Garber Park

On Sunday, we took a spur-of-the-moment outing to Garber Park. Garber Park is located in Oakland, and is about 2.5 miles away from our apartment, up into the hills. We got a little lost finding the trailhead since it is located at the end of a dead-end street, and there are multiple signs telling you not to go down the streets since there is nothing there. I think this is a park that doesn't want to be found, and we were very lucky to find it! Not only is the drive to the park beautiful, reminiscent of the skinny streets and Mediterranean villas of southern Spain (less the goats), but the trail is full of surprises! We found plants that look like Queen Anne's Lace, but were taller than me! There were ferns, wildflowers, and a rushing creek. The kids had fun squeezing through the trail, and getting lost inside dense foliage where plants had grown much taller than them. Also, we were all alone on the trail, which I believe is a rare experience for such a populated area. The trail is short and easy to hike (about one mile with a few switchbacks), and was definitely a treat to end our busy Sunday!

Oakland Zoo

Today, I took the kids on a surprise trip to the Oakland Zoo. It was the first time this year that I had driven on an expressway, but with TomTom on my iPhone, it wasn't so terrible. The zoo is small and easy to see in half a day. What I really liked is the barrier-free viewing for most of the animals, and also how much space the animals had. There are even some animals that can only be seen on a chairlift or on a train, so these animals definitely have a happy, mostly people-free habitat to hang out in.

The giraffes, gazelles, and elephants were definitely the most captivating. The kids were just amazed about how big they were. In every exhibit, the kids were interested in the diet of each animal, and in particular, which animals were herbivores (and why others were not). The children's section of the zoo was full of slides, tunnels, and a small water feature to play in. We tried to go to the petting zoo, but Ruffie had a freak-out and didn't want to go anywhere near the goats that greeted us at the entry. There was an exhibit full of different species of birds (usually my favorite exhibit at the zoo), but it was small and difficult to see the birds inside, which made me sad.

There are also several rides at the zoo, which I don't like at all. Technically, the rides are directly outside the gates of the zoo, but the kids could see them. Pru asked the little kids, "Do you really think that Mommy would let us go on rides?" All the little ones chimed in with, "No!", "Rides aren't healthy!", and, "You will get killed!". Well, they might have overreacted a little bit, but at least they didn't beg me to go on any rides.

This day will always be special for us since it was Cecil's first birthday! I let him walk around parts of the zoo on his own, and he was most interested in the small copper insects that were embedded into the concrete side walk. No matter how hard he tried to pick them up, they didn't budge! The only animal that caught his fancy was a huge goat that had climbed onto a pile of rocks in the petting zoo. Besides that goat, Cecil seemed pretty blasé about all of the animals. After the zoo, we celebrated his birthday by getting a scoop of John's $1 ice cream. Of course, Cecil had none. Poor Cecil!

Cal Day

Today was Cal Day! On Cal Day, the entire campus is open to everyone, with over 300 activities being hosted by various departments.

We started at the Valley Life Sciences Building, and everyone had a blast with all of the activities and exhibits that were there. We learned about how to gather and identify mushrooms and lichen, and this kept the kids captivated and asking questions for a long time. I just couldn't believe how interested they were about these - I guess our regular hikes have really spiked their interest! The Cal grad students even seemed surprised about the children's numerous observations and questions about lichen, and we all learned a lot. Next time we go on a hike we are going to collect samples, do pressings of botanicals in the field, make spore prints of mushrooms at home, and really appreciate and observe all of the lichen.

The kids also loved touching and observing sea creatures that were collected from nearby Monterey Bay. (The sea lemon was just so cute!) We also visited the Museum of Vertebrae Zoology and the Herbaria, both located in the building. These areas are closed to the public all year except for on Cal Day (or for research with an appointment) and we were lucky to see them! I had to endure a million questions of the form, "Is that dead?" (Yes, this animal is dead...) I think the kids were just amazed how life-like a toad can be, even when it is in a jar of formaldehyde. The huge Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton was also pretty cool, but I was quite taken with the life-sized origami one.

We also saw a snake dissection! I wasn't exactly sure how the children would feel about this, but they all enjoyed it. There was an already dissected lizard with all of its guts everywhere on the same table, and I think this experience made the kids really think about how amazing our own bodies are.

We also hung out with mechanical engineers, computer scientists, and Oski (the Cal Bear). The kids sat on the Cal Victory Cannon, and we tried to see a pottery wheel demonstration (but I'm convinced it was just in the program to get people to buy art students' pottery). Go Bears!

Berkeley Bay Festival

Today I took the two little ones to the Berkeley Bay Festival. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out the bus service in Berkeley, and we found it so easy to grab a bus near our flat and travel to the Marina. For only $2.10, we had a clean and fun ride, and also had some interesting conversations along the way.

The first thing we did was walk down a very long fishing pier way out into the bay. From the pier you have amazing views of mountains, San Francisco, Oakland, and the Berkeley hills. The pier is mostly used by fisherman, but we did see a few people strolling up and down it as we were. We then went onwards to the festival. The festival was not my thing, but we did see a man juggling fire, and doing other crazy tricks. He wasn't very good, but he did make me laugh. Rosie and Cecil were unamused.

Rosie insisted that we go to the playground, so I signed the waiver form and we entered Adventure Playground. This playground is like no other! Children build their own play equipment out of wood scraps, saws, nails, and paint. You earn building supplies by identifying hazards on the playground (like nails sticking out of a piece of wood). (Helicopter parents - don't go here!) I do think this playground is pretty cool, but Rosie was overwhelmed on her own. We are going to have to visit again with all of the kids so that they can work together on building their own creation. (I also think it would be fun to saw a piano right in half - this will be Mommy's creative release next time.)

After our crazy playground experience, I let Rosie and Cecil play on a normal playground. Rosie went down a few slides, and Cecil ate a lot of sand. It is so comforting knowing that the hippie mom next to me thinks it's cool that Cecil eats sand. We both have a "Children - go free!" philosophy.

We walked home from the Marina, and both the kids slept while I took pictures and enjoyed some peace and quiet.

Cecil Walks

Cecil is walking - he took his first steps on Thursday! I think his grand plan is to try to run away from me so that he can eat all of the band aids and gum wrappers he can find on the playground; yum!

Willard Park

Yesterday we visited nearby Willard Park. The park has tennis courts, a playground, and a big green space for picnicking or for practicing standing on your head (as we saw one woman doing). The big kids especially love the tire swing, and the inclined ramp for speeding down in one of the many kid buggies left at the playground. Cecil had fun getting stuck between two wooden posts, and making a few baby friends in the sandbox. We also found a big bench made of concrete and broken dinnerware.

After hanging at the playground, Grandpa Tab and Marianne arrived for their big visit! This morning we had a super fun fire drill, and then took a big walk downtown, through the Berkeley hills, and then onto campus, stopping at Codornices Park for a few rides on the crazy concrete slide. We also ate dinner at the Saturn Cafe (a vegetarian diner). Spring Break for the kids (and I) has been full of adventures so far... and Aunt Audrey is coming tomorrow!

Hearst Museum of Anthropology

Today we visited UC Berkeley's Hearst Museum of Anthropology. This free museum is definitely a hidden gem, especially if you are interested in the native people of California. Our visit coincided perfectly with Pru learning about Ishi, the last Native American from California, who lived outside of American culture until his mid-forties. Pru was so excited to see arrowheads, baskets, and other things made by Ishi after he was found and went to live inside a museum.

The museum is very small, and consists of two rooms that are divided into several sections. Ruffie loved the dugout canoe, Rosie seemed perplexed by the mummified crocodiles (from Egypt), and Cecil was terrified by some tall wooden statues. Pru and Jan spent some time trying to figure out an ancient Egyptian game (that Pru recalled playing with her classmates in Egypt) in a small kids' section.

On our way to the museum, we saw a bike race, which entertained all of us. After the museum, we took a nice walk up and down College Avenue, looking through the fancy shop windows, and peering into the coffee shops full of students. Pru said that she can't wait to attend university and study all day and night just like the students we saw today... she just can't wait to grow up!