Family Fun

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12 Months of Trails: Piscataway Park and National Colonial Farm

Somehow, I have let almost six weeks go by without telling you about our September hike – whoops!  Truth is, I thought we might be able to squeeze a few hikes into September, and I’d have a selection to choose from, but it ended up being a busy month and we didn’t get out on the trails as much as I’d have liked to.  Ah, well – that’s life, and I’m certainly glad that we made time for a hike in the beginning of the month.  Looking to mix things up, Steve suggested Piscataway Park, an NPS-managed park on the Maryland side of the Potomac, with awesome views of Mount Vernon.  I’m in!

Coming off a successful hike in Joshua Tree National Park, we had high hopes that Peanut would walk the entirety of the comparatively short and easy trail.  As it turned out, it was not her day.  Well – it happens.

Annnnnnnd she ended up here.  Much happier, I might add.  So, it was fine.  We hike for fun, and it’s much easier to have said fun when everyone is happy and no one is whining.  Still would like her on the trails consistently, but she’s only five.  We’ll get there.

As usual, I was rocking Nugget in the hiking backpack.  I’m pretty sure he weighs more than Peanut.  Just saying.

The trail was a pretty pathway through overhanging trees, but what made it particularly engaging was – do you see those signposts?  Each one was a page of a story about a pig who wanted to lay an egg, and all the shade his barnyard friends threw at him.

We took turns reading the story aloud to the kids.  I found the whole thing utterly delightful – the fact of the story being on the trail at all, the barnyard shenanigans – until the end of the story, in which the pig finally hatches his “egg” and it turns out to be a cocoon and the “baby” is a butterfly, and I just, NO.  NO to all of that.  Sorry for spoiling the story, but NO.

Anyway, after a short and easy hike, we reached the payoff – this view of Mount Vernon.  I swear it’s really there.  Sorry for the crummy picture – I snapped it on my phone, as I was hiking without my dSLR.

Our hike finished with time to spare, we decided to stay and poke around the National Colonial Farm, a little historic outpost I had no idea was hiding right across the river from Mount Vernon.

Nugget desperately wanted to play in this garden.  The boy loves plants.

We found a little dock with an even better view of Mount Vernon.

And we made some animal friends.

(Protecting his ladies.)

Why did the chicken cross the road?  Ahem.  Ahem.  Tap, tap.  Is this thing on?

We also met some other residents of the farm.

I derived great enjoyment from trying to make them break character.  (I kept thinking of the Bracebridge Dinner episode of Gilmore Girls, where Lorelai throws a period dinner during a snowstorm at the Independence Inn and Kirk waits at the table – remember that one?  Lorelai makes it her mission to get Kirk to slip up and her refuses, until she finally breaks him with an I Love Lucy reference.)

I never got them to break character, but they did admire my “time travel device” (cell phone) and I had way too much fun wishing them luck with the rebellion.  Their token male was a little unsure about which side to take, but I convinced him that he should join the Patriots and help oust George III.  I think I really bucked him up.

And a good time was had by all.

Have you ever hiked at a historic site?  Do you also like messing with period actors?

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The Fall List 2017

Fall is here, and it’s time to start thinking about all things pumpkin.  Who’s with me?  It’s time for fall squash and circle scarves, puffy vests and apple pies, making holiday plans and sipping hot cinnamon spice tea.  Although I’m never ready to say goodbye to summer, I’m always happy to greet my favorite season of all (although, realistically, we probably have a few more weeks of warm weather before the chill settles in here, which is also fine with me).  Anyway, with that, it’s also time to start dreaming up plans for the season ahead.  This fall, I’d like to…

  • The big one: give a heartfelt Maid of Honor toast at Rebecca’s wedding (while wrangling my little flower girl) in Florida and then dance the night away.
  • The other big one: spend a weekend in New York City and see Hamilton on Broadway!
  • Take the kids apple and pumpkin-picking.
  • Read lots of books from diverse voices.
  • Walk to the farmers’ market and do some seasonal baking with Peanut.
  • Run the Dulles Day on the Runway 5K and the Marine Corps Marathon 10K.
  • Spend some time in Fairacre.
  • Help my bestie  MOVE TO D.C.
  • Take the kids to a children’s Halloween party.
  • Finally start cleaning out and organizing the basement.
  • Take a weekend trip to Shenandoah National Park and help the kids earn Junior Ranger badges.
  • Get an early start on my 2017 family yearbook (instead of waiting until January this year!).
  • Play at Badlands on a bad-weather day.

I can never seem to hold it to ten, can I?  Lucky thirteen things to do this season – but I think all are doable, especially since we are planning to stick closer to home most weekends (with the exception of NYC, Florida, and maybe a quick escape to the mountains) and we plan to spend both Thanksgiving and Christmas at home this year.  It’s going to be a pretty simple season – lots of baking, reading, and family fun – but of course I’ll find a way to keep us all running around no matter what.

What’s on your fall agenda?

 

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California Dreaming 2017: Sibling Time in Carpinteria and Ventura

As we sat down to plan our California trip, there were a few must-do items on our list – and one of those was “hike with Dan and Danielle.”  My brother and sis-in-law are avid hikers, just like us!  In fact, they’re generally more adventurous than we are (I give us a pass for now, since we’re toting little hikers with us).  We compared schedules and decided to hike Joshua Tree together as our big sibling activity for the week.  Well – you might have noticed – our family made it to Joshua Tree, but Dan and Danielle didn’t, due to a snafu with their rental car.  Bummer!  We rolled with it and decided to hike in the Santa Barbara area instead – and luckily, there were plenty of highly regarded hikes to choose from there.  After some hemming and hawing, we decided on the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve and Seal Sanctuary.

We had the parking lot almost to ourselves, so Peanut took advantage of the wide open space and got some spins out of easy mark Aunt Danielle.

As we headed into the park, we saw water views almost immediately.  Yes, please!

Look at that joy!  Aren’t piggyback rides the best?

A word about our child carrying arrangements.  As you’ve seen in previous posts, I had my child carrier with me, which is currently calibrated for Nugget, so he caught a ride.  With limited space in our bags, we made the tough decision to leave Peanut’s carrier at home and to rely on her to walk along with us.  I didn’t know quite how that would go, but it was great.  She hiked more than two miles at Joshua Tree – a long distance for such little legs!  And she walked most of the time at Carpinteria as well, although when she was tired, there were willing shoulders.  I was really proud of how well she did walking throughout the trip, and it’s nice to know that we can start transitioning her away from expecting to ride all the time.

The water views on our left were stunning, but there were some beautiful views on our right, too.

Mountains!  The California mountains are so different from the Adirondacks and Blue Ridge Mountains – my playground in the East – and from the Colorado mountains where Dan and Danielle do most of their adventuring.  I just loved the setting of Santa Barbara, nestled between the mountains and the ocean.  What a place to live, right?

Don’t be fooled by this picture; Peanut is not walking – she’s swinging.  Dan and Danielle, not being parents, thought it was so sweet that she wanted to hold both their hands!  She revealed her ulterior motive very quickly.

Most of the hike went along the railroad tracks, much to Nugget’s delight.  He was even more excited when a train went by!

Look at these people.  I just love them all so much.  Warm fuzzies!

After a short walk, we reached a viewpoint, and it was pretty astonishing.

Way too gorgeous.  There’s nothing quite like the California coastline.  It reminded me of hiking Point Reyes with Steve back in 2009, and of a family trip to Big Sur when I was little.

This was Danielle’s first trip to California.  I think she had a grand adventure.

We wanted to stay and gawk at the view forever, but we had to get on our way.  That’s a thing about hiking with kids – they keep you moving.

Back on the trail!

Fortunately, we had gorgeous views to enjoy while we walked.

Our next stop was the seal sanctuary portion of the nature preserve.  During the seal pup season (December through May) there are hundreds of seals on the beach below the Carpinteria Bluffs.  We were, of course, there in August – so we didn’t expect seal pups.  But we were hoping that if the beach was that popular with the pinniped set, there’d still be a few lounging around.

Strikeout.  Lots of seagulls, though.  The good news?  I’d forgotten my zoom lens back at our aunt and uncle’s house, so I wouldn’t have been able to paparazzi the pinnipeds even if they had been there.  Since they weren’t, I stopped kicking myself for forgetting it.

The seal overlook (that wasn’t) was the end goal of our hike, so we turned around and headed back to the cars.  We were all a little bummed that there were no pinnipeds, but happy to have had time together in a beautiful place – no regrets!

Dan felt sorry that we hadn’t seen any seals, so he did his best imitation.

It’s really a shame that he is always serious and hates fun.

We had some extra time, and we were having fun hanging out together, so we decided to keep the party going (and hopefully see some pinnipeds after all) in Ventura.  Dan and Danielle had been staying on our Uncle Peter’s boat, which is docked in Ventura Harbor, and they said there was a gaggle of sea lions that could be spotted pretty reliably around the Channel Islands National Park visitors’ center.  So we decided that lunch in Ventura Harbor was clearly in order.

Uncle Peter got his boat fairly recently, so I never had a chance to visit Ventura Harbor when we would stay in Santa Barbara on childhood trips.  It was bustling and beautiful.

With just the right amount of kitsch.

It’s too bad that Aunt Danielle is also always serious and hates fun.

Piggyback love was spread around.  Peanut had her turn in Carpinteria, and now Nugget got a chance to ride on Uncle Dan.

It was such a treat to be together in California and get to spend some quality time with Dan and Danielle.  Sorry for the gushing, but I just love this gang so much!

We walked around almost the entire harbor, checking out all of the boats.

And finally, a pinniped sighting!  There were a small group of California sea lions sunning themselves on the docks near the national park visitors’ center, just as Dan and Danielle had promised there would be.

Ahhhhhhh they are so funny and adorable!!!!

After our walk, we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at one of the seafood restaurants right on the harbor, and spent some time exploring the Channel Islands National Park visitors’ center.  Peanut and Nugget rode on dolphin and sea lion statues, because why not, and we all soaked up the family time that we don’t get nearly enough.  The hike may not have gone quite to plan, but any day on the trail with Dan and Danielle is a red letter day.

What is your favorite place to spot wildlife?

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Scenes of a Summer 2017

Ahhhhhh, summer.  You’re almost over – tomorrow is officially the first day of fall.  And while I’m ready to welcome my favorite season, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give my very-close-second favorite the sendoff that it deserves.

I’ve written here before that, while I live in the temperate Mid-Atlantic region now, I still have something of a New York mentality when it comes to summer fun.  I’m used to waiting impatiently all year for what inevitably turns out to be far too short of a warm season, and to squeezing every minute of fun that I can possibly get out of these few months of the year.  Even in Virginia, where the days are long and warm into October, I can’t help myself – I pack every weekend with activity and drag the family out to make memories several times a week.  Someone stop me!

On Memorial Day weekend, we welcomed the high summer season with a visit to a lavender farm, a stroll through Jones Point Park, and lots of pleasant wandering around Old Town.  We made the rounds of the playgrounds and ate delicious Mexican food with Zan and Paul, who were in town visiting.

The next weekend, Steve went out of town for a boys’ getaway to celebrate a friend’s fortieth birthday.  I was on solo parent duty and spent most of the five days of his absence running to and from the nanny, school and work – and then Peanut came down with a vicious case of strep.  No fun at all!  But we did manage to get out for some fun on that Saturday.  I might be insane, but I took both kids to the zoo by myself.  We visited with the great cats, pandas, elephants and more and the kids had way too much fun in the splash pad.

As soon as Steve returned, I left – for two days of practice group meetings at my firm’s Chicago office.  It was mostly workshops and networking, but I did manage to squeeze in a little time for myself.  I set my alarm early on Friday morning and headed out for just shy of four miles of Chicago sightseeing before making my way to the office and then the airport.

With a couple of weeks to spend at home before our travel schedule heated up, we explored the summer fun in northern Virginia.  We put in some quality time at our local community pool and found a new favorite activity – the splash pad!  We were there almost every weekend, unless we were out of town.

And we also spent a lot of time here – on the back patio, tending to our garden.  It was a little slapstick sometimes, but we had fun and learned some stuff.

In late June, summer travel began in earnest!  We spent a weekend on Virginia Beach visiting with my BFF Rebecca, her fiancé Eric, and their family.  We even got to be there to wish a certain Buffalo friend’s little nephew a happy second birthday in person, and to see his mom’s adorable baby bump!  (Congratulations on your upcoming promotion to big brother status, Hudson!)

And just two weeks later, we packed up the car again and headed to New York for the fourth of July weekend, which we spent at my parents’ Adirondack camp.  Nothing better!

We hiked at Grafton State Park with my friend Christine (and Nugget tried to launch one of the rescue kayaks).

Climbed our third Adirondack high peak.

Took the kayak out for a paddle on the Sacandaga… (#paddlethedacks)

Sailed with my cousin Jocelyn and some family friends…

Rambunctiously wished America a happy birthday…

And stared in awe at a golden Adirondack sunset.

The very next weekend, we spent the day at a motor sports park in West Virginia watching Steve race a Porsche supercar around their track – his “big” Christmas present from 2016.  He absolutely loved it – and so did Nugget, who has proudly been telling everyone we meet that his daddy drives race cars.

We kept the paddling fun coming at Fletcher’s Cove – now that we knew the kids could be trusted to duff, there was no keeping us off the water!

And – kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk! – we picked blueberries at Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, Maryland…

Which were later turned into pie.

We swam in the community pool a lot.

And then we flew to California for the wedding of a dear friend, followed by a family reunion!

We had some epic adventures (stories continue every Friday!)…

And flew home over the Grand Canyon.

We visited with our heroes.

And we bid farewell to summer from the sunflower fields.

Bon voyage, summer of ’17!  You’ve been sun-baked and sweet.  And now, fall, you can start anytime.

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California Dreaming 2017: Beach, Botanic Gardens, and Birthday

On Peanut’s fifth birthday, we woke up with two thoughts on our minds: (1) give the birthday girl ALL the snuggles; and (2) watch the solar eclipse!  Santa Barbara was nowhere near the path of totality, but we still wanted to tune in for the show that all of America was going crazy for.  So we swiped my Uncle Peter’s eclipse glasses (he was out at Channel Islands with my brother and sister-in-law) and headed for Goleta Beach, the nearest sandy spot to my Uncle Peter and Aunt Kathy’s home.

It was a pretty cool show!  Even though it was only a partial eclipse where we were, Steve and I both enjoyed peering through the eclipse glasses.  The birthday girl, predictably, wanted nothing to do with the eclipse.

Little bro took a look for a minute, but I don’t know how much he really saw.  He shoved the glasses off his face and asked to walk the pier instead.  Okay, little guy – you win!

We walked all the way out to the end of the Goleta Pier and looked back over the water at the pretty palm trees and the gorgeous mountains in the background.  It was a cloudy morning – but that can be better for beaching it with little ones; less worry about them turning into little lobsters.

We had a nice morning digging in the sand and climbing the rocks, then headed back to my aunt and uncle’s house for lunch.  After an aborted naptime attempt, we were out the door to our afternoon activity.  When planning the trip, I knew I wanted to do something extra-special on Peanut’s birthday – something that would reflect my favorite girl and her interests.  She loves gardening and flowers, and Santa Barbara has a stunning botanic garden – so that’s where we went!

I’ve been to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden before, but not for about twenty years.  I remembered the beautiful pathways through the meadow, and the cool desert garden…

…but somehow, I’d forgotten the absolutely incredible mountain setting.  The Botanic Gardens were tucked into a hillside and nestled amongst Santa Barbara’s stunning mountains.  How did I not remember this amazing scenery?  (Well, I was fifteen at the time, and responsible for not losing my ten-year-old cousin Jessica – I was the summer childcare arrangement – which was a tall order.  So I guess I was focused on more important things than mountains at the time.)

We meandered through the meadow exhibit first, and I couldn’t stop gushing over the craggy mountains surrounding us.

Met a new friend…

This little guy was smaller than the lizards we saw in Joshua Tree, but no less fascinating!

Peanut found a pond – still her favorite ecosystem!  Some things never change.

After a good ramble around the meadows, we headed down into a ravine to explore the redwood section.  As we walked past the sign, we saw trees towering with their canopies seventy feet above us, just off to our left.  Steve remarked that he was thinking those were pretty tall trees, but nothing that impressive, until he realized that they were growing up from the ravine floor, some 100 feet below.

We strolled down a beautiful path through the stand of California redwoods – another part of the garden I had forgotten from my last visit.  So unbelievably gorgeous!

Beautiful and serene.

After we got our fill of the redwoods we headed back up to explore more of the hillside.

Nugget and I checked out the cactus garden – always one of my favorite spots in any botanic garden.  And then we set off in search of a hidden treasure Steve had heard was tucked away in a corner of the gardens.

Walked past the potting sheds – so pretty and picturesque.

Down a pretty path, through a less-traveled section of the garden, all the way to…

A Japanese tea house, originally built in Kyoto and reassembled painstakingly in Santa Barbara!  According to the garden’s brochure, it is still used for tea ceremonies.  But on the day we visited, it was shut up tightly.  Still such a treat to see.

We had one more stop to make in the garden – a new nature center that was built recently (so, long after my fuzzily-remembered last visit).

Crossed the street and ascended a mountain path – the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens delivered some great hiking!  Up to the nature center, which was closed, but that was fine – we were really there for the view.  This view:

Whoa.  And also this one, too:

Can you believe this place is real?  It’s like something from a beautiful dream.

The hills are aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiive…

Oh, my little loves.  Never a dull moment.

After spending a good half hour running on the lawn, rolling in the grass and gawking at the view, it was time to head back down the hillside for dinner.  Check out that view on the way down!  How many hikes deliver those kind of wonders?  We will definitely be back.

Still reeling from the beauty of the Botanic Gardens, we drove down out of the mountains and into Santa Barbara proper, to meet the rest of the family for Peanut’s birthday dinner.  I had to browbeat everyone a little bit, but I managed to drag the entire family together – my parents, Dan and Danielle, my Uncle Peter and Aunt Kathy, and my cousin Jessica – at a beachfront restaurant in downtown SB.

We were early, so we got to explore the beautiful boardwalk and bike trail area, and to spend some time watching the skateboarders riding in the oceanside skate park.  Nugget was completely fascinated, and Peanut wanted to know where the girl skateboarders were.  (Her first feminist moment?)

Anyway, we had a lovely short walk taking in the beach and ocean and mountain scenery.  Santa Barbara is so gorgeous!  And then, it was time for dinner.

Our group was so big, I couldn’t get everyone in the frame!  Nugget – Peanut – Nana – Aunt Kathy – Uncle Peter – Dan – Danielle (blocked from view) – Jessica – Steve – Grandad.  And Mom behind the lens, as always.

Okay, there they all are.

Nugget made the rounds of the table, and also twisted every single adult arm into accompanying him to view the big aquarium by the hostess station.

But don’t worry – he was back for cake.  The restaurant kindly gifted Peanut with a gigantic slice of mud pie (which was actually the world’s most delicious coffee ice cream confection) and the whole table shared it – after she blew out her candle and made her five-year-old wish, of course.

Happy birthday, one more time, my girl!  I hope you had a great day.  We sure do love you!

 

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Summer Sunflowers

Way back this past spring, when we picked tulips at Burnside Farms, I made a mental note of the farm’s Summer of Sunflowers event.  I wasn’t sure if we would make it out to Haymarket over the summer – even as early as Easter, our summer calendar was filling up.  But I kept the event on my radar just in case it worked out, and as it happened, we had a gorgeous day and an open calendar on Labor Day Monday.  So – off to Haymarket we went, in search of some summer sunflowers!

I was determined to get a few clicks in with my camera.  There is nothing in this world that annoys my children more than when Mom pulls out the dSLR!  But I insisted and made it as quick as possible, and then Nugget was released to the bounce house and Peanut to the sunflower fields, while I followed close behind with the camera still clicking.  (You never know when that perfect Christmas card shot is going to present itself…)

The sunflowers were planted in rows in the same field where we’d picked tulips, and it was absolutely glorious.

I want them allllllllllll…

Each family got one basket to fill with as many sunflowers as they wanted.  Peanut chose the basket, as she did when we picked tulips.  I think she made her decision solely based on which basket would make the best necklace.

Anyway, we made our way through the fields, Peanut pointing out the flowers she wanted and me clipping the chosen blooms with the snips the farm provided.  We each had our minor freak-out moments – me over a butterfly (shudder) and Peanut over a fly that she mistakenly believed to be a bee.  I like to think that I was the more stoic one of the two of us.  (I really was.  Peanut dramatically tried to collapse in the middle of the sunflowers and I had to hold her upright for several minutes, repeating “It’s not a bee.  It’s not a bee.” until she finally snapped out of it and got back to picking.)

Caught her looking.

Eventually the boys joined us again and we picked more blooms as a family.

It’s possible we went a little overboard.  There were just so many beautiful blooms!

 

 

Eventually we got all of our flowers safely back to the tent for processing.  We trimmed the stems, got them in water and paid for them, then were on our way – but not without a quick detour…

 

Every.  Single.  Time.

Brought our blooms home and they’ve been brightening up the kitchen in my favorite vase (a wedding present which has amazingly surprised twelve years of house-moving and kid abuse).

Such a gorgeous day, and a perfect way to bid farewell to summer!  Thanks for the basket of sunshine, Burnside Farms!

Have you ever picked your own flowers?

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California Dreaming 2017 AND 12 Months of Trails: Joshua Tree National Park (August 2017)

Get ready for a massive photobomb of a hiking recap!  When we decided to make California our family vacation for the year, I knew immediately that I wanted to hit the trails and explore another national park or two.  Some quality time spent on nps.gov narrowed the candidates down, and when I checked my schedule I decided that it made sense to include Joshua Tree National Park in our itinerary for the trip.  To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by Joshua Tree.  Of course, I know that any park that has achieved National Park status has been elevated for a reason, so I was sure it would be wonderful.  But my uncle – who lives in California – had sort of downplayed it and I had the idea that Joshua Tree would be one of those places I’d be glad to have visited once, but not feel compelled to return to again and again.

Then I stepped out of the car.

I’d been getting more and more excited as we drove into the desert, and I almost flew out the window when we spotted the first Joshua tree by the side of the road.  But still, I was unprepared for how immediately and completely the desert landscape would grab ahold of my heart and imagination, just feet from the park gate.

I had planned out two short hikes for us to do in the park (and immediately wished we had time for more, and to stay the night – I’m sure the stars are incredible over the desert).  Without skipping a beat, we sunscreened up, collected the kids’ Junior Ranger workbooks, and headed off to our first hike.

Barker Dam is a 1.1 mile loop hike that hits some of the highest points of scenery in the park – historic old structures, sweeping mountain vistas, interesting rock formations, prehistoric petroglyphs, and a veritable forest of Joshua trees.

Yes, I did dress him in that “National Park Explorer” t-shirt on purpose.  Thank you for asking.

We headed down the trail as both kids snacked on applesauce pouches (don’t worry, we packed out all of our trash – leave no trace!).  Just as I was starting to wonder how long this hike was going to take with four little feet on the trail, Nugget asked for “uppy.”  Phew!  Fortunately, I was prepared with my hiking backpack; we’d left Steve’s back in Virginia.

Steve and Peanut continued down the trail ahead of us, keeping a careful watch for flora and fauna to record in Peanut’s Junior Ranger booklet.  Nugget asked me if he could climb the rocks.  I promised to bring him back someday, so we could climb them together.  (And instantly started planning to enroll him in a kids’ climbing course at EarthTreks just as soon as he’s old enough.)

I was in awe of the incredibly cool rock formations, myself – and of the incredible diversity of the desert foliage.  We were really there for the Joshua trees, of course, but we kept an eye out for beautiful cacti, junipers, and other desert plants.  We saw a lot!

So many cool and interesting plants!  Eventually, we climbed through a narrow and technical pass and found ourselves at Barker Dam – the historical landmark for which the hike was named.  It was cool to see one of the oldest structures in the park – but even cooler was the incredible mountain vista beyond it.

Oh, California, you have stolen my heart!

At this point, Steve suggested we “make it an out and back.”  I was reluctant to turn back and see the same scenery over that we had already been through.  We asked a couple of hikers who were doing the loop trail in reverse how it was in the direction from which they’d come, and they assured us that once we got down out of the narrow path, it would be smooth sailing.  We took their word for it, descended some rock stairs, and found that they’d told the truth – the rest of the trail was flat, easy, and completely different from the rock formations we’d been seeing.  Now, we were completely surrounded by the park’s namesake Joshua trees!

I just couldn’t get enough of them.  I knew what Joshua trees were and how they got their name, and I thought they’d be fine but nothing Earth-shattering.  I was completely wrong!  Around every corner, I found myself gasping at new visual splendors.

I was a broken record, but I couldn’t stop stammering out how beautiful this park is.  Joshua trees, as far as the eye can see!  Eventually, we finished the hike – but not before checking out some ancient petroglyphs for one more treat.  Throughout the hike, I had been reminding my companions to “keep your eyes open for rock art!”  As I hiked along, I carefully inspected each boulder for signs of ancient civilization.  Turns out, I could have saved my time and squints, because the park helpfully placed a sign on the trail reading “Petroglyphs 0.3” – well, that was easy!

So amazingly cool.  Peanut approved.

From Barker Dam, we headed to our second hike of the park – Hidden Valley.  (Yes, I thought of ranch dressing.)  The Hidden Valley trail is also about a 1-mile loop, bringing our total mileage to just over two miles for the day – pretty good for an almost-five-year-old.  Peanut was a champ throughout both hikes, and I was so proud of her.  She was inspiring everyone on the trail, and more than one group decided to press on and finish their hikes as we came through with our preschooler on foot and toddler in a backpack.

Anyway, before setting off on the Hidden Valley trail, we reapplied sunscreen, had a quick snack, and Peanut worked on her Junior Ranger book – she had some drawing activities to do – at the picnic tables while Nugget and I gawked at the view across the road (above).

Let’s do the thing!

Hidden Valley was a totally different landscape.  In 1910, an explorer had blasted a hole in a large boulder and slipped through to find a paradise never before seen by human eyes – a hidden valley, lush with all kinds of desert foliage.  It’s still pretty much unspoilt, and a completely different landscape from the Barker Dam hike.  I couldn’t believe how varied the topography was inside the park.

Nugget was chomping at the bit to climb these mountains.  He takes after his mom.

We were keeping our eyes open for cool wildlife throughout both hikes, and we finally saw a little friend.  See him sunning himself?

No?  How about now?

I just couldn’t get enough of Joshua Tree National Park, and I’m so glad we made time for it!

After leaving the park, we stopped at the visitors’ center and collected the kids’ Junior Ranger badges – their first! – and I think I was even more excited than they were.  They were both conked out while we presented our booklets and got their badges, and the park ranger took one look at them – Peanut passed out in Steve’s arms, and Nugget in mine – and deadpanned, “They have to be awake to take the oath.”  Ha!  They very nicely gave us the badges for both kids without making them wake up, and even though Nugget was technically too young (every park’s program is different, but Joshua Tree’s starts at age 4).  The kids were proud and delighted when I showed them their badges later, and have insisted on wearing them regularly so that family and friends can marvel at their accomplishment.

Joshua Tree National Park, you were a delight from the first moment to the last, and I can’t wait to visit again!

What’s your favorite national park?  Shenandoah still has my heart, but Joshua Tree was a joy.

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The Summer List 2017: Final Tally

Well, summer, you’ve been a delight – as always.  It’s my New York mentality, I’m sure, that kicks in every year and makes me desperate to wring every bit of fun possible out of the season.  I know all too well that it won’t last, and dammit, I’m going to fill every second with fun so that I have some warm, sunny memories to look back on when the snow is falling.  That concern is a little less relevant here in D.C. – realistically, it’ll probably only snow once – but old habits die hard.  Here’s how I did on my summer agenda:

  • The BIG one!  Take a family vacation to C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A.  (Tickets are booked, but the rest of the planning looms.)  Done!  We flew out to California for the wedding of a very dear friend and stayed on another week for a family reunion in Santa Barbara.  It was the perfect trip – just the right combination of family and friend time, beach fun, and adventure.  Recaps will be continuing for some time yet, because I have tons of stories for you!

  • Go adventuring on the water.  I’ve got some ideas: whale-watching for one, and a kayak tour of the sea caves at Channel Islands National Park for another.  Done!  The California adventures were in the works when I originally made my summer list, but I’m pleased to report that we did them and they were epic.  Kayaking the sea caves made for a great adventure, and we had an incredible day out whale-watching in the Santa Barbara Channel with the kids and my parents – I can’t wait to tell you all about it!  Closer to home, we got the kids out in kayaks for the first time.  They took their first rides in the Adirondacks over the Fourth of July weekend, and we’ve had fun duffing in D.C., too.

  • Make a homemade tomato tart using tomatoes and herbs that I grow in my garden.  (I’ve planted eight tomato plants.  Something has got to grow.)  Done!  I was on top of my tomato harvesting all summer, in light of the need to stay ahead of the very greedy neighborhood squirrels, and in early August we got enough of a harvest to make my tomato tart dreams a reality.  Peanut and I baked it together – spending time in the kitchen with her has been such a joy this summer – and we made a Ritz cracker crust, herbed mascarpone filling, and topped the tart with homemade tomato-and-herb refrigerator jam.  It was delicious.

  • Visit my parents and get in some quality time with family friends, and spend a day at the lake.  Done!  We escaped to upstate New York and the Adirondacks over the Fourth of July weekend and packed in lots of quality time with family and friends around all the adventuring.  A dear family friend hosted a barbeque for us on Friday evening and invited my high school best friend and her family, and we saw the same family friends at the lake later that weekend – plus my grandmother, my cousin Jocelyn, and my Uncle Jim and his family.  So nice to see everyone, and so nice to spend a couple of days on the Sacandaga.  It’s my happy place.

  • Same trip: bag another Adirondack high peak (or two?).  Done!  Steve and I passed the kids off to my parents one day while we escaped up to the high peaks region for a big adventure – climbing Giant Mountain to bag our third peak.  It was a tough mountain, but we summited and loved every second on Giant.

  • Re-read Jane of Lantern Hill, which will always be a summer book for me.  Done!  It had been years since I’d visited with Jane and Dad.  I’d love to live – or even to spend a few months – in the cozy, welcoming nest Jane creates on Lantern Hill.
  • Take another trip to Little Washington and eat at the Inn, thanks to an incredibly generous gift certificate from the world’s sweetest mother-in-law.
  • Take the kids for bike rides on the Mount Vernon Trail.  (There are a few things that have to happen for me to do this – a tune-up for Blue and Steve’s bike, locating the bike rack – maybe – and helmets for the kids.)

  • Buy a GoPro.  I’ve been wanting one for ages and it’s time to take the plunge – plus we’ll need it for all these adventures.  Done!  We added to the camera arsenal this summer and it was very exciting.  We’re still figuring out everything we can do with the GoPro, learning to create and edit videos with the footage we shoot, and working out some kinks in our filming, but it’s been such a blast.  We took the GoPro sea cave kayaking at Channel Islands National Park – the whole reason we bought it – and it was a game-changer.

  • Spend a weekend on Virginia Beach with my dear friend Rebecca and her family.  Done!  We headed down to the beach in late June for the first trip of our summer, and as expected, we had a wonderful time.  There’s nothing like returning to a beach you already know well.  And it looks like we’ll have more chances to visit VB in the future, since Rebecca had an unexpected – and perfect for her – job opportunity come up in D.C. and will be moving here during the weeks, commuting to the beach on the weekends, instead of pulling up stakes for Florida as originally planned!  I am unreservedly gleeful about this.

  • Keep up the Saturday walks to the farmers’ market and do some baking with seasonal fruit.  I’m calling this one done!  We didn’t get to the farmers’ market as often as I’d hoped we would, since we spent so much time out of town this summer and on the weekends that we were in town, we usually beat the heat at the splash pad on Saturday mornings.  But we did make it to the farmers’ market a few times, and we baked with blueberries that we picked ourselves and tomatoes and herbs that we harvested from our garden.

Well, I’d say that was a VERY good summer.  The only things that didn’t happen were the bike rides on the Mount Vernon Trail (I got a helmet for Nugget, but Peanut needs one too and I ended up getting busy and unable to get back to REI) and the dinner at the Inn at Little Washington (we were just on the go so much that we couldn’t squeeze it in).  But as for the rest of the list – man, did we ever do a LOT.  Three trips (Virginia Beach, the Adirondacks, and California), kayaking adventures, new summits, gardening fun, playdates with friends – it’s been an absolute blast.  We lived it up and enjoyed every moment we got to spend together; I can’t ask for anything more than that!

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California Dreaming 2017: Huntington Beach and Happiness

Who’s ready for some travel recaps?  (Meeeeee!)  I spend a lot of my spare time scheming and dreaming up my next travel adventure, but some years it seems that trips just happen, and this was one of those years.  Many months ago, we learned the happy news that my oldest friend in the world (seriously, our moms started putting us together in the same playpen when he was ten months old and I was six weeks) was getting married!  Adam moved out to California after college, and he and his bride, Kristin, live in Huntington Beach – outside of Los Angeles.  Obviously, we started looking for plane tickets immediately, and once we realized that we’d have to buy four tickets – since my parents and brother and sister-in-law, a.k.a. all of our potential overnight babysitters, were also attending the wedding – we decided that it only made sense to stay for an extra week after the wedding and turn it into our vacation for the year.  To Cali we go!

First things first – the plane ride.  I was very skeptical about the idea of five hours in the air with a two-year-old, as you can see from my face.  We did the old divide-and-conquer – Steve and Peanut were sitting together on one side of the aisle, and Nugget and I sat on the other side.

Steve had the easy job.  Aside from a temper tantrum for the first ten minutes of the flight (because she didn’t get a window seat) Peanut sat with her headphones on and watched downloaded Disney movies on the iPad for the entire flight.  Color me jealous.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the aisle, I was pulling every trick out of my bag.  Lollipops for takeoff and landing (to help those little ears pop), Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (lasted twenty minutes, and oh, he hates his toddler headphones), toys and books and snacks.  Nugget and I lucked out with the world’s best seatmate – a sweet and patient grandma (she had nine children of her own) who adores children.  She even let Nugget sit in her lap to look out the window, and she didn’t bat an eye when he spent 90 minutes of the flight without pants on.  (Don’t ask.)

Eventually, we landed in Los Angeles, and got down to the business of vacation!  Wednesday was devoted to traveling, taking care of logistics like rental cars and hotel check-ins, and frantically trying to get a work submission out via my phone.  But on Thursday, we headed straight for the BEACH!

Huntington Beach is a big surf destination, but early on Thursday morning we had the place almost to ourselves.  That is, until a junior lifeguard camp turned 500 baby lifeguards loose on the beach.  At one point, there were twenty of them clustered around a mermaid.  Yes, really.

First toes in West Coast sand!  The water was a bit chilly, but Peanut and Nugget came with their game faces on.  We stopped by the grocery store on the way and picked up a cheap set of sand toys that provided entertainment all week.

And it wasn’t long before – look who showed up!  My parents were staying oceanfront (lucky ducks!) and spotted us while out jogging on the boardwalk, which might be the most California thing ever.  The kids were beyond excited to see their grandparents on the beach.

Running shoes were shed, and the sand castle building began.

Beach hair don’t care.

At one point, I was meditatively making a zen garden with the rake from the kids’ sand toy set.  Peanut plopped a turtle mold down onto my nice straight lines and Nugget shouted, “Uh-oh!  There’s turtles in the zen garden!” prompting Steve to comment, “If that’s not a metaphor for the last five years, then I don’t know what is.”  Haha!

Nana changed into a swimsuit and beach coverup and returned to bury Peanut in the sand.  Nugget wanted to be buried too, but he didn’t quite get the concept, and kept popping back out again  as soon as his legs were covered.  Eventually, we had to clean up and get ready for Adam and Kristin’s rehearsal dinner.  Before the dinner, we hit the famous Huntington Beach pier for a quick walk and some sightseeing.

Very important sightseeing.

Way too gorgeous.  No pictures from the dinner, but we ate an absurd amount of tuna tartare, and I cried through the speeches (which would become a theme of the wedding).

Friday morning found us back at the beach, and we had company!  The parents of the groom (my parents’ best friends, and practically a second set of parents to me – love them so much) stopped by, and we also hung out with Adam’s aunt and cousins, and waved hello to a few other wedding guests.  The most exciting Friday morning beach companions, though, were…

Dan and Danielle!  My brother and sister-in-law flew out from Colorado.  It was so wonderful to see them – we don’t see them nearly enough!  They hadn’t seen Nugget since he was eight months old and we visited them for Thanksgiving in 2015.  It had been way too long.  They dove right into aunt and uncle funtime.

I mean, really – they dove in.  Literally.  Nugget enjoyed probably half an hour of being tossed up and down by Uncle Dan.  (Who was sore the next day and compared Nugget to a medicine ball.  We tried to warn him that Nugget only looks tiny.  The kid is dense and deceptively heavy…)

Anyway, after a few hours of fun uncle playtime, we all headed back to our respective hotel rooms to clean up for the main event – Adam and Kristin’s wedding!  The kids got to attend the ceremony (Peanut was taking mental notes as she watched the flower girl walk down the aisle; she’ll have to make that walk in September) and then Kristin generously paid for a babysitter and bought pizza for all of the little ones, so they could hang out in the hotel while their parents danced and toasted downstairs at the wedding reception.  I was a broken record, but I couldn’t stop repeating how very grateful Steve and I were that the bride not only thought of her guests’ kids, but went out of her way to craft (and finance!) the perfect childcare arrangement.  We were a little stressed about what we were going to do with the kiddos during the reception, and Kristin’s thoughtfulness completely took that stress away.  It seems like a little thing, but it was a big thing to us and it meant so much to us (and I’m sure to the other guests with kids) that Kristin considered our childcare needs.  Of course, throughout the wedding people kept emphasizing how much family means to Adam and Kristin – and the wedding childcare was a perfect example of that for me.  Adam picked a good one!

Also – hopefully he won’t mind my sharing just a couple of pictures; it was such a beautiful day.  Is that a happy groom, or what?

Such a perfect day.  We were all in tears throughout the ceremony.  Adam is such a wonderful, special person and so deserving of happiness.  I’m glad he found his perfect match in Kristin, and we all felt so honored to be invited to share in their joy.

Also, do we clean up good, or what?

My people!  I’m biased, but I think we are a pretty cute fam.

As we sipped our celebratory cocktails, my mom took me aside and pointed out the gorgeous sunset over Huntington Beach.  It was truly breathtaking, and definitely felt like a sign that the universe was also wishing Adam and Kristin much joy in their life together.

Wedding dates!  Love this guy.  And love California!

More to come…

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Garden Update: The Slightly Tart Edition (August 2017)

Time for another garden update!  Things are continuing pretty much along the same trends I’ve been reporting all season.  If you’ve missed my previous garden posts, here they are:

The Early Bird Catches the Rosemary (April 2017)

Garden Update: The Don’t Be Like Me Edition (May 2017)

Garden Update: The Good News and Bad News Edition (June 2017)

Garden Update: The I Have Questions Edition (July 2017)

Bringing us to today!  The tomato plants are still producing, I’m watching like a hawk to stay ahead of the squirrels (I saw one perched on my fence rail the other day, brazenly eating a ripe tomato as the kids and I watched in outrage from the kitchen window) and the basil is basically a tree.

We’re actually on top of the tomato harvest, thanks in large part to – yes, the squirrels – but also to a little boy who cannot get enough tomatoes eaten straight off the vine.  I love that he’s so into the food we’re growing – Peanut is happy to participate in the gardening process, but wants nothing to do with a sun-warmed tomato, freshly plucked straight from the pot.  Break my heart.  Anyway, at the moment we’ve got a big crop-in-waiting, but nothing ripe.  But recently I picked a huge harvest, and it was more than we could eat out of hand (yessssss!) so I cooked the tomatoes down in a little organic olive oil and fresh herbs (also from the garden) – rosemary, thyme, parsley and basil, and set the mixture aside for a special project.

As longtime readers know, Peanut just had a birthday!  Stick with me here.  One of her favorite things to do – aside from garden (and watch cartoons) – is bake with me.  So as a special birthday present, I ordered her a personalized kids’ apron and “Junior Chef” tools from Williams-Sonoma.  I let her open the gift early so she could use it to help me make a tomato-and-herb tart from the garden haul.

She was quite pleased with her new chef accoutrements!  She insisted I call her “Chef Lily.”  I pointed out that that’s not what her apron says, but she was unmoved.

As fun as it was to bake a blueberry pie with Peanut, I didn’t feel like messing around with pastry this time, so I decided we would make a crumb crust using Ritz crackers.  My cracker/cookie crusts never come out, but who cares – right?  It’s about the process.  Peanut enjoyed the heck out of the cracker crumbling.

So did someone else.  Yikes.  Who gave him a Junior Chef spatula?

Crumbs completed, it was time to stir in melted butter and pre-bake the crust, then move on to the rest of the baking process.

Doesn’t get fresher than this – picked moments before the chopping.  I love gardening!

Mixed in mascarpone… And at this point, I forgot to take any more pictures, because Nana and Grandad FaceTimed us and we were chattering while we baked.  We mixed the herbs and a little olive oil into the mascarpone, spread it over the pre-baked crust, and then distributed the pre-cooked garden tomato and herb mixture over the top.  The finished product:

Not too bad looking!  Peanut is a good sous-chef – or maybe I’m the sous-chef, because she seems to be the one doing all the work!  As with the blueberry pie, she participated actively in pretty much every stage of baking.  All I did was the hot stuff (taking the tart out of the oven, and of course cooking down the tomatoes a few days ahead).  I love that we have an activity to do together that we both enjoy so much!

And the verdict?  The adults love it.  The crust hung together better than I was expecting, and the creamy herbed mascarpone is a perfect counterpoint to the flavorful garden tomato jam.  The kiddo… not as big of a fan.  I think she was expecting it to be sweet – even though I told her several times that it’s not sweet – and was surprised by the savory flavor.  Well, I wasn’t actually expecting her to eat any of this one – as long as she had fun with the process, I’m happy!

What’s your favorite thing to bake with summer produce?