Shoreline Park in Mt. View has so many delights... where to start? Its the best biking/skating path for those learning to ride, it has a great kids play area, you can rent paddle boats, canoes, and they serve great beer and french fries in the charming boat house. Phew.
Just when I thought it couldn't get better -- the dirt piles appeared. While perhaps appearing to be a girly girl, I've always enjoyed getting dirty and sweaty... imagine my delight in discovering mountain biking in my late 20s!)
And back in those same late 20's days, I was dating a cute guy, whose best friend lived by Portero Hill in SF. We'd frequently go and enjoy beautiful SF days with him. One day, as we finished a hike there, we amused ourselves by hopping and sliding "off trail" to get to the bottom of the hill. And friend, we'll call him Pookie, took great photos of this fun. I subsequently married cute guy and had babies which have now grown into small men.
Flash forward to today... said small men are 7 (hooray) and almost 9. Our friend Pooks and his lovely wife (we'll call her Clabber, after the cute girl on the baking powder can) have adorable 1 year old twins. So Pooks and Clab call us up to do something family friendly and we suggest Shoreline Park, and picnic by the kids playground.
Now Pooks used to live in Mountain View and enjoyed Shoreline Park as single grown ups do... an occasion roller blade outing, or a hike. But to see it through the eyes of a parent is to truly appreciate it. And as the parents of a7/9 year olds, we felt the joy that comes when your kids drop by the picnic blanket for some food, a brief hello and chat, and then scooter off to do their thing. (As we enjoy our David Bruce and the sunshine and the time with other people's babies.)
But after 2 hours, our kids have played in the park, scootered their share, have talked us out to the paddle boats... and then... they saw the dirt piles!!! (Insert Pooks photos here when received). Our kids took off in delight. (The 1 year old twins wobbled around the blanket, but stayed close.) Pooks followed, Nikon in hand. As our kids hopped and slid, and jumped, and Pooks snapped photos of the joy, I felt some serious Circle of Life.
What a beautiful day.
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