Time Warp

Hopping onto that plane bound for SFO could've been the same as hopping onto a time machine.  As soon as we arrived, we were back at our old stomping grounds.  These are places we visited many growing up, but this time our kids were with us so we saw them in a completely new light.

For my dad's 61st birthday we celebrated at Ed Levin Park in the hills of Milpitas.  We always called them hills but now we know that they're really mountains.  And what do you find in our mountains?  Mountain lions! (This is what we keep telling the boys, and what they keep reminding us).  

They were almost immediately captivated by the hang gliders and paragliders that jump from a nearby peak.  Again, something completely boring and normal for us grown ups.  We were just happy to relax in the shade and enjoy our sushi picnic.

After a little digesting we took a short hike with my folks.  It hit me then, that our boys would be able to see my parents and do things with them on a very regular basis.  

We flew Uncle Alvin out from Chicago to help us with the transition, since he proved his manny skillz back in March.  Lots of time was spent in front of the house, where Alvin taught the boys to make fire with a magnifying glass.

Ten years ago we remember Gunilla raving about Happy Hollow, taking Sara & Anton there twice a week when they came to visit every summer.  Well, look who's bringing their kids there now?  We even got a year membership, which has already paid itself off.

The next weekend we rendevouzed at Fort Funston for a very chilly and foggy picnic.  We were the only ones there without dogs, and we didn't even make it down to the beach but the kids didn't care.

We eventually got our car delivered with all our mission critical supplies (i.e. espresso machine) and began staying in our SF condo.  The first few days were a trip.  Here we were, where our family began five years ago.  All of a sudden we noticed a lot more families and kids around, and noted the quality and location of nearby playgrounds.  We immediately had to school the kids on our neighborhood homeless population, who are pretty harmless but definitely unpredictable.  And of course lay down some basic ground rules of city life: don't pick anything up off the ground without asking first, always stay by our side.

After a few days of adjusting at the condo, at this place so familiar to us, it almost started to feel like we never left. Our brains were tricking us, making Arlington a not so distant memory, like a recently finished book.  Suddenly we felt like we returned home.