say that first. It is always fun to see the friends we met there. But we had been hoping to enhance our studies of the various cultures that have populated California and to that end the fest itself was a big bust. Low attendance. Hard to tell what was Swiss or German about it, shy of one great older couple in traditional Alpine wear and a chance to hear the Alpine horn, shown below. A Chinese guy took our tickets. An African American family was running the kids corner. It had all of the diversity of any Bay Area event, with no particular emphasis on Swiss or German culture, language, food, or activities. Oh well. We got to dance the chicken dance and the kids did the "walk on water" activity shown below, surely memorable if lacking cultural context.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Dry Again
The "Blues Hounds" had quite a beat and some creative lyrics. Knowing that we had considered bailing on the trip when we were soaked and unsure that the sun would come out again, they informed me that they voted unanimously to stay. Most of the remainder of the time was spent in a clubhouse, performing in their band, or creating an obstacle course for Sherpani. The campsite was one performance venue, but adults were also invited to a nearby manzanita tree for renditions of the 2013 classic, "Surfing in a Tree." Fun? Yep, I think so!




Saturday, September 21, 2013
CA History - Rain and a Wet Mill Tour
It started to drizzle the evening we arrived, nothing serious and we continued to read outside. But the rain picked up during the night and continued into the morning as we had breakfast and made plans for the day. It wasn't unpleasant and the kids were having fun with their friends, who had arrived late the previous evening.
We all took off, giggling when the rain increased, on a fun hike, past a pioneer cemetery with graves dating to the mid-1800s (the kids believe they unearthed a grave robber mystery - too much Egypt studies?) and through gorgeous and dripping wet oak and manzanita woods. We arrived at the Bale Grist Mill, named for John Bale but run for more than half a century by his widow, Maria. We learned a ton - that grist means grain, that the restored mill continues to run exclusively by the power of water, and the meaning behind a number of common terms (putting your nose to the grindstone, among them).
The only drawback to the tour was the fact that we were literally soaked to the skin and not moving; the heavy and clinging clothes were uncomfortable and we were getting cold. Just as I was imagining bailing on the rest of the trip and tolerating a three-hour trip home in my dripping wet jeans, the tour ended, the sun came out, and when we got back to the campsite, even the tents were dry. Gorgeous day, and lots of fascinating California history to complement our studies this year, too.
We all took off, giggling when the rain increased, on a fun hike, past a pioneer cemetery with graves dating to the mid-1800s (the kids believe they unearthed a grave robber mystery - too much Egypt studies?) and through gorgeous and dripping wet oak and manzanita woods. We arrived at the Bale Grist Mill, named for John Bale but run for more than half a century by his widow, Maria. We learned a ton - that grist means grain, that the restored mill continues to run exclusively by the power of water, and the meaning behind a number of common terms (putting your nose to the grindstone, among them).
The only drawback to the tour was the fact that we were literally soaked to the skin and not moving; the heavy and clinging clothes were uncomfortable and we were getting cold. Just as I was imagining bailing on the rest of the trip and tolerating a three-hour trip home in my dripping wet jeans, the tour ended, the sun came out, and when we got back to the campsite, even the tents were dry. Gorgeous day, and lots of fascinating California history to complement our studies this year, too.
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Just the tent is soaked; the girl, not quite yet. |
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Past the pioneer cemetery, beautifully unmaintained. |
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Checking out the exterior of the mill. Inside and out, it as gorgeous. |
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Getting to try out a grinding device |
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Starting to look (and feel) miserably wet and cold. |
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But we dried quickly as we walked alongside vineyards and back to the campsite. Hurrah! |
Friday, September 20, 2013
Camping in the Napa Valley
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En route, gelato stop with a view. |
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Another winery stop, this time for the bathroom |
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Finally at the campsite, gorgeous fall colors emerging on this last weekend of the summer. Lots of pine, redwood, manzanita, and oak and the combination reminded me of camping trips as a kid. Fun! |
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Cozy tent sleeping with Sherpani, too. I think she loved it; who wouldn't, curled up with the three of us. |
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Transporting firewood back to the campsite. I told them I could carry it, but they insisted on using the wagon. Well, who can blame them, huh? |
Monday, September 16, 2013
CA History - Culture Studies: Miwok and Ohlone
Our previous "Country Day" morphed this year into "Culture Studies" with fun around learning about different cultures together, doing an activity, and then sharing food and community with new and old friends. This was an awesome first day and the kids got to make tule boats, just perfectly doll-house sized, imagining how difficult and yet possible it would be to make actual tule boats, human sized, for fishing from the then-marshy bay waters. Based on our previous Miwok and Ohlone studies, the kids even offered tidbits of information to our teacher that she hadn't known - things I was impressed that they remembered.








Sunday, September 15, 2013
Macduff Meets Macduff at Macbeth

A weekend of Shakespeare! After seeing the Marin Shakespeare's production of "A Comedy of Errors" on Friday, we joined friends at SF Shakespeare's production of "Macbeth." This was our second time seeing it, as we'd also watched it earlier this summer. As we arrived, the girls' friends shouted, "you are in the program!" and sure enough, a photo that my mom took of K as Macduff was in the back of the program, advertising the youth programs. The production was amazing and we all got really into it, with me even getting tearful. The photo is of K with the professional Macduff. Again, she whispered, "he is better than me" as she watched him; again, my recollection in watching it was just how very good she had been. As always, it is most awesome to watch both girls mouthing so many of the lines along with the actors; oh how we love the gory drama of this one!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Book Club: Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Lizzy Eating - Cool-Gross Shots
We're still over-the-moon crazy about little Lizzy the lizard. I am particularly excited when I see her eat as it is of course evidence that she is thriving.
Couldn't resist these cool-gross photos of her capture of a particularly large cricket. Can't help feeling sorry for the cricket, either. But watching it sparked an interesting conversation about nature, which so often is glamorized as ideal and even in some cases deified, whereas the reality is that it can be very violent and often not imbued with the better attributes to which humans aspire. I love nature, love spending time in it, integrating it into my daily life, appreciating its beauty, and learning about its wonders. I also know that humans are called to be more and better than animals, to rise above our instincts and to seek improvement. This lesson seems pretty obvious, but worth clarifying since the all-nature perspective seems to be dominating in public consciousness of late.
Couldn't resist these cool-gross photos of her capture of a particularly large cricket. Can't help feeling sorry for the cricket, either. But watching it sparked an interesting conversation about nature, which so often is glamorized as ideal and even in some cases deified, whereas the reality is that it can be very violent and often not imbued with the better attributes to which humans aspire. I love nature, love spending time in it, integrating it into my daily life, appreciating its beauty, and learning about its wonders. I also know that humans are called to be more and better than animals, to rise above our instincts and to seek improvement. This lesson seems pretty obvious, but worth clarifying since the all-nature perspective seems to be dominating in public consciousness of late.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Wonderful Wild Day
We had a permaculture specialist to begin to teach us about gardening effectively; she had a few school-ish tendencies that slowed the pace to the point where the kids were irritated, but was clearly energetic and lovely, so we have hope that with some tweaks, her expertise will be better communicated next time. Despite some hiccups, it was a lovely day of outdoor fun with friends; what more can you ask?
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Introductions |
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Nature journaling time (or time to hide from the camera if you are K and finger knit if you are G) |
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Trap door spiders abound |
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Pure joy on a rope swing |
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K was proud that she got up the nerve to jump off of this rock into deep and cold water. |
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Swimming and playing in a nearby creek |
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Thinkering Begins Again
If you find science experiments on the stove next to your scrambled eggs, it must be the first day of Thinkering. The older kids started with world music, writing, and theater and the younger kids had science, pottery, and then joined the older ones for theater. A fantastic day that G deemed "the best ever." K said, "I can't wait 'till next week!"
We welcomed new friends in each group and had a great time seeing many old friends, too.






Monday, September 2, 2013
Greek Festival
It may be in its 43rd year, but it was our first visit and we were impressed with how busy and populated it was. The kids enjoyed a play about Persephone's descent into Hades and we also caught of bit of Greek dancing with impressive costumes. I would have liked to do the church tour since the interior apparently has incredible mosaics, but the girls were done and we walked home instead, a being ordinary together experience that always carries a fabulousness of its own.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
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