Spiderlings

 

I gently flicked what I thought was a large dried flower on our shrubs, but it turned into a squirmy sea of yellow spiderlings clustered together.

Berkeley

 

 

 

 

After missing out on Tilden Park's steam train the day before, we drove straight from the hotel to the park, and good thing we were early. It was packed. Afterwards we swung by the vivarium in Berkeley to look at the snakes, lizards and turtles. One of the employees was picking out a snake for a customer, then to Nate's surprise he said "here, hold this for me" and placed a long corn snake Nate's arms. You've never seen a happier boy, perhaps because he sleeps with a stuffed snake every night. Unfortunately it over all too quickly and as we passed two (slightly older) boys getting snakes, we heard nothing but whines, pleads and cries of needing a snake at home.

Orinda

 

 

 

 

Friday we spent the day (and night) in the East Bay looking around Orinda, Lafayette and Walnut Creek. We started with a picnic lunch in Tilden Park, only to find the steam trains closed until the weekend. After driving by a few homes, we found a park to let the energy out, then made our way to a very pleasant hotel stay in Walnut Creek. Not much sleep that night since Nate & Julie shared a bed, but sleep is overrated when you're four.

Miniature Golf

Another attempt at miniature golf, a short five minute drive from our house. Nate sliced at the shots like a butcher trying to stab a steer, and Julie gave up altogether after hole #2 (of 18). At this point, it was adult vs. adult, and I'm not too proud to say that I won. I'm just thankful nobody sliced a shot into the baby ducks next to hole #12.

Joey's #5 Birthday

Went to Pleasanton on Saturday to celebrate Joe's 5th birthday (April 10 like Grandma Dawson!). Was lots of fun to see the cousins, play in the backyard, and help Joe eat cake and open presents. Definitely a four wheeled theme.

Encore! Encore!

Nate and Julie love to put on "shows"...this one complete with audience that they arranged for best viewing.

Russian Ridge bike ride

I took the day yesterday for some quiet contemplation and sweaty exertion by doing a 9 mile loop around Russian Ridge preserve just off Page Mill road. No mountain lions, but lots of skittery lizards, deer, and spring flowers.

Winery work (and I mean WORK)

I spent the day Thursday volunteering at the production/cellar facilities of Thomas Fogarty winery in Woodside. I now have a new, grand appreciation for the manual labor involved during a winery's "off season" period. As barrels were being racked to a huge stainless steel variable capacity tank, we moved the barrels (mainly Nadalie french oak, same as my last vintage) outside to capture any remaining lees and do an interior/exterior cleaning. The steam on the picture above is from the rotating hot water spray inside a barrel which was then followed by an ozone+water wash for sterilization. It was wet, exhausting work, but everyone there including the winemakers were more than happy to answer my continuous newbie questions. And the view and fresh ocean air from the ridge couldn't be beat.

Nate's Poem

As dictated to me the other day:

Happiest Day

We love you
And me and snakes

You and me

Eat, Eat as fast
as you can,
Until your belly is
gigantic.

You and me
And love
And the end.

New bikes

 

 

Google Visit, continued

 

 

 

 

More Google pics, including one of my favorite logos, the fractals.

Google visit

 

 

 

 

I brought Nate to work last Sunday as I tied up some loose ends and cleared my spot. My coworkers threw a very nice surprise going away party / wine tasting, and I wanted to bring home their signed Google print. So this was my last chance to expose Nate to everything the campus had to offer: free food, legos galore, Spaceship One, colored balls, and of course the dinosaur next to our volleyball court. When I told Nate there had been a big debate at work whether it was a Tyranosaurus Rex or an Allosaurus, Nate explained that Allosaurus has three fingered hands and T-Rex has two fingered hands, so we were looking at a T-Rex. (He's right.) Smart kid, I almost had him drop off his resume.

Tulips

 

We love spring!

Hiller Aviation Museum

 

 

 

 

Another year, another European model train exibit at the Hiller Aviation Museum at the San Carlos airport. Gina and I weathered the stormy seas of toddler impatience and short attention spans, but with our second visit we knew which exhibits to visit first (ie, anything that moves). The favorites seemed to be the electric model trains in the lobby, the 767 cockpit, hovercraft simulation, biplane simulation, and that's about it. No one seemed to like the hollowed out Concorde jet as much as me.

Starfall

 

Nate and Julie's new discovery is www.starfall.com, their first bonafide online computer learning addiction. Recommended by some other parents at work, it's a pretty good review of letters and basic reading, not to mention those oh-so-essential computer mouse skills.