With the rush of vacation and back to school in August, September's slow down was a huge relief. Our weekends were free of events, giving us the opportunity to be spontaneous! By 9AM on any given Saturday our boys start to get wild if kept indoors, so we picked a hike in "Best Hikes with Kids: San Francisco Bay Area" and made the very short trip to Glen Canyon Park.
We loved the passing fog on the large boulders, climbing steep hills and hiding out in the creek bed.
Despite being surrounded by city, you could hardly see any buildings or cars from many parts of the park. We found wild blackberry thickets and imagined what it was like for the indigenous people hundreds of years ago.
All that play made us hungry, so we decided on family kimchi time on Irving Street. As soon as we got home Mattias made good on an old promise, and finally installed rock climbing holds onto the boys' bunked. So far, no injuries.
The following day we planted succulents and drought tolerant plants in Linus' school ground. We just joined the gardening committee, and are thrilled to plant in a place where our efforts won't (literally) get peed on.
After getting our hands in the dirt we strolled north to participate in
Sunday Streets. The city closes streets on a rotation to encourage all to "Walk, Run, Bike, Dance, Explore." Not only does it encourage recreation, but it also brings together communities.
We stopped by and talked to folks manning booths for the National Park Service and SF Port Authority, among many. The kids loved all the free stuff and running amuck in the streets.
On the path home we stopped at the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association block party. Did we mention that Gus joined all the activities, from the comfort of the stroller. Dog just got a free upgrade, and loves rolling baller style.
There was neighbors, food, and face painting. Anders started melting down from all the activity, and nearly cried away his rainbow, so Mattias took him home for a nap.
Left with the big boys, we stumbled upon an open house around the corner from our place. (True story: poking around million dollar properties with a gang of boys is my new hobby. It delights me to see the faces of realtors and potential buyers alike when my kids "test out" all the house features.) At $1.7 million we'll have to pass, but it was nice to pretend for few minutes.
Believe it or not, all that happened in a single weekend, and not much of it was planned out. While the cost of living is high, so is the quality.
