Chambers Creek: Home to family friendly walking/biking!

Water fountains, bathrooms and a view -- oh my! Today our family discovered that Chambers Creek is so more than home to a top-notch golf course.

The Eldest has been ACHING to ride her bike beyond the alley and beyond the block. But as a newbie biking family, we don't know many good, safe routes. Neighborhood riding is a lot of stop and starts and watching out for driveways and alleyways and intersections. A little much when the girl is still on training wheels, and mom and dad's bikes still needs to head to the shop for tune-ups and tires before they can join, and while there's still two other smaller ones to worry about.

And so we decided to try out the new trails at Pierce County's Chambers Creek. While venturing blindly down random trails, we almost took the Soundview Trail. That's the one that winds through parts of the new Chambers Bay golf course. I took one look at that more than 10% hill and quickly vetoed that path. Not only did I not want to be walking up or down that hill, I definitely didn't want to deal tugging two kids in a wagon up and down that sucker, or a cranky kid who was about to have to walk her bike up and down a giant hill as the majority of her "bike ride."

I figured there HAD to be a better way. And there was.

The Grandview Trail. A picture of perfection for a family consisting of a newbie bike rider, parents pulling a wagon of children, a family looking for a decently aerobic trail, a family who might need drinking fountains and restrooms.

Any trail where the Baby Girl can pull her brother in the wagon for half a mile is pretty darn fabulous if you ask me ...



I'm still rather shocked about the staggered water fountains, available at human AND dog heights. The trash receptacles magically appeared right when I finished my coffee, and then right when my husband finished his. And the restrooms were dreamy. (You heard me.) That's what the shelter is in the below photo.



And did I mention the view?



Plus, it was fun to finally get a peek at the Chambers Bay golf course ... which will be the home course for the 2010 U.S. Amateur & 2015 U.S. Open Championships -- so cool! And I don't even play golf. The Pierce County course is walking only, and so I see how golf could be good exercise ... that course is gorgeous, but it's quite a hike.



So all in all, a fabulous morning. The Eldest got to ride her bike more than 2 miles. Daddy got a bit of a run in. And Baby Girl and I worked up at least a bit of a sweat walking and dragging the wagon behind. The Boy? Well, he pretty much laid in the wagon the whole time. I guess we all need an occasional lazy day. But I'm guessing next time he'll be out there with his big sis on a bike, because I have a feeling ...

We'll be back.

Neighborhood Chalk-off Fun ... and Alice Cooper

Our neighborhood kids are practicing their mad chalkin' skilz in preparation of summer opportunities to join in the Frost Park Friday fun. Here's a sampling from this morning ...

Abstract by Neighbor Girl, 3



Unicorn, by The Boy, 5



A Queen, a Princess and a Unicorn, by The Eldest, 7



I'm sure there will be more entries later today, perhaps by the above contestants, perhaps by the Baby Girl. We shall see ... and can't wait until school's out for summer! :)

VIDEO: I'm addicted to 'Pork and Beans' (but missing Frost Park today)

Been home sick, and while catching up on my YouTube, I came across the video for Weezer's new tune, Pork and Beans (just released today!). This baby's made of awesome on so many levels ...



p.s. For those of you not home sick, the last couple days of rain should have cleared the sidewalks at Frost Park nicely ... go check out today's Frost Park chalk-off! I'll be voting for the first time purely by photo. So I want to hear which ones look better in person, and who might have had performance FLARE!

TONIGHT: I'm goin' out ... to People's Park!

Apparently tonight's the night to get out and show some love to the Hilltop. Barring a torrential rain storm, I'm snagging the kids and heading out for the bocce bonanza at Peoples Park and perhaps the chance to win a gift certificate to the Tempest Lounge and other fabulous prizes. (I'm drooling just thinking about the Tempest though ... their spinach dip, the freshbaked goodness, the citrus drink specials and all the other homey yummies they brilliant Lounge-creators have helped to concoct.)

Wondering how you can get in on the lovin'? Show up to People's Park (900 South K St. / 9th St. at Martin Luther King Jr. Way) between 4 and 7 p.m. and bring your "UTBA bucks," which can be earned by shopping at participating Hilltop businesses throughout the day. You can then get in on the game, or run around and cheer (that's what I'll probably be doing, since the three kids will be in tow). But I hear there might be prizes for the player who is named "Best Boccee Player in the Universe." Which makes it tempting. Especially with cool prizes and the super-cool Upper Tacoma Business Association playing along for this, the first of many Showcase events presented as a partnership between Exit133.com and the Cross District Association of Tacoma.

Super-scrumptious bonus: I hear Johnson Candy Co. is staying open late. And silly me has not been there yet. Oh, the kids will be ecstatic. Not only have they been begging for me to take them to the park, they might just get candy, too?!?!?!? They might never sleep again.

For more deets on this fantabulous Go Local opportunity, check out Exit133.com.

See you there!

A Murphy's Law moment

I was up and at 'em at 5:30 a.m. this morning, all ready to start a new "habit." Little did I know I'd soon be foiled by Murphy and his damnable law.

About 5 minutes after arriving at the YMCA, I heard an announcement over the speakers about my car. I didn't quite hear it all, but I thought my lights were on. *smack head* So I ran out to turn them off, and apparently it was actually that my tire was spitting into the wet asphalt of the parking lot ... it was slowly going flat. *smack head harder* Do I go back in? Or do I drive home while I still can. I drove home. Because I had also chosen to leave my cellphone at home, thinking, "Oh, I won't need this." So perhaps it was a double Murphy's Law day. Let it stop there. Please.

Sigh. I guess I'll be taking the bus today.

And I'll try again tomorrow.

Because in the immortal words of my dear brother. $#%& Murphy.

Don't know what I'm talking about? Check out Adam's Murphy's Law moment from earlier this month when he participated in The Grand's 72-hour film festival ...

My other blog, where I attempt to eat local(ish) ...

It wasn't Morpheus, and no, it wasn't Derek, but this past year I was offered a choice. And I chose truth. (I think I can blame Kristen or Sarah.)

If you're a Matrix fan, you may recall Neo's choice of the red or the blue pill. The blue pill? It offers him, upon glimpsing a strange, difficult world, the option to return to life before he knew more. To carry on as before. The red pill? The truth. It was the option to take the safe route, or leap into a world of the unknown.

A little scary, but what's life without taking a few chances.

And this chance just happened to be good for me: Eating local.

At least partly.

For me, I'm sharing my efforts to eat, buy and grow local. I'm making a more conscious choice to seek as local of ingredients as I can. I won't be going Total Local, like some folks, but I'll be looking at labels, avoiding China, trying to stick to the closest option possible. I'll be making another effort at growing more of my own food. I'll be signing up for a CSA. And I'll be feeding my brain with books and conversations and practice-makes-perfect.

If you'd like to follow along, "down the rabbit hole" as some might say. Check out www.growlocaltacoma.com. Especially this blog.

Grocery trips are no longer what they once were. There is no going back, there is only going forward ... even if it's one baby step at a time.

Possibly my favorite Mother's Day/Weekend ever

Wow -- I think I'm still blissed out out from the past weekend that pretty much turned into a Mother's Day extended weekend. And so many T-town reasons became a part of the celebration.

We started out with Frost Park Friday, fabulous as always, and I'd designed a special T-shirt for Little Brother whose entry into The Grand's 72-h0ur Film Festival ended up cursed. But you can still see his video (below) and we will be having a special Director's Cut (longer, funnier, more plot lines) screening of "Destiny of the Gnome," starring the TacomaGnome and many others, someday soon. Little Brother later met Wil Wheaton at the Emerald City ComiCon later in the weekend. Vicarious touch of fame? ;) I'm such a geek ...

Destiny of a Gnome:


Oh, what, you wanted to know about the T-shirt? Well, if you watch the video to the end, you might figure out what I might have put on a T-shirt for Little Brother ... it's pretty obvious. And it's not suitable for younger audiences.

Later Friday night, Hubby & I took PDX Brother and his fabulous fiancee to The Tempest Lounge, where we enjoyed scrumptious treats and fab conversation. Then they headed off to his Seattle show (sadly, his later-in-the-weekend T-Town performance ended up cancelled), and the Hubby and I continued Date Night with the last half of the 72-hour Film Festival, which I hear was the better half. We loved it. Then met up with some peeps at Maxwell's. I'd heard good things about Maxwell's Speakeasy & Lounge ... good food, good ambiance, medium prices, etc. But even the good talk-up didn't do this place justice. Really nice ... best crab cakes I've ever had, awesome service, etc. I'll be back. :)

Oh, wait ... we aren't even TO Mother's Day, are we.

So ... Saturday, The Eldest, Baby Girl and I wound up at The Harvester. Yum. Yum. Yum. Not only did we get to hang out with many fun peeps, but my girls got their favorite: split the strawberry pancakes and strawberry milkshake ... while I enjoyed my Wrecked Eggs. (So very much my favorite Harvester treat.)

Then, it was off to the Proctor Farmers Market, where we found asparagus (never thought I'd be celebrating that, but I'm a new fan), apples, pears and CHEESE CURDS! I heart cheese curds. I heard someone today mention cheese curds in the street and I almost tackled them. I had cheese curds on the brain, and normally folks say, "Huh?!?!? What are cheese curds?" And someone else had them on the brain too! Is it the season? Seriously. It was weird.

Are you wondering when I'm gonna get to Mother's Day? Okay, okay ... here you go. On Sunday, not only did Hubby & The Kids wake me up with many hugs and kisses and happiness and yummy breakfast ... but add to the treasure pot: the The Boy made it spectacularly through his spring musical performance at church, then we stole my brother and his lovely dove and took them to see Never Never Land at Point Defiance Park. Wow. I can't believe I hadn't been there before. Great, old kinda-creepy stuff with a fairly new and fabulous playground for the kiddies. The munchkins had a blast between the playground and the trails.




Strangely, what inspired us to go here? Another 72-Hour Film Festival entry ...


Blogland Murders from Kevin Freitas on Vimeo.

All had fun at Point Defiance ... and Brother Dear and I didn't even battle once. No baiting; no debating. It was weird. And quite nice. It was a great weekend. And after we parted ways, leaving Brother Dear & Fiancee in the midst of Point Defiance Park joys, we headed over to Hubby's brother's house to spend the remainder of a never-ending fabulous Mother's Day. A Mother's Day where I did not have to play host. Where I got to see folks I cared about. Where yummy food was served, good conversation was had, people smiled, there was a kid in the house that wasn't mine, dreams were pondered and ... well ... let's just say, it was good.

I'm still dumbfounded, though obviously not speechless.

I guess we all have to trip across a few good days in a row here and there ... I send good thoughts to my pals who need a few of the same.