There were a few thousand people on hand, though on such a big beach, we had lots of room. Madame sported in the waves as the competition was underway…did I hear the loudspeaker say, “little girl, get out of the competition area?”

“O-pus and starfish are having a seaweed wedding underwater!” -The Kid explaining why her octopus bucket and starfish shovel were all dressed up.

It was another hot day in the valley so we headed up to the cool foggy city. We stopped at the de Young to see the Balenciaga exhibit before it closed.

Auntie led us up to the observation tower, where we were treated to superb views of the city on this clear day.

Next we checked out the Balenciaga dresses…my favorite was the pink one at the entrance, but as no pics were allowed, you will just have to imagine it. There were so many wearable, beautiful dresses…I wanted several! There was one room of all black dresses and suits…in dark nightclubby lighting, so it was a bit hard to see them, esp. when being tugged by a toddler who loves to tour museums at breakneck speed. Also as we departed I noticed a sign that they had a Jean-Paul Gaultier exhibit (could be upcoming? can’t find it anywhere)…and this Dior dress…sigh…maybe next time. There are lots of great things still to see, we will be back.

When we were up in the tower we spotted a pool with lily pads, so when we got back to ground level we checked out the pool and surrounding gardens. The pool had turtles! There was a family of different sizes, and one particularly cute baby turtle.

The kid and auntie gathered some daisies and dandelions nearby.

After this we strolled through the plane trees and fountains (last time the fountains were dry, so this was a welcome change) and madame was particularly entranced by the smaller fountain which undulated.

But the day wasn’t over yet…next stop, the beach. Auntie took us to a beach that was loaded with sand dollars…it was a nice, calm, gentle day for waves, and we walked barefoot along the beach, gathering sand dollars. What a beautiful day!

We ended the day with a visit at Auntie’s, rinsed off the sand and played with Luna and the kitties. The kid was very proud that Omie let her pet him, now that she has a gentler touch. Having thoroughly tuckered out Auntie, we headed out for the local Trader Joe’s for some travel snacks for the long drive home.

We loved their cart escalator…we could watch it for hours! This reminded me of London…the escalators down into hidden food halls…were they at M&S or Selfridges? They also had the little shopping carts for kids which our kid loved pushing around the store (and into my shins..ouch).

Thoroughly happy with our day out, we cruised back to the (finally) cooling off valley.

“I’m introducing Daddy to manners.”
— Lucy, successful in convincing her daddy to share his chocolate chocolate chip ice cream

We went to the Dickens Fair one last time before they closed until next year. Jill even managed to get her sister, Auntie Laura, to go.

I think Jill got some closure this time around. She finally got her chance to experience a traditional tea party with scones and cucumber sandwiches. (Lucy and I were glad they had hot cocoa.) Lucy got to revisit the carousel and do a little dancing.

Above are pics from our last day at the Dickens Fair for 2010.

Want more of the Dickens Fair? Check out the pics and video we posted last month.

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!

Lucy: “Tell me a pretend story about how Wubie doesn’t like Christmas lights and it’s Christmas.”
Jill: “Does Wubert get a present?”
Lucy: “Yes, a catnip mouse…but he doesn’t like it!”
Jill: “What would he rather have?”
Lucy: “A sardine sandwich!”
Jill: “OK. Wubert gets a sardine sandwich. Did he get a present for you?”
Lucy: “Yeah, a poop! Yeecch!”
— A conversation overheard in the car

Academy of Sciences from Mike C on Vimeo.

I’ve been cranking out the videos lately in an attempt to get caught up with the mountain of footage Jill and I shoot on a continual basis. So with that said, here’s another gem from my “Getting Caught Up/Making Room on the Drobo” series.

Jill shot this video in April when she, the kid, and Auntie Laura visited the Academy of Sciences. It’s full of penguins, fish, stingrays, and seahorses, with a couple of squirrels thrown in for good measure.

It also features a little kid having a most fun and memorable day, courtesy of her mommy and auntie. Check it out and see if you can spot where Jill encounters the elephant butt.

In these pics you’ll see the kid:

• Jump up and down on a bed
• Battle a squid!
• Get sniffed by a cat (or is that a really small dairy cow?)
• Stare down a Rover security sphere (aka, a 10 cent white balloon)
• Play with blocks!

The beautiful park is open to dogs, so Luna came along, and met up with other dogs big and small.

It’s wooded in places, hilly and meadowy in others, and it felt like we were in the middle of a forest, rather than a city. (It also reminded me of Hitchcock’s Vertigo.)

Here are some of the breathtaking views:

That green strip is Golden Gate Park.

Toward the Sunset, you can see the beach:

Auntie points out her house:

Luna having fun.

Auntie, Luna and Lucy wander down a path.

Lucy chasing the ‘piglet’ doggie:

We hope to visit again soon.

Baseball Game from Mike C on Vimeo.

I went to a MLB game last night, my first Giants game since the early 90′s. It was neat to finally see Pac Bell/SBC/AT&T park. Jill and I used to go to games in the days of Will Clark, Robby Thompson and Brett Butler, players long since retired, so it was good to get caught up a bit.

My friend Keith came up w/ the great (and free) tickets (thanks, Keith!) He’s been a regular attendee for years, so he got a chuckle at some of my clueless comments:

“They show instant replays on the scoreboard? Cool!”

“You don’t have to make a constant, conscious effort to make sure your hat doesn’t get blown off your head and out of the stadium? (I lost a favorite cap at Candlestick by forgetting this once) Cool!”

“The relief guys warm up right there on the sidelines? Cool!”

“They come to your seat and take food orders? Really Cool!” (Now, that’s what I call progress!)

Despite the Giants basically rolling over and playing dead the entire night, I had a good time. The place had a great atmosphere and was much more family-friendly than I remembered—even with all the Dodger blue in the crowd.

Music:

• “Summer Song” from The Extremist by Joe Satriani

Auntie’s birthday was this week, and Lucy and I had a little party with her on the day (bigger party to come.)

We painted plates, had cake, and played in the garden. It was a lovely day.

Oh, and Lucy sang her the birthday song. Happy Birthday Auntie!

These marigolds reminded us of the inchworm song. Didn’t see an inchworm, but Lucy, ever alert for ladybugs, found one who actually walked across her finger!

We also saw worms, slugs, bees, a few other exciting bugs…and Auntie made a rainbow!