Month: March 2010

Riding lessons at the Blue Moon Riding school

Leilani finally takes riding lessons in California too.

The 28 year-old pony’s name was Cherokee. Leilani had never heard that word or name and after the lesson asked if the pony really was named “Turkey”… he still ate our carrots.

Photos were taken on my iPhone because I forgot the camera. Sorry for the quality or lack thereof.





Yes, English not Western. I bet some of my readers have a hard time understanding this, especially the ones who know me for a long time… there are reasons for it though. I will certainly allow Leilani to ride both styles and take her pick once she is old enough, and if I go back to horseback riding I will not consider English. [Andy adds: I thought that only had to do with the type of hat they wore…] [Sonja adds: No, the only thing they have in common is a horse]

Since she was not allowed on the horse in running shoes the instructor loaned her some riding boots (way too big, made for 6 year olds) and told us where to find them – we went to the HMB feed and fuel (!!) and tackle store but they also had pink cowboy boots. Light-up pink cowboy boots. That’s what we bought. It was actually the only thing that was her size with a zipper and all the others “hurt Leilani’s feet…” Andy thinks they will scare the horses. I think they will scare the instructor. Leilani thinks they are the most beautiful boots ever.

Oliver Chin reads his books at Leilani’s preschool

Circletime with teacher Liselle right before…

…Oliver Chin presents his new book on the year of the tiger

The children are fascinated

Leilani sits next to one of her best friends, Marianna

Leilani’s Secret Life

We shield Leilani from much of the world… no TV in our house, friends who introduce her to bad movies get warned or dumped, “The sound of Music” ends with a wedding (no Nazis there), we don’t allow guns (and she never asked, even made a “No Guns” sign).

Still she has a life that we don’t know much about, some of it is at school, information she gets from children. She does go on playdates without me sometimes, and the news could be on (although I doubt it). And she also has a secret place in her inner world, that she visits in meditation and guided journeys. We call it her garden. There are waterfalls there, tame dolphins, rainbows, princesses, dragons, dinosaurs, unicorns. And Hale. Hale she told me moved to the garden recently, he is 5 (but she is not sure, he is a boy though, and not a man). He dyes his black hair blond, before he lived in Africa, but his house was bombed. The bomb killed his mom and dad, and all his neighbors, but not Hale. He did move to the garden though. I told her to tell Hale not to speak of bombings to her since she is only 4.

It is also interesting what she draws on to explain her world. She made up a song about “Schnurr” who did not pay attention at school, he could not count so he could not count his money later on and he could not read, so he could not read books, and he even married a boy, because he did not know better (I apologize to my gay readers, but I still think it is funny. To the ones in Austria: Remember, this is San Francisco? And no, I did not jump in with questions or explanations.)

Coyote Point Museum with Ethan

Actually, this is the only photo that was taken at the coyote point museum, the rest was at a playground after lunch

I don’t think this is a great pic but Leilani laughs every time she sees it…

Booth Napa State Park – Saturday

We went camping for a 3 day weekend to Booth Nappa State Park

On a hike we found a cool watertank

…and lots of ladybugs

Not one of Leilani’s greatest shots…

Lots of tan oak, strange fungi growing on their leaves

and big acorns…

…and of course mushrooms. Photo safari only, it’s a state park. We did not find a pound of chantrelles and we did not eat them.

Trametes

Witche’s butter

and Violets

Leilan iand Andy were assembling the stove