We went camping at Memorial Park in San Mateo county. I have ridden by on motorcycle rides to and from Pescadero Beach so many times but I had never camped there. Tami had and chose our first camping trip of the summer with Shea and Nicole. Apparently camping is popular. We had hoped to get two camp sites at a couple of near by camp locations throughout the summer so we could invite others to join. Unfortunately, this year we were just too late. We plan to start camping plans earlier next year. In the mean time, one spot is thankfully enough for us and Shea and Nicole. Excellent camping company and we have so much fun with them.
These orange glow in the dark bubbles that Nicole brought were the hit of the night for Shea and Enzo. The cameras couldn't capture it but they had the weirdest look in the dark; the kids that is. They kept running into the bubbles in the dark. The bubbles didn't glow as much in bubble form but they sure did glow bright as spots on faces and clothes once kids ran through them laughing. Our kids looked like they had glow in the dark orange chicken pox. This gave me reason to ponder why kids love bubbles so much. Then I came up with a clear answer watching them. Bubbles are so cool! They float. They are a chamber of air in the air flowing with the air wrapped in a rainbow of transparent and shiny bubbleness. What is not to love?
We arrived in the night to light a fire, relax, and play with bubbles. This made the whole place a new adventure in the morning as the kids explored in their footy pajamas.
Ana, however, is at that phase now where she wants in and does not care about cold. It's exploring time. The added complication is that she is currently fearless.
Where is the deep end? Let's go look! What's over there? I'm going in. Mami wants to hold my hand as we cross the water? Then I'll choose the deeper side to walk on. No one holding my hand for a minute? Run for it! Touch it all! Taste it! Rocks? Not bad. A hand full of dirt? Not so good to eat as I scrape it off my tongue while whimpering and tearing.... Wow, was hoping this same pile of dirt would taste better then 5 minutes ago when I tried it and Papi helped me clean it off my tongue.
Tami's new stickers.
Camping was a blast. We'll be back to that park.
And now for something a little different.
When we got home a couple of packages awaited me. The contents of one is pictured below. I don't know what the top speed of my Civic Hybrid was last week but I am sure that it is now 10% faster. The fastest Honda Hybrid Civic around because it has this:
Hand made Italian Momo shifter knob. It's the same model I added to my Miata back in the day. I love it. As a kid, Momo shifter knobs and steering wheels became associated in my mind with proper sport luxury and Ferrari's. Exquisite. One superb aspect of marketing is that it adds pleasure to life by creating desire, appreciation, art, and satisfaction. Life is just better because Ferrari makes beautiful machines, Apple makes beautiful technology, and Disneyland makes wonderful stories and a place to immerse oneself in. I know there is a line somewhere where the marketing is dangerous and cruel. I know there is a zone where marketing is unhealthy and wrong. But I also knowthere is this zone where anticipation creates pleasure and makes a life better. My kids always laugh more when they see the tickle coming and I when I repeat the process several times so that they can anticipate the tickle. That look of anticipation and laughs escaping from their smiles before the tickle even gets there is priceless.
So not as ticklish but still making the drive so much more fun, is my Momo hand made Italian shifter knob. Thank you now-gone, high-end, automobile accessory store in downtown Los Gatos for the gift to a middle school student of a future of added excitement from every drive for less than $70.