Biking at the Berkeley Marina

Today we spent a lovely afternoon bike riding with Laura and Helen at the Berkeley Marina and then back home for a delicious meal, tasty wine and cozy conversations by the fireplace.  

Eliza taking off on her bike! Hazel is close behind with Aunty Laura to help push.
Eliza gets a boost from Dad. 
Hazel tired of riding, becomes a sack of potatoes for Aunty Helen.
Relaxing in the sunshine.
While Eliza contemplates the scene.
Back in the saddle.
She's going!
She stops.  Auntie Helen and Auntie Laura are left carrying the bike.
While Hazel checks out the gigantic octopus kite.

Back at home, glass of wine and snuggles.  A great day all around.

Yes!

As in many households, I'm sure, Barack Obama is like a rock star around here.  Eliza and Hazel were very excited about the election and almost as excited as their parents when Obama won.  

They listened to his acceptance speech completely mesmerized and chanted "Yes we can" along with him at the end.  It was amazing to watch and a testament to his incredible charisma and speaking ability that he could so totally captivate a six and three year-old, along with the rest of the world. 

Eliza contemplated his story about the 106-year-old woman who was born before airplanes and car-choked streets and also before she was allowed to vote due to the color of her skin and the fact that she was a woman, and concluded "Things were better for mother earth back then, but they were worse for people." So, here's to hoping that the era of Barack Obama will be a great one for people AND for mother earth. Yes we can!  

Though, the day was not entirely happy: it was a shock that 52% of our fellow Californian voters voted FOR discrimination and proposition 8 passed.  It literally made Eliza cry. 

Street Festivals

One of the great things about our new neighborhood has been the wonderful street festivals.  In September we went to the Solano Stroll, a massive affair in which the whole of Solano street was closed to traffic and it seemed every politician, civic organization, sports team, art class, musical group, theatre and local retailer was represented.  People come out in droves to listen to music, wait in long lines for yummy food, and be a part of the general celebratory chaos.  Eliza was mesmerized by the Morris Dancers which we ended up watching for what seemed like hours.  Hazel's favorite was the "fighter fighters" (aka fire fighters), which has become the thing she wants to be when she grows up (along with Barack Obama and "a person"). 

A few weeks later, our immediate neighborhood hosted the "Spice of Life" festival.  Less crowded and boasting both wine tasting and kiddie rides, I think this was the favorite festival all around.  It also had incredible food and cooking demonstrations, a petting zoo and pony ride and we ended up bumping into all sorts of people we knew, which made us feel like we were finding a home here in Berkeley. On the downside, our little Hazelnut forgot to put her knickers on and was wearing a dress--an oversight I managed to miss until she started lifting up her dress in the petting zoo.  But, luckily, we were close enough to home to make a quick stop before returning to the festival. 

Walking to School

Our morning walk to school is one of my favorite parts of the day.  The way the girls' school start times work out and because Eliza is devastated if she doesn't get to school in time to go on the monkey bars, both girls walk the five blocks to Eliza's school and then Hazel and I walk five blocks back to her school (which is just around the corner from our house).  It can take a long time and on days when we are running late, it's a bit stressful.  But, most days, we take our time and it's wonderful.  Hazel and Eliza usually spend a good part of the journey singing--each making up their own song and singing them simultaneously (see video below) and the rest of the time we explore all of the beautiful gardens, fruiting trees, redwoods, and interesting sights our neighborhood has to offer.  

Eliza's Birthday!

Eliza turned six on October 4th.  Conveniently, it fell on a Saturday, so it was destined to be a day filled with fun.  And, it was.  

Auntie Tracey and Uncle Tom were visiting from Germany and we all started off the day with a birthday breakfast and pancakes.  Then we got ready for the party.  Friends new and old came to help Eliza celebrate with a treasure hunt, pinata, cupcake decorating and lots of good times. 

Visit from Thomas and Tracey

In early October, we had a visit from Uncle Thomas and Auntie Tracey from Germany.  It was great to see them and Thomas was able to reprise his role as "Thomas the first," (though Ollie did beat him to our California house this time). Having them here gave as another reason to do all our favorite Bay Area activities and outings.  

Thomas and Tracey walking along the Golden Gate Bridge.
Brother and sister (and little nut) amidst the redwoods in Muir Woods.
Muir Woods in all of its glory.
Hazel and Dadda hanging out at the beach.
Thomas and Tracey and the fog rolling in.
Bocci Ball at our favorite winery.
Picnicking at our favorite winery, Armida. 

September Days

September was a month of reacquainting ourselves with the people and places we love in the Bay Area. 

We went to the beach as often as possible, rode our bikes, took lovely walks and hung out at parks. We went to many different farmer's markets, drove through wine country and picnicked at our favorite winery. We got to celebrate Helen's birthday with her, have a sleep over with Maggie and the boys, start taking a Mexican dance and music class with Arwen, and had a

 visit from grandpa.

Besides school starting, it was also a month of other firsts: Eliza started taking soccer and learned to ride her bike without training wheels. Hazel learned to ride a bike, period.

We spent a lot of time getting to know our fabulous neighborhood and neighbors.

At some point we finally unpacked and also managed to squeeze a bit of work in here and there. Kevin even built us a beautiful new deck.