Books for Kids: Valentine's Day

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Love is in the air! Since love is a commodity that parents store and share in unlimited amounts with their little one, Valentine’s is the perfect opportunity to remind them what love is all about. Have fun reading these books about what was at the origin of your little bundle of joy.

Do You Love Me? 
Written and illustrated by Joost Elffers + Curious Pictures
The eternal “do you love me?” question is one that’s easy to answer for parents but this book will help you give your answers a poetic and modern twist. Illustrated with computerized images, the short and easy text makes the book accessible to very small children while brushing reassuring topics of a child’s life. “Do you love me? Always, dear. Do you need me? Ever near. Would you leave me? Never ever.” If that were not enough, the cute characters will give you an irresistible urge to rub noses with someone very special.

Plant A Kiss
Written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
This beautiful little book will have your heart grow double the size by the last page. The simple story of how Little Miss plants a kiss and watches it grow will delight young readers who will anxiously wait for the kiss to sprout from the ground. With funny rhymes and short sentences, the book is perfect for short attention spans but will be intriguing enough for older ones too. Tactile kids will love the textured and sparkly renditions of the kiss invading the pages. A must-have for your home library.

Snowy Valentine
Written and illustrated by David Petersen
When Jasper the bunny sets out to find a special Valentine’s gift for his sweetheart, he doesn’t realize his journey in their snowy valley will be full of surprises. Indeed, what makes a perfect Valentine’s gift? Could it be the box full of chocolate-covered flies coveted by the frogs? This charming book is an ideal bedtime story where your child will follow the adventures of this fluffy hero – to a wonderful Valentine finish.

Hugs from Pearl
Written and illustrated by Paul Schmid
Pearl loves to hug but hugging is a thorny issue for Pearl – she is a porcupine and when she hugs her friends, it’s always an ouchy hug. As a result, Pearl needs to refrain on her hugging impulses. What child wouldn’t feel sorry for the adorable Pearl? Fortunately she is as resourceful as she is lovable and the book will teach young children that any problem can be solved with creative solutions - even if it takes a little trial and error. Pastel-colored pages enhance the warm and fuzzy feeling of this story.

Amelia Bedelia’s First Valentine
Written by Herman Parish, illustrated by Lynne Avril
This new adventure of the spirited Amelia Bedelia as a little girl will have your children in stitches. Not literally of course, that would be Amelia Bedelia’s reaction. She heats up a Valentine’s card that says “you’re too cool” and she hits a friend who would like a little punch – in his cup. Ah Amelia Bedelia, you make us laugh with your ingenuity! If your child has ever taken an idiom literally or is about to face his first Valentine at (pre)school, this book is a perfect introduction and should answer all questions with a fresh perspective.

This review first appeared in the Golden Gate Mothers Group Magazine, February 2012, as the Books for Kids column. I've been writing gthis column since 2005 and now I'll post my reviews on Frog Mom as well.

Guest post: How to Prepare for The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade

Float at the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco.
Photo from Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year and Parade
Festival Facebook Page

It's one of the top 10 Chinese New Year parades in the world, the kids will love it! For my friend Ronnie Sharpe from Marinhood, the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade is a yearly tradition she never misses with her daughter. She likes the floats, she plans a dim sum meal, she watches the dragon - I mean, she's pretty much an expert. When I asked her to write a guest post on the topic, she whipped it up so fast and so comprehensively that I was blown away. If you're joining the parade this year, make sure to read this - it's based on years of standing in Chinatown watching the floats go by with her daughter. Here's for your eyes, her words of advice.

Guest Post by Ronnie Sharpe: How To Prepare For The San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade

Experience the sights and sounds of Chinatown during the community's most exciting time of the year, the Chinese New Year Parade! Steeped in legends and stories, the parade has been an annual tradition for San Francisco since the days of the Gold Rush. The parade is a particularly fun event for children but to avoid being overwhelmed, here's what recommend.

Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year
Lift the Flap Book. Cover art

Learn About The Traditions
The traditions, myths and superstitions that surround the celebration are fascinating and will enhance your experience of the events and parade. Susan Kunhardt, Children's Book Buyer at the Book Passage recommends "Dragon Dance: A Chinese New Year Lift-the-Flap" by Joan Holub, "Bringing in the New Year" by Grace Lin and "Celebrate Chinese New Year" by Carolyn Otto.

Getting There
I recommend arriving at lunchtime to eat, have time to enjoy the festivities and watch the parade. Chinatown has steep hills and alleys to navigate and temperatures fluctuate. Now you need to park. Chinatown can become extremely crowded and driving can be very frustrating on a good day - the parade makes this even more of a challenge.

Map location of the Chinese Culture Center

We park at the public lot for the Hilton on Washington St. which is under the Chinese Culture Center. We always sit near the Chinese Culture Center to watch the parade and when we are ready to leave, we can easily get to the car and not get tied up in crowds or traffic. A helpful parking website is sanfrancisco.bestparking.com but bear in mind the parade path and one-way streets - you do not want to get stuck and some garages may charge a different rate that day that may be not listed on this website.

Mastering the chopsticks! Photo by Ronnie Sharpe

Or if you prefer public transportation contact Golden Gate Transit or dial 511 or (415) 923-2000 or MUNI. Note that certain stops above ground on Market Street will not be operational during the parade so check the routes first. Underground is safer.

Plan A Chinese Lunch
Time to eat! One of my favorite dim sum places is  New Asia Restaurant on 772 Pacific near Stockton. Inexpensive, clean, delicious and easy seating. My daughter is always excited to see the bustling traffic of the dim sum carts race by.

The other place is House of Nanking on Kearny (close to Columbus) but it is so popular, there is almost always a line out the door and you will probably not find a place to sit.

Fortune Cookie Factory. Photo by Ronnie
Sharpe

Explore Chinatown
After lunch it's time to explore! Chinatown shuts the streets off early for the whole weekend to cars for the Community Street Fair. The block party area includes Grant Avenue from California to Pacific, Pacific Avenue from Kearny to Stockton, Washington and Jackson Streets from Kearny to Stockton and is a lot of fun.

We always visit Golden Gate Fortune Cookies (also known as the Fortune Cookie Factory) on Ross Alley just off Grant. On the opposite side of the alley, I discovered one year is the dressing rooms for the dragon and lion dancers in the parade (although that may have changed.) It was a chance to get up close to the main characters of the parade. My daughter was thrilled when one of the lion dancers put his mask on her.

Lion marionette. Photo by Ronnie Sharpe

There are a lot of tchotkes shops to explore and we love the moon cakes at the Eastern Bakery on Grant Ave. Check out some of the intriguing herb shops with exotic medicinal remedies, antique scales, calculations preformed by abacus and eastern doctors prescribing elaborate and unusual prescriptions. My favorite is The Great China Herb Company at 857 Washington Street which operates the same way it has since 1922.

I never miss getting a Chinese stamp hand carved in alabaster when I go. It is amazing to watch the artists at their trade. My favorite artist is an older gentleman, usually at a little outdoor make-shift stand, no name, and located on Grant Avenue, very unassuming, he only speaks Chinese and his wife is there to take your money. But he will hand you a book and you point to what you want and he will carve it for you with his tiny tools. The merchants in the area know him and I seek him out every year. It makes a great gift!

Curbside seats! Photo by Ronnie Sharpe

Enjoy the Parade!
The parade starts at 5:15 pm at Second and Market so we usually stand on the corner near the Chinese Culture Center about 5:30 p.m. I never get tickets for the bleachers and prefer sitting with the locals and tourists.

It is a great way to see the parade and we have met lots of people from all over the world. Once we met someone from China who was translating the stories, dances, and symbols which was a real treat. We experienced no problems sitting at the curb.

The Golden Dragon. Photo by Ronnie Sharpe

Watch for the crowd favorite - the spectacular 250' Golden Dragon ("Gum Lung"). Dragon and lion dances are common during Chinese New Year. It is believed that the loud beats of the drum and the deafening sounds of the cymbals together with the face of the dragon or lion dancing aggressively can evict bad or evil spirits.

Don't Forget The Annual Spring Festival Celebration!
On the weekend of the parade, the Chinese Culture Center throws a free event called Annual Spring Festival Celebration on the 3rd floor of its building on Kearny Street (11am – 3pm on February 11 and 12, 2012). There you can enjoy exhibitions, crafts, demonstrations, New Year food tastings, performances of lion dancers, martial arts, folk and classic dances and much more. Last but not least, register for the Chinese New Year Treasure Hunt from 4:30 p.m., a treasure that families with older children love.

Southwest Airlines Float 2011. Photo from Southwest Airlines
Chinese New Year and Parade Festival Facebook Page  

 These are just my recommendations; you may have your own favorites. Have fun exploring the streets and alleys of Chinatown. It’s a fascinating, authentic and historic neighborhood. Especially during this time of the year, don't miss one of San Francisco's most treasured celebration, the Chinese New Year Parade.

Enjoy the cultural events and vibrant history that Chinatown offers and welcome in the year of the dragon. Gung Hay Fat Choy! May prosperity be with you.......always. For more information visit the official parade website at www.chineseparade.com.

Celebrate Groundhog Day by Eating French Crepes!

All about crepes. Punxsutawney Phil photo courtesy of groundhog.org.
Other photos by Frog Mom

To celebrate Groundhog Day, you can feast on wild grasses, grasshoppers, flowers and snails like all groundhogs do. Or you can have crêpes for dinner - tough choice but justified historically. Here's a bit of history before a recipe and flipping tips to satisfy and impress the young crowds.

For not-so-obscure reasons, Groundhog Day and the French Crepes Day known as Chandeleur take place on the same day. In fact they dig their roots in the same event, a Christian festival called Candlemas that commemorates the presentation of Jesus to the temple 40 days after his birth. Now, why the crepes? Why Punxsutawney Phil? At first glance, rodents and French desserts are not exactly the best match but start scratching and you'll find some interesting tidbits.

Marking the potential end of winter, February 2nd was already celebrated by the Romans as a rite of purification with a Lupercalia festival - deliciously pagan - where young patricians ran around in bloody goat skins around Rome, lashing away at women to max up their fertility. Imagine the frowns when the Christian church started replacing pagan festivals. In the 5th century, Pope Gelasius 1st would have none of Lupercalia anymore and replaced it with a Christian candle festival  called Candlemas. In honor of the Lord's presentation to the temple, big processions with candles were organized, purification rites were performed and pilgrims came all the way to Rome. To reward them for their long trip, Gelasius fed them flat crepes made with wheat from the previous year's harvest. The round golden shape of the crêpe symbolized the sun and eating the past harvest carried hope for an abundant new harvest.

Many countries have their own version of Candlemas. In France, the food idea stuck around and is now a solid winter ritual to be enjoyed with hard cider. In the US, the celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers who brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day. According to the Germans, on Candlemas Day the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate. "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..." There, groundhogs and crepes reconciled. While Northern America awaits for Punxsutawney Phil's shadow (or not), the Gallic nation gathers around the kitchen at dinnertime and people take turns flipping savory buckwheat and sweet wheat crêpes for dinner.

Enough of the boring stuff. Let's eat!

Crepe. Photo by Frog Mom

Crêpes Recipe
(adapted from Martha Stewart Living)

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup water
• 3 eggs
• grated rind of a lemon
• 2 oz melted butter

Basically, you simply mix all the ingredients in a big bowl and refrigerate the batter until it's cold. I usually prepare mine before dinner so I can flip the pancakes for dessert. 30 minutes to a couple hours is good.

Note 1: no sugar in this recipe. You can eat the crepes sweet or savory.
Note 2 - Buckwheat version: substitute 3/4 cup buckwheat flour to the 3/4 cup all purpose flour and add an additional cup of water.

Flipping it! Photo by Frog Kid #1

Flip it!
Show time folks! When you've got a pint-size audience ready for some tricks, watching someone else flip the crêpe is half the fun of eating it.

First, you got to get a non-stick crêpe pan. Cuisinart makes a 10-inch crepe pan that's very nice and Le Creuset makes a cast iron pan that's dang heavy and requires wrestling-quality biceps if you're gonna flip anything. I got my pan in France (Tefal brand, available at any Monoprix store) and it's delightfully light.

Before I get in flipping mode, I start with an announcement such as "People of this kitchen, hear hear! The time for flipping has arrived and the grand master of ceremonies is ready." If anything, it distracts the youngsters and my girls usually react by stopping any bickering over who gets the first. If you've got a minimum of stage craft, there's definitely potential for a good show.

The Cuisinart crepe pan

Now step back, stand on your two feet, hold the pan in two hands low and give a quick and energetic flick of the wrist. Up the crêpe goes high in the air! Catch it before the cat does. To begin, a simple flip is enough. All you need to achieve is getting the crepe on the other side.

With a little experience you can do double, triple and quadruple flips. Your ceiling's the limit! And the floor too if you miss. I gather anyone reasonably good at catching a ball is good at flipping crepes.

How do you eat your crêpes?
My girls like theirs sprinkled with sugar, rolled tightly and cut in two. Sometimes they like to take them to school as recess snacks. I like mine spread with a berry preserve or honey and rolled. Some people like theirs with Nutella and folded in four. The savories are delish with ham and cheese. There's no wrong way to eat a crêpe and the good news is - you can keep them in the fridge for a couple days.

What's your favorite way to eat a crêpe? 

Holidays at the Golden Gate Park

Miles and his friend. Photo by Frog Mom

You know Dasher and Dancer, and Prancer and Vixen. But do you know Miles and his charming date from the North Pole? Well, not exactly the North Pole because they're at the California Academy of Sciences in the Golden Gate Park and under the clear roof of this venerable institution, accuracy of the essence. These two reindeer come from southern California are a small fraction of all the winter holidays fun now waiting for kids at the Golden Gate Park.

'Tis the Season for Science
Until January 16, 2012, the California Academy of Sciences invites you to come and learn what makes winter such an exciting season for kids and adults alike. I took my girls last week because they wanted to enter the reindeer naming contest. You see, the older reindeer has been named Miles by public vote. Fitting for a reindeer who can travel up to 3,000 miles a year.

The younger one, the female, yet remains to be named and the winners of this contest will get an up-close and personal reindeer experience at the Academy. The contest closes on December 5 so you still have a few days to go see what the reindeer looks like so you can think of a scientifically appropriate name.You can enter here.

Snowman theater at the Cal Academy of Sciences.
Photo by Frog Mom

After the reindeer - an exciting sight for young ones - we lined up to get inside the Snowman Theater where a short movie told us about the science of snow. I was impressed at how this small dome could seem a lot bigger with the surrounding images of snow landscapes, earth in space and snow crystals.

Other holiday activities planned at the Cal Academy include the California Revels' Solstice Ensemble, Yuletide Caroling, a Dance-Along Nutcracker and Eskimo traditions. You can check the full list here.

Naturally this was a Cal Academy visit so we had to stop by the Galapagos exhibits and play the interactive "squash the bug" games. Don't try this in state parks.

Details

• California Academy of Sciences: 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park
• Hours: Monday - Saturday 9.30am - 5pm, Sunday 11am - 5pm
• Exhibit runs until January 16, 2012

Playland at the Conservatory of Flowers

Find the repurposed materials! Photo by Frog Mom

Every year the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers puts up an impressive miniature train display with buildings and decor made entirely out of recycled and repurposed materials. This year's new exhibit, "Playland at the Conservatory: A Garden Railway Celebrating San Francisco's West End" runs until April 15, 2012 and recreates a scaled and simplified version of the popular amusement park that drew so many families along Ocean Beach from 1928 to 1972 - Playland By the Beach.

Old timers will immediately recognize their favorite rides (Big Dipper, Diving Bell, the Fun House) but newbies will have fun just imagining what the park must have been like in its heyday. The majestic Cliff House and the Sutro Baths are still standing and thriving, a nostalgic view of the western lands.

To enhance the theme park experience, the exhibit room features arcade classics such as Laughing Sal, Zoltar the fortune teller, funky mirrors and a real Dodger bumper car that makes a revving engine noise when you push long enough on the pedal.

My 8-year old spent close to 30 minutes looking at Zoltar and reading her fortune over and over again because "mom, look, what it says it's all true!". There you go. For 50 cents you can learn everything true about yourself and not need to worry about tomorrow.

Mesmerized. Photo by Frog Mom

We couldn't resist the 1960s vintage photo booth where we did 4 different portraits on one strip - and it came out with a Playland signature. Other winners with kids were the "test your strength" hammer and bell game as well as the bumper car. I've always found Laughing Sal creepy at the Musee Mecanique, I'm not going to think it's any less creepy here but kids seem to like it.

Now move over to the garden railway and look at it - open your eyes. First the buildings - play a guessing game. What parts can you identify? Do you have any at home? Can your kids tell what they are?

We found old wooden rulers on a mill, playdough containers on buildings, pencil sharpeners on the ferris wheel and a chess board above the Fun House. Don't miss the trolley above the red slider turtle pond, it's a tad lonely on the left end but it's a nice surprise! Man, the designers have been creative this year again.

Once you're done admiring the decors, you can check the TV screen in the far right corner of the railway model. It doesn't take long to realize there's a live camera on one of the trains. Awesome! Now kids have to figure out the best spot to see their hands or face on TV. Mine found a pretty good spot around the curve and spent 10 minutes making faces and waving their hands way too far above the tracks.

Cliff House. Photo by Frog Mom

It was good fun and I almost wished Playland was still around, just to see how it really was. And the Sutro Baths while I'm at it. And the old Cliff House too. San Francisco's seaside was a gem in the late Victorian era and what remains today is mostly memories. Thank God for exhibits like this one that revive Ocean Beach's glory days with lush miniature landscaped gardens.

Details

• Conservatory of Flowers: Golden Gate Park 100 John F. Kennedy Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118  
• Hours of Operations Tuesday - Sunday: 10 am -4:30 pm. (Last entry is at 4 pm).
• Exhibit runs until April 5, 2012.

Holiday Activities for Kids

Gingerbread living, critter style. Photo by Frog Mom

When Thanksgiving is only weeks away, I start thinking about all the holiday events I’m going to take my girls to. From Hanukkah to Christmas with winter solstice sprinkled in between, the Bay Area is an incredible showcase of family-friendly events to brighten the shortest days of the year – with cups of hot cocoa, skating afternoons and cookie exchanges. I started taking my girls to holiday celebrations when they were about 1 year old and each year added new ones. Some have become family traditions over the years, others we’re looking forward to discovering, but mostly we’re just looking forward to the joyous spirit and friendly reunions of the holidays. Here’s what I like.

Father Christmas "taking orders" at the Great
Dickens Fair. Photo by C.G.

Right after Thanksgiving we usually look into visiting the Great Dickens Fair at the Cow Palace. With its hundreds of actors and dancers in Victorian costume, its old-fashioned games and sugar-coated warm almonds, the fair is a day my girls look forward to with anticipation – also because they get to encourage their dad at playing darts to blow a balloon and activate the Candy Machine!

When we’ve had our Dickens fix, we look for an afternoon when we go ice skating at the Embarcadero Holiday Ice Skating Rink with friends. When my girls were little, we were happy just going to the Embarcadero and watching skaters glide by before grabbing a hot cocoa. The sight of the palm trees decked up with white lights, the holiday-themed F-trams and Ferry Building, those were all good reasons to get out of the house and feel the kiss of winter. Then when darkness falls, we enter the warm atrium of the Hyatt Regency and hit the second floor bar for drinks - I always have a maitai.

Holiday tea t the Burlingame library.
Photo by Frog Mom

Tea and gingerbread men, now that is something we’re not giving up any time soon. My girls have too much fun doing that! We’ve done the Nutcracker Tea at the Fairmont Hotel, the Teddy Bear Tea at the Ritz, the Gingerbread Tea at the Secret Garden Tea House, the Holiday Afternoon Tea at the Palace Hotel and the holiday tea at the Burlingame library with author book reading. All are nice and this year we’ll be trying the Gingerbread Tea at Crown & Crumpet!

Strolling through neighborhoods we also like to admire street decorations and as dorky as it sounds, we love going to Fisherman’s Wharf around early December. For a total experience, we board the F-tram in the Castro and go all the way to the end of the line. If we’re lucky, we catch a free show on the Pier 39 boardwalk, otherwise we just do a little people-watching, tree-watching and we always end up bread-watching at the window of the flagship store of Boudin Bakery where skilled bakers shape lobster breads in 10 minutes flat.

Evergreen moments at Muir Woods.
Photo by Frog Mom

At home we don’t have TV so we can’t really partake in the holiday screenings but we read a different holiday-themed book every evening. On our list of favorites are Eric Carle’s Dream Snow, Eric Kimmel’s Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins, Allen Say’s Tree of Cranes, Lemony Snicket’s The Lump of Coal or Chris Van Allsburgh’s Polar Express.

Did I mention my girls are train nuts? So of course, there’s a holiday train somewhere in our holiday planning, Sacramento winning our votes on par with Felton’s Roaring Camp.

Eventually the holiday craze gets too much and we feel the need to escape to quieter shores such as the majestic redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument.Decembers can be rainy in these woods but I like the hushed sound of shoes on the pine needle ground, the hazy quality of the light, the stark green foliage and rugged red bark of the trees. Muir Woods is always a good place to wind down and sometimes you can get the canyon by yourself in the winter. Now that is a great holiday gift.

This blog posting was written for the Fog Blog, the blog of the Golden Gate Mothers Group where it was published on November 9, 2011.

Celebrate the Summer Solstice on Muir Beach

Summer solstice at Muir Beach. Photo by Frog Mom

"Celebrate the longest day of the year at the continent's edge, Muir Beach. Join us for storytelling and songs around a bonfire." Every year the rangers of Muir Woods organize two events to celebrate the passage of the shortest and the longest day of the year.

December 21st marks the winter solstice with a luminaria-lit redwood ceremony at Muir Woods National Monument. June 21st marks the summer solstice with a beach bonfire, stories and the sound of crashing waves on Muir Beach. They both have their particular charm but kids definitely prefer an evening at the beach where they can run and splash around before the ceremony starts.

In sharp contrast with the craze of Muir Woods, Muir Beach is a quiet beach with fine sand and trails that climb up the bluffs to lovely overlooks. When we arrived last year around 5pm, parking was easy. We gathered our beach toys and food, crossed the boardwalk on Redwood Creek and crossed the beach to reach the bonfire spot.

The rangers were busy like bees setting up their signs, blankets and boxes of props and music instruments. The bonfire was already on its way though its warmth was not needed yet. We were pretty much in the first dozen of participants and I feared - without reason as you will see - that we would be part of a very small crowd.

We lay our blanket on the sand facing north and broke the picnic dinner as our girls frolicked in the sand. Ironically we thought we were so sophisticated with our home-made sandwiches and fruit when in fact people bring full coolers of food, hot dogs to roast on sticks, wine and fancy stem glasses. All of a sudden we were apprentices in the world of beach bonfires!

Waiting for the evening to come, I walked up part of the trail and enjoyed the beach basking in the last golden rays of a sunny day. I could see myself waiting here a long time but advancing shadows told me I had better come down not to miss the show.

Mia Monroe, superintendant of Muir Woods National Monument, announced the official start of the ceremony. Our girls settled down next to us and converted their playful energy into storytime energy. They were about to learn about the sun and the moon and the longest day and shortest night of the year.

At the very beginning, we all took turns adding stems of wild mustard to the bonfire so they would burn later on. I forget the specs now but I think it's because it's an invasive plant and it was a symbol of native habitat restoration.

The first musical act consisted of the Marin band Orange Sherbet who led the crowd into hippie family songs. As I write this a year later, I wish I could find the song booklet they distributed to tell you which songs. All were familiar tunes and most people joined in the sing-along.

I was surprised to notice some in the audience had brought their own musical instruments - drums, guitar, ukulele. They even joined the Orange Sherbet lady duo on a few tunes. This was a community experience!

The evening unfolded with animal stories, a puppet show, nature songs accompanied on the guitar and poetry.

I talked with a couple behind us and the woman turned out to be a total francophile and a former French teacher in Latin America. Good for me! She was a friend of Ms Monroe and introduced me after the ceremony was over. I was thrilled.

As we were about to leave, a family behind us shared a coveted treasure with our girls which they could not refuse: marshmallows!

They each grabbed a handful, didn't even bother about sticks and gobbled them up like they hadn't eaten in a day. Guess the home-made sandwiches weren't enough after all!

Knowing we still had an hour of driving to head home, we packed our belongings and bade goodbye to the people we had gotten to know around us. For a bonfire with total strangers, I was surprised at how friendly it turned out to be.

In the fading evening, the hills of Marin were still sunny but by the time we reached the city, dark was upon us.

On our girls too. They were sound asleep. Dreaming of celestial coyotes, sneaky raccoons and mighty moons.

Bay to Breakers 2011: Happy 100th Birthday!

B2B finish line at Ocean Beach. Photo by Frog Mom 

Bay to Breakers, the iconic San Francisco foot race that starts on the San Francisco Bay and finishes on the Pacific Ocean, celebrates 100 years today! While only serious athletes rose early this morning to run the 12 kilometers going through town for the medals and make an actual  run for the finish, the real party was on the streets with tens of thousands of dressed-up participants.

Pacman gets thirsty. Photo by Frog Mom

Clearly San Francisco's response to the mid-year Halloween-deficit-disorder, the event was a relatively G-rated gig thanks to the no-alcohol policy. "Why are there so many men dressed in girls?" asked my 5-year old pointing to a dude in pink tutu. "This is Bay to Breakers sweetie, that's why you're dressed as a unicorn."

Biking along Ocean Beach. Photo by Frog Mom

This was my first Bay to Breakers (B2B) and after the skies cleared up this morning, I decided to take my girls. After all, it's not every year B2B celebrates 100 years and I'd read alarming reports of will-there-be-another-B2B-after-2011? I told my girls to find a costume. Quick! We pulled the costume box out of the basement and hustled.

Fifteen minutes later, my 7-year old was a pink bunny, my 5-year old a unicorn and both my girls suggested I do not wear my Wonder Woman costume. So I went for a casual bell-bottoms faux fur outfit. I packed our bikes in the car, parked by the zoo and we biked our way along the beach to the finish line at Great Highway and Lincoln.

Bridesmaids - not the movie. Photo by Frog Mom

At first my girls didn't see to many people in costumes. "Why are we dressed up mom?" they asked. Just you wait little girls, it shouldn't take long. Sure enough, we stumbled upon a party of bridesmaids being photographed at the free photo booths, still wearing their race bibs. Surely, they can't have run the 12K in poufy dresses. Can they? What do I know, maybe they did.

Baywatch B2B-style. Photo by Frog Mom 

The guy who was dressed as Pamela Anderson in his sexy red life guard outfit with overblown boobs was better suited to run for sure. Good running shoes he had.

I was on the lookout for two different types of animals who, from what I'd seen from previous B2B editions, were the trademark of the race and something that made it so San Francisco-specific: groups in coordinated costumes and people in their birthday suit. I guess because some groups naturally dissolve (in alcohol) or disperse along the course, there are fewer groups to be found at the finish line but we still found a few.

Freedom, man. Photo by Frog Mom

However it's the dudes in the nude that really got my girls' attention. "Mom, this man's naked!" Why, you're right, and this other guy too.

Ah, Bay to Breakers. What would we be without its free-to-be-you-and-me attitude? For those wondering if there were any children there besides mine, the answer is yes. We saw lots of kids being rolled away in strollers, others enjoying the show on their parents' shoulders or walking in costumes alongside their folks.

It's super family-friendly and since it's a day-event, I applaud the organizers for the no-booze policy. Geez, some participants are so inhibited naturally that with drinks on top of it, it must be a real riot.

The Muppet Show gang. Photo by Frog Mom

In the kid-friendly category, we saw a man dressed as a banana and his gorilla friend ("Fifth banana walks the finish line!" announced the race commentators on the speakers as he made his way through), a giant Cookie Monster, a Muppet Show quartet consisting of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Animal and - blank - gosh, who's that last muppet?

We also admired Batman and Robin, a few princesses, a Wizard of Oz ensemble (with a very good and green Witch of the East), the full Adams Family (minus the Thing) and a group of gnomes (straight out of Gnomeo & Juliet).

Birthday cake hat alert! Photo by Frog Mom

In the creative category, a few costumed groups totally stole the cake. First were those who were literally carrying cakes on their heads, thus celebrating the race's 100th anniversary. We spotted two ladies by Ocean Beach with sparkly birthday cake hats and a giant cake with a candle at Speedway Meadows.

Lying on the grass at Speedway Meadows was a group of Borat fans dressed in the highly graphic pink bunny costume. By then my girls were totally jaded and didn't even notice them.

No reservations taken. Photo by Frog Mom

The group that everybody was stopping for group photos was a bunch of dinner tables walking around with signs on their back saying "No reservations taken" or "Happy birthday." They were pretty funny and I imagine extremely relieved to be near the end of their ordeal because carrying a fake dinner table on your shoulders for 12 kilometers can't be that comfortable.

We biked up to Speedway Meadows to see the costume contest announced by the speakers at Ocean Beach. On the way, my girls were appalled at the amount of plastic trash littering the road. Thanks to plastic-wrapped drinks, snacks and what-nots, the Golden Gate Park was a giant trash can for the masses. Eeeew!

Speedway Meadows. Photo by Frog Mom

By the time we got above Speedway Meadows, locked up our bikes and found a dirt trail down to the meadow, a band was playing on the stage (I believe it was either Geographer or Loquat). Obviously, we had missed the costume contest. Boohoo, will I ever know the winner?

Mean and masked. Photo by Frog Mom

Down at the meadow, people let their hair down, raided the beer garden and enjoyed an unusually sunny day on the grass. It was peace and love and yet more freebies of the single-use kind. Sensing the end of our excursion, I looked for more stunning  B2B costumes and got lucky like this group of masked avengers or a triplet of totally funky girls in pastel tutus and striped tights. I wish I could publish all the photos I took but this is already getting too long so I'll cut it short.

Funky girls. Photo by Frog Mom

On the photo aspect, there's something I noted and that's pretty cool for people like me out for a good shot: most people to be very gracious about having their pictures taken and more than willing to strike a pose. Sure, part of the fun is to be seen and photographed, hoping to end up in the slideshow of SFGate. But above that, people looked jovial. Grumps were definitely the minority.

Vote for who? Photo by Frog Mom

My two girls got a few comments on their outfit (the unicorn was popular) and we had an odd moment when a group of Asian girls approached us for a photo. They said they found the girls' costume cute and asked if they could take a photo with a banner for their school. Apparently they were running to be president of their school (or class?). I'm nice so I said yes. Initially my girls refused to hold the sign but I told them it'd be over quick. That's where it got weird.

A man was filming the teens and at his signal they started jumping up and down while screaming "Vote! Vote! Vote! Vote!" around my girls who were not amused. They gave me the look that said "Mom what did you get us into?" Hmm, did I just say yes to that? Sorry girls, that was unexpected.

Never go out without rain protection. Photo by Frog Mom

After the "Vote!" episode, we hurried back to our bikes. My girls were tired and they'd seen their share of costumes for the half-year. We unlocked  the bikes, clipped our helmets and inched our way back against a strong wind on Great Highway. Boy were we glad to find the car.

In hindsight, B2B lived up to my expectations except I expected to find more outrageous groups. Really? Yes, really. I guess you have find them closer to the start line before the steep part on Hayes Street. Overall it was the best excuse to go out with our bikes today even if I know that my family in France will be reinforced in their belief that we live amongst crazy hippies.