My brother and his wife celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this weekend with a lovely party in their backyard. This gorgeous butterfly blessed the occasion with a fly through and settled on a flower just long enough to allow me to capture a photograph. Western Tiger Swallowtail Photo taken April 13th, 2013 Pleasanton, California Continue reading »
Shadow Cliffs, Pleasanton Photo taken February 28th, 2013 Continue reading »
Yesterday, my son had a school field trip to Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area, a large park located in Pleasanton, near the Livermore border. The students have been learning about the life cycle through the study of trout. They went to Shadow Cliffs to release baby trout into the lake. But they also had a … Continue reading »
An awesome way to burn some kid energy is to head out for some rock climbing… park style. For a list of our favorite parks in the San Francisco East Bay with fun rock wall features, see my post… Outdoor Climbing Walls. Photos taken at Val Vista Park, Pleasanton. Continue reading »
It was HOT earlier this week! Tuesday was a perfect afternoon to spend at one of our local parks with great water features… Val Vista Park in Pleasanton, California. For more parks in the San Francisco East Bay that have great water play areas, check out… Ten Fun East Bay Parks with Free Water Features Continue reading »
The weather is heating up here in the San Francisco East Bay. Take a break from the local swimming pool, and cool off in a nearby lake instead. Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore has two swimming areas, East Beach and West Beach. Swimming is free, but there is a $6.00/vehicle park entry fee. Is … Continue reading »
Since the week my son turned three, we’ve been attending the East Bay Regional Parks Outdoor Discoveries program, a naturalist-led class designed specifically for three-five year-old children. Each outing includes a hike and plenty of time for observation, exploration, and play. To make the classes even more fun, I always invite friends from my Nature … Continue reading »
The weather is warming up, so it’s time to find fun outdoor activities for the kids that incorporate water play. Kids love to play in water… any kind of water! The play areas I’ve included in this list are all free and are located within local community parks. If the features aren’t already on in … Continue reading »
Simple park play… ride scooters at the skate park! We like to go when the park is quiet, when the big kid skateboarders aren’t there. And safety always comes first.. notice my son has on a helmet and both elbow and knee pads. Photos from our outing yesterday to Val Vista Community Park in Pleasanton, … Continue reading »
I’m convinced that all a kid needs to have fun in nature is a stick, some rocks, a body of water, and a friend or two (or five) to play with. Nothing more. Photos taken this morning at Shadow Cliffs Regional Park, Pleasanton. Continue reading »
Climbing has become a new passion for my son in recent weeks. I signed him up for some classes at a local climbing gym this month, and, with only three lessons so far, I’m surprised at how much his climbing has improved. He would be ecstatic if we could go to the gym every day, … Continue reading »
