Sailor Suit
Robin wore his sailor suit for Mother’s Day, and garnered many compliments. We had a nice brunch and then went to see the “Treasures of Bhutan” exhibit at the Asian Art Museum…we stopped at that playground on the way so Robin could stretch his legs.
The latest news on the toddler front is that Robin has taken to grabbing our toes while shrieking “tikka tikka tikka!” (tickle tickle tickle!) I think he’s decided that what goes around comes around, Mommy!
On the housing front, we’ve put in another offer. The house we’re going for now is actually in Martinez, which is north of Oakland: it’s a really nice town. Technically I guess it’s a city, but it very much has the same feel as the college towns I grew up in. It has a Main Street lined with mom-and-pop stores. It has bungalow neighborhoods filled with trees. It has a creek that runs through the middle of town. It seems like a really nice place to raise kids; the sort of place you wouldn’t mind turning them out of doors with an admonition to be back by supper.
Martinez is mostly known in the Bay Area for the beaver controversy that gripped the city two years ago. Basically, a pair of beavers made a dam in the creek downtown, creating a potential flood hazard. The city government wanted to trap and remove the beavers—or just shoot them—but the people of Martinez were having none of it. After a series of protests and “an emotional city council meeting,” the city of Martinez decided instead to install an expensive water flow device around the beavers’ dam.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Martinez was also the home of famous naturalist John Muir. It also claims to be the birthplace of the martini.
These facts, taken together, tell me all I need to know about the people of Martinez. They are a soft-hearted and thoroughly impractical folk who love nature and gin. I feel we’d fit in well.
