We went to the Dickens Fair today, first time for Mike and Lucy, and we all had fun. Mike liked the ‘time travel’ aspect, and that the participants were so into it; Lucy liked the variety of activities for kids (especially the carousel), and any time there was music and dancing. I always love the bookstore, the costumes, the humorous stage shows, and the tea. My dad mentioned at Thanksgiving that he had once gone in costume. So it is a longstanding and now revitalized family tradition.

(here she is up on stage with Mother Goose.)

Before we popped in I browsed a victorian dictionary to familiarize us with standards and language of the day (the fair is set in Victorian London, at the time of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.) It was interesting to learn that many of our common expressions started out as Victorian slang. Everything old is new again!

It is always fun to visit London even as remotely and tangentially as this. The victoriana website’s graphics reminded me of our old favorite London Walks, if ever you are in London or near abouts these historical walks are not to be missed!

carolers at the tea shoppe

I had been going with my mom every year since they started it up again, til recently when madame came along. We (Mommy & I) would always hit up Cuthbert’s tea shoppe first, then come back around again for the special 4 o’clock tea.

This time we missed out on the tea, which is one of the best teas in the bay area.  If you want to go, make a mad dash to Cuthbert’s the moment you walk in, and make reservations for their special 4 o’clock tea. New this year, you can also make tea reservations online up to the day before. You may also pay in advance, which is helpful as they only take cash at the Fair.

crafts for kids

One more tip if you are going with kids…the carousel line is much shorter later in the day. The ride has only 5 animals and lasts pretty long, so your wait will be longer than an ordinary carousel. It has a safari theme and the ride presenter acts out their safari, which is certainly unique! The kids were enraptured, hanging on his every word. Lucy rode it twice!

“Shhh…I’m baking.”
— Lucy, while making banana bread with her mom (and wearing apron and chef’s hat.)

Part 2 of the summer pic series…more beach, boating on the lake, painting with auntie, and playing at the park.

“Phalaenopsis, phalaenopsis…pretty flower, pretty flower… “(to the tune of Frère Jacques)
— Lucy’s song after visiting the orchid farm

We’ve had a pretty mild summer, a few hot days here and there. On the hot ones we head out of town…to the foggy city or to the cool beach. Here are some snaps from our summer so far, mostly beach pics. Stay tuned for part 2…

Our little girl went to her first ballet this weekend. I loved ballet when I was a kid, so this was a special moment for me. I was a bit teary-eyed when it started. It just hit me…I am with my baby…at her first ballet!

Lucy has recently started liking ballet, dancing around wearing her tutu, pretending she is Angelina Ballerina. So when the chance came to see a kid-centered ballet we took it.

The ballet we saw was the Ugly Duckling, featuring as many students as possible from the local ballet school, costumed as ducks, swans, flowers, cats, dogs, and chickens. The baby swan stole the show.

Madame behaved very well, applauding in all the right places, staying in her seat the whole time, and watching enraptured for much of it. Not bad for a 3 year old.

When I was a little girl I was obsessed with ballet, and remember asking my mom for ballet lessons…and her saying, ‘not ’til you’re 5′ (or was it 7? either way it seemed a long ways away.) And boy I held her to it!

I remember changing into my ballet clothes in the station wagon as my mom drove me to ballet from school. I remember watching the older girls in the advanced class taking pointe lessons, and dreaming of the day that would be me. I remember the wonder of seeing some of those same girls performing in the LA Ballet’s Nutcracker.

I don’t want or hope for madame to become a professional ballerina, that would be a hard life (low pay, constant aches and bruises and little time for anything else).

But I am happy that she likes ballet, and will be happy to see her studying it, and to take her to many more performances. And I can’t wait for the day when she will be the student up on stage for the first time taking her bows.

Lucy and I made madeleines today with our acorn pan…love it almost as much as our mazed-shaped brownie pan. Such cute little cookies!

Notable happenings from the past month:

• Celebrating Jill’s birthday in SF (too bad John couldn’t make it!)
• Easter Egg Hunt at Gma Vita’s place
• BJ Penn Book Signing
• Getting together with old friends, including Kelly

Stuff I’ve watched/read this month:

Movies & Books

They rapidly sank past the whipped cream to plonk! in the bottom of the cup, melting, and upping the chocolate factor. It wasn’t bad, but it was very filling. A few raisins go a very long way.

So the morale of the (very thin) story is, if you happen to be dining at a café with madame, watch yer cups!

We brought Lucy to the park last week and she had a blast, playing on the swings, slides, and assorted playground fixtures. She had so much fun she had a bit of a fit when we told her we had to go.

However, I’m sure we’ll go back soon—I think Lucy misses her seahorse.

• Music: “Funky Mama” from 88 Elmira St. by Danny Gatton

When she was really little, we couldn’t complete a drive without the kid having a crying fit. Something about being shoved into a Camry and strapped immobile into a plastic seat never seemed to agree with her.

Fortunately, she enjoys going out for drives now. Whether it’s a trip to see Gma, or just a quick trek to the store, I think she sees drives as little adventures now. Adventures full of promise!

Actually, she’s so jazzed about a ride in the car now that she doesn’t even express disappointment when it has to take place in her Mom’s ho-hum Mini (rather than Dad’s super-cool Camry.) That, and maybe she doesn’t want to hurt ol’ Mom’s feelings. Whatta good kid.

Lucy loves taking pictures w/ her mom’s camera. Above are a few she took over the weekend.

We actually got her an inexpensive “kid’s” digital camera that’s supposed to be waterproof (something we’ll no doubt test the next time ol’ shtinky takes a bath). However, its lack of an lcd viewscreen severely dampens the kid’s interest in it. She’s sticking w/ mom’s camera for now.

Click here to view Lucy’s first photo exhibit.