Chevron Family Theater Festival

A lil bit 'a culture in Walnut Creek! The atmosphere of the festival was wonderful. Next to the great shows there were family-friendly activities and entertainers on every corner. Maarten was very excited especially about all the pirate stuff and he proudly wore his black pirate hat. At first I wanted to stay the whole day but after all I was glad that Rob arranged the tickets only for the morning shows. I don’t believe Maarten would be able to pay attention to more than that.

Hummingbirds and Tomatoes

Despite some dead bushes there are some very nice flowers in our backyard. The tiny hummingbirds come every evening to drink the nectar from the beautiful clematis blossoms.



My gardening turned out to be pretty successful this summer and since a couple of weeks we are harvesting delicious tomatoes. Unfortunately also Maarten noticed the heavy-bearing tomato plants. Especially the cherry ones are his favorites. And of course he doesn't care if they are ripe or not...



Disappointment of the day: an allergic reaction to...whatever?

Summer Fever

The swimming classes are over and I DON’T miss it. I don’t know if it is San Ramon climate or it is just this year’s weather but this summer we have the fog almost every morning. Sometimes it was really unpleasant at the pool. I was not much impressed by the running of the class either. The instructors, high school students, were frozen as well and not much in the mood of teaching the children how to swim. Another issue was the dressing room. Here it’s common to dress already baby girls in swimsuits or give them a bra! Also all the little girls would change their clothes under a towel hold by their mom's. But not the grandma’s! They would promenade all over proud and completely naked. It is prohibited to take boys above 5 years into the women’s dressing room. But how would you do it with your little boy? O.K. so they all go to the women changing room with their mom’s. And also they are changed hidden in a towel. But where should the swimming adults change? I don’t know! I just noticed it was not very welcome by the non swimming mom’s when an adult had to change.
Anyway not very pleasant experience and we’ve been into this for two weeks every day.
I and Maarten still have other nice things on our schedule this summer. There is almost no time left for a day at the park or for a play date.

The day before yesterday Maarten had a sudden fever 103.1 °F (39.5 °C). His first fever ever! I wouldn’t recognize it at his behavior. He was cheerful, active and eating like always. And luckily how the temperature suddenly raised so quick it dropped again.

Russian Gulch SP (12 - 15 July)

Thursday July 12th
Music Together with Daddy
Russian Gulch SP


Thursday means the ‘Tori-day’ for Maarten. So before our next trip to the North Coast we didn’t want him to miss his favorite music teacher. This time his dad accompanied him in the class. It’s a shame Rob can’t do it more often since they both had such a great time together.

According to the MapQuest.com (for the driving direction) we took the longer but the fastest route. But after exiting the highway 101 in Willits and taking the CA-20 through the Jackson State Forest we were just turning around and around in the never ending twisting curves without making any progress. Despite of that the woods are just beautiful out there.
Anyway we arrived safely at the campground of the Russian Gulch SP. I was a bit concerned about the possible disturbing noise from the Highway 1 because the campground supposed to be just under the concrete bridge that spans the gulch. Luckily this information was not right.


The campground is nestled in a heavily forested quiet canyon at the bank of the Russian Gulch Creek.

The big ferns and even bigger redwoods, blackberry and raspberry shrubs and the bubbling creek made our secluded site a very green and natural setting. And what a wildlife! The colourfull birds are everywhere and next to the chipmunks there are many little rabbits frolicking around the shrubs.

The creek was of course very tempting to our Maarten who couldn’t stay away from it for a second. Luckily only his mug with Gold Fishes ended up down there (I had to jump in and get it out of course...).


What I love so much at the north coast is that here you have it both: the mysterious ancient forest next to the rough coastline with abandoned beaches.
From the campground you can walk to the beach just across the stream under the bridge. This beach is very calm and safe for our watergreedy son.



Friday July 13th
Fern Canyon and Waterfall Trail



A nice hike through the redwoods took us to the Russian Gulch Falls, a waterfall falling into a rock basin.


Maarten can already manage to walk by himself at least 2 miles but he understands that the back carrier is also a good option when he gets tired. So he is quite satisfied to be carried and does not protest like he used to a few months ago.


While having a picnic at the falls a little chipmunk kept us company. It was a challenge to keep Maarten away from the steep walls of the waterfall since he wanted to chase after this little fellow everywhere.

Saturday July 14th
Birthday at Mendocino
Mendocino Headlands



I should have been at my best today but!...besides that Maarten woke up at 4.30 this morning, there was a couple of raccoons playing/hunting/splashing at the creek which kept me awake almost the whole night.
Anyway...according to the Frog ( Maartens favorite from the book of Max Velthuis, Kikker en een heel bijzondere dag) a cake is a necessity at someone’s birhtday. Maarten would sing for me in the morning and straight afterwards he asked about the cake!
I guess the only place where to get it is the town of Mendocino.


Maarten above the sandy home of the bumblebee colony at the Mendocino Headlands.





Getting enough hungry after a nice walk at the foggy Mendocino Headlands we were searching the Lansing Street for the Meno Burgers to try the recommended veggie burger.

And afterwards just next door a cake at the bakery!







About Mendocino: I liked the wooden houses and the blossoming colorfull cottage gardens. But the most remarkable? I’ve never seen so many flower-power-people together. O.K. except for our family vacations to the past DDR (East Germany) in the early 70’s. To see them in their late sixties with the grey braids wearing the tie dyed clothing was pretty exceptional and interesting. I believe it belongs to the far north since we’ve already noticed some Hippies last summer at the Redwood Coast.

Sunday July 15th
Russian Gulch Headlands



From the Russian Gulch Headlands you get fine views of the Mendocino Headlands. In my opinion the headlands of the Russian Gulch SP are even more spectacular than those of Mendocino. The rock formations are fantastic, the flowers are ubiquitous and there are the sea caves and blowholes everywhere. The path of the Headland Trail does follow the cliffs very closely so I was very much concerned about the safety of our little rascal. Sometimes I had problems myself having high anxiety at the bluffs.

The highlight here is the Devils Punchbowl. This large collapsed sea cave with whirling water acts as a blowhole which is especially spectacular at the high tide.

It was partly foggy which made the whole scenery even more dramatic.

Sum up our big weekend couldn’t end up better!

PS: Back home there was a mysterious package at the door. It was traveling more than one month and it contains all kinds of the yummy Dutch stuff. Unfortunately there is no note at all so we don’t really know where and from who it is coming. Anyway it is a nice surprise and we will enjoy it. Thanks!

Pisces

The summer section of swimming classes has started. Maarten is oooh all so excited to swim every day! I don’t know why he is that much crazy about being in the water? Maybe because he is a Fish? I don’t mind that at all it’s just almost impossible to keep him away from whatever kind of puddle. The classes have just started and he already jumped a several times at my head since he couldn’t wait a second till I could make a step back. We parents ‘should be careful so our little ones will not go under the water so they will not get scared of it’! Right! What’s wrong with Maarten than?
Before the class starts he always tries to get into the water no matter where. And even normally I can manage him easily this is not the case at the swim center. Sometimes there are more of us chasing him around the two large pools. Today he won! He jumped in at the very deepest spot. I had no choice. I had to just jump after him dressed…

PS: Beside that it is raining tonight! we had a fire in the family room. Loud bangs and booms together with big flames were coming out of the usually very peaceful candle vase. The flames have actually reached the decorative string and the pout pourri (oops!)

Another hot day

This is how I’ve found Maarten early this morning playing in the garden. I hope the heat will not last any longer since already now he considers everything and sees everywhere a puma or a pelican...

Sonoma Coast (1 - 4 July)

July 1st
Bodega Dunes Campground
South Salmon Creek Beach
It was not easy to find a substitute for our trip to Emerald Bay SP. There was nothing available anymore of course. Luckily we found a few campgrounds with still available sites and we even booked at Anchor Bay but…I’ve found out that our potential site is between huge RV’s! Not really my style of going camping. Finally we’ve ended up at the Bodega Dunes like a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately also there it was already full for the weekend so our short vacation could start on Sunday afternoon. Our departure was not very promising. Yet in our street the car started to make loud unhealthy noise. It turned out to be a long piece of tape stuck on the one of the tires. And just before the city line of San Ramon we realized we forgot to turn of the computer….should I go on?
Afterwards we had a wonderful time at the Sonoma Coast again even though there was obviously ‘different kind of campers’ this time because of the 4th of July celebration. Call me asocial but I really don’t appreciate loud music coming from the speakers of the neighbor’s truck doors. Luckily there were just very few moments like that!
On Sunday we just relaxed at the beach next to our campground.

July 2nd
Vista Point
Russian Gulch Beach

The beautiful Sonoma Coast actually consists of series of beaches that are separated by rocky bluffs. On Monday we finally could explore it. We drove some 17 miles to the Sonoma Coast most northern point and took the Vista Point Trail. The view was great we could even spot the Point Reyes seashore in the far-away distance.
Driving back I insisted on making a stop at the Russian Gulch Beach which looked so desolated from the highway. Already by taking the exit to the gravel road I understood why. It was not that easy accessible like the other beaches.
You have to walk some hundred meters (109,4 yards) through a long green dark tunnel of brush and trees and then take another hundred meter down the gravel bed of a dried up creek and finally over the sand dune you’ll get to the water. It was kind of adventurous.
The beach was stunning nestled between two rocky headlands and indeed there was nobody there. I would say keep it so ;-)

PS: Our treasure we’ve found at the Russian Gulch beach.





July 3rd
Arched Rock
Goat Rock Beach
Russian River mouth
Shell Beach
Maarten wanted to see the seals so our first stop today was at the Goat Rock Beach. We had to walk to the mouth of the Russian River where the defenseless seal pups are waiting for their feeding mothers. Till now we were lucky with the weather. It was breezy but plenty of sunshine. Watching the seals we noticed a dark fog line on the sea horizon and within a few minutes a thick fog rose from the sea and was penetrating further inland.
Within seconds we couldn’t see much from the beautiful rocky shore. Being a bit disappointed we jumped into the car and drove to our next stop at the Shell Beach. It was still very foggy but we were surprised how warm it was there. And unbelievable it was no wind there at all!
We were lucky to arrive during the low tide and could observe the life in the tide pools.
Also this beach was almost abandoned. This sea otter was not afraid to come so close to eat his catch.
It is actually not much of sandy beach there just a lot of rocks which gives it a dramatic look. Within less than an hour the fog was gone again and without the breeze it turned to be even too hot in the sun.
Well we got enough wind the night afterwards. The wind was freezing and really howling the whole night.


July 4rd
Time to leave for home again. The beach was very busy with a lot of partying people and a lot of colorful kites.
It was pleasant to cool down at the seashore since there is above 100 °F (38 °C) in San Ramon these days!
These heats can make you really tired. In the evening we hardly made it to see the fireworks from our backyard ;-) This was actually the first time we’ve noticed something of the 4th of July celebration since last year we were somewhere deep in the quiet woods…