another carless day

another carless day. i love this kind of existence, reminds me of those post-college days in newark delaware which in some ways were the best times of my life. just let it flow. we roll out the door with rocket and a vague plan to hike bernal hill and find some more secret slides but only make it one block before we stop for the kids to get their hair cut at stephany's. everyone speaks spanish and miles gestures to make his hair plan clear. we walk a little farther to casa sanchez where we are lucky enough to eavesdrop on a big group of traveling cool skateboard ladies from portland oregon discuss skate parks and the skate business while we eat rice and beans. we make it another block to the water park where miles entertains some kids running through the fountains. a little farther south to garfield playground, home of the purple dinosaur and the wierd moving balance beam. we watch a very professional looking soccer game and start to laugh hysterically as we avoid stepping in doo doo and hockers. we give up on the healthy hike up the big hill and head back for ice cream, stopping at the bookstore on the way where i read maya a book called king and king about a gay prince and buy virginia burton's book "life story". waiting for our cones i spot this cool woman and her twin girls we met at rancho cicada last year. we take our cones to the water park and soon the kids are soaked and sugared, chasing each other around topless and happy in the sun.

i topped off this day at our wonderful neighbor nancy's house, drinking a bottle of nice red wine and eating a delicious sandwich made with her home-preserved strawberry jam while miles and her son got awfully goofy. i put miles to bed with a nice wine buzz.

a day without the car is often a better day, i need to remember this. for so many reasons.

beautiful day in the neighborhood

i love days like these, all in the neighborhood. a fuss-less walk up potrero hill, through the newly green open space. miles said goodbye with a hug and barely a backwards glance. a slow walk down with lots of dogs to pet. we sang michael jackson as we walked over the highway and didn't care who listened. at home maya and i got very domestic for a few hours. we picked flowers and vegetables, and then made sun prints. for lunch, pasta with the garden veggies (arugula, tomatoes, parsley). we drew some trees and made collages. then a stroll down 24th to get a coconut donut from the friendly donut shop, where spaceman 3 was blasting. we met a nice mom and three year old rock and roll boy and hung out with them. then back up the hill. soccer, all kinds of crazy kids running in the grass, balls flying, miles in his element. the red-tailed hawk sat in his tree above us gossiping parents while maya and some big girls made mud soup in the ground. the kids and i walked down through the open space singing a song i wrote about not swallowing your gum and a woman getting out of her car told us "the family that sings together stays together."

sometimes i feel like i am a wierdo, that all this mundane stuff can make me feel such ineffable happiness. and little flashes of sadness thinking about the kids growing up and this all going away. i try and try to live in the moment, because when i do it can be so good.
stuff we made
book miles started writing before anyone woke up today. terrible spelling, heavy captain underpants influence.
leftover from someone's alice in wonderland costume, i think