Julie's off to camp!

Someone was excited Monday to be going off to camp this week.

First swim of the year

With the pool at a bone-chilling 58 degrees. She said her toes were turning blue.

The Crucible open house

Yesterday we went to the spring open house to The Crucible, an industrial and fine arts non-profit located in a 54,000 sq ft. building in West Oakland. It's pretty much what we thought -- every imaginable art form tucked away in a different corner: ceramics, blacksmithing, glass blowing, neon sculpture, jewelry making, arc welding, wood working, robotics, etc. We wanted to see what struck the kids imagination, and while Julie seemed to jump right in, Nate was more wary until it came to the glass blowing exhibit where we saw a team blowing glass into a metal sculpture. I'm hoping they both want to attend a summer camp, but if not, Gina and I will try our hand at something there.

Anniversary #13

Dinner at The Peasant and the Pear.

Easter 2015

Spring Break

The calendar said spring break, but it felt more like summer in the mountains. Gina and I restricted ourselves to the lightest of work duties  on the first day(installed new light fixture, programmed new thermostat, set up new audio soundbar), and then it was all play: walking around the lake across the road, doing a walking tour at Moaning Cavern, hikes on the Arnold Rim Trail and Big Trees park, dinners out, tennis, wine tasting, and of course lots of pool playing. Few people were in town or on the roads, and the only crowds we saw were at the cavern. Even still, that was my highlight with the tight walk down the stairs, and then in the middle of the biggest cavern, the long spiral staircase made out of a WWI battleship. The kids seemed to like the picnic and hikes along the rivers in Big Trees park, even though Nate ended up taking an unexpected bath and Julie and I decided it was too cold to stay in for long. Caspian, as always, was the perfect car companion, albeit a little messy in the cabin.