Halloween

As the end of October approaches, it's important to get out and enjoy the sunshine at the playground -

Halloween's important, too - the whole city enjoys the holiday, and our neighborhood is a magnet for families. 

Lucie was very excited to Trick-or-Treat like the big kids this year.  We squeezed her into a raccoon costume, since she likes to forage for snacks off forgotten plates and unguarded lunch boxes and bags.  However, when she saw her whiskers, she immediately started meowing.  So officially she was a raccoon-kitty.

One of our first stops was Adel's Wine Cellar, where Brennan & Lucie routinely hit up Adel & his brother Aldo for candy.  Later that evening, Adel handed out treats for adults, too - it was red and came in a go-cup!

Did I mention Lucie was excited to Trick-or-Treat?

Brennan decided to revisit his Sheriff Woody costume this year, which was a big relief after his initial claim that he wanted to be a helicopter for Halloween.

Once she got the hang of it, Lucie charged right in - and it was no good to hand her a treat, she wanted to get into the bin and pick it out herself.  It also didn't take long for her to realize she had a bag full of candy right there in her hands:

She also really enjoyed watching the Lorax Dance Party.

Brennan was brave enough this year to touch all the giant spiders - but this jumping one surprised him:

Yes, it gets so crowded it can be hard to get to the candy. Mommy & Daddy didn't have costumes.  There was on & off rain. And our night ended at the pediatric ER -  but we had a pretty good time.  Tomorrow it would be November, when the rain shows up for real, the time change makes night arrive too soon, and the march through the holidays begins.  

A few days later, after a 90 minute tour and Q&A at the local elementary school, I thought Roux & I deserved a treat, too.  

So we drove down the coast and went for a hike in Montara, followed by fish tacos.  It was awesome - the only screechy little voice we heard all afternoon belonged to the parrot a few tables over.

Happy Birthday to Me

Since everyone else gets to take a birthday trip this year (OK, that's not entirely true - Daddy & Brennan had a combined one, and Lucie's will fall on the school break/Xmas holiday - but I'm always looking for an occasion to go somewhere), Mommy got to celebrate her birthday in Healdsburg!  

Kris & Tim flew from Atlanta to join us, since it was a combo celebration for them as well - a birthday for Kris and their wedding anniversary.  They particularly enjoyed the chairs in the lower right corner, dubbing them the "Cialis chairs".  In addition to lounging in artfully weathered chairs, the vacation rental featured a big grassy lawn for soccer-

An intermittently functioning hot tub, that also served as a perfect jumping ledge-

And a "solar heated" pool, as in, warmed by sunlight, which probably is the case in July but perhaps less so in October.  Even though the days are still pretty hot, it cools off a lot at night.  Which I guess is how they manage to grow wine grapes and all, so I suppose I shouldn't gripe about the water temperature.  The shallow end was all right...and there's a fun twist to come.

The grown-ups had their own big adventure:  The Return to Napa Valley - 

It's been 3 years or so (full disclosure, I don't fully remember 3 weeks ago) - we stopped for about 24 hours on the way to Tahoe, just before Bren turned one.  We visited a few spots that must have been filed away in the "let's go back when we have more time/no kids or dogs" corner of my brain - because I arranged a return.  So there was the wine and pizza tasting on Signorello's hilltop/poolside "terrazzo"-

We also went to Regusci beforehand, since we were incredibly early, at which point I realized that was the place I had really liked, since they were so gracious about the baby and the geriatric dog and had nice wines to boot.  Not to say that I didn't enjoy the view, the pizza, and the wine at Signorello.

We also stopped at Chateau Montelena, another place I've been meaning to visit, ever since thoroughly enjoying the movie Bottle Shock and buying a magnum of their '05 Cab at a fundraiser (only to discover the following day I was pregnant again, which I guess is one way to guarantee you let a bottle age a bit before opening it).

Napa wine-tasting is a bit of different beast since my last visit - standard operating procedure now seems to be $20 tasting fees, waived with a minimum $100 purchase.  It's like a pocket universe that diverged from the rest of the world's economy in 2008. 

AGAIN with the camera, Anne?

After a lovely afternoon in the pocket universe, we went back to the ranch to relieve the babysitter, and discovered the unreliable hot tub had a unexpected benefit:  

It had been heating the pool!  Now even Lucie Bean could enjoy a swim.

It's nice to spend a weekend in the country - the kids can roam a little further without constant parental hovering, go barefoot in the grass, and discover that it gets really dark at night.

And it's good to spend time with far-away friends - I wish we could do it more often!

P.S.  Roux would like to apply for any "Vineyard Dog" job opening -

Pumpkins & Blue Angels

It must be October:  hot days, harvest events, and a controversial display of strength from the military-industrial complex in one of the most liberal cities in the US:

During years 1-6 in San Francisco, Fleet Week has meant:

2006:  Hey, are we under attack?

2007:  Take this prescription for Scruffy's noise phobia.  Yes, it's the same Xanax people take.

2008:  Don't these a**holes know I've got a napping infant?

2009:  Hey, little buddy, look, AIRPLANE!

2010:  Any chance this noise might induce labor? December's a long way away.

2011:  No, really, this sleepy neighborhood on the big hill is the best place to watch the show.  Let's just stand by the window.

But now, in 2012, I have a boy who "waited such a long time" for his Blue Angel, and a visit from Grandpa Marshall, who probably dragged me to the first air show I can recall, and Uncle Gavin, who probably was with me at that first air show but was too young to retain memories of it.  So we took advantage of Mommy's Pacific Heights parking privileges and got a little closer this year:

Plus when family visits, we can pawn off bedtime duties - thanks, Aunt Amy!

Normally, if we take guests out of the city, we drag them north to Napa or Sonoma - but Gangi's done that a bunch.  So I thought we'd mix it up and take Highway 1 down to Half Moon Bay, Pumpkin Patch Capital of California.

Several years ago, we accidentally got stuck in a pumpkin patch traffic jam, when we innocently tried to have lunch at the Flying Fish Grill on a weekend in October.  We've since avoided the "scene", opting instead for the sleepy, slightly scruffy Grandma's Pumpkin Patch in Healdsburg, which has the value-add of being near some favorite vineyards.  But I decided to chance it this year, gambling that the simultaneous Fleet Week events, America's Cup Trials, Giants game, and Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Music Festival would draw the crowds to San Francisco.  

So, what have we been missing?

Straw bale fortresses.  Score 1 for Arata's.

The collection of derelict tractors, however, was a pitiful 2.  Advantage, Grandma's.

Arata's has way more activities (most for a fee) - pony rides, bouncy houses, corn maze, a petting zoo, hay rides, etc.  A tiny train on real train tracks was advertised, but sadly out of service upon arrival.  Which of course was the only thing Brennan wanted to do.  Attempts to put either child on a pony was met with panicky screeching.  At a bit of loss as to how to use the ride tickets we'd just purchased, we did negotiate a Gangi-n-Brennan hay ride.

As luck would have it, they were the only people waiting in line when the tractor pulled up, so they had the VIP private hay ride experience.  Lucie, however, was having none of it.  Forget this Harvest Nonsense, bring on the chips!

We eventually located a train.  Whew.  And it didn't remotely matter that it didn't move.  Or do anything, really, other than have a door that latched.  You know, for safety.  So you don't fall out of your stationary train.

As you can see, the security of the latch was important work.  We even needed Grandpa to check on it.

While Bren was working on train security, our one-woman-wrecking-crew discovered the jungle gym.  The tunnel slide was a particular favorite.

All in all, the Pumpkin Patch Contest was a draw.  Even though there are a bunch more things to do at Arata's, the kids mostly stuck to stuff they can do here, while at the quieter Grandma's, they've been willing to branch out and say, pet a goat.  The drive down is prettier, and it's been too long since we last had Crabby Cheesy Bread at the Flying Fish (so long, in fact, that we went to their old location and panicked they'd gone out of business, failing to notice their giant new location across the street).  On the other hand...no wine tasting.  Also we never found the oh-so-pumpkiny Gladiator Battles at Arata's.

Perhaps the tried & true way is the best method after all.  Like watching the Blue Angels from the comfort of your back porch-

-or having fun in your neighborhood playground, where you feel safe to try new things.  (as long as you have ear protection)

Here are Gangi & Brennan re-enacting the airshow, Bren with his little Blue Angel, and Gangi with a bike helmet.

And here's Bren riding his new scooter outside for the first time!  It was an exciting weekend and so fun to see family.  But now we need some rest: