Alhambra Valley

"Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more than we can ever learn from books." John Lubbock



I love the evening fog carpet that rolls in from the Bay in warmer months.





Spring brings the vibrant California Poppy.





About a year or two ago I saw film crews out here filming On the Road.


I love the area we are currently calling home. We are blessed to have such open space, free of concrete and yet be close enough to the trappings of the urban jungles called Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. When driving through the valley its hard to believe I am in the East Bay. The area looks more like Sonoma or Mendicino Counties.

In researching Alhambra Valley and Briones Regional Park, I discovered that the Briones family owned the Briones Valley Rancho which the park now calls home. Cattle ranching was the predominant land use in most the valley, followed by orchards and vineyards. In the early part of the last century, orchards were common in the valley with pear being the major crop. Cattle still graze but nothing like it was a hundred years ago. And orchards are far and few, mostly on private residences for private use. One exception is the Alhambra Valley Ranch (http://www.alhambravalley.com/) which grows olives and has a small organic farm. In the summer months they set up a farm stand on weekends. We have gotten to know the owner and farmers and enjoy seeing them on our weekly visits.



The back roads are so much nicer than the freeway and not that much longer, so the girls and I will often drive Alhambra Valley Road to Martinez, Walnut Creek or Lafayette/Orinda. Bear Creek Road is one of the roads off Alhambra Valley that we also often take. We will often leave early for our destination so we can see some of our 'friends' who live along the way, at one of the many stables and small ranches.

While we love the horses, we really enjoy seeing the two donkeys and two ponies that live on Bear Creek Road. They aren't always out, so we have to pull over and look real hard. The girls are thrilled when we see them. Just the other day, one of the little donkey was right at the fence along the side of the road! I was so thrilled I had my camera with me!

Just down the road, on the turn to Happy Valley Road, is a large field that occasionally has goat. There is a local 'Goat Man' who takes his goats all over the East Bay to graze and we get so excited when we see them in one of their many spots. They seem to frequent this corner field a few times a year so we are always on the lookout. This past weekend, there they were! Havana was the only one with me and was very clear that she wanted to "get out and see the goats" up close!





The Alhambra Valley is a special place here in the overpopulated and overbuilt Bay Area. I know many prefer to live on a crowded street and be in walking distance of a coffee shop or grocery store. But I would much rather hear the wind, turkey and more often, silence, I would rather see green, open space, than office buildings, freeways and stores. The city has it's appeal.. But for me, and for our family, this suits us just fine. I can do with walking to the store. I can't live without Mother Nature.

Learning to Read

It dawned on Don and I last summer, while on holiday up in Banff, that Amara was interested in learning to read. She started to ask "What does that say?" about just about everything. I would tell her, "Lock" when she asked what was the word on the car door handle or "Exit" while noticing the sign above doors. She asked about traffic signs,labels and food packages. She asked what almost everything said (or so it seemed) and would get upset if we didn't answer fast enough! Finally, about two or three days into this new behavior I turned to her and asked, "Amara, do you want to learn to read?" 

Amara's strong answer of  "YES"  didn't surprise me much. Since birth, Amara has wanted to learn and learn some more. So when we got home we talked to her teachers and together we all started to teach my bright little monkey how to read.

I am a strong believer in following my children's lead when it comes to learning new things vs. pushing my agenda. Thus, I wanted us to move at a pace that she was comfortable with. In both her old and new school, I made it clear with her teachers that Amara was more than capable of letting us know where she was at with learning, if things were too hard or if she wanted more and to respect her knowing of herself. Her new teacher has told me that several times, Amara has firmly said, "That's too hard. I don't want to do it" and refused the work the teacher gave to her. That's my girl!!

At home, I have printed out worksheets and Nana bought her the Hooked on Phonics learning to read program.  We have gotten many a 'first reader' book at the library and read through them with her. So as a family and with her school, and along with her fierce determination, Amara began to read within 2 months of her "Yes" declaration.

I am proud to say, that another several months out, that my girl is reading between 35-40 words and everyday she reads books to Don, Havana and I!

 I am not proud because she is reading so much as I am proud that she accomplished something she wanted to do. She is so proud of herself and as a mother, that means more than words can express.

Our House

About fourteen months ago we did a short-sale on our house. We had been living there for 5 years. It was a large home. Lots of space. Plenty of room to move around. Inside. But outside, our yard was small. Not too much room to run freely or plant a garden. The previous owners had landscapers who put a tree in the middle of the yard and while it was a beautiful tree, it took up a lot of the already limited space. I prefer open space for the girls to run about and play.

I never liked that yard. And to be honest, I never loved that house. Yes, it was large and on the newer side but it never felt like us. The neighborhood never felt like us. HOA rules meant everything looking the same, few trees and bushes along the wide sidewalks. The streets looked bare, almost sterile to me. For our family, it just didn't feel like home. We tried to make it work but each time we would go out in the yard I would find myself fantasizing about a bigger yard; more outdoor space for the girls to explore the natural world in.

                  
                               Distant view of our former housing scheme.

Living in a home for 5 years, with such a longing for something else never felt right. It felt like I was not content, not living in the moment, in the now. How could I live in the present house when I dreamed about a different house? We talked about moving but weren't sure because we bought in the height of the market. But I would often tell Don that everything was in Divine Order and that what was meant to be would be.Guidance as to what to do came when the market crashed. Why stay in a home that we didn't love especially after it lost more than half it's value? We tried to do the right thing with the banks. I won't even go there. Such corruption. But still, I kept thinking about that yard and we really, didn't want to stay there. 

So we decided to short sale.The final confirmation about moving came when we put the house on the market (while on holiday in Florida) on a Thursday and had an offer by Sunday. We knew Divine Order was guiding us out of that housing scheme to something better for us. Our short sale went so smoothly. We were even paid to move to our new home. Ah, Divine intervention. Ah, Divine Order. They are some of the only real securities in this world.

Castro Ranch Road which is the start of the Alhambra/Pinole Valley.



The valley is 20 minutes from urban Berkeley & 30 miles to San Francisco.

When it came to moving, we looked at several rental houses within a several mile radius of where we were living. We love the area (outside the previous development). The El-Sobrante/Pinole Valley area is a special place. The hills are mostly spared of development and in rainy season it is like a rich, green carpet has been laid down.

Cows graze freely along the hills, as do wild turkey. Many a night, I have heard coyotes howl, seen more than one red fox run across the road, passed many a deer or fawn on the hillsides and seen countless hawk and falcon soaring overhead. And of course there are the skunk, raccoon, chipmunk and other more common, wild creatures. We also have our domesticated friends.

There are goats and sheep that also graze along the hills. And about 4 miles down the road, on a small farm/vineyard live several llamas, emu and sheep. We have been visiting that 4 legged crew for years. I am sure they know us by now as they often come up to us when we near the fence. The girls love to stop by and say hi. A few years back I got to see a 3 minute old lamb there.

Spring sheep and lamb, who graze in the hills in front of our current house.

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One of our emu friends. They are so friendly!

So we knew we wanted to stay near to where we were currently live. Don and I put on paper what we were looking for and posted it. We looked at it every day and it helped us to manifest our next home. We knew we wanted a 4 bedroom, sunny, quiet home with a larger yard. So when we came upon our current house via Craigslist, I knew right away we had to see it. (We agreed I would do the initial visit and then Don would come for a second tour if it seemed like a possibility.)

I noticed right away similarities to our other home (layout) but with smaller rooms, wood floors and no ugly Roman style columns throughout the house. (I hated those.) The kitchen was larger and the bedrooms smaller but it was still large enough for us to have lots of space (we went from 2780 sq. ft. to 1900 sq ft.). There were two buildings out back (one not available) which would be great for storage. But the thing that really sold me what the 1/3 of a flat acre. There are lots of hills in California. And very little yards (so different than growing up in New York where we had back, front and side yards), if any. I knew, once I saw that yard, and once the girls took off exploring in that yard, that we would live there.

Celebrating Don's birthday last year.

Since we moved in we have had lots of outdoor time. We play, we paint, we have celebrated birthdays. And this year, Don finally got to build a raised bed for gardening(it took a long time, as not much goes easily, smoothly or quickly with two little people but it's in). And there is space along the back fence next to it for more planting.We are south facing so it's perfect. The previous tenant also loved gardening so there are rose bushes and fruit trees. Wild poppies have sprung and made the yard come alive with color. Last spring we planted strawberries in wine barrels and they are growing again this year. The girls love to water the garden. I love that!

We aren't sure how long this will be our home but for now we are happy and present here. And for that we are most grateful.

Sisters

Amara and Havana; two sisters, 2 years and 3 weeks apart. Both June babies. One Gemini, One Cancer. Two very different beings who choose to come through my body and BE part of this planet. One is more curious, more outgoing, more wanting to learn about the world. One is more laid back, sensitive, inclined to play with herself vs. others. One looks more like the Cuban-Spanish side. One looks like the Irish-English side.

But they are the same in many ways too. They are both adventurous and curious (but in different ways). They are both love the outdoors; Both are (very strong) willed to the point of being called stubborn. Both don't like to share with the other but will still look out of the other. Sisters.

At least once or twice a week someone asks if they are twins. Yes, they look somewhat alike, are almost the same height but I guess I don't quite see that.

I didn't have sisters growing up. Only a brother and we were not that close due to age difference and family dynamics. When I found my biological family, I discovered I had 1 older, maternal half-sister and 5 younger, paternal half-sisters. Because of age differences and not growing up together, I have only become close to 2 of my sisters. (We all love each other but the heart connection is not as strong as with the one before me and the one right after.) It has been a joy having my sisters in my life. A blessing. And it is because of my later in life experience with sisterhood, that I pray that it is Divine Order that that my girls will grow up close, with a strong heart connection.

During the first year or two, of Havana's life, Amara was quite jealous of her sister. Havana was in awe of her sister almost from birth. Amara's intial resistance towards Havana was hard to watch. I felt sad for Havana many a time, when big sis rejected her. But more recently the two have become closer, enjoying each other's company. Hairpulling, pinching and not wanting to share are still a daily occurance but overall, I am grateful that they seem to be forming a tight bond.

Here are some photos of my two girls starting from more recent to the day Havana was born.

Sisters.

My Two Monkeys

Currently, Saturday mornings in our family means swim class for Amara and gymnastics for Havana. This past week, however, Amara was on break so she joined her sister for some fun at her UC Village gym class.

Amara is also enrolled in gymnastics but at a more formal (i.e. instructional) school. Havana tried that setting last summer but we discovered that at this stage, a free play setting is a much better fit for her. Both girls are excelling in their respective gymnastics classes, each which are perfect for my two monkeys!

From an early age I knew Amara was a little monkey! She first crawled up the stairs at home at 6 months and by 9 months she was climbing up the slide stairs at the park. She would then slide down by herself! This was months prior to walking!



At 5 months, Amara crawled and soon loved to jump and move around!



Amara, at 10 months, would stand in her crib and jump and jump and jump.

Havana didn't crawl or climb until a much later age but she has since caught up to her sister in the curious, brave, exploring departments. Both little monkeys love to climb and jump on just about anything. I can't even count how many times my heart was in my throat watching these two. It wouldn't surprise me if Amara became a future Cirque du Soleil star! Havana may not be quite as athletic but girlfriend comes close!

Havana's 1st birthday. She couldn't walk but she loved the slide.

It's amazing to watch the girls at these current ages, 2 1/2 and 4 1/2.  I love that I have photographs of before and now to remind me of the changes that happened so fast.

 

  

It's been abot a year that we have been going to Saturday morning gym class and we may take a short break. We want to see if Havana she misses gymnastics and wants to continue. I suspect she will miss her teacher Eric (her first male crush!) as well as her friend Justin so we will see what happens. Amara is still quite interested in her class so for now that remains a go.

It's a joy to watch my two monkeys have fun, watch their confidence grow, burn energy and excell in new things. They make this mama monkey feel proud!