The Redwood Acres Fair is different this year. They have made substantial changes to the "usual and customary" format. One of the biggest changes was the addition of a "Made In Humboldt" exhibit hall, containing the best of what we make and do here in Humboldt. There was local food, local beer, local wine, and lots of local folks.
I took my 5 yr old, as well as my grown daughter, her fiancee, and a good friend. We spent the better part of the day there, and we had a great time. The link takes you to a gallery page of photos of the day. I recommend clicking the "slideshow" button. Well done, Redwood Acres, well done!
Jay's first real costume party. Spiderman! They were REALLY into it. His friend, Bryson, dressed as Superman, was turning 4, and they had well over a dozen other cute kids in costumes.
Here are a few shots from Ifipaan's Halloween adventures. Ifipaan and I dropped Mom off at the HSU library to study, and then went to Arcata, and "trick or treated" the plaza merchants. We had a very nice time. It rained the hour before we went, and the hour after we left, but no rain the entire time we walked around! After an hour or so of extorting candy under the threat of "tricks" from local businesses, we stopped at Mazzottis and each had a frosty beverage. Ifipaan had milk, I had Eye of the Hawk.
In the first picture, below, you see my favorite Marxist dressed as a Marx brother (too too funny), holding Ifipaan. The second pic is Groucho's wife (in mask), with our friend Dot behind her. The third and fourth pics are pretty self-explanatory, just us circling the Plaza looking for new businesses to extort. Ifipaan is stuffing their face with a Brio sugar cookie in the last pic.
Ifipaan ended up with quite the Elmo bucket full of candy. After well over a half dozen pieces of candy consumed, then birthday cake and cookies at my party later, Ifipaan was on a sugar high the likes of which we had not seen in quite a while. At one point, they repeated an old family joke, by looking at me and saying "Daddy, I'm vibrating" (and Ifipaan was too!).
Recently, my child, Jay (age 3) and I went to a demo class for “North Coast Music Together” (NCMT), a “community of families sharing songs, instrument play, rhythm chants, and movement in a relaxed, playful and non-performance-based setting”. It is for infants through toddlers, along with active parent participation.
This is the second attempt at a formal “music appreciation” class for my musically interested kid. Our first attempt was at the HSU Music Academy.
I also know one of the instructors, I assisted Jose on some of the technical design and installation aspects of the Digital Pathways video project for youth in Humboldt County. He exudes the same boundless energy teaching 3yr olds that he does creating innovative Workforce Investment Act projects.
We start classes in the upcoming fall session.