Elijah is James' "Little Brother" through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. He's a great kid. They were introduced two years ago when Elijah was seven, and they've had all sorts of adventures together. James made a book for Elijah this past Christmas about all the things they've done (you can see it here if you have a Snapfish account).
Over the winter break, while we were off visiting family back East, Elijah had the opportunity to go to the Oakland Zoo's Winter Zoo Camp program. In the summer months the zoo offers scholarships, but not in the winter. A bunch of our friends stepped up and chipped in, and together we were able to send him to all nine days!
James taught Elijah how to use his old camera so he could capture the experience and share it with everyone. In the end, Elijah selected about 20 of his best shots (he took over 400!!!) and James helped him make a book about it. That book is also on Snapfish, here.
Here are a few highlights from the book...
Elijah got to hold bones and skulls.
Flat teeth are for chewing, and
pointy teeth are for tearing.
Elijah made a present for the tigers to open...
(you'll have to read the book for what happened!)
The gibbons looked like they were doing kung fu!
Elijah hiked really far uphill,
so high that he saw the Golden Gate Bridge!
There's a 10 pound bag of ice on my knee and I'm about to take a horse-sized dose of ibuprofen. I didn't really do anything to hurt myself. I'm just 32 years old, so I guess I'll call it "growing pains." Speaking of aging...
As of this past Friday my younger, more attractive half (at least in the feminine sense and some may argue intellectually too)... let's just call her my better half... Jess officially sped head-on into her 30's. When the idea to treat our friends to a weekend-long wine tour extravaganza crossed paths with the whole "let's make a baby" thing, we opted instead to arrange a weekend adventure of pit toilets and campfires, and a 10 person pontoon boat in place of a limo.
Our friend Andrew followed impressively close behind us through the Friday afternoon traffic. Dazing off in the passenger seat, a thought popped into my head... "Babe, did you pay the bills?" (I was supposed to remind her that morning before we'd left)... And not long after came another thought... "Shit, I forgot the canoe paddles." See what I mean? My better half. I called the credit card company and paid over the phone, and then called Susan and Gary to see if they had some paddles we could borrow. Hooray for cell phones!
Once off the 101, we got to enjoy the ride through the Dry Creek Valley vineyards. Lake Sonoma, our destination, dams the creek for flood control in the valley. With crush season starting, the leaves are starting to change, and grapes are heavy on the vines.
Our other friend Nick was on his way too, and planned to pick up Jess in his john boat that he was launching from the other end of the lake. Andrew and I packed the canoe with what we needed to start dinner, and took a head start figuring we'd probably get to the site a little ahead of them or at the same time. We paddled away, leaving Jess at the parking lot to wait for Nick to motor in.
Andrew and I doubled back from a wrong turn, and about 20 minutes later I was still confused as to where we went wrong. The better half was probably still waiting for her ride, and it was getting dark quickly. Andrew's IPhone gave us a lovely dot on an empty grid with our coordinates, but no map since it had no network connection. I added "radios" and "map" to the mental list of items I'd forgotten at home in the rush to beat the traffic.
Navigating by the stars and a flash light, Andrew and I were relieved and somewhat worried to see a couple of spotlights heading our way. We thought Nick and Jess had sent a search team after us, and we might be in trouble for not having lights on the boat. It turned out to be just a couple of guys out for a joy ride, and we found out from them that when we took our wrong turn we'd actually been just around the corner from the campsite. Go figure. At least now we knew where we needed to go.
With the moon up over the hills, we made our way back to the creek in the relatively bright light. Andrew commented on this being his first night time canoe trip. For me it was my first night time canoe screw up. As we rounded the last bend we heard cheering coming from lights on shore, and knew we were in the right place. It turned out that Jess and Nick had only found the site minutes earlier. She was especially freaked out that they'd beaten us since they were late too. We celebrated with some tasty beverages and grilled cheese while keeping warm and chatting around the fire. A shooting star made a brief appearance, but I may have been the only one to see it.
Some time in the early morning a chorus of coyotes serenaded us out of our dreams on the hill across the creek from us. Sunlight, splashes, and bird calls finally woke us up. Nick's Short-haired Pointer, Pi, went off on his own for a while, enjoying the open space, and I played with the fly rod for a few casts. We had some coffee, and warmed up by a new fire before heading to the marina to pick up the pontoon boat. Did I mention we got a BOAT?!
We picked up Jill, Robbie, and Steve, along with the groceries Jess and Andrew had gotten, and headed back for an afternoon of relaxing. The rest of the crew drifted on the boat for a bit while Robbie hung out with me and caught his first sunfish on worms he baited himself. We kept two of the bigger ones, and he cleaned them with Nick to enjoy as an appetizer before dinner. Dinner was ready just in time for the folks who came for the 6pm boat pickup; Jason, Tania, Isaac, Susan, Gary, and Daisy disembarked and the festivities began.
We ate some delicious sausages with green peppers/red peppers and onions, an array of salads, and plenty of drinks. We played multiple rounds of "I.D.," a guess-the-person-based-on-their-initials game, which Robbie totally kicked butt at. He is 11 years old and knew who Ludwig Wittgenstein and Sally Ride were. It was crazy and funny and awesome.
Before it got too late, Susan and Gary had to get Daisy home. The moon wasn't out from behind the clouds yet, so Nick spotted obstacles with a (very dim) single LED flashlight at the front of the boat while I drove us back. Daisy's "twinkle toe" shoes pretty much blinded my night vision, but I had no trouble seeing another shooting star, and it got Daisy looking for them too. She was asleep by the time we reached the shore- a tribute to Nick and my joint effort at not running aground or breaking the prop on a tree stump! It was an amazing feat (though slow and arduous), and I think we pulled it off without freaking out Susan and Gary.
(Now for Jess' part...)
As Nick and James returned to camp after another night-boating adventure, the birthday girl was pooped from lots of beers and all the excitement. We all packed in for the night. Isaac even spoke a sentence I don't think his Mom has ever heard "Mommy, I'm ready to go to sleep." Word. It had been a good day.
Sunday morning dawned with no coyote howls this time. We had put all of the empty beer bottles on top of the cooler so that we would have a good warning in case the raccoons got near our cooler that didn't have a locking mechanism. James heard some bottles rattling a little before dawn and jumped out of the tent (nearly, it was zipped). Turns out it was our neighbors in the campsite next camp over- two fishermen, a husband and wife team, cleaning up their bottles and heading out on the boat. It was hilarious- James almost took the whole tent with him. But to be honest, there was enough food leftover that the raccoons could have taken some and we still would have had plenty.
By 8am everybody had wandered out of their tents and James and I started cooking the bacon and sausage over the fires and spread out the muffins and cinnamon rolls. I settled in on a bottle of wine that needed finishing up (what!? I couldn't let it go to waste!) and kept my feet warm near the fire with the smell of bacon wafting through the smoke. The morning opened cloudy, like a usual NorCal day, and we were all a little bummed that we had to go home. Robbie asked "why don't we stay?" He had so much fun fishing and swimming and being the general center of attention that he didn't want it to end! I was pretty darn happy too, it would have been nice to stay. It definitely whetted my appetite to do more overnight boat-in camping trips in the future. We are thinking of heading next to Tomales Bay/Point Reyes, but I heard something about great white sharks mating in the mouth of that bay, so we'll have to do some research first before planning... (James says he's planning on bringing his wet suit, of course).
We all started the long process of packing up at around 10am after a leisurely morning. While I was washing dishes, Robbie remembered that we had dry ice in the cooler instead of regular ice and asked if he could play with some. We had bought 3 packs of the dry stuff for the cooler, so we got one of them out. They decided to dump it in my bucket for washing dishes and then of course James fished out a piece to do an "experiment." The video below shows the aftermath of the "not-quite-enough-dry-ice-in-water-bottle-so-lets-throw-Andrew's-sweatshirt-over-the-bottle-and-pop-the-bottle-with-a-rock" scenario that the boys concocted. The explosion echoed through the creek and probably scared a few folks, as there was a feral pig hunt on at the park. .....Boys.
We packed the boats and headed for shore- we all got back to the parking lot and Andrew and I ferried the cars to go pick up James at the Marina 6 miles down the lake from the parking area. The drive home on Dry Creek Valley Rd. (yes, that's the "Dry Creek" from those bottles of California wine at your liquor store) was spectacular. Many of the grape vines have started turning yellows and reds, but they are also heavy with fruit. It is harvest time and really made me ready to get into the fall holiday spirit!
Oh, and then there was the return trip... The car overheated! Hey, everything needs to be kept in balance, right? We got a free tow from AAA over the Richmond Bridge from San Rafael, with the canoe on the roof of the car. This was the view from the passenger seat of the tow truck, with the rear view mirror on the left and the San Francisco skyline on the right...
It was a beautiful birthday and I feel ready to tackle my 30's!
The rest of the photos, for those who might want to download them, are here:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/jess-y-james/
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...campsites. Take note- If you plan to camp on 4th of July weekend anywhere in the continental USA, Alaska, or Hawaii, you need a reservation. Even for back country camping.
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...canoe atop the car, poised for rapid deployment on the Russian River, which we never used (but we did break out the life vests for the kids to float around in).
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years that Manuel and his family have been going to this same secluded spot on the Russian River to relax on their days off from the pupuseria.
220 -
...miles from Oakland to Cloverdale along the Russian River, back to Oakland, down to Newark, and back to Oakland again.
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raisin scones- the pre-breakfast that held us for the 2 hour car drive to the Russian River in Cloverdale before the real breakfast of rice, steak, sausages, and the largest chicken wings I've ever seen in my life.
5 -
...full meal equivalents we ate in one day.
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...margaritas ...that James mixed, and drank, in addition to three beers given him by Manuel.
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...more beer for James later that evening at Liz and Ira's.
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...Coronas that Jess drank while sitting on the banks of the Russian River.
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...baby trout caught in a cast net someone had brought (highly illegal), lovingly released after a brief natural history lesson for Manuel's son, Oscar.
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...words Jessica understood during the five or six hours spent with our Salvadoran friends.
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Alexis and Jess enjoying the shade
...hours James and Jessica napped beside the river, being watched over by our Salvadoran “family.”
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...crawdads. Yes folks, there are crawdads in California, and just like everywhere else, kids are freaked out by things that have claws. James brought them over to show the kids, who shrieked and ran out of the water when he released the large crustaceans in the swimming hole.
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...set of keys thought to have been lost when James jumped into the river off a huge boulder, later found by Manuel under the blanket where James and Jess had passed out, and returned to James at McDonald's in Oakland the next morning.
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Hilda's chicken wings were AMAZING.
...desserts Jessica ate in one day- brownie, lemon cake, cookie, and cake decorated as the US flag.
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...years that “Old Rickety” the ladder has been in continuous operation at Liz and Ira's fireworks extravaganza. He didn't let us down- the fireworks were great! James posted some photos here on Flickr
Elijah lighting a sparkler
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...first-timer. We took Elijah down to Newark with us to see the fireworks display at Liz and Ira's house. It was his first sparkler experience!
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...beers given to the cops to take home for when they got off-duty. They stopped by on their patrol for illegal fireworks (of which we had zero!).
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...days we need to fast in order to feel like we deserve to eat again.
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...happy American couple counting their lucky stars to have been born into such privilege. Happy Birthday, America!
What makes people want to run long distances? I've often wondered that, and still do after today's seven-and-a-half miles. But here's the thing... if you're not Kenyan, you don't need to actually run. Granted, a guy from Oakland came in 6th place today (a really good effort, I have to admit), but the rest of us knew better. We pretty much just shuffled our feet a little more than usual, and tried not to stop. I just happened to be 17,213 of 43,403 (which is only the number of people who crossed the finish line before the close of the race course.... Based on some things we witnessed I'm sure there were plenty who got too drunk to make it even half way). Yes, it was a good race.
By the numbers, here are the stats:
Balloon Hats: 3
Jess, Damon, and James, 5:39am on Bart
Monkeys with Bananas: 13
These are the only photos I got that are publishable. I took photos of a few more later in the race,
and wow, these guys just took the whole monkey/banana concept to a whole new place.
Pirate Swords: 2
This is actually the same sword. Someone must have passed it
along to Captain America thinking his outfit wasn't complete...
Balloon Motorcycles: 12
They're easier to wear on a hat than to carry...
Balloon Dogs: 3
She knew how to make them herself!
Giant Squid: 1
This was my celebratory balloon for having run the entire six blocks of the 11% grade... Jess requested it special for Mama Mann.
Cinnamon-sugar donuts from random onlookers (in my right hand),
eaten while running next to a guy wearing 35 pounds of homemade Roman armor: 1
I bet a donut would have given him the energy he needed at the end of the race.
When we saw him getting on Bart he was barely moving...
Scary gangs of Oompa Loompas: 1
They don't look scary here, but there were at least twice as many who weren't in the picture...
Herds of Cows: 1
There were probably twenty other herds of cows in the race... Bee swarms were popular too.
People Pretending to be Scantily Clad but Actually Wearing Tattoo Tights: 2
Hey, at least they're clothed.
Balloon Lady Bugs for the Youngest Kid in the Race: 1
Super cute.
Herds of ACTUAL Bison: 1
Yes, there's a herd of bison in Golden Gate Park.
Runners happy to finally reach the Ocean: 1 (out of 43,402 others)
The wind nearly knocked my hat off!
Dollars Raised for Breathe California: $1040!
AWESOME!
THANK YOU TO ALL OF MY SPONSORS!!! Mama Mann & Dean, Smith, Damon, Joan Grabowski, Addi, Kim, Erika, Rocco, Charlie, Ilana, Cindy, Renee, Two-a-Tara, Sky & Seti, Emily & Chip, CD, Kai, Kevin, Denise, Val, Craig, Sarah, Noah, Adam, Adrian, Ginny... Did I miss anyone???
Epilogue:
Wifey and Damon were there to cheer me on and enjoy the freak parade (do an image search on Google of "Bay to Breakers" and you'll see what I mean). Wifey said she'd do a 10k with me before the next B2B. We'll likely be putting a team together for next year... Who's in?!!
There are so many things that I'm thankful for this Spring. We don't give things up for Lent in our household, but we are still keenly aware of all of our blessings. Its been a busy year so far and we wanted to share some of our spring activities so you can see what its like for us here on the West Coast in Spring. We have SO much going on all the time- we'll wear you out just looking at all the pictures! Here's the highlights:
February is lemon time- our Meyer lemons ripen on the tree and make everyone's mouth water for Jess and James' famous lemon meringue pie! We also decided to make limoncello this year (a tasty Italian lemon liqueur)
It rains until May- here the boys enjoyed some time outside and had their first ice cream sandwiches of the year! It wasn't warm enough yet to hose them off, but we needed to!
In January James decided to buy some more chicks- so we've been taking care of them in the laundry room- here is a picture of Isaac quasi-holding one.
James has been doing A LOT of entertaining.... (www.JamesEntertains.com!) and I did some myself!
James let me go WILD with new patio planters and a fountain- now I've got jasmine growing EVERYWHERE and it smells and sounds so delicious as soon as you come to our door.
Nowruz is the Persian new year and falls around the Spring Equinox. My buddy Caitlin's landlord is from Iran and invited us again this year to celebrate with him and his family and friends. It is the most important holiday in their calendar and certainly a great party! The coolest tradition to go along with this holiday is called the festival of fire- the celebration of the light winning out over the darkness (i.e. days get longer). According to my friend Wikipedia, the tradition includes people going into the streets and alleys to make bonfires, and jump over them while singing the traditional song Zardî-ye man az (ane) to, sorkhî-ye to az (ane) man ("az-ane to" means belongs to you); This literally translates to "My yellowness is yours, your redness is mine," with the figurative message "My paleness (pain, sickness) for you (the fire), your strength (health) for me." The fire is believed to burn out all the fear (yellowness) in their subconscious or their spirit, in preparation for new year. See James, jumping the fire and stealing all its energy!
Another tradition- most holy to those who love baseball, we went to one of the spring opening exhibition game of the Oakland A's and the WORLD CHAMPION San Francisco Giants with our die-hard-fan friends Ira and Liz.
I made myself a spring apron out of an old sundress Caitlin gave me- it turned out great! Mandela tried to help....
We continued our weekly jam session:
We dyed our Easter eggs this weekend too!
As you can imagine, we are pretty pooped at the end of each day- but no rest for the weary- here's me giving Mandela a rubdown as I fall asleep...
