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.

Nike Missile Hike at Sweeney Ridge

A room with a view. Photo by Frog Mom

Talk about an adventure. With a mom friend, her two kids and my girls, we set out to find a historical marker on Sweeney Ridge in Pacifica, which I thought was pretty cool. In my mind, historical marker + Spanish expedition, armed soldiers and missionaries with horses and mules + year 1769 set the stage for a nice storytime after a steep hike. But lo and behold we found a Nike Missile site on the way and that became the hit adventure for all of us. A vandalized and dilapidated remnant of Cold War days stole the show on a sunny winter day and had our kids going all crazy in and out of the buildings. Would you believe me when I say that the hills around San Francisco never cease to surprise me?

Trailhead by the Orchid Nursery. Photo by Frog Mom 

On a gorgeous afternoon, we looked for the trailhead around CA-1 in Pacifica. For the record, there's no big signage on the freeway so looking is part of the fun. I had already hiked Sweeney Ridge and the Gaspar de Portola Expedition marker from Sneath Lane off of Skyline - it's easier.

However I knew there was a trail coming in from the Pacific and it happened to be the exact route Father Crespi and the Gaspar de Portola Expedition had followed to find the San Francisco Bay on a crisp autumn day in 1769 when grizzly bears still roamed California and wetlands ringed the Bay . All in all, more fun.

Getting started. Photo by Frog Mom

I also knew that approach would be fairly steep (1,000 feet elevation gain over 2.4 miles) but the kids didn't need to know that ahead of time. They would figure it out soon enough.

We finally found the entrance. From CA-1 going north from Rockaway Beach, we made a sharp right in the driveway of the Shelldance Orchid Nursery and found a big dirt lot at the top where we parked. Everybody disembarked and grabbed their backpacks.

Mori Ridge Trail. Photo by Frog Mom

The first slope set the tone - man that was steep! It was going to be all up until the ridge so I told the kids to pace themselves, which of course they didn't. Why walk when you can run uphill? I mean really (rolling eyes). Crazy as it sounds it's our pair of 6-year old girls who played a little running game while the 8-year old puffed behind.

I thought I was going to have time to chat with my friend on the trail but when the young explorers disappeared over the ridge and wouldn't stop when we called them, I had no choice but to take off. What if they met the big bad wolf? I scolded them sternly but thanks to them, reached the top much faster than I anticipated so that was good.

Ambush in plain sight. Photo by Frog Mom

I caught up with them on Sweeney Ridge Trail and seconds later, we stumbled upon the Nike missile site #SF-51C. As they wanted to spook out their older siblings, I suggested they hide behind me on the cement top of a former tank - a request I didn't need to repeat. Not-so-stealthily they lied down and waited. "Booh!" they went. A commendable try  but they were all too visible to allow any element of surprise.

Once our group was re-united, we started exploring our discovery with stupendous views both on the Bay and the ocean.

Passage of time. Photo by Frog Mom

Now, when you look at dilapidated buildings you don't immediately think "nuclear warheads." Right? Maybe you think "junkie hideout" or "creepy shelter" but nothing too Dr. Strangelove. However the signs on the use of Nike Missile Site SF-51 quickly put things into perspective and then you reconsider the views on the Pacific Ocean. Short range, long range - views with a definite military advantage.

As a matter of fact, Nike Site SF-51 included a control station and was only 2 miles away from a missile launching site at nearby Milagra Ridge (that's if you want a side trip). First I thought the buildings were entirely boarded off but then we realized some doors were open. The kids went in first and we heard "wow!"

Peek-a-who? Photo by Frog Mom

Besides the roofs ripped open and the walls sprayed with colorful graffiti, the buildings have a mad scientist feel to them with dangling wires, big fuse boxes and metal chutes.

We had to refrain the kids from crawling under more wall openings than necessary and stopped them before they tried sliding down a rusty metal pipe. I can't really blame them, the place is fun. Discarded glow sticks told silent stories of night excursions and I actually thought it would be a cool thing to do - later.

Sweeney Ridge Trail. Photo by Frog Mom

I looked at my watch and thought we must go on with our hike if we wanted to make it back to the car before dark. Not that hiking in the dark isn't a good idea, but we only had 2 flashlights for 6 and the way down would be steep and slippery.

Glad that we found a surprise "treasure" on the trail, we continued south on Sweeney Ridge Trail and walked another half-mile until the Portola Discovery Site. Since we were following a "flattish" ridge, that was swiftly done and we found the marker right after the restrooms (junction with Sneath Lane Trail) over the hill.

Portola Discovery Site. Photo by Frog Mom

As far as markers go, this one could be more grandiose. It is after all, the marker for the discovery of the San Francisco Bay on foot by a European expedition. Without Gaspar de Portola, the bay would have remained hidden from the western world for a few more years.

On the hill, the marker is a simple stone with a text engraved that says "From this ridge the Portola Expedition discovered the San Francisco Bay. November 4, 1769." A bit dry don't you think? Though a stone is a step up from the plaque, an orientation table with major peaks and waypoints would have been nice and a more detailed text as well. If there is an NPS sign, I must have missed it.

Hold on to your pants! Photo by Frog Mom

After a snack of ginger snaps, Fat Witch brownies and apples, we retraced our steps and hiked back to the car. This time it's the 8-year olds who darted off like bees and left the 6-year olds in the dirt. Again we moms separated and I tagged along with the junior crew.

Both were trying to be quiet to see bunnies emerging from bushes at twilight but 6-year olds have a hard time staying quiet so they opted to run down the hills instead. I couldn't help but burst out laughing when I noticed they were both holding their pants - because they were falling down!

Late afternoon fog. Photo by Frog Mom

By the time we made it back, a characteristic ocean fog had rolled in and shrouded the hills in a glorious late afternoon mist. The kids were surprised when I tallied up the mileage: 4.8 miles! That was quite a performance given they hadn't been ready for a long steep hike. Guess the surprise worked to our advantage!

Practical details:

• Trail length: 4.8 miles, roughly 3 hours of hiking (4 hours if you linger on the ridge)
• Elevation gain: 1,000 feet
• Trail head: Shelldance Nursery in Pacifica
• Map: download the Sweeney Ridge brochure with map here.
• Snack & drinks: Chit Chat Cafe at The Pier, 2100 Beach Blvd, Pacifica. Yelp reviews here. 

Our experience at Camp Galileo: Part 1

Kids at Camp Galileo. Photo by Camp Galileo

Summer camp season! The irony is, summer camp fun starts as a winter conundrum for parents when they start thinking about registration. The eternal questions: where? what? how much? You want the kids to have fun but you also want them to learn something. Well, if it’s an option anyway. You also want them to feel on vacation but how is that possible when their camp hours copycat school hours? Most important for me, I wanted my girls to experience summer fun away from our beloved fog. This is called summer camp for a reason. Right?

When Camp Galileo offered a free week of camp for my girls provided I blog about it, I was hesitant because my girls did two weeks of Camp Galileo last year and didn't love it. It was fine but not their favorite. However a free week of camp is a pretty cool offer and it came with extended care which was great for my writing schedule. I checked the camp themes and two tickled my curiosity, Lost in the Forbidden City and Inventor's Workshop so I signed up. Here's my review based on  our experience, broken down in part 1 - the practical details and part 2 - the program content and how my girls interpret it a few weeks later.

The location

Crystal Springs Uplands School. Photo by Frog Mom

On the sun radius, San Francisco was not an option but anything south of San Mateo was a reliable bet. I picked Hillsborough and couldn’t have been happier about the location. My girls used their sun hats every single day. That campus, oh my, I want to be 12 again!

This year the Hillsborough location was Crystal Springs Uplands School, a manicured property whose offices are headquartered in a 1917 mansion built for Templeton Crocker. Roughly 10 minutes off the Black Mountain Road exit off 280, the school is nestled in a neighborhood of beautiful houses and a maze of curvy streets (easy to get lost there). It felt clean, safe and had a great outdoors space, features that count to a parent. A-OK on the location.

Hours
On the first day we were late (I got lost in Hillsborough) and once at the school, I couldn't even find the building where my girls were going to be doing camp. There were two options and I walked up to the wrong one first! Fortunately someone redirected us quickly to the right building and we found the camp staff who signed us in quickly. They had our names, checked it and walked my girls to their morning classes.

With extended care, I could drop off my girls starting at 8am and pick them up until 5.30pm. I did take advantage of the early hours and parked the car to walk my girls to the front of the school. It was not even a hundred yards to walk and I was back in my car on my way to work.

Afternoon pick up bins. Photo by Frog Mom

For standard hours (8.45am - 3pm), I tried once the morning drop off that takes place between 8.45 and 9am. It was an easy drive through experience where you just drive up to the front of the school and camp teachers open the car doors to welcome their campers – by name.

In the afternoon, it was easy to sign out my girls downstairs. All their backpacks and lunch bags were neatly stacked in bins (the teachers threw a "tidy bin" contest and the kids really took to it) and we didn't even lose a clothing item the whole week!

As far as hours, I'd say that a 9am start is standard but 3pm is really early. It's only a 6-hour day and that doesn't leave much time if you don't take the extended hours option.

Personability and staff
This was something that totally blew me away. At the end of the first day, the camp teachers and one other teacher knew my girls’ name without looking at their name tag. On the second day, they looked up their names at morning drop off but after that, none of the Galileo staff needed the name tag at all. I understand the ratio of students to teachers is pretty low but still. How do they remember so many kids’ names?

As far as the staff, they all looked on top of their game, knew the kids, knew what to do and were energetic kids (teachers are mostly in their 20s or so it seems). Good vibes!

Facilities

The art class for Stars. Photo by Frog Mom 

At Camp Galileo, camp weeks have themes and each age group (Nebulas, Stars, Supernovas) studies the same theme with age-appropriate activities. During our week the theme was "Lost in the Forbidden City" and kids spend roughly half the day in classrooms studying Chinese culture, architecture and science techniques.

The facilities were spotless and there's nothing I didn't like about them except ... in all honesty, I'm not particularly fond of kids in rooms with ceiling neon lighting when it's bright and sunny outside. Ah well, that's what happens when camps set up shop in schools.

To counterbalance the school classrooms, the campus had a fantastic large grass area where a lot of activities took place, a heaven for any kid who wants to practice somersaults or cartwheels. My girls said they spent a lot of time there or in the trees so I was happy.

Cost
I was lucky that I got treated to a free week but for my girls' age, the standard rate is $519 per child including extended care. In my experience, that's pretty high. Camp Galileo does offer scholarships (a friend of mine sends her son there thanks to  scholarships each year) and there are various ways to get discounts (referrals, three weeks of camp...).

Lunch and snacks

Have grass, will play games. Photo by Frog Mom

And I thought we were done with sending kids with lunch bags when school finished! Alas Camp Galileo is one of those where you have to provide lunch and snacks. Not so. Lunch bag is my least favorite chore of the school year. Wouldn't it be nice if summer camps took care of that so parents felt on summer break too?

According to my girls, Camp Galileo handed out fruit snacks a few times  to kids whose lunch wasn't enough to get them through the day, but it didn't seem to be regular. I would love if Camp Galileo could at least take care of snacks.

End of part 1
I think I've covered the practical side of Camp Galileo. Part 2 of the review will have all the lowdown on the contents, camp songs, activities and learning process. If you have specific questions about it, drop me a note and I'll try to reply.

Disclaimer: in case you were wondering, this is my honest opinion. 

Uvas Canyon: Five Waterfalls and a Laurel Canyon

Basin Falls. Photo by C.G.

Uvas Canyon County Park is such an easy and rewarding hike that it's shocking the trails aren't more crowded. Here are five waterfalls peppered along 3.5 miles of well-maintained moderate trails, and you barely bump into two dozen hikers - dogs included - in a couple hours? What's wrong with Uvas Canyon? Oh, I know. It's in Morgan Hill, 45 minutes southwest of San Jose at the end of a windy road. Had Uvas Canyon been anchored along the sides of Mt Tamalpais, Cataract Falls and Carson Falls would have taken the back seat no contest. Its remote location actually saves Uvas Canyon from becoming a hiking freeway and it's all for the best. Now let's pray for some more rain because it's one of the nicest quintets of waterfalls in the Bay Area.



Swanson Creek. Photo by C.G.

Getting there
Getting to Uvas Canyon is a trek but the scenic road and the last mile make it worth your fuel. From 101, you exit at Bailey Avenue, go west for 3.2 miles, turn left at McKean Road, go 2.4 miles, continue on Uvas Road for 3.7 miles, and turn right at Croy Road. That's the short story. Now go 3.4 miles to the park and slow down. The last mile of the road to the park winds through Sveadal, a resort of the Swedish American Patriotic League. Kids play around here, which explains the 10mph speed limit.As you drive by slowly slowly, note the Swedish themed bungalows and cabins names in -son (Gustafson, Ericksson...). It's official, you're in Sweden! If you visit for the Midsummer festival (June 18 in 2011), hike around the resort to find a troll redwood carving by Swedish sculptor Emil Janel. After Sveadal, you're at the gate of Uvas Canyon County Park. Pay your fees and make yourself at home: boots, water bottle, snacks, ready-set-go.

The Hike

Lower Black Rock Falls.
Photo by C.G.

From the parking lot we decided to start with the waterfall loop. The waterfall loop is a one-miler that follows Swanson Creek upstream and passes three waterfalls. Surprisingly - given how hot this area gets during the summer - Swanson Creek is a year-round stream that trickles down the rock in small pools after the winter rains.

The first waterfall soon appeared on our right. It was right off the trail at the level of a footbridge. All we had to do was get our camera ready. The map didn't show it but it is the lower tier of Black Rock Falls, the largest of the five waterfalls which totals 55 feet in heighth on three different tiers. We kept going. The kids (3 between 5 and 7 years) were totally hyper playing choo-choo train and they needed to burn off some steam on the trail. We let them run.


Express your inner om in front of Upper Black Rock Falls.
Photo by C.G.



At 0.35 mile, we took a sharp right turn from Waterfall Loop Trail to Black Rock Falls. At the junction, all of us adults were startled by an unusual smell. We're not exactly more winos than the next hiker but it smelled like spilled wine right there. More precisely, it smelled like fermenting grape, the kind of pungent smell that floats around wineries after the harvest. Was it a mushroom? A weird fern? Not a careless wino, of course not. We looked around but weren't able to figure it out so walked on to catch up with the kids (who were way out of sight). They couldn't be very far, the fall was 0.1 mile away.

The upper section of Black Rock Falls was tucked at the back of a narrow gully but quite impressive. According to Waterfallswest, it drops a spectacular 35 feet. Since we were hiking with as friend of mine who's a yoga teacher, the kids waited for us in om position. It wasn't long before they started goofing up again, running on the trail.



Hula at Basin Falls. Photo by O.R.

Back on the main trail, we hiked up another 0.1 mile to find Upper Falls and took a short spur to go see my favourite of them all, Basin Falls. It may not get high ratings from waterfall experts but for a mom, it gets five golden stars.

At the base of the fall the creek is quite narrow and interrupted by rock piles. From the path, kids can easily reach the water and play with the mud. It's very hands-on, easy to wash off in the stream, and our girls had fun digging small pools and launching fallen leaves as vessels on the creek.

For adventurous spirits, you can make your way on the big rounded boulder where the falls create a basin, and look for a tucked rock "cave" on the left. Be careful, the rock is mossy and slippery, but the little cave barely gets sprayed by the fall and provides a quiet hiding spot for little kids. Ours rapidly got squirmy so we made it back to Upper Falls.



Upper Falls. Photo by C.G.

Upper Falls is the last waterfall on the waterfall loop at Uvas Canyon and falls in two opposing portions over 25 feet. Wider than the other falls, it is also surrounded by more open terrain and easier to approach from the trail.

Don't do like the hikers we saw who were walking their dog at the base of the fall, pretending the sign asking hikers to stay back behind a fence didn't exist. If it's there, it's for a reason. Erosion anyone? Sheesh.

If kids want to splash around, it's possible to access the creek below the sign and hopscotch your way across the creek to little rock islands or fall logs. I'm not guaranteeing shoes won't get wet - ours did - but it's fun for a little break. At that point, we were about to turn around when half of us felt we could go farther. Coming back on Waterfall Loop Trail seemed unsatisfying, half baked. We decided at that point that we would do the grand tour to Triple Falls, the last waterfall of Uvas Canyon, way in a parallel canyon along a tributary to Alec Creek.


Contour Trail. Photo by C.G.

To get there, we continued on the trail until it turned into Contour Trail, the aptly-named single file path that follows the contour of the canyon. Not recommended for people who suffer from any fear of heights. Steep drops ahead. Though that trail is 1.25 miles long, it felt a lot shorter because the kids used the elevation drops and sudden gains to run down and up and down and up. In fact we had to run after them twice because we couldn't see them anymore. Given that the drops on the side were fairly impressive, none of the adults were completely comfortable letting the kids run loose.

The succession of California bay aurel and oak groves was very pretty and after 1.25 miles, the trail abruptly ended on Alec Canyon Trail. Everybody turn right! Some of us wanted to turn left and come back to the parking lot but I was set on seeing Triple Falls. We were only 0.7 mile away and Uvas Canyon is not exactly next door. So we turned right.

Hiking on Alec Canyon Trail. Photo by Frog Mom

 As much as we had been hiking under dense tree cover so far, Alex Canyon Trail was a pleasant change of scenery, an open trail with scenic views on the redwood mountains. There were even two benches in front of the valleys to quietly reap the visual rewards of the stroll. Day was falling when we got to the benches so we simply walked on.

For a while I hoped that the trail was going to keep climbing so the return would all be downhill, but treacherously the last 0.4 miles are downhill. Ugh. The troops weren't happy. Triple Falls was a stone's throw away but the kids were getting tired.



Triple Falls. Photo by Frog Mom

Two of us ran ahead to snap a shot of the falls (and check that they were where the map said they were) and we all retraced our steps, now headed to the parking lot and warm comfort of the car.

I'll be blunt. Triple Falls was not worth it. After the gushing waterfalls we had seen on the initial portion of the hike, it's a trickle. It might be better to discover the waterfalls in the reverse order to go "oooh aah" in front of Triple Falls and be increasingly impressed at each new fall.

Otherwise don't bother and turn left at the junction of Contour Trail and Alec Canyon Trail. You've already done a lot, the kids will be happy. When we got to the parking lot, the ranger's house was all illuminated with remnants of holiday lights. It was kind of unexpected in January and a nice surprise for the kids. I don't think it's a year-round feature though. Focus on the waterfalls and you'll leave happy.



The cherry on the cake. Photo by Frog Mom







  

'Tis the Season to Pick Chestnuts in the Santa Cruz Mountains

On Halloween morning, our family drove down the Santa Cruz Mountains to Skyline Chestnuts, one of our favorite fall season farms. Late October and early November are supposedly the best time to pick chestnuts, a rare treat whose short season only lasts from mid-October through late November. If you don't squeeze in a visit by Thanksgiving weekend, that's it for the year - gotta be patient til next year.

As we showed up at 10am, several families were already hard at work gleaning and filling huge bags of chestnuts. No, not bags. More like bushels and barrels. Man were they chestnut-nutties! Not to worry though. The trees were loaded and clearly, the harvest was not peaking yet. As a matter of fact, here is what Hans Johsen the owner wrote on the website's forum on November 10, 2010: "We are now in full swing and the chestnuts are still falling like rain! Large size and high quantities prevail." There, you have it. Hurry before the season's over!

We went with my mom and I brought a folding chair so she could sit it out under the trees. This being Halloween, two little girls were rummaging through fallen leaves in princess dresses, their sparkly skirts flickering in the morning sun. Other kids were swatting branches to make chestnuts come down faster.

My own girls were trolling the grounds lousily looking for shiny brown nuts, outfitted with long pants and rain boots. In case you don't know, chestnut burs are prickly - very. Once I had to get the tweezers out to help the daughter of a friend who handled the burs without gloves. I prefer to manage without gloves by using my feet without crushing the fruit. While most people twist the burs between their gloved hands to pry them open, I simply twist them with a swish of the foot and tada!

It's the fourth year in a row that we go chestnut picking at this orchard and through the years, here are a few things I learned:

• kids can easily find chestnuts on the ground under the trees - no need to be big chestnut wizards to spot them.
• while one bucket per family is largely sufficient for the average chestnut lover, a bucket for two is easier if your party decides to split and some of you stay on lower grounds while others climb the hills.
• kids like to take gloves at the entrance but they won't necessarily use them. They don't like to carry buckets either but they still want one. Kids. Truth be told, the buckets are rather bulky for small kids.
• bigger is not always better. Hans Johsen confirmed that the smaller chestnuts are sweeter than the bigger ones. Rather than focusing on size, try to get a nice selection and organize a tasting at home.
• there are several species of chestnut trees on the property - some American, some Chinese, some European. Hence the difference in size and color of the nuts you'll find. Don't worry if some of the nuts are striped green. It doesn't mean they're unripe. If they fell off the tree, they're ripe.

It took us an hour to glean 16 pounds of chestnuts, my husband being the overachiever chestnut person and I being the easy-going chestnutter that day. Amazingly, each year we pick more than the previous year. Why is that? My theory is that we're slowly being domesticated by the chestnuts and as we progress (read, improve), we want more. We used to be newbies and thought chestnuts could only be roasted on an open fire. What a joke!

After I bought Annie Bhagwandin's The Chestnut Cookbook, I started reading it and discovered a cornucopia of recipes, cooking methods and other essential chestnut stuff. Two days ago I roasted a pound of chestnuts in a dry pan (not even a chestnut pan, just a regular one) and it worked wonders. My fingertips are still sore from the peeling part but the roasted chestnuts made a great school snack for my girls. According to the book, there's an easy way to slice them in two, pop them in boiling water and squeeze them out of the husks once cooked through. Can't wait to try that for the Thanksgiving stuffing.

The only disappointment of the day was finding out that Mr. Johsen was already out of his chestnut honey. He's set up beehives in the hills and chestnut honey is my all-star favorite honey for its strong and wonderful flavor. I thought for sure in October I was early and would score a jar this year. Not so. People start calling him in August to secure a jar of the chestnut honey. Sigh. I walked away with a jar of the eucalyptus honey, making a mental note to call in July next year!

Practical details: they're all on the website but I'm copying them below for easy reference.

Driving directions

• From the north: Take Woodside Road (Hwy 84) west, Turn left (south) on Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35), pass Page Mill and continue for 3 miles; the farm is on the right side of the road.
• From the south: Take Hwy 9 west, turn right on Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35), and continue north about 5 miles; the farm is on the left side of the road.

Address: 22322 Skyline Blvd, La Honda, CA 94020

Phone number: (408) 395 0337

Mountain Winery Summer Series: Rufus and Martha Wainwright

During the first song-set of his concert at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Rufus Wainwright requested that spectactors do not applaud until he had left the stage, his departure being part of the piece too. "All Days are Nights: Songs for Lulu" was an hour-long tribute to his recently deceased mother on a backdrop of eye close-up visuals by artist Douglas Gordon. Weird visuals, these giant eyelids opening and closing slowly. the music was appropriately dark and broody. Rufus' voice expressed grief and emotion, the piano's keys seemed like his fingers' natural extensions.

Resisting the urge to clap, spectactors sat silent. Not a whisper was heard. Only the loud chirping away of crickets violated the singer-songwriter's wish. As I got up to find the restrooms, I paused to listen. A coyote was howling in the night. What kind of concert theater offers that kind of experience?

The Mountain Winery has got itself a sweet deal above the Silicon Valley. Sweeping views, attached vineyards, state of the art amphitheater and sound system. Even seats are comfortable.

The Summer Series has attracted music legends such as BB King, Ray Charles, Billy Idol, Diana Ross (the oldies) but also the newer generation with The Crowded House, Natalie Merchant and Rufus Wainwright. In September Sheryl Crow will perform there and the only Northern California stop of A Prairie Home Companion's Summer Love Tour is tonight at - you guessed it - the Mountain Winery. How do they attract such big names?

It's still a puzzle to me because the ticket prices are not outrageous but I understand why people keep coming back despite slashing reviews on Yelp. Amongst the major complaints: the $20 parking charge, overpriced wine in plastic tumblers, bad food, the bottleneck exit of the parking lot and a nutty 10.30 pm lights-off policy that resulted in BB King being cut off in the middle of a song. 

None of those were terribly inspiring so my husband and I just had dinner before and met in Saratoga at a parking lot so we could avoid paying double parking fees.

Once you get over the sheer capitalism of it all, I'll say that it's pretty rare to listen to a world-class performer at an open air venue with views of the Silicon Valley. Add to that a tumbler of wine or beer under clear skies. At night the valley's a freakin' light show and looking down on Palo Alto through the shadows of the trees is downright magical. It's a bit like being on a window seat on a plane minus the bumpy ride.

The Romanesque winery building offers an old world feel while oversize Paul Masson wooden barrels flank the arched walls of the amphitheater and give it a rustic chic touch. Obviously the lighting system has been handed to serious professional hands as the venue looks straight out of a decorating magazine at night.

VIPs and donors get special privileges such as private patios, stage-side terraces and comfy couches for al fresco dining. You and I can spend top $ at the Grill/Bar, Chateau deck, Winery Bar or Marketplace Bistro - or dine before. 

In fact, the whole food and drink offering has been very well thought out with top-to-bottom branding. In addition to the four dining venues, people just walk around between Mountain Winery food and drink stalls peppering the grounds.

Business partnerships improve the basic wine offering. Coke is well-represented with its sodas and Dasani water bottles sold at $4 (while there are drinking fountains by the restrooms with better quality tap water) and Sierra Nevada and Blue Moon have big sign boards and a brewery-style bar for the non-wine drinking crowd. Once you have your tumbler in hand, you can head to your seat and drink while enjoying the concert. Each seat is equipped with a cupholder. That's the life.

I can see a downside to the amphitheater being such an open space though. Martha Wainwright - a very talented singer - was doing the first part of the show. Sadly for her, she was singing in front of a half-empty (at best) amphitheater. People were still trickling in, getting the lay of the land, buying their drinks, and many were watching the singer from the balconies that surround the stage. That's the lot of first parts, I know, but it must still be disheartening for a performer that the audience is so scattered

As Rufus Wainwright was closing his show, we literally jumped from our seats to rush to our car, so nervous we were about getting stuck in the parking lot. Just our luck, Martha was coming back on stage to sing with her brother. We paused on the access ramp, half-regretted our move and left.

As I mentioned, the Mountain Winery is located in Saratoga. If you don't live at the foot of the hills in one of the McMansions, you've got a good bit of driving to do to get back home. For people like us living near San Francisco, it's an hour's drive away. Too bad it ain't closer - but then it would be in the fog.

Meet the 501st Legion, Vader's Fist

Living in the Bay Area, you can't help but feeling close to the Star Wars galaxies. Lucasfilm's offices buzz with creative brains in the Presidio at the Letterman Digital Arts Center, Industrial Light & Magic is there too, and Skywalker Ranch (click here for a visit) is over the bridge in Marin county. That's like the triple-decker-Star-Wars effect. Now, imagine you're a die-hard Star Wars fan and you want to get yourself suited up with a storm trooper outfit. Or a lifesize Sith lord costume. Or a nasty bounty hunter ensemble. Or - thrills - the sombre shiny armor of Darth Vader.

No, a jumpsuit with EVA molded pieces is not going to cut it. There is a way to assemble these officially-George-Lucas-approved costumes and become part of the biggest army of Star Wars villains on earth: the 501st Legion. Self-described as Vader's Fist, this organization is actually a volunteer army. Bad guys doing good deeds? Yes, these guys get out and about to raise funds for charity. Make that 7,467 costumes worldwide as of June 29, 2010. Each costume is unique and hand-made. Each member gets a Legion ID.

Got your attention now? Believe it or not, three of the 501st Legion's storm troopers came to my 5-year-old's birthday party a few weeks ago - and it was the best experience the kids could have had. The guy to the left in the frame, he was the leader of the trio. Super nice guy.

I first heard about the Star Wars volunteers from my friend Sue who had a friend who knew about them. "They came down trees and stormed the place!" she described with glee. That's all the spark I needed to get in touch with them. Unfortunately she didn't have their name, much less a contact number. Still, I knew that it would be a blast for a 5-year-old's birthday party. Why?

I was 12 when I saw Return of the Jedi on big screen. I immediately fell in love with the movie, with the sets, with this sci-fi uncompromising world. I secretly worshipped Luke and the Force. Despised the Emperor all the same. I started collecting cards, trading them at school. I asked for the LPs for my birthdays and blasted the tunes on my record player (now, I do sound like a dinosaur). I read the novelizations. I subscribed to a sci-fi/fantasy movie mag and pinned the poster of the movie on my bedroom walls (wasn't easy, they were fabric with padding). The trilogy showed at Paris' largest screen. I dragged my entire family including my father who couldn't take it anymore (my mom loves Star Wars) and my two brothers. Seven hours of Star Wars in one sitting!

My family took a well-deserved break when I turned my obsession to the Rocky Horror Picture Show when I turned 14. However, that was not the end of Star Wars for me. Just wasn't collecting cards anymore.

Then life went on. When my girls became preschoolers, I started telling them stories of the Star Wars trilogy sixology (sorry George, trilogy sounds way better than sixology). They loved it all. How could they not? Princess, knights, villains, magic, evil against good, jokes, man-made moons, space travel. I mean - isn't it great? On a March visit to the San Francisco Public Library, I borrowed a DVD of the animated series The Clone Wars. Without knowing it, I had triggered a Star Wars button in their head. They loved it. When I started planning the birthday party, my junior Clone Wars fan announced: "It's going to be a Fairy Star Wars party Maman." Done deal.

I started looking for the Bay Area volunteer storm troopers and discovered there were two parallel organizations: the 501st Legion for the dark side of the Force; the Rebel Legion for the good side of the Force. It's Imperial Army vs Jedis. Quizzed on who she preferred, my daughter opted for the bad guys. I then filled the details to request an appearance by three villains.

Shortly after I got contacted by the Event Coordinator at the Golden Gate Garrison. He sent me a list of questions on the event including a stumper: "Are there any restrictions at this location which would preclude costumed members from appearing in helmets and (toy) blasters?"

Since the party was to be held outdoors at the picnic area of San Pedro Valley County Park, I set out to reach the rangers and ask them about toy blasters. Over the phone, they did not initially understand my request. They had me repeat "toy blaster" various times, loud and louder, until finally I explained the outfit of a storm trooper. Three phone calls later, the rangers gave us a green light. The Force my friend!

To turn the party into a real Star Wars party, I made a chocolate cake decorated with Clone Wars figurines, got my girls light sabers (including the training DVD, for good hand positioning), built a home-made R2D2 with tubes, silver duct tape and sheet metal from my neighborhood hardware store, and my husband made a "May the Fairies be with you" banner.

On D-Day, the storm troopers arrived when all the kids were getting wired up. As soon as the storm troopers appeared around the corner and started walking to us, it was like a tidal wave of screams and races. Boys and girls grabbed their light sabers and got on their two feet. My 5-year-old got behind my back and got squirmy.

I led her to the storm troopers. "Lord Vader told us it was your birthday." Silence from my little girl. "Happy birthday!" they said in their android voice. It was great to hear the voices as in the movie. If kids were excited, I was beyond thrilled. The three storm troopers graciously posed for photos with everybody, gently fought off a few enthusiasts and left with a great recommendation that Star Wars fans will appreciate: "Now you be good rebels!"

As  I walked back the storm troopers to their cars, my 5-year-old thought they were taking me to the Death Star and sent a small batallion of pint-size Jedis to protect me.

I had the hardest time convincing them I was not being kidnapped and that there was a shuttle back from the Death Star. Certainly didn't want them to see half-naked Storm Troopers in the parking lot.

When I returned she breathed a sigh of relief. "Mom, you're back from the Death Star?" Hey, I was not going to disappoint. Yes, with hyperspace travel and all, it's super quick. "Wow," she said, "Can I go too when I grow big?"

Gotta love nice storm troopers raising funds for the Make-A-Wish foundation. Job well done. To all Bay Area event planners, call the Star wars volunteers and do your audience a favor!