We made the most of this weekend's bizarrely beautiful weather (what is going on January?!) by heading off on a little family outing yesterday. Any guesses where we went?
Nope, it was not The Shire. Guess again...
Following a gorgeous drive out to Point Reyes, we parked at the main visitor center and from there embarked on a short hike to a recreated Coast Miwok village called Kule Loklo.
As I said, the hike was short and when we reached our destination there were all sorts of neat dwellings and structures to explore, perfect for a kid Clover's age, and a fun way to learn a little bit about how these local indigenous people lived.
We followed up our hike with super yummy wood-fired pizza in the quaint and quirky town of Point Reyes Station perfectly paired with a refreshing wheat beer for the parentals. To top it off, they brought us the most delicious Florentine cookies! You-know-who was pretty excited about the free chocolaty goodness, yeah, and of course Clover was stoked too ;)
It was an all around lovely day and ended up being a perfect lil' Sunday family adventure, just what we needed. I mentioned before how I wanted to do more of this type of local exploring, so I'm thinking a good goal for 2012 will be to make it the year of fun day trips! Hopefully a few longer ones too :)
"Clara" fell asleep on the ride home. Yes, it's been awhile, but we officially have ourselves a new character. Remember that Nutcracker movie I told you about? Yup.
We rigged up this tiara thingy out of pipe cleaners and beads because she wanted to emulate this look. She wears the thing EVERYWHERE. I forget sometimes and we'll be walking down the street (or trail) and I'll notice people looking at her with these big smiles on their faces. Then it dawns on me, oh right, she's wearing a crown. Ha, never a dull moment with this one.
See, I'm actually guessing that her new interest in ballet is just the latest manifestation of her love for inhabiting new characters, in this case that of a ballerina, or now more specifically, Clara.
At this age the dance classes we sign her up for are really play based and more for fun than anything else. While there were some valid points brought up in the comments section of my last post regarding the possible pitfalls of girls becoming serious about ballet at a young age, I wouldn't be surprised if something new took its place right quick. We'll see though, I agree, it's definitely important to be aware of that stuff.
Anyway, welcome welcome to 2012! The year of fun day trips! Wishing many a lovely outing upon you this year :)
19 comments:
Point Reyes Station is one of my favorite places anywhere - I can't believe I never knew about Kule Loklo! Thanks for sharing.
playbased ballet sounds amazing. i hope i didn't seem like i dislike ballet. i love it, and my goddaughter is in her second year of it at the ripe old age of 5 and i see her taking it all the way, her passion for it is definitely real. it really depends on the program. you look beautiful in these picture. i thought your hair was shoulderlength in the first, and you know, you'd look really nice with that length. but then i saw your mermaid hair walking away and i wasn't sure. you've got good hair. clover's sleeping face is precious.
man, that place looks incredible. And yes, more day trips in 2012 please? Our family needs to make more of a conscience effort too.
However, I don't think we have as many cool options as you northern folks might ;)
we love point reyes station and it's on my list of places i'd secretly like to live...but didn't know about the miwok villiage, we'll have to hit it up. you look divine and of course it's not the shire...you look more like an elfen queen, silly!
i'm also cracking up at the way clover's crown is slipping down her head with the honkin bead. soooo cute. i totally get the way a kid seems to be into something because of the story or character they are emulating. fern's on a big pooh kick right now, and "get's stuck" about 80 times a day, hollering "oh help and bother!"
Oh, I love Point Reyes! It was weirdly beautiful weather in the east this past weekend, then snow today! Love the Nutcracker look, very enchanting. :)
hey, i recognize that lovely dreamworld place! darin and i were there at the beginning of our coastal rambles in feb 2010...
http://moonshinejunkyard.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-california-you-cross-border-of-my.html
and we even ate at the same wood fired pizza joint! probably even drank the same beer. what can i say, great minds think alike ;)
such a perfect adventure. and I LOVE DAY TRIPS!!! can't even imagine how much fun they are (although i'm sure fun could sometimes be replaced with tricky or exhausting!) with a little one in tow to see all the world in its magical splendor. you guys always seem to find the most amazing spots and the perfect blend of art, nature, beauty, and bliss.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! I love these adventure-day posts you Californian girls blog about....it's like a preview of possibilities for our travel. I am going to need to email you soon i think. i love how little girls dress up, it shows how confident and carefree and how unselfconscious they are. And i adore your outfit.
x
hahaha right before i scrolled down to see where you were, i said in my head "the shire". what a cool place! it looks the ideal day. subshine, nature and beer :D
day trips...yes! we need more of those. probably won't make it a reality until we get a car we all can fit in. taking two cars everywhere is a huge bummer. not to mention a waste of gas and money.
The thing I loved most about my car was being able to take day trips! They can be a little exhausting if you try to pack a lot in, but I like 'em better than prolonged ones because you always get to come home at night.
Clover is so sweet, and it's wonderful that you encourage her to use and develop her imagination instead of trying to squash her "characters".
Ohhh the dangly tiara is amazing! My goodness I wish I lived closer to that kid so I could see more of these characters live and in person.
I think your 2012 goal is a mighty fine one, and I look forward to seeing where you go (and what you wear!).
Oh my God, that place looks fantastic, my boys would LOVE it! Glad to hear you're having such gorgeous weather in January, looks beautiful!
hahaha! i had to come to back to talk about your comment. first of all, billy jean is my favorite mj song as well. and i use to write the lyrics down too! ever since i can remember i've been obsessed with knowing lyrics. i know lots of beastie boys too, i dunno...i see i rap off in our furture hahaha :D
Missa, do you remember when Chiara was
Clara? I think it had to do with clara being easier to pronounce than chiara. She played clara for months.
How about fremont diner and train town some weekend soon?
wow. these places you go to are always so beautiful!! I love this one especially.
kule loklo! you all look so cute out there!
i used to go so much as a kid and was OBSESSED with the morgan horse farm, which is right there, and the visitor center for bear valley, also right there (they had some rockin' taxidermy and whale bones).
pt reyes station is one of my favorite places in the world, and i was just there last week as well! we ate at the pinecone. i am lucky -- my horse is out in west marin, so i am there twice a week these days. we are so lucky to live with so much beauty around us! keep up the day trips!
Missa I am returning and shall now comment on your blog much more like before! Clover has grown so much, I'm loving the fact that she likes to explore different characters! After this comment I'm going to go read up on this Point Reyes, it sounds majestic, not quite the Shire but it would do for a girl like me! In case you were wondering the word "Reyes" means kings in spanish :)
And one last thing, my favorite pic on this post is the one of you and clover walking into the sunshine together. It is adorable ^_^.
I bid you many more outings full of magic and perhaps more free cookies!
Talk to you soon!
-Ginela
My word, sweet lil Clover. I love how she experiences new things by becoming them. I went to get my hair cut today in a salon in downtown LA. There was art up everywhere by an artist named Sunny. It was really cool art too- very bright in color, but sort of adultish figures and styles.... any how, the artist is a 9 year old who just totally has a gift (and some nourishing parents)... but seeing this post makes me think that Clover will have so many opportunities/paths to follow because you indulge in her creativeness! Totally cool-
What a fun day trip! Sorry I'm so behind with blog commenting Missa. I read all the posts at the time, but sometimes I forget to say hello :)
Hey this isn't far from where I live! We never go out there b/c the windy road sort of makes my little boy queasy. We usually head to Sonoma for family fun, but we should try venturing to the coast again. This place looks awesome!
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