Family Trip: Explore the Filoli Gardens

Inside the Garden House. Photo by Frog Mom

Spring knocks early on Filoli's doors but then, what wouldn't spring do for one of the Bay Area's finest gardens? Spreading over hills and meadows in Woodside, Filoli is one of the last early 20th century estates still intact its full glory with a mansion, historic orchards and manicured gardens. Just minutes off Highway 280, it's another world where the word "gardens" doesn't quite capture the largest collection of heirloom fruit trees in America, the Greek mythology feel of the High Place or the Woodland Garden that seems right out of Alice in Wonderland with its shaded alleys. From the Daffodil Days in February to the fragrant roses in the summer, the garden is a wonder to explore with children.

The mansion, garden side. Photo by Frog Mom

I discovered Filoli thanks to a Sunset magazine article right after I arrived in the Bay Area 11 years ago. The holiday season at Filoli was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Since then I've taken my girls to most of the seasonal events, taken many visitors off season and make it a family tradition to go at least once a year, sometimes twice, and see what's blooming.

What's Blooming?
Last week when I dropped by for an afternoon, I was delighted to see that the narcissus were opening up, that the meadows were turning yellow with daffodils and that potted miniature violet irises were gracing the Garden House. Spring is here! Any other time of the year, there's an easy way to know what's blooming before you go.

Daffodil Dreams. Photo by Barbara Braun

There's a See what's blooming page on the website or if you want to see a particular flower - say, you've named your daughter Rose or you have a fondness for sweet peas - you can browse the Blooming Calendar and plan ahead.

I have a weakness for the summer when the scent of roses and lavender lingers on in the air but it's hard to pick a favorite time. Even the list of blooms feels like a familiar nursery rhyme: lilac, clematis, foxglove, columbine, sunflower. Would you favor one over the other? I guess the solution is to visit regularly and enjoy the passing of the seasons.

Sunken Garden. Photo by Frog Mom

What Kids Like
After you walk through the gate next to the garden shop, the first garden your eyes see is the Sunken Garden and this is one for kids to love. Follow the red brick road around the pond and get to the edge. Now kneel down and look for tiny fishes swimming in the water. You'll see them!

The next thing that catches your eyes is the Garden House, a sort of fairytale brick building with checkered floors, potted plants, tall French windows and two doves in a cage. When I was, girls and boys were taking turns pointing to the doves and trying to find the opening of the cage.

Now walk into the Walled Garden and make your way to the Knot Garden. This is totally one of my girls' favorite. Best seen in bloom around late spring and the summer, it's a garden of tricky geometrical patterns with a great history. Let me explain, quoting the Filoli Gardener's Reference.

Knot Garden. Photo by C.G.

The Knot Garden is a unique geometrical arrangement of plants commonly associated with European gardens of the Middle Ages and Elizabethan England, where lords enjoyed their colors and patterns from castle windows.

Knot gardens were commonly designed to display royal coats of arms, figures of plants or animals, or stitches of embroidery, and the interstices would be filled with colored sand and earth (open knot, as at Filoli) or with flowers (closed knot). At Filoli,  hedges are shorn and sculpted into three-dimensional under- and overlapping woven strands creating a beautiful, intricate, undulating effect. If your kids are too short to grasp the intricacy of the garden, no worries. You can find miniature reproductions of the gardens in a square wooden pot. Clever, hey?

Swimming Pool. Photo by Frog Mom

Another kid favorite is the High Place, a grassy yew theater looking down the succession of gardens and an alley of Iris yew trees - great spot for hide and seek or tumble time. Going down the garden, my girls like to sneak inside the Woodland Garden where bell-shaped flowers bend over gracefully next to the narrow path.

Just over the wall is the place that'll make you wish you owned the place: the swimming pool! It's no Hearst Castle pool but framed by these gorgeous gardens, I'll take it any day. Too bad you can only look at it.

Of course I couldn't put in words the rest of the gardens but last week I stayed 20 minutes looking at a blooming magnolia tree shedding its pretty pink leaves on the terrace facing the mountains. I say, it was very relaxing.

If you wonder why the gardens are so pristine and well maintained, imagine an army of 1,300 volunteers busy as bees and passionate about Filoli. These guys do most of the work!

Now, to spice up your next visit, here is a short list of upcoming events.

Upcoming Events
Seasonal events are very popular at Filoli and it's bet to get your tickets early.

• Friday February 22 - Sunday February 24, 2012: Opening celebration with Daffodil Dreams. See nearly a million bulbs burst into bloom in the meadows and around the mansion. Hours: Friday and Saturday, 10am to 3.30pm, Sunday 11am to 3.30pm. Free for kids age 4 and younger, fees apply for others. Read my Frog Mom post on Daffodil Dreams.
• Saturday March 31, 2012: Spring Fling. Family fun, floral displays, hands-on activities, live music and you can sample the Filoli garden products (honey, herb mixes, vinegars). 10am - 3.30pm. Free for kids age 4 and younger, fees apply for others. You can pre-order lunch boxes.
• Friday May 11 - Sunday May 13, 2012: Celebrate Mother's Day with the Filoli Flower Show. Details coming up.
• June 2012: Father's Day event, details coming up soon. 

Where to Eat?
Filoli offfers one of the rare dining options off of highway 280 and a cute little cafe where you can enjoy paninis, soups, salads and for kids a short selection of kid-friendly meals. Unfortunately picnicking is not allowed on Filoli grounds but if your child needs a snack right now, I've seen moms sit at the tables on the tennis court and whip out an emergency snack. Local picnic options in the area include Edgewood Park and Preserve, Wunderlich Park and Huddart Park.

Directions
Filoli is roughly 30 miles south of San Francisco. To get there, get on Highway 280 and exit at Edgewood Road. Turn towards the mountains on Edgewood Road until it ends at Cañada Road and turn right on Cañada Road. After 1.25 miles, turn left into Filoli entrance. There's free parking by the visitor center.

Review: TOTEM by Cirque du Soleil

How do they do it? Photo by Cirque du Soleil

After the show, my girls clapped wildly though it was 11pm and way past their bedtime. The smile on their face said everything - what an amazing evening! Totem by Cirque du Soleil opened in San Francisco last week and I took my mom, my 2 girls (6 and 8) and my husband to the premiere. First thing I did when I got home was to Google "Olympians Cirque du Soleil". That's how good the performers are - what they do just doesn't seem humanely possible. Totem is definitely a top notch circus show in that unconventional Cirque du Soleil glam-steampunk-world way. Take the kids!

Crystal Ladies. Photo by Cirque du Soleil

The show
Spectacular. Really. We all had our favorites and ironically they were almost identical! My girls' favorites were the Crystal Ladies and their sparkly material spinning act, as well as the Trapeze Trio and the Unicycles and Bowls. They really enjoyed the clowns too and laughed hard on several occasions.

I'm usually not a clown fan but the sad clown who rowed on a boat to catch some fish and ended up pulling a giant plug emptying the sea - that guy was hilarious. The "Italian" macho skinny guy was very funny too though as a parent, I would have preferred less sexual innuendo in his pantomime.

Hoops Dancer. Photo by Cirque du Soleil 

Us adults were blown away by the Fixed Trapeze Duo (the photo I chose at the top of this post), an act that was both completely novel, funny and poetic. The mini-roller skating rink was also quite stupendous as well as  the Hoops Dancer (my husband's favorite).

In the non-physical category, we were all floored by the magic and beauty of the glow-in-the-dark juggling act with the guy in Victorian scientist costume. Hello Jekyll and Hyde fans! He performed in a human-size beaker and when we thought the bluish balls flying around the clear walls in the dark were a treat, the balls started changing colors. Wow. Can you do that again please? The trailer below will give a brief overview of the prowesses you're about to see.




Sets and Costumes
"Mom, do you think we'll see anything that's happening on the other side?" That was the initial reaction of my 8-year old when we took our seats in front of a giant fabric turtle blocking the whole stage. She breathed a sigh of relief when the canvas was lifted to reveal a jungle gym skeleton structure and squealed at the visual effects on the "marsh/beach" slanted area connecting stage to backstage. The sets definitely gave a more theater feel to the show, something the kids enjoyed.

My favorite. Photo by Cirque du Soleil

The costumes and make-up were beautiful, covering a wide range of ambiances from the Bollywood glitzy to the Native American symbolic, the earthly African savannah or the futuristic Moebius-inspired Russian acrobats. Not a dull moment on stage!



The Story
The show is self-described as "a fascinating journey into the evolution of mankind." If you want to understand how the acts are connected to the storyline, by all means get a program. I didn't and a week after the show, I still have no clue what the possible links could have been. That's fine - not  knowing takes nothing away from the beauty of the show but if you want the deeper meaning, then the program is a must. I doubt the kids will insist on knowing the story. The show is riveting enough without the subtitles.

Just For Moms
Lots of scantily-clad cute hunks on stage. Yay!

Seats

Unicycles and Bowls. Photo by Cirque du Soleil

As much as possible, get seats facing the stage not on the sides. Most of the show group scenes are best seen only for the front audience. If like us you sit on the sides, well, you'll only get a slice of the scene. In terms of high or low, I think higher seats would be better for kids, particularly smaller kids, because a lot of the action takes place in the air.

Roller skates. Photo by Cirque du Soleil

If you sit in the lower section, your children will spend their entire time craning their necks to see what's happening. Whining alert. Best sections: 200, 201, 202. Good sections: 100, 101. Not as good: 103, 104, 203-206.

Food and Drink
Abysmal and expensive. For a show of that quality and price I was expecting better snacks, not your local movie multiplex selection. Just popcorn, pretzels and hot dogs? With prices through the roof and no healthy kid option, I say - eat before and BYO intermission snack!

On the upside, adults can enjoy a cold beer or glass of champagne during the show since drinks are allowed in the tent. It really makes you feel like you're out without the kids. On the downside, when your neighbor accidentally drops his cup of Coke between the seats, you're in for wet sticky socks. Yes, cup holders would be a nice extra touch.

Age Recommendation

The tent. Photo by Frog Mom

Based on the fact that:

• The show is 3 hours long (with 30 minutes intermission)
• The evening show starts at 8pm, the matinees at 1pm, 4pm or 5pm
• The show includes loud music, some pyrotechnics and constant movement

I'd say - this is not for the preschool crowd. But guess what? There were babies in slings as well as a handful of toddlers at the show. What do I know? All I know is that my kids at age 3 would never have been able to sit still a full 2 hours and 30 minutes. 

Bonus Tips

• Skip the $20 parking fee by finding free street parking after 6pm (Tuesday - Saturday) or taking MUNI (T or N lines).
• For emergency potty breaks, head directly to the last rows of porta-potties for shorter or no lines.
• Dress in layers. It might in cozy and heated inside but you're still right by the bay. As soon as you get out, burrrrrrrrrrr.

Address
Big Top, AT&T Park, Parking Lot A
74 Mission Rock St., San Francisco 

Tickets
$55 to $360 online. Get a 20% discount on all seats with this link. You can find discounts at Goldstar too.

Official Website
www.cirquedusoleil.com/totem

Outdoorsy Kids Crafts at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire

Do your own thing! Photos by Frog Mom and Inga Lim

When I asked a 4th grader what he wanted to make at my crafts table, he just replied "My own thing." Plain and simple. Wouldn't tell me more. Though the answer took me aback, I decided to watch him do his own thing while I was helping other kids. An hour later, a friend had joined him and they finished plotting fake dynamite bars to creep out kids at school. That was on Sunday at my East Bay Mini Maker Faire booth where a big sign behind my head clearly announced "Make Kid Binoculars and Outdoors Pioneer Dolls"! Life lesson: creativity takes kids to oddball places where it's OK for them to do their own thing. Go DIY spirit!

On Sunday October 16, 2011, the East Bay Mini Maker Faire was both a madhouse and a unique experience where from 10am to 4pm, I helped kids make two crafts to enjoy the outdoors: paper roll binoculars or telescopes and camping dolls. Here's the story.

Camping Dolls

Camping doll. Photo by Inga Lim

For this craft, I hijacked the concept of the corn husk doll or pioneer rag doll and came up with my own weatherproof version - the camping doll. Rather than the usual fabrics or rags, I looked for outdoorsy materials that would be sturdy enough to resist a winter hike or a rugged camping trip. Waterproof was definitely a plus. This is how I set out to find sailing cloth and tent material in the Bay Area.

Now, I was not going to buy a boat or a new tent to shred them to pieces - that wouldn't be very clever. Fortunately two sponsors came to the

My wonderful friends at work. Photo by Frog Mom

rescue. The SF REI store donated two "bad" tents they were going to throw away and Pineapple Sails in Alameda donated yardage of big sail cloth rolls (great colors too) and sail cloth scraps. Thank you REI and Pineapple Sails, you made many kids happy!

Drawing a face. Photo by Frog Mom

The night before the faire, several friends came to my house to cut the tents and bravely snipped through zippers and mesh material or figured out ways to cut rectangular shapes in dome-shaped tents. The oily and thin nature of the sail cloth made for interesting layers while the wrinkled vinyl of the tents added texture. The decking cloth proved to be too thick to use.

My first camping doll proof with an orange shiny tent material was unanimously rejected by an audience of 6 kids from age 3 to 8 - not cool, not fuzzy. I tried a variation with a thicker red tent material, added legs and that one won the heart of all kids. With a good design in mind, we cut hundreds of strips roughly 4" wide by 12" long. Thanks to Jason, Jacqueline, Laurance and Sofia for being such enthusiastic cutters!

Camping doll family. Photo by Inga Lim

Back at the faire, the camping doll activity was a big hit. It appealed to both preschoolers and grade-school kids which was good because I didn't know what type of kids would go for this craft. The younger kids tended to gravitate more naturally towards the binoculars activity.

Always one to challenge stereotypes, I was pleasantly surprised to see that a few boys actually asked to make dolls. Less encouraging was the reaction of several moms (note: moms, not dads) saying to their boys: "No you don't want to make a doll" or "Your doll needs to wear pants". People, leave the kids alone! If they want to make funky dolls, where's the harm?

Don Teakell cutting sail cloth at Pineapple Sails.
Photo by Frog Mom

One little girl spent about an hour at the booth making an entire family of camping dolls. First she made a mom. And a hat. Then she wanted a camping baby. Then she wanted a camping dad. Thank God my friend Inga has a crafty streak and could assist her wonderfully. We stopped short of the twice-removed cousins but I could see the endless possibilities in her buzzing bubbling young head.

Ironically while kids liked the camping doll right away, parents didn't pay attention until I told them the materials were sail cloth and tent material. Then they took a closer look, touched the pieces and commented on how cool this was. What's the saying - don't judge a book by its cover?

Instructions for Camping Dolls
If you too want to make these dolls at home, here is the process that I used. Kids: don't cut your folks' tent to make this at home. Ask your local sports store for free supplies. They can probably help you out.

Binoculars and Telescopes

Pint-size makers. Photo by Frog Mom

The idea for paper roll binoculars came when I was researching my book. I had just finished exploring the Lobos Creek Dunes in the Presidio when five kids from a local daycare zoomed by with home-made binoculars hanging around their neck. Each had decorated their own and they were going to look for bugs. Immediately I knew it would be part of the crafts section in my book and it was the initial activity I offered for the E.B. maker faire.

The materials list was simple: empty toilet paper rolls and paper. I debated long about whether I should use fabric or paper to cover the rolls and paper won, largely because I found big topo maps at SCRAP.

TP roll drive at BCMS. Photo by Frog Mom

Finding toilet paper rolls was a challenge because I signed up for the faire late in the game and couldn't search for supplies up to a week before. Again, a village came to my rescue. Several moms from the Golden Gate Mothers Group organized neighborhood collections and Big City Montessori School, my girls' former preschool, coordinated a full-on paper roll drive over 7 days.

Back at the faire, I stashed  200 TP rolls and regular paper rolls in a flowery chest, let kids pick two rolls the same size, let them choose safari pattern paper or topo maps and whipped out the tape and staples. Binocular time!

A boy gets help stapling the rolls while another tries his
new binoculars. Photo by Frog Mom

When a boy asked to make a telescope, I was tempted to refuse because the paper strips we had cut were TP roll size. Too small I thought. However  this was the master DIY faire so I reconsidered and said yes.

"Pick 3 pieces of paper!" I offered. And there, overlapping several bits of topo maps, we created the first telescope of the day, attaching it with a thick white rope for a more nautical look.

The binoculars were fun because some kids agonized on the choice of paper or map. Most parents preferred maps but the safari and jungle prints were cool too and all three had an outdoors connotation.

Binoculars Instructions
Basically I followed this process but I punched three holes in the rolls instead of two so the yarn would go twice through each tube. For the telescopes, I just punched two holes and used a thicker rope. Those were awesome because I found a box of ropes at SCRAP and kids picked their own.

Now the anecdotal side.

Signing my book. Photo by Inga Lim

Funny Things People Said To Me

"My boy is too old for binoculars": a mom after she asked me what activities I offered. Her boy was 10 years old. Sorry lady, the kids making dynamite bars don't seem to mind my activities and they're your boy's age.

"Did you do all the hikes?": a dad who bought my hiking guidebook. I know, surprising.

"I want to make a belt": a second grader after he had already made binoculars, a telescope and a camping doll.

"Do you have a studio?": the charming woman behind TinkerLab. Gosh, should I?

"I'm going to look for dragons": a 7-year old girl who just made binoculars. That's the spirit, girl!

The World Outside
I didn't see any of it since I spent the whole day behind my table but I have eyes and ears. First of all, my girls enjoyed crafts in my room.

Befuse activity. Photo by Befuse

With  Befuse they made plastic bags fused by heat and reshaped them as purses. WithTinkerlab Studio (in partnership with Heather and Whitney from 510families), they made magnet pins. People made giant pinwheels out of recycled calendars with the East Bay Depot Creative Reuse,  and crazy stuff with Duct Tape Projects. Just next to me was a great book-making artist.

Frog Mom and Frog Kids.
Photo by Inga Lim

Almost every kid came into the room with a blinking robot pin from Maker Shed. My friend Olivier raved about the ComBot Combat Robots. I saw great-looking hats and more robotic stuff come and go. It seemed fantastic and my only regret was that I didn't have time to go see the Smallest POstal Service in the World.

At The End of The Day
At 3.30pm Inga helped me pack up, my friend Olivier returned my girls - whom he had been taking all day around the faire - and I drove back home from Oakland in a zombie state. I was even happy I had leftover mac'n cheese from the previous night to eat for dinner.

It's hard work but the E.B. Mini Maker Faire was a fantastic first public event as Frog Mom and I loved the interaction with kids and parents. Looking forward to more - of the "do your own thing."

Join Frog Mom at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire: Sunday October 16, 2011

Aw, the East Bay Mini Maker Faire is on this week! This coming Sunday, forego any other plans you had in mind and join 128 crazy crafters, DIYers and scientists at the East Bay Mini Maker Faire in Oakland between 10am and 5pm. I'll be frogmom-ing (the frog mom version of "manning") a kids crafts booth and I'll sell my family hiking guidebook too. Around me will be tons of fun people. In other words, bring your tadpoles and unleash the power of their creative juices!

Photo: East Bay Mini Maker Faire 2010

If you've never been to a Maker Faire, it's literally a place where people make stuff. At the San Mateo Maker Faire last spring, we saw operational R2D2s (big giant kick when they start beeping), giant cupcake-mobiles, water tunnel machines, talking skeleton animatronics, toothpick miniatures and monster-size legos set-ups. We also built a duct tape bird swing, made soap, cut out a steampunk Victorian card and built wooden towers. There you have it: it can be anything.

My own craft this faire is designed as a companion to a creative day in the woods or at the playground. Since I'm both sort of a crafts- and outdoors-nut, it seemed only fitting. I'll be helping kids to make outdoorsy pioneer dolls and kid binoculars!

My own girls are super excited - as am I - and they can't wait to tour the other booths while I sit behind my table. If I can escape, I'll be checking out the smallest postal service in the world at Leafcutter Designs and the crazy pedal-it-yourself wheels and rides of Paul's Rides. Freestyle baby!

Discount
The East Bay Mini Maker Faire has made me a custom discount code my fans, friends and family can use to get 15% off tickets for the event on Sunday, October 16th. You can enter this discount code when purchasing tickets at http://ebmakerfaire2011.eventbrite.com/.

The discount code is FROGMOM.

Details

• When: Sunday, October 16th, 10 a.m.—5 p.m. 
• Where: Park Day School campus & Studio One Art Center, 360 42nd Street, Oakland, CA.
• Google Map: http://bit.ly/dugAYD
  
  

See you at the Maker Faire!

Best Hikes with Kids, San Francisco Bay Area: My Book is out!

At The Warming Hut holding my book! Photo by Becky

Taking notes at Pirate's Cove. Photo by C.G.

Last year brought to me an incredible adventure and it's about time I write about it because the result is now out in book stores. In late January 2010, a freelance editor contacted me. The Mountaineers Books, a Seattle-based outdoors publisher, was looking for an author to write a new "Best Hikes with Kids: San Francisco Bay Area." The editor had come across my blog Frog Mom and wanted to know if I was interested. Interested? More like eager - I loved the idea! The original 1992 book by Bill and Kevin McMillon had been updated in 2002 and needed a new version. As I had the book on my shelves, I read it cover to cover and turned my hiking brain on.

By late February, I submitted 3 sample hikes, a table of content with 90 hike destinations (mostly different from the original book) and a book proposal with ideas. Anxiously I waited and kept telling myself it'd be ok if they rejected me because I was not a published author and you can't always get what you want.

Hiking with my dad at Tennessee Valley.
Photo by C.G. 

Two weeks later, I received an official book offer and fell off my chair! When the contract came a month later by April, the deal was the following. The 65,000 word manuscript was to be submitted in September 2010 with sample maps for each hike, 140 digital photographs, an author bio and a table of contents. That gave me 5 months to explore, research, photograph and select 110 hikes in the Bay Area.

I had no idea where to start a book so I started by looking at a map of the Bay Area. OK, so officially the Bay Area includes 10 counties: San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Contra Costa, Alameda, Solano and Santa Cruz. I decided to follow 3 rules.

Hiking at Stebbins Cold Canyon. Photo by Inga

First, I wanted my book to be fair to each county and represent the diversity of the Bay Area wherever you lived - not just for San Francisco families. That way, you could take the book with you on a day trip to Sonoma or a day trip to Santa Cruz and still find stuff to do. That meant popular Marin hikes would not be included but people would be able to discover the green side of Napa or Solano.

Second, I wanted to include sightseeing and nature facts sidebars because I love to combine trails and travel. Seemed like seasonal events would be cool additions too. Third and last, I wanted each hike to have specific kid appeal - animal farm, cool nature fact, animal migrations, historic buildings, famous children's books locations, shipwrecks, native American way of life, etc.

My brother and niece were at Ano Nuevo too! Photo by C.G.

On that basis, I started the actual "professional" hiking in March 2010. At the beginning I was hiking about 3 trails a week but the winter rains lingered well into spring and summer which meant I had to forego several days on hiking at a time  - which I dedicated to writing and research. When the weather dried up around June, I counted that I needed to complete 5 to 7 hikes per week to reach my goal. My goal was to hike 20% more than the final result so I could weed out 20 hikes and end up with 110 perfect hikes.

Goofing up with hubby at Uvas Canyon.
Photo by Olivier

By then my girls were out of school and I was glad I had selected their summer camps based on my hikes. Since I went on day hikes, I needed to be able to drop off my girls at camp in the morning, cover whichever miles I needed to drive to the trailhead, complete the hike while jotting down notes and taking photographs, eventually ask for families on the trail to photograph them and have them sign releases, maybe do a second hike nearby and rush back for pick up time at camp. I cannot count the number of times my girls were the last to get out of camp.

At the end of the summer, the hiking pace picked up as I saved the farthest parks for the last. Some weekends, I left my husband take care of my girls, left at 6am and returned at 8pm having covered 2 or 3 parks that day. Needless to say, I was in great shape. But in dire need of a new pair of hiking boots - 400 miles later, my shoes were neither waterproof nor mud proof.

Desperately seeking new boots! Photo by Frog Tadpole

At the end of the day, my family and friends all took turns volunteering to come hiking with us and the GGMG Magazine team outdid itself to contribute young hiking models and provide book support efforts. Thank you all!

Even my mom hiked despite a bad hip. Photo by Frog Mom

Come September 2010, I submitted my manuscript and it went through several rounds of careful edits until late spring 2011. I re-did some of the hikes to confirm details, I changed a couple hikes because of new information and I got serious headaches on non-accurate maps. Fortunately The Mountaineers Books team was tip top professional and Ben Pease the cartographer incredibly knowledgeable about the area.

Book signing at REI San Francisco. Photo by Christine

The book finally came out on August 12 and has been in Bay Area bookstores since early September 2011. It's 365 pages long and weighs 12.6 ounces - I couldn't help weighing it. You can get it on Amazon.com here or at your regular book store - if they don't carry it, encourage them to do so!

I did my first REI presentation in San Francisco on Wednesday September 7 and it went great. Here is a calendar of my upcoming events, until I manage to get myself a decent author website.

Upcoming Talks on Hiking with Children and Bay Area Trails
- Wednesday September 14, REI San Carlos, 7-8.30pm
- Wednesday September 21, REI Concord, 7-8.30pm
- Monday October 24, REI Saratoga, 7-830pm
- Tuesday October 25, REI Fremont, 7-8.30pm

I also have a healthy snacks cooking class in the works (exciting!) and more author events in store. I'll post details as soon as I have them. If you know of a good place to hold a talk or a book signing, please contact me by email at frogmomblog [at] gmail [dot] com.

Zee book!

Giveaway
To celebrate my book, I'm organizing a giveaway for 2 lucky readers! It's easy. Write about your favorite Bay Area kid trail in this post's comments and you'll be entered to win. Double your chances by commenting on the Frog Mom Facebook page and by referring friends to Frog Mom - tell them to mention you referred them in their comment.

Deadline: September 30th, 2011. 5pm PST

The winner gets an autographed book from me with a special surprise and I'm not tellin' what it is before the end.

To the question "What do we do now?" in the movie Rango, the main character always answers "We ride!"

I say,

"We hike!"