Summertime

It's the middle of June, and we're finally settling into our new home in Berkeley, just two blocks from where we've been subletting for the last six months. We're planning on staying put until Pearl graduates from school in a few years time; we have been doing way too much moving recently and and are ready to settle down, at least for the moment.




Our new home

We lucked out and found a newly renovated two-bedroom house with an open backyard that is perfect for a raised bed vegetable garden. This weekend, we started digging the beds for wildflowers and native plants in the front and started construction on the raised beds for the back. Soon we hope to have cucumbers, tomatoes, peas, peppers, broccoli, beets, squash, spinach and herbs.


Our back yard (the before pic)










Flowers from the yard

We've grown to love Berkeley-living so much more than we anticipated. We find that we don't cross the bridge into San Francisco as much as we thought we would; instead, we find ourselves exploring Berkeley, Oakland, and the East Bay. Last month, we went on a hike in Las Trampas Regional Wilderness in San Ramon with our friends Stu & Mags where we picnicked atop a large rock outcrop while watching a kaleidoscope of wildflowers blowing in the wind.


P&C at Las Trampas (courtesy of M. Chuang)

We also hiked with Sascha up in Marin to join the German Maifest celebration near Muir Woods where we were entertained by the Tourist Club SF in their traditional Bavarian outfits, dancing around a Maypole dance. Traditionally the maypole dance was an opportunity for young unmarried lads and lasses of the village to meet and pair up. The dancers at the Maifest were there to entertain rather than pitch woo, and were not so young, ranging from early twenties to, perhaps, late seventies, but all seemed to be having a grand time all the same. It was cute watching everyone get into the spirit of May!


Dancing around the pole at Maifest

Last weekend, Sascha graduated from American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine for his Masters in Acupuncture, and we attended the event with his father, Mickey, who flew in from Germany, and his uncle, Kirk, who flew in from Kentucky.


P&S&C at the graduation (courtesy of K. Schmidt)

For the coming months, our plans mainly include getting as much sun as possible in our backyard while we plant our garden, bbq and read on our new lawn chaises. We'll be visiting family in Boston in mid-July, and Pearl will be attending the Dickens Universe in Santa Cruz in the beginning of August.

If you find yourself in the Bay area or seeking a getaway weekend out West, come and relax in the sun with us! We always love guests :).