Okay, we’ll admit it: we’re in grandson-withdrawal after spending five wonderful days in Oakland, California. How can you be ready to leave a loveable 21-month-old who says “boap” for “boat” and likes to be rocked to sleep? Who says “Nana” with a smile and his shoulders hunched up when he thinks she's being funny, with a question mark in his voice when he wants her to read a book, and with a tear threatening to fall when he wants Nana instead of Gramps to get him out of bed after a nap? (Nana especially loved that, but shhhh, don’t tell Gramps).
When it came to planting the crops, Gramps was the Master Teacher. Together, Little One and Gramps put three basil plants into the ground just outside son and daughter-in-law’s townhouse. (Pronounced “BAY-soo” by said Little One.)
Little One gets the determination award for climbing up, up, and up the many steps leading to the cascading fountain at the lovely 500-acre Joaquin Miller Park. Nana kept thinking he’d stop at one of several plazas and decide to head back down, but no way, so she just held onto his arm and let him lead the way, certain that he’s an athlete in the making. They lingered at the fountain awhile, and then Gramps kindly carried the little man down, down, down.
There are so many tot-friendly places and parks in Oakland, including Fairyland along Lake Merritt (the “choo choo” was a Very Big Hit) and the fabulous 1,829-acre Redwood Regional Park, full of redwoods and other evergreens, chaparral, waterways, grasslands, and a great playground structure for Nana and Little One to explore while Gramps was running as part of his training for the upcoming HyVee triathalon. We kept Little One on the run every a.m. – or vice versa – and after his afternoon power-nap, we were usually good to go for another round of exploration.
Of course, going to Cali always has to include some type of new food experience, no matter how tot-oriented the trip. Gramps the foodie will tell you all about it.
"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6
So yes, Gramps the foodie had a great time training Finn in the way of food: growing it, choosing it from the Farmers Market, and cooking it. We not only planted the "baysoo" but we also made a nice pesto for one of the tapas style family meals that we shared. On our walks in the neighborhood we discussed the possibilities of gleaning or urban foraging, which are areas of great interest for me. Check out Oakland Foragers for a look at some of the possibilities.
Besides the fun of creating meals with local products, as in locovore (I worked with Fava beans, beets, and baby bok choy, as well as home-smoked salmon topped by quail eggs, and also made butter from scratch with cream from a local dairy), we also took the child to two area eateries: Lake Chalet Seafood Bar & Grill in Oakland and Gather in Berkeley.
No, it's not all about the food anymore. There is also a grandchild to train up.
