Three/3/III

Bennett is three and he has a weekend of celebration to enjoy.  He got a sneak peak at his gifts then it was off to school.

At the end of the school day, he had an ice cream party with his classmates. 

 Jerry and Anna Lee read a favorite book of his,  How Joe the Bear and Sam the Mouse got together.  Jeff and Cheryl also considered this book a favorite when they were growing up.  We looked at the publication date, 1965, which was before all but three people in the classroom (including the teachers) were born. 

Then every child got a blue birthday favor bag.

We stopped to take a picture for “red striped shirt day”.

Then take a ride on the carousel on the National Mall.

 After school, we went out to Hill Country for bbq.  The waiter brought Bennett his own special dessert.      

Then we walked over to the National Portrait Gallery to enjoy Pilobolus, a dance performance company.  The company put on a series of workshops before the performance and Dave, Cheryl and Bennett practiced some dance moves. 

 We were all mesmerized by the three pieces they presented.  Photos were not allowed but check them out at www.pilobolus.org  Our favorite piece done with mirrors is on the web site (in still photos). This was a free performance that would have been worth paying for.

Monday, Memorial Day, was Bennett’s party.  We loaded the car with too much food, fun toys, and went to Rock Creek Park for a perfect party day.

Cousins Barbara and Bob brought the best chocolate birthday cake from Philadelphia.

Parents and children played badminton, bowled, sprayed bubbles and ran around laughing.  The more senior guests laughed and talked.  Friends and family all had a great time and Bennett was a gracious host. 

After the party, the Maryland cousins came over to the house for a light supper and more fun.

 At the end of the day, everyone was smiling and the three-year-old collapsed into a deep sleep.

Bennett

 This is why we came, oh, and his folks are good too.

Vroom and Zoom

We have to entertain ourselves while Bennett is in preschool at the Natural History Museum (yes) and Cheryl and Dave are at work.  This is graduation week at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD so we went to see the Flight Demonstration by the Blue Angels. 
There were thousands of people there, many of whom go every year.

We found an excellent spot for Jerry to take LOTS of photos and to hear the roar of the engines right over our heads. The show started with an intro of a C130 aka "Fat Albert".

 Then came the Blue Angles.

Bennett demonstrated his own zooming on this scooter given to him by Anna Lee’s writing coach Karen.  He tried it last year, but my what being a bit bigger and more dextrous did for him now that he is three.

Petaluma, CA

We are again using our Harvest Host membership to “camp” at Enriquez Winery.  We were greeted by jackrabbits, turkeys, and these two “guard” dogs.

The winery is owned by Cecilia Enriquez who welcomed us with tastes of her delectable wines and her story of leaving New Jersey and becoming a California winemaker.

After parking the RV, we headed into Petaluma for what became a 6K walk.  This town’s streets are lined with “iron front building architecture.”  What was ranch land providing hides and tallow to Spain in the 1830s, became California farm land in the 1850s and then a wealthy farming community by the 1900s.  Today businesses and homes of Victorian and art deco style line the streets.  What were banks, department stores, and offices are now antique stores, high end consignment shops and galleries.  This is formerly the Sonoma National Bank, now the Bank Seed Store.

Charming murals decorate many of the buildings.  This one reminds us of the Petaluma chicken farmers who put Petaluma on the map as the egg capital of the world.

This ice cream soda stands near the movie complex. 

 The town is proud of its role in such movies as Ameican Graffiti, Basic Instinct and Peggy Sue Got Married.  The Art Center boasted several outdoor exhibits including these.

New lofts rise above excellent restaurants.  We dined well at Cucina Paradiso.  Jerry could not resist having dessert.

On our second day we started with a history lesson at Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park.  This was the home of Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, who was the Spanish General in charge of the Presidio in San Francisco.  He was sent to what this area to secularize the Mission, colonize the area and keep an eye on the Russian outpost of Fort Ross.

Under the supervisor of the Mayordomo, the rancho was active in the trading of hides and tallow.  A self-guided tour led us to the well-restored many rooms of the house.

After touring the park, we went to Green String Farm, one of many farm-to-table operations in the area.  Ask us later how our fried mini artichokes turned out.

Back in Petaluma, we toured the Carnegie Library and Museum which has displays of the history of the town with emphasis on its more modern reputation for chicken and eggs.

Jerry found the muffuletta at the Waterstreet Café better than the one in New Orleans.  But all the walking demanded a stop at the Pie Shop.

Then it was on to port tasting at Sonoma Valley Portworks where the charming pourer talked us into some tasty purchasing.

We ended this day with a delicious dinner at Luma’s. 

 There was only one other couple there and we enjoyed conversing with them and learning some native lore.  This was the dessert we passed up.