From the Redwood Forests

  • May 23, 2011 9:31 PM

So you know the Muir Woods? Well, they’re not named after John Muir, the author of my favorite Volkswagen book. I discovered this when we visited a few weeks ago. They’re actually named after a naturalist by the same name who lived in the 1800s. Whoops! I’m sure the VW author is a nature-fan too. Anyway, visiting Muir Woods has been on my ToDo list for a long time, and despite the namesake mixup, it did not disappoint.

The park is home to a forest of old growth Sequoias*, also known as Redwoods. The trees have towering branches and beautiful red bark colored by their high tannin content. It’s just a quick drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to visit these trees, so a few weeks ago, we packed up a picnic lunch, put on our hiking boots, and made a day trip out of it.

It’s a very peaceful place with a creek running along the trail, ferns lining the banks, and sun peeking through the thick leaves. There was an easy, paved trail and guides to tell you about the trees. We spotted a couple deer in the parking lot and many birds along our route. And of course, we took a ton of photos – here are some of my favorites:

While we were there, we picked up a year pass for the California State Parks, so I’m sure we’ll be back soon. I’ve posted more photos from our hike on PicasaWeb:

* Little known fact: This tree was one of Thomas’ suggestions for Pumpkin’s real name, though it didn’t stay on the list very long.

Exploring the Neighborhood, cont’d

  • May 3, 2011 11:12 AM

As I mentioned in my post this last weekend, we’ve been doing a lot of exploring in the area. The photos are finally all posted, so here we go:

Birds at Stowe Lake

Stowe Lake is a large lake in the middle of Golden Gate Park, just a couple blocks from where we live. It’s got a paved trail around it so it’s great for a nature stroll. I’ve seen a few kinds of ducks, turtles, and songbirds here.

  • Check out the rest of the photos: Birds at Stowe Lake (7 photos)

    • Glen Canyon Park

    We were going to hike Glen Canyon Park with a group from the UU chuch, but they bailed due to rain. It never did end up raining, but the 3 of us had a great time exploring this little hidden gem of a park. It has a very wild feel for being in the middle of the city. We spotted 2 coyotes, hummingbirds, and a banana slug on our trip.

  • Check out the rest of the photos: Glen Park Canyon (17 photos)

    • Grand View Park

    This park stands high over my neighborhood. In fact, my home is somewhere near the very middle of that photo. Thomas sent me up here on a scavenger hunt on our 4th anniversary. Copying our very first date, he hid a clue at the top on where to meet him for dinner. I’d complain about the wild goose chase with a baby in my arms, but he also gave me a Mac Book Air… :)

  • Check out the rest of the photos: Grand View Park (4 photos)

    • St Patty’s Day Parade

    On St. Patrick’s Day, there was a parade downtown with floats, dancers, and lots of people from the community marching through. It ended at the Civic Center where there were bands playing, food booths, and lots of drunk people in green.

  • Check out the rest of the photos: St. Patrick’s Day Parade (12 photos)

    • Walk Along Ocean Beach

    It still amazes me that I live so close to the beach. I think it’s too cold to ever sunbath or swim at, but it was nice to walk along. We explored the beach and western end of Golden Gate Park, admiring the deserty vegetation which is so different from what we’re used to.

  • Check out the rest of the photos: Walk Along Ocean Beach (28 photos)

    • Night Tour of Alcatraz

    We joined some of Thomas’ coworkers for a night tour of the famous prison island. It was really interesting to hear the stories about the prisioners and the history of the island. The views of San Francisco weren’t bad either.

  • Check out the rest of the photos: Night Tour of Alcatraz(29 photos)

    • Five Months: Exploring the Neighborhood

    • May 1, 2011 10:56 PM

    Dear Pumpkin,

    I’m so behind in your monthly blog updates that I’m just now posting about your 5th month in March, and it’s the first of May. On the plus side, we’ve been really busy having a great time exploring our new home.

    We moved into our new apartment in the Inner Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco at the beginning of the month. Unfortunately, our furniture was delayed as the ship from Belgium went down to Chile and then up to Vancouver before delivering our moving crate. It was very frustrating to see on the tracking map how close by it passed us without stopping.

    The minimalist lifestyle, though, suited you well. Since you could not yet roll, you slept on the floor in the corner of your room. We ate meals on the dining room floor, and you had a huge playspace in the empty living room. I was almost disappointed when our furniture arrived from Belgium and cluttered up our space.

    Without any furniture, we made great efforts to get out and explore our new neighborhood. Every week, we got together with our playgroup, walked in Golden Gate Park with friends, and attended Baby Rhyme Time at the library.

    We also did some exploring around the city. I switched between pushing you in the stroller and carrying you in the Ergo, but you happily rode (and fell asleep) in both. In fact, you slept through most of our excursions this month. We took you to Berkeley, Alcatraz, Ocean Beach, Glen Park Canyon, Grand View Park, Golden Gate Park, Crissy Fields, and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. (Links to photos coming soon!)

    You continue to grow so fast. The big excitement this month was that you started sleeping through the night, generally 8pm until 7am. A couple moms asked me for tips, but the only thing that changed is that you started sleeping in your own room. I’m guessing that little distance allowed both of us to sleep more soundly.

    Another accomplishment this month is that you discovered your thumb. You’ve never been much of a fan of pacifiers, so this thumbsucking is great. It takes some of the pressure off of me to sooth you…and it lets us know you’re ready to sleep.

    Also in anticipation of a date night without you in April, I started pumping. The pediatrician warned us that we might have waited to long to introduce you to the bottle, but you took to it without any problems. In fact, this allowed me to go to a local craft night and leave you home with Papa. He fed you and put you to bed while I went out and worked on hand-tying one of my quilts.

    Overall, you’re doing great – you’re happy most of the time. I love your laugh and gummy smile, though the drool has started. I attribute it to early teething. You’re grabbing things and getting much stronger on your tummy and even starting to sit up with some assistance.

    Hugs and Kisses,
    Mama

    I’ve posted more photos and videos from this month on PicasaWeb:
    Pumpkin’s 5th Month (22 photos, 5 videos)