keep moving

***Some people have mentioned that the photos are too small but you can enlarge them by clicking on them, then scroll through with your arrow keys.

Freddie has started talking in an English accent occasionally, mimicking the narrator of her audio books we’ve been listening to lately. She’ll walk around reciting various excerpts from the stories saying things like “there’s a ghy-aunt in my room” (giant) and “can I have a chocolaht-bha” (chocolate bar). One of the stories is called Bedtime for Frances. The main character Frances—a little girl—has to go to bed, but like all children do, she tries many various strategies to stay up with mom and dad (“mothah” and “fathah”). It ends with Frances being threatened with a spanking; she quickly goes to bed and doesn’t get out until morning. Freddie has taken to loudly reciting her own variations of these stories while we’re out and about during the day. For example at the grocery store the other day she was saying something like “but I don’t want to . . . time for a spank on the bum . . . please don’t spank me . . .  a time out and a spank on the bum right now . . . but it will hurt . . .” etc. I chuckled nervously as my eyes darted back and forth checking to see if anyone was dialing social services—“Oh Freddie you tell such funny stories, so much drama, you’re a real ham.”

An afternoon at Chrissy Field last Saturday

As I reflect back on the two and a half weeks we have spent here in Oakland I realize how comforting it is to get back into a routine—grocery shopping, cleaning etc. I’m not saying it’s interesting but it definitely does make things easier on the brain. It pushes the days by a lot faster too (not that you want the days to linger when you're doing laundry). My last entry was over a week ago now and that is partly because it’s hard to think of things to write about when you’re stationary and spend the majority of your time bumming around Target. Obviously we do exciting things too like watch episodes of Portlandia in the evenings, and Freddie and I have been doing a lot of play-dough sessions during the day. But when you’re not constantly on the move and forced out of the hotel by 10 am you (I) tend to start slow, and then all of a sudden it’s dinner and kid bedtime, and then Steve and I are facing each other on respective couches staring at one another. One of us can go out alone—Steve is out right now actually--but it's not as fun when you're by yourself.

The main reason for not writing over this last week is because my parents came to visit and we were busy hanging out with them for 5 days. It was great to have some company; we always have such a good time together. We met them in Carmel on Sunday and stayed there in a little cottage for 3 nights. We spent our time driving up and down the coast between Carmel and Monterey taking in the beautiful scenery. Steve and I even got to go out for a date one of the nights too.

Freddie had a great time snuggling and reading books with Grammy and Grandpa and my dad’s beard inspired me to finally get started on a children’s book I, up until now, didn’t know the title or content of. “The stuff inside Grandpa’s beard!" It will be a story about a little girl who visits her Grandpa and reveals to the audience of readers the magical powers of his beard. A tickle trunk of sorts it stores everything a child could dream up, from candy bars to carousels. I think it will be a hit! 

 Mom and Dad!

Dad hiking up onto the Pebble Beach golf course to see if he could find some rogue golf balls.

Freddie found some seaweed

Freddie riding a seaweed horse

Breakfast at Denny's

On Thursday Steve, Dad and I did the Alcatraz tour together. Steve and I noticed a couple with their 2 year old daughter who was not being accommodating and didn’t seem to appreciate the history around her. They struggled to walk up the three steep hills to the prison. We were glad we left Freddie at the hotel with my mom. 

 Peir 39 entertainment at Fisherman's Warf (this lady is 60!)

 The Sea Lions!

 

 Crazy Hair Steve! (best friend of Good Times Steve)

Alcatraz

10 and 15 inch diameter cannon balls.

  One of the canons could shoot a 15 inch 440lb canon ball 3 miles.

a strange thorny plant

Last night we spent the evening at Runa and Peter’s place for dinner. Our new Oakland friends made a delicious Salmon feast and we had a great time chatting and learning a bit more about San Francisco. Freddie was very brave and managed to mostly hide her serious anxiety of children under the age of 5—their little girl is 2 and they had a friend over with a 2 year old as well. Freddie has always been very nervous around babies and kids close to her in age. They are somewhat unpredictable and she’s afraid they will hurt her, or cry, or scream etc. She says things like: so and so “is too loud”, or so and so “will eat me!” Anyway, she was distracted by the abundance of toys, and brownies for dessert.

Today we were all in a strange head space, maybe a bit sick. Steve and I were both in one of those horrible moods where you’re bored but don’t want to do anything, you know, like a teenager. Everything I did made Steve grumpy and everything he did made me grumpy. We decided to go for a drive out to Stinson Beach. It took way too long to get out of the house and then when we finally got there (2hrs later) Freddie was crabby and it was too windy so we drove back. There was some beautiful scenery on the way though and so I think it was all worth it.

One week left here in Oakland and then we are on our way back to Oceanside where we will stay in a very cute cottage on the beach for our last three weeks. Who knows what adventures await!