Saturday Workday at the CACG

There was a lot of activity on a warm Saturday afternoon at the Center Avenue Community Garden. Here are some pictures of the work being done:

David, Brenna, and Colin working in the sand box.

 Karen and Brenna transporting sunflowers to the compost bin.

 Brenna and Colin climbing on the trailer.

 Mike (left) pulling weeds, David (center) applying hay on top of the carrot seeds he planted, and Carlos (right) laying down fresh wood chips.

 Karen carefully searching for some fresh raspberries.

 Brenna giving Colin a ride in the garden wagon.

 An assortment of veggies, including tomatillos, potatoes, eggplant, and peppers.

 Mike, Colin, and Jennifer working near the potato tower.

 Mike collecting potatoes from the tower.

 Brenna and Jennifer giving a tour of the garden to some neighbors.

 David planting some carrot seeds, and plans to add garlic and lettuce to this bed.

 Colin intrigued by the eggplant: "What's dis, Dad?"

 David and Colin searching for cucumbers.

 Karen topping the sunflower plants.

 Colin being Colin in the sand box.

 David and Colin sharing a conversation.

Karen's Baked Kale Chips

We've done this in the past, but with the different varieties of Kale sprouting up this time of year, Karen whipped up some of her famous baked Kale chips. It's a quick, tasty, healthy side dish that can go with anything.

The best part about it, we harvested these from the Center Avenue Community Garden less than hour before we enjoyed them for dinner!

Here's how we did it:

 The vegetables are looking great in the Prosperity bed. Go figure!

 Brenna did a great job collecting the kale and packing them gently in our bag. From the comfort of the garden wagon.

 Karen's Kale Chip recipe: Cut Kale into chip-sized pieces. Dip them lightly into some Olive Oil on a plate, lay them on baking pan, and sprinkle the top with salt and pepper.  Bake at 400 for 6-8 minutes, but make sure to keep an eye on them!

Chips were served with a Garden tomato and basil side, as well as an open-faced chicken salad sandwich. Good stuff!

The Garden Wagon

Terry donated a kid's wagon to the CACG that is perfect for pulling, collecting, harvesting, and countless other ideas that the little ones can come up with - here a a few pictures of Brenna and Colin breaking it in:

Brenna giving her brother a tour.

 

 Colin using a stick to fish off the wagon.

 

Taking a drive down 'Main Street' at the CACG.

 



A Life Lesson

What goes around.....

 

 

Comes around.

 

 

 

The North Bay's Coolest Beach

While Marin County is well known for some of it's more alluring beaches on the Pacific Ocean, my favorite (and now Brenna and Colin's) has always been at China Camp State Park, not too far from where I grew up. I spent a lot of time here with family and friends over the years, and it's fun to see our kids enjoying this spot.

We took a quick trip over there recently, and it's exactly the same as how I've always remembered it: calm waters, perfect rocks to toss and skip, gentle breezes, and long-time resident Frank Quan giving tours of the Visitor Center and Fishing Villlage artifacts.

We chatted briefly with Frank as he worked around the house he still lives in, and I thought about how many years he has spent staring out onto this amazing spot.

Here are some pictures of our trip:

    Brenna and Colin arrive at the coolest beach in Marin County.

Frank Quan's house, where he has lived most of his life.

Additions to the Children's Area

David did an amazing job building a 'Fort' and sand box near the Garden Lounge at the CACG. 

Brenna and Colin loved exploring the garden's new features.