Sunday Picnic: Berkeley Rose Garden and Codornices Park

This picnic was technically at two different parks.  Berkeley Rose Garden, and Codornices Park.  We started with the Rose Garden which has over 3,000 bushes of 250 varieties of roses.  We set up on one of the wooded trails that surround the park with views of the bay, and the Golden Gate Bridge.  After lunch Matt and the kids hiked a bit while I cleaned up and, well, enjoyed the roses.  The Rose Garden connects to another park through an under street tunnel, Codornices Park.  At Codornices the big event for Cyrus (and Matt) is the 40 foot long cement slide.  Sol loves the train themed little playground and Ava likes to go on "Adventure Walks" through the surrounding trails.  We've been to this park a few times now, it's a family favorite.

My first Dahlias!

I'm super excited to introduce you to my very first dahlia.  They are one of my most favorite flowers, and when put together in a big bouquet of mixed varieties, they are probably top on my list.  They remind me of home in the north west.  They remind me of country roads, and roadside stands.  They remind me of farmer's markets, and my grandmother.  They remind me of my mother.  They make me think of my daughter. 

Here's the growth of my first little dahlia.

Sunday Picnic: Point Pinole Regional Shoreline

Looking for ways to keep out of our increasingly hot house on these summer days we've started picnicking again.  A few weeks ago we headed to a park that's only 5ish miles away, Point Pinole.  This was Matt's first time, and my second time with the babies.  It's a beautiful park with large, expansive views of grasslands, eucalyptus groves, and the bay.  There is a shuttle that runs from the entrance to the dock. We chose to walk and picnic our way to the dock and shuttle back.  A great option for tired legs.  I need to remember to visit this park in the spring/winter when the grass is green, I bet it's even better.

lost moments

In the very beginning of this pregnancy I lost a lot of time.  Time spent sick in bed.  Days and days.  And my babies would all come in and visit.  And she would spend time telling me about her day, about her dreams.  Her jokes.  Her stories.  Thank you tiny unborn baby.  If I hadn't been so sick, I may have missed some of these lost moments.

Washington Vacation V

Our time in Eugene Oregon
(there's so many pictures, but I can't seem to help myself)