We Wouldn't Trade One Single Day

Ferry to Sausalito. They say half of the fun in going to Sausalito (an arts & sailing centric town in the North of the Golden Gate Bridge), is the ferry ride over there. So true.

This just might be the closest we'll ever get to taking the kids on a cruise. They loved the relentlessly strong wind blasting through the Golden Gate and were surprised that our ferry held 200 bikes in addition to all the people.



You see, a popular thing to do around here is to ride a bike from one end of the Embarcadero (Pier 1 to Pier 39) go to Ghiradelli, ride across the bridge to the birthplace of mountain biking (the Marin Headlands), down into stunningly beautiful Sausalito and then take the ferry back to the city.



Beretta Nate & Beretta John. For all you younger folk, you'll not understand this, unless you watch retro TV. One of the most inspirational TV shows of the 70s was Beretta. It was right there with CHiPs. (BTW, I still feel like I'm LIVING in CHiPs when I see them on the freeway here), certainly not to be outdone by Starsky & Hutch) was Beretta. Dude rolled with a Cockatoo. I can't say that this would happen in today's world, but it WAS pretty clever back then.

While in Sausalito, there was an entrepreneurial mate (actually seemed like a former hippie) who had fashioned a very large tube with many mirrors inside, and a white cloth hung on the end. He would invite kids to look in one end and he would prop up his cockatoo in the other end, creating the kaleidoscopic imagery for your viewing pleasure.


He called it "psycho therapy machine" a "cure for childhood boredom" and a "phobia clinic" all in one. Of course, he was also a mime, no words were exchanged. Just sheer amazement. His literature claimed this was one of the most ancient of all art forms. To me, it just seemed like a killer time to feel what Beretta must have felt.

The kids loved charming Sausalito. They love getting out of the house and seeing anything new--which is pretty easy to do. Sausalito is a place that is easy to love--quaint little seaside small sailboat town, mellow, artsy, Italian gellato, fun.

They get way sick of us taking pictures all the time in the house, so we take them out of the house to take them.


Mom & Dad Call Visit. I might add that Mom & Dad Call came out to visit for about a week and did the whole Sausalito venture with us.


They, Julia and all the kids jetted over to Half Moon Bay to the beach and had a fine time. They flew Ben's amazing kite, got pounded into the beach by the waves, and Caroline ate a lot of sand.

Yosemite. About 10 miles South of Yosemite, near Oakhurst our great neighbors Karen & Andrew Newman have a cabin. They invited us to cruise up there for a week. Of course, it's the most crazy busy time of the year for me at work so Julia and the kids went and had a great time while I slaved at work.

This was actually really good b/c every year I'm pretty much gone 24/7 at the end of July as we prep for a big work related conference every August.

They did it all--they swam in Bass Lake, went to Mariposa Grove in Yosemite, (the kids were awestruck by the Grizzly tree, whose branches were as big as the base of the massive oak tree in our backyard).

The kids played in the amazing sand box, went to an old Wells Fargo depot, saw old stagecoaches, played on the massive boulders in the river, they had a great time.

Ella & Ben's Rope Swing. The kids spend hours swinging on this rope. I'm not sure why this is blog worthy, but certainly helps the kids as they show the blog to their friends.

Caroline's Many 1st Birthday Moments. Caroline is officially one and walking from sofa to sofa. She got the full treatment--the traditional birthday morning pancakes, friend party (that would be us--we're her friends), extended family party (with the cousins). She's quite a gal--the kids are enthralled with guiding her and teaching her. She rebels often. Total younger sibling.

We wouldn't trade one single day!