In The Mountains

We arrived for a week in the mountains this afternoon. We're surrounded by redwood trees, and the
most delicious smelling fresh mountain air.

California Days

I had a day in the city yesterday with just Moojie, Zita, and Freddy. We started out the day with hot chocolate and bagels, and then walked to the Alta Plaza park.  Moojie is too old for children's parks, but he is so handy and helpful in getting Freddy out of tricky spots and keeping an eye on his siblings while his Mummy finds a bathroom for the umpteenth time per day. Plus it's hard not to enjoy a view like this. 

In the evening we went down to the bay front where every kind of food truck imaginable and live music make for the perfect atmosphere. I now know what all the fuss is about with Korean BBQ. The only problem is now I'm going to be craving Korean BBQ for the rest of my pregnancy in Portugal and be out of luck. Better to have loved and lost I guess. 

This is my view for most of the day. I run/fast walk as best I can behind any combination of children as they bike and skooter around the block. Ocassionally, one will circle back to tell me that another has crashed. I need to get a shot of Freddy's knees with multiple scrapes. 

 This is Freddy's beloved new bike.

The Marvel of American Parks and Rec Facilities

The kids are enthralled with a number of things here. At the top of the list we have automatic ice-makers. They always have a cup of ice in their hand and the sound of crunching ice is consistent throughout the day.

Free and well kept tennis courts, not to mention great parks are all within walking distance. Our days have been filled with biking, walking, and skootering around on smooth sidewalks (no cobblestone!), eating lots of ice, talking about food we want to eat or have just eaten, and enjoying unstructured days.

Since I know my friends in Portugal will want to know about the food, so far,  my favorites  have been:

 Asian lettuce wraps with an assortment of dipping sauces (I ate these so fast that I could barely get out of my chair) 

 A sushi platter that Mooji and I devoured on a bench at 9am having woken up at 3am on our second 

morning.

A grilled chicken burrito with guacamole and salsa 

A strawberry passion fruit smoothie 

 A toasted pear, goat cheese, and walnut flat bread 

Bruschetta with manga salsa 

Reading that list, one would think I have been here for weeks, but I am trying to eat things here that are not easy to eat in Portugal or require work and/or messing up the kitchen. 

California Day 3

It's my nephew's first birthday today. Moojie helped hang these lanterns
in keeping with the red white and blue theme.

The kids are having a blast. I haven't uploaded photos, but I'll do a big post as soon as I do.

Cue Jet Lag

It was a long and delay filled trip during which I said over and over again how glad I was that we weren't traveling with a baby. It's over though, and nobody spilled drinks on me, and nobody was sick, so in that regard, the flight was a breeze.

Freddy and I are wide awake at 4am sipping on apple juice and coffee from the comfort of a very soft, fluffy, American bed.

I would in be heaven if it weren't for Pai's
absence.

More later.

Nothing but Sun and Sand

It's not easy to get a moment on the computer with the kids out of school, and even harder to get a blog post written. We are fresh back from the beach, and everyone is fed so I'll do my best to catch up here.

Monday kicked off girls week with just Zita and me sitting on Guincho beach. Since it was was so perfect on Sunday, we decided to go back. Zita is her mother's daughter and doesn't like the cold anymore than I do.

We huddled a bit and tried to warm up with a little running around before we decided to relocate to the Praia da Rainha in Cascais.

Zita could easily spend her whole life looking in tide pools. 

 Beyond tide pools, the kids love to toss sand in the shape of a cup up in the air, and try to catch it without the sand breaking its form.

 She bravely swam in the chilly water, falsely luring tourists into thinking it was fine to just jump right in. It's really not!

 and then warmed up in this sand bed we made together. We finished off the perfect beach day with some Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, more strawberry jam making, and then some intensive tennis in the late afternoon.

Can I just point out how good it is to be 9 years old in the Summer time?

Hello From Baby Boy

He's already learned from Moojie and is using his hand to block a good picture. How cute is that little hand?