June sports

What better way to celebrate summer vacation than a sunny day at the pool?  We had such a good time at the Coppola Pool last year that we decided to: a) go back; b) rethink our attitude about mass-market wine.

The day started out a little brisk, but by lunchtime the clouds gave it a break and it was a great day for swimming and splashing.

Also, this year Lucie didn't vomit in the pool or announce to the general populace about alternate bathroom sites she's created, so that was nice.

Since the city preschools stay open all summer, Lucie's class celebrated the end of the academic year and pre-K graduation a week later.  We had a potluck picnic at Lafayette Park - I brought strawberries, because I can't get it together for these things, EVER.  At least they were organic strawberries from our neighborhood weekly farmers' market.

The main event was the performance of several numbers from the Color Songs Album, which I got to know rather well the night Lucie & went to the ER with an ear infection.  So please enjoy:
Room 101 sings "Green"

Brennan got to go, too, since he was camp-less that week.  He quite enjoyed playing with the little boys and eating roughly a dozen mini corndogs.  I enjoyed mentally tallying the diminishing number of times I was going to have to stand on a windy hilltop trying to eat hummus off a paper plate and make awkward conversation with other parents.

We capped off the day with a scooter trip to the library, and a stop at Tantrum.  Tantrum being the newish neighborhood toy store where I assume nice people without kids go to buy retro and/or European toys for their friends' children.  Nothing there makes noise or looks like it was manufactured after 1980.  Before this, it was a New Age-y bath product store, so it's kind of a wash in the "good for the neighborhood" department - but Bren & Lu find plenty to like there.  Because, you know, STUFF.  Also, you can ride the seal for a quarter.

Brennan caught NBA fever - from his friends, I guess, because his dad NEVER watches basketball, and no technology currently exists that can measure my negligible interest.  He rooted for the home team, of course, and would actually watch entire playoff games, updating us every 6 seconds on the score.  ("It's 44 to 44!  Now it's 46 to 44!  Now it's 48 to 44!")

June was YMCA Camp month for Brennan, too.  He had a week of Lego Engineering, a week of tennis and soccer, and best of all, a week of beginning road biking with his buddy Enzo.  Daddy drove them down to the San Mateo YMCA, where the sun shines and the roads are flat - given the trauma of getting them on the bikes in the first place, we wanted to make it a pleasant as possible.  They had a great time and are much more confident on their bikes.

Lucie felt a little left out when she didn't get to go to camp, and a lot left out when Brennan got to bring a buddy to camp, so to cheer her up Daddy took her shopping for a new Big Girl Bike.  As demanded, it has a bell.  Here's an action shot:

It's fog season for the most part, but we do have a few clear nights.  I lucked into one the night of my local VMA meeting - I saw whales off Ocean Beach for the first time!  Sadly, didn't think to take pictures - but here's a consolation sunset on my way out of the Cliff House: