The Stevens Creek Trail

Today I took my camera along with me on my bike ride, to document the entire Stevens Creek Trail in detail. It is such a nice path, a popular commuter trail, and takes me from my urban life out into the calm of the south bay sloughs in minutes. There are no stops, lots of drinking fountains, well designed exits, many benches for resting, and some remarkable views!

Click here for a map of the ride.

This afternoon was exceptionally quiet, as you can tell by the absence of people in the pictures below. But it made for some really serene and beautiful moments... A northern harrier made a catch of something out of the muddy slough and carried it overhead very close to me, his feathers red in the sunlight behind him. The cordgrass has grown tall and reached up into the bridge that crosses over the inlet. And many marsh song sparrows sang, arched, dove, and played among the pickleweed. It was a delight to have all that without other bikers whizzing by!

looking back over my shoulder

Concepts

As Annabelle grows, she also eats more. And she has also become more aware of the differences between what is in her lunch box and what is in everyone else's.

I am very careful to not put her in the position of feeling deprived, and how we talk about her diet is an important part of that. A couple years ago we met a boy who said to Annabelle, "I'm wheat free! Are you wheat free?" And I realized that his mother had given him a gift by talking about it as a privilege. So I began to do that too.

Now, when we go grocery shopping together, Annabelle will pull a box off the shelf and ask, "Does this have Wheatfree?" And this week she asked, "Mom, could we try some NOT Wheatfree stuff?" I realized that she sometimes perceives Wheatfree as a special ingredient that certain children MUST eat. And those children are wheat-free children, like her. It is a spin on the concept that I hadn't expected.

She translates this a little differently when I use the term dairy-free. She understands that dairy is milk. But being Dairy Free is interpreted more along the lines of an extremely liberated glass of cow's milk.

Annabelle is five years old now, and putting all sorts of ideas and concepts together in new ways. Her thoughts about our cat, Francis, tell me she's thinking about herself in a new way too.


Annabelle :: Francis is a very good cat. But he also does things like normal cats.

Me :: Like what?

Annabelle :: Like eat mice. And sleep. And eat cat food. But he doesn't do something that I know normal cats do!

Me :: What's that?

Annabelle :: He doesn't drink milk!

Me :: No, he doesn't, does he?

(pause)

Me :: I think he must be dairy-free.

Annabelle :: (laughing hysterically) DAIRY FREE!!! That's funny!

Me :: Do you think he might be wheat-free too?

Annabelle :: (hardly able to catch her breath) Cat's don't eat Wheatfree!

All done! Whew!

Today I finished my reports.

This may mean hardly anything to most of you who read this blog. But for Waldorf teachers, the completion of your reports means a lot. It means you can breathe. That you did what you had to do. It brings a finality of the year that is now over. It is the moment when you can say, "I made it!"

The process of writing thirty student reports is intense. Certainly a rite of passage. And though they are not yet printed, collated, bound, or mailed, I felt a huge load lifted from my shoulders. I felt like suddenly I could remember the hundreds of things I'd forgotten in the last month.

My initial impulse when I wrote the very last word was to go out and get a mocha. But it never happened - I stepped right into the chores of my day, running over to the lumber company to pick up my new paint boards, doing the laundry, making a delivery to school, getting groceries, fixing the flat tire on my bike... all with Annabelle in tow.

We came home from the market and I started to cook. And only for the first time did I realize that cooking happens when I am decompressing. I boiled a chicken, I hand-rolled spinach gnocchi, blended and then baked some crispy kale chips, I got my ingredients lined up to make strawberry ice cream tomorrow, I put some salads together for dinner, prepped breakfast for the morning, and more. It was cathartic. And I have plans for more cooking this summer, so I may be sharing my adventures in the kitchen with you right here!

I know that next year I will not be able to do what I did this past week: I wrote for over 50 hours in a six day span. Even though I tried to break up the hard work with lots of fun activities, I ended up having to go to the chiropractor three times just to maintain my neck through the awful, long stretches of typing. And the funny thing is that I've been icing and stretching constantly (and popping way more ibuprofen than is healthy) but yesterday I went on a long bike ride and today my neck feels like new! I expected to be sore this morning, not all loosened up! (I think this is a sign I need more time on my bike.)

But I can finally say "I made it!" and begin to relax and see my Second Grade off in the distance...

The Big Book of Things To Do

I can hear it coming, like a jet in the far away sky, my own voice saying, "CLEAN YOUR ROOM!"

I hadn't thought of it that way

Last night, while cleaning Annabelle's ears after her bath, the light shone way down into them and I noticed she had a whole lot of wax build up, beyond the reach of my diligent Q-tip.

Me :: Wow! You have a lot of wax in there! It's almost completely blocked. Can you hear okay?

Annabelle :: Yes. I hear fine.

Me :: Are you sure?

Annabelle :: (with her head down and me continuing to look in her ear) Yes.

Me :: (Still peering, skeptical.)

Annabelle :: Look - LA! LA! LA! I can hear myself! (shrugs shoulders) It's fine.

Our long weekend

For the holiday weekend Dave booked us three nights in a cute cottage up on the Mendocino Coast. Little did I know how perfect and wonderful our time would be there. I had expected to relax, but I had not expected to be filled up, refreshed, and return home with future reservations for our next visit already on the books.

This is a very long photographic blog post. And because I know you'll want to go too, here is the website : http://www.marvistamendocino.com/

A full tank and ready for the five hour drive!


We arrived just in time for the daily chicken feed and egg adventure. This is Tom. He is awesome. Tom and his wife, Renata, are the owners of Mar Vista. Tom has a special way with people, especially children, that I really appreciated.


Opening the gate to let the girls run free.


Hand feeding corn to the hens.


Here come the goats. My favorite was Lola, the big one. We spent some good time together. The other two are Pygmalion and Higgins. (She's so deliciously low, so horribly dirty!)


Here Tom demonstrates the handy work of his chicken coops. They are hinged to tip over for easy cleaning. I had never before seen such clean chicken coops!


On our third night of egg collection, Tom broke out in a dramatization of Edgar Allan Poe's "Annabel Lee" right in the middle of the hen yard. Then we swapped Emily Dickenson poems. I think I might have enjoyed it more than he did, but all the same, I loved it.


At Mar Vista, the guests are provided with eggs for breakfast. Just let them know how many you would like and they arrive, freshly laid, in a basket at your door. They are intensely yellow, thick, and delicious!


There are rules about the chickens. Number one, don't eat the chickens. Number two, don't make the chickens think you want to eat them. Number three, don't put your fingers in your mouth!


And, much to my pleasure and surprise, they had a big marsh on the property. I easily spent two hours a day sitting by it, either painting or writing. It was my favorite place on the whole property.

The swallows were out in the morning.


There were a pair of ducks with a nest in the reeds, and at night the bats would fly about.


Looking up from the marsh we see Annabelle running toward our cottage. You can see the other children playing with the rope swing... but to the very right, by the pink flowers, there is a private entrance to the Japanese soaking tub.


Here is the entrance. Let's go in.


Here we are.


The tub is filled with each use and it is very hot and very comfortable! No chlorine to contend with, and the water appears to drain directly into the marsh.


Here Dave and Annabelle play catch in front of our cottage.


The garden is huge, complete with greenhouse. Everything grown there is for visitors to pick and eat!


These hens are retired and spend their days sunning in the garden. And they like to be pet!


Now inside our cabin, you can see through Annabelle's window to the garden view. The attention to detail was impressive. The sheets were so comfortable I plan to order mine from the same company from now on! The hand embroidered linen curtains were unique and simple. Everything was timeless and charming.


The first night we met some very nice neighbors with some very nice children in the next cottage over. (We actually had friends in common!) We shared dinner outside in the barbeque / picnic area and chatted. I cooked dinner inside and then just brought it out to the table.

The marsh view from our living room was always beckoning. Dogs are welcome!


I recently finished reading a book that speaks about the healing qualities of marsh water, particularly for children. So each night I took a pot from the kitchen, trekked down to the marsh, took a collection of water and brought it back and poured it in Annabelle's bath. Now I ask myself :: WHY didn't I bring a bottle of it home with me so I could put a small homeopathic dose in her bath each night? Next time.


The walk to the beach takes you through an easement across the street.


And then the view opens up! Annabelle refers to her new hat as her "adventure hat". They are all the rage in her kindergarten.


Down, down, down the stairs...


...to the beach on a perfect day.


Complete with waterfall from the cliffs above, tide pools, starfish, sea anemone, and long stretches for beach combing.


Pants rolled up for low tide exploration.


The water was freezing cold, but the beaches themselves were so mild.


Hello world.


Form drawing in the sand.


Family.


Back at the cottages, we went to explore the creek. Down the earthen staircase, through the fern grotto, past a few fairy houses and banana slugs we found what we were looking for...


...another magical place. Picture perfect.


Give it a few years and this will be her favorite.


Back up to the top! The entire property sits on top of an aquifer. The whole place has a watery sense that is rare in California... drain creeks line both sides, with the natural creek running the entire length of the estate from top to bottom. A pond is right in the middle, the marsh at the bottom of the field, and then the ocean off in the distance. I can't imagine the place feeling as relaxed and cleansing without all that water!


Past the garden we see cabins 11, 10, and 9...


The view from the garden.


From inside I heard Annabelle scream, "POISONOUS SNAKE!" and then saw her running toward the cottage. So I asked her to show it to me. We found it slithering along in the grass, probably thinking, "POISONOUS HUMAN GIRL!"


Even after I held it for her she was a little nervous.


But it wanted to go away so we stopped following.



The next morning, still in our pajamas, we went to the garden to pick some vegetables for breakfast. Zucchini from the planter boxes outside...


...and kale, chives, and leeks from the greenhouse. Notice the table and chairs in the back? I enjoyed a little extra warmth one afternoon sitting and writing in the greenhouse after the winds had picked up. All the doors slide open if you prefer the breeze.


We stopped to pet Lola and then headed back inside to make breakfast.


This picture made me laugh. She is trying on her I'm-the-sweetest-girl-in-the-world face, but it comes across almost devilish. In the hallway you see a chair in front of the bathroom, Annabelle called it the Time-out chair! (I can't remember the last time she had a time-out... maybe in Oregon?)


Oh, hello! I heard a funny knocking on the porch and opened the door to find that Lola had followed us. She poked her head inside and then I cajoled her to leave.



Getting ready for breakfast. Dave came out and asked me what I was doing with his coffee.



Then he showed me this fancy plastic thing that makes coffee. I am such the tea drinker!



All ready with fresh veggies and eggs to cook up a good breakfast.



The view at breakfast. Annabelle is already done and at the rope swing with a friend.



Outside again I found a sweet little treasure and told Dave to hurry and get the camera. "Get ready and I'll open my hands and you take the picture!" So, quickly I opened and shut and he said, "What was it?"


This sweet guy!


Off to explore another beach... there were apparently "bowling balls" that were fun to see.


And fun they were! Hundreds of big round rocks all perfectly aligned on long strips that looked like overcrowded bowling alleys.





A last push on the rope swing.


All ready to go home! Or maybe I should ask, "All ready to go home?" Not really. Another week would have been life changing.


Here they are, Renata and Tom. We will see you again soon!!