Trainspotting

Here we are again, down at the Mountain View Caltrain station. Papa sometimes takes me here on Sundays because he knows there are other things to do besides watching trains (although I don't see the point). The Sunday morning Farmers market is there which means we can go buy the freshest produce and find other goodies like fresh bread, frozen Chinese dumplings and local cheeses. Today Papa discovered a man shucking Swedish oysters for service on the half shell. A small squeeze of lime, a dash of Tobasco, and down the hatch. "So simple, yet so deliciously briny," Papa says. But I digress. We are here for the trains.

The rain was coming down pretty much all day. No worries, there was a nice shelter to hide underneath for the heavy showers and cozy hooded coats for the drizzle. Trains are part of my life and a little water won't keep me away.

Happy days

I am happy and Zadie, our dog is happy. Me first. I am happy because I'm over at my favorite playground running around on a sunny cool January evening. As you can see, I am wearing a big coat and little gloves to keep myself warm. It feels really is cold out here but we shouldn't complain - it's not as cold as either NFL playoff game today (minus 4 degrees in Green Bay, right around zero in Foxborough). Northern California is a pretty nice place to live when you think about it.

Zadie is happy because she got a bone this morning. She has been a good dog, and we updated all her vaccinations last week with nary a complaint. Mommy and Daddy bought a quarter of a cow at the end of last year. They found a rancher up in Cotati (near Napa valley) who raises organic, steroid-free, grass-fed cattle. My parents have been cooking at least one beefy meal for each other on the weekends. Today was Daddy's turn and he had an extra bone from a chuck roast. One bone for Zadie, lucky dog.

Back into the swing of things

It's well into 2008 and it has been wet out here in Northern California. That's ok, that means there are lots of puddles and mud for me to play in. That also means the reservoirs have been filling up for the long dry summer ahead. The sun was peeking out today so Mama and I took down the Christmas lights (as much as I love them, they wouldn't have the same appeal if they were hung up all year long). While she was up on the ladder, I watered all the flowers in the window boxes. She gave me the 1/2 cup measuring scoop and a watering can. I like repetitive tasks like this, especially when water is involved. But I think we'll have to wait until summer to go 'nudies' again.

We can't really complain about the wet weather though, most of my relatives are probably in freezing conditions, with snow and ice on the ground. I hope everyone can be warm.

New helmet, new bike and a puddle

Mommy got me a cool new bike helmet today because I've outgrown my old bumble-bee one from a while ago. Santa also brought me a bike because I was a very good boy this year. The Northern California weather created a big puddle in front of our house, but then the sun broke through. What a perfect confluence of goodness for me!

This bike is a "balance bike" and is called the Skuut. It is a cheaper knock off of the German-made LIKEaBIKE. It is made out of laminated plywood and thus lightweight, but the main features are; no pedals, chain or gears, no spokes to catch my hands or feet, and limited steering angles so I can't jackknife the entire affair. It has two wheels and a handlebar so it does teach me to balance and steer. Eventually when I graduate to a pedal bike, I should be able to skip training wheels altogether. The astute viewers will also notice the labeling is upside-down on the main body of the bike. That's because my legs are too short to have it the right-side up. The head tube angle is a little slack now, but eventually I'll get tall enough to switch it back. Catch me if you can.