Stepping into History

How often do you get to wander back into history, nibble on historic recipes and holiday treats, and meet local authors and artists? Well, if you live in Monterey: at least once a year at the State Parks' Christmas in the Adobes event! Last year was the first time we attended and the boys wanted to go again. What a fantastic opportunity for enrichment and family fun.

We saw Riley's classmate Lina perform "chinches" (spelling?), a dance inspired by the squishing and sliding through bed bug juice at the Custom House...

 We ran into Linda Yamane, the Ohlone master basket weaver we met last year, at the Pacific House and she let Dylan try on her goose feather headress...

We ate Scottish oatcakes at California's First Theatre and snagged the recipe...we drank horchata at Casa Serrano...

We met Randall Reinstedt, local historian and prolific author, and the boys picked up two of his books that we didn't already own; Robert McNamara, Riley's mandolin teacher, was performing at the Larkin House; the boys made button yo-yos and devoured gingerbread at the Cooper-Molera Adobe; and we ended the adventure by eating clam chowder overlooking the harbor. 

Amazing evening...but I have to say that my favorite part of the evening was when we were walking back to the car, Dylan asked me, "Mom, what did you learn tonight?" That's how we always end all of our adventures - reflecting on something that was new to us - but it was first time that he initiated the conversation.

I learned that the First Theatre was originally a boarding house. The docent there explained to us how hinged clapboards swung down from the ceiling to create individual rooms and the poorer guests climbed the ladder-stairs to the top floor where they could stay (and eat in the morning) for twenty-five cents. The boys are excited to attend a performance there when they reopen in 5 years. Me, too!

California History

I have lived on the Monterey Peninsula, on and off, for almost three decades. I know that Monterey was the first capital city of California. I have walked by most of the buildings along the path of history countless times. However, the number of things I know about this history-rich area is severely lacking. Sad, I know, especially so since I actually have a degree in U.S. History. But as Riley - and every other fourth grader in the state - delves into the history of California, so will I.

Yesterday I chaperoned his field trip to the Cooper-Molera Adobe. It shares a parking lot with my usual haunt, Trader Joe's; though I am there at least two or three times a week, I have only ventured into that state park-run building and garden two or three times ever. What an amazing experience with docents leading us in branding leather pieces, embroidering flowers on burlap, making sisal rope, and more! Riley has agreed to help me embroider a few things for our Thanksgiving table. It's nice that he seems to be enjoying learning about California history as much as I am.

A Boy and His Mandolin

When my father-in-law asked Riley if he would play for his Great-Granny at her 80th birthday party, Riley didn't miss a beat, "That's fine," he assented confidently. But the morning of the party, he realized that he would be up in front of more than 300 people; when Poppa came back to get him, Riley's eyes were as big as saucers. I quickly suggested that Jake could go up there with him. Riley visibly relaxed, picked up his mandolin, and the three generations walked up to the front of the crowd.

Riley played three songs: Bach's "Bourrée in E minor", "Cripplecreek", and "Walk Don't Run." Classical, bluegrass, and surf-guitar. The boy showed his musical chops and definitely impressed some folks, not just with his ability, but with his composure. The only thing I can think, because he has never performed in front of that many people, is that he is so absorbed in his music that it really was just a case of "a boy and his mandolin." He didn't even see the 300 plus people.

And an added bonus to his performance, photographs, and Facebook: someone saw this photo who wrote in that that looked like her mandolin that she had given to Isaac years ago. I wrote her back and confirmed, yep, Isaac gave it to Riley. It's neat to know the history of the instrument.