Summer Activities

I went around town to interview children about their summer activities.  The children were excited about the programs and happy to talk with me. 

At Santa Cruz Soccer in DeLaveaga Park the kids were so enthusiastic they were tripping over themselves to tell me about soccer camp.

Ross (10yrs)favorite part of soccer camp, "I like the feeling of running down the field with the ball. I would tell other kids my age to go for it! Just have fun! The coaches are really nice and they help me."

David (9yrs) offered "It's really fun and I recommend coming. I want to be an instructor here someday."

Andreina (6yrs) wanted me to report to other shy kids, "If they are shy cause they say they think they can't do it, I say just try."  Nico (6yrs) said, "My favorite part is the parent game, it's really fun!" When asked who wins, he responded "We do!"

For a change of pace I went over to Capitola Book Cafe to see the Monday story hour. The kids were totally into the story, almost "in" the book, and their moms were sipping on lattes.

Berkley (5yrs) told me, " There are lots of different stories and we sometimes learn new things in the stories."

The UCSC Sailing Camp in the harbor looked like a lot of fun, and had some enthusiastic teens!

Paris (13yrs) said, "You get to learn how to sail and I like when we get to swim when the boat tips over." Tipping the boat over and learning what to do is a planned part of the class.

Chris (14yrs) said, "I like going out on the bay and seeing Santa Cruz from the ocean."

At Adventure Sports where kids take swim lessons Gavin (3 yrs) said, "I like the dolphin stroke and doing the back one with the big arms." Wow, only three and doing challenging strokes! I was impressed.

...so there you go. Cute kids having fun in Santa Cruz. More next week!

Summers were very long in Michigan. And hot. You live in California and you think you know about heat? OK, so you may be inland and log hundred degree days as often as we coastal folks have fog, but you have dry heat. You have air conditioning. Close your eyes and take yourselves back to the "good" old days of my youth...

The mercury rises to 90, but the humidity is at 99. You walk something like a monkey, your arms held out from your sides, your legs bowed so that your thighs can't touch. It's hot. It's really, really hot. But there's no beautiful clear blue western sky. It's hazy. Hot, hazy, and there's no view. There's no wind. You're wearing as little clothing as it's legal to wear in these parts, but still you're hot. Halter tops can't change that.

One of your friends got air-conditioning recently, but that was exotic. To get air-conditioning, the rest of us ride our bikes to the supermarket or drugstore. We cruise the aisles, pretending we're there to buy something.

Problem is, we have to ride our bikes back home. And it's hot. So what do we do?

Lemonade stand!

Today my kids made six dollars while I worked. First I had to meet with a client (and a fellow mom) whom I'd completely forgotten about last week. I was feeling bad about that, but what can I do? When I'm with my kids, I can't seem to remember anything. So I told her, yes, come on by and I'll stick my kids in front of a video. But instead, the six-year-old started a lemonade stand, and as soon as the ten-year-old saw the cold, hard cash, he was in as well. (He wants an iPod!)

They sold lemonade all through that meeting. My client left (she was paying me and my kids - she bought a cup for herself). They ran out of lemonade and a neighbor came by with a bunch more lemons to juice. So they made more and were back outside. I called another client and had a phone meeting while I watched and listened out the upstairs front window.

So yes, I was being facetious in the headline. It may not have been specifically educational, but today was the sort of summer I had as a kid. My mother likes to remark how different parenting is these days, and one of the major differences she sees is that we play with our kids. "We didn't play with kids," she said. "We just shooed you outside and figured you'd entertain yourselves."

So today I was channeling my mother. And it was good. My kids scammed all the neighbors (though I guess 25 cents for a lemonade isn't so bad), had fun, and I got lots of work done. This is what summer was like when I was a kid.

Though much less hot. In coastal California, instead of selling lemonade in the summertime, perhaps they should sell hot cider. We've got a summer chill going on here that warrants sitting inside shivering under a blanket. But I respect my kids' entrepreneurial spirit, and I definitely appreciated their leaving me alone to tie up loose ends before we embark on our next road trip.

And it was, actually, educational. They made money, and it wasn't even from our lemons.

You can find all Suki's blogs here.  She's becoming locally "famous", and she wants comments from you!!

7/31 Concerts at Main Beach, Ray Parker Jr. "Ghostbusters", Detroit native; Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, and Producer Ray Parker Jr. started out at 13 in the legendary Motown studios then continued his professional career at 18 as a member of Stevie Wonder's band! Ray moved on, creating his own band "Raydio" and then continued his chart topping career as a solo artist. He has had 24 Billboard Top 40 and R&B hits. Ray Parker Jr.'s live show is a fun filled, Rockin' R&B extravaganza of hit songs including "You Can't Change That", "A Woman Needs Love", and "Ghostbusters". Who You Gonna Call?

7/31 Free First Friday, 11am-9pm, MAH, Museum of Art & History, Enjoy live music by Shelley Phillips from the Community Music School. 12-1pm. Location: MAH Atrium, cost: free.

8/1 & 2 42nd Annual Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival, Toro County Park , 501 Marina-Salinas - Hwy 68, Salinas, Fun for the whole family, the Monterey Scottish Games & Celtic Festival is celebrating its 42nd Anniversary in 2009. This lively weekend Festival offers fun for the entire family. It features a wide array of Scottish and Irish musicians, Scottish and Highland dancers Irish step dancers, pipe band competitions, a special Pipe Band Festival on Sunday, British food and crafts, thrilling Scottish athletic competitions including the famous Caber Toss and much, much more.

Saturdays, 6:30pm (Jul 18-Aug 22) Learn to Square Dance with the Lucky Steppers in a series of outdoor dances in Ben Lomond, in July and August on Saturday evenings.Aug 1 Lucky Steppers Slab Dance, Lawrence Johnstone, Aug 8 Lucky Steppers Slab Dance, Roger Smith

8/1 11am, 36th Annual Roughwater Swim, Saturday, August 1, 11 am, starts and finishes on Santa Cruz Main Beach -- swim around the Wharf!

8/1, 1-4pm, Teen Battle of the Bands, Branciforte Library, Are you part of a band? Teen bands take the stage and perform!

8/1 & 2,10am Monterey Bay Berry Festival, Bring the family for a berry good time as millions of delicious, nutritious, mouth-watering strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries will be ripe for a celebration at the Monterey Bay Berry Festival. The festival celebrates foods that are hearty, healthy and loved by people of all ages. The celebration will have non-stop live entertainment, scrumptious berries and desserts as well as a variety of activities.

8/1 & 2 101m-7pm Monterey Bay Strawberry Festival, The 15th Annual Watsonville Strawberry Festival at Monterey Bay is returning to its traditional location, Main St Plaza, downtown Watsonville

7/31 & 8/1 & 2, Day Out With Thomas at Roaring Camp Railroads, Join Thomas The Tank Engine on a train ride through the Big Trees. Meet Sir Topham Hatt and enjoy a day of Thomas activities.

8/1-2, 1-4pm, Children's Book Sale, Central Library, Summer Friends of the Library sale for children, teens and their parents, as well as teachers and child care providers. Great selection of fiction, non-fiction, Young Adult, picture books, easy readers, vintage, arts & crafts, videos and CD/DVDs, and reference books! Most books are $1.50/lb (except specially priced sets, toys, audiovisual, and heavier items). In addition, children and teens who have completed this year's Summer Reading, can turn in their reading log for a ticket to get a free book at this sale.

8/5, 6-8pm, Singing Wood, World Music & African Marimba, The tradition of the Wednesday Night Twilight Concerts continues in the Esplanade Park. Families and friends are encouraged to come and listen to an array of musical styles from jazz, western, latin, swing, orchestra to good old rock & roll. Bring a picnic supper and chairs to sit on either in the park or on the beach while enjoying the music filled sunset. A blanket and warm jackets are always a good idea as the summer weather can bring the fog.

8/7-9, Cabrillo Music, Art, Food and Wine Festival Two days of outdoor world music and dance, with free art and music workshops for kids. Over 50 art and Kraft vendors. Church St. in front of Civic Auditorium

Every day (Aug 5-Aug 16), The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, More new orchestral music in one place, at one time, than anywhere else in the world. The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, led by Maestra Marin Alsop, is one of the most critically acclaimed presenters of contemporary music in the nation. Cabrillo Festival presents orchestral programs with deep intelligence, an informal flair, and musical excellence. It's summer camp for the whole town! This year Alsop has assembled guest artists and composers including cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and composers Brett Dean, Osvaldo Golijov, and Magnus Lindberg, to name a few. Most rehearsals are free and open to the public and are opportunities for you and your family to see, meet, and hear these artists perform.

8/6 Flashback Flix at Cinema 9, Jump back in time for classic films on the big screen. All Seats $5, Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade

All the details are in the Calendar

Saturdays, 7:30pm, Performing Arts of the Pacific Rim, New Brighton State Beach, Come down to the campfire center, sit back and enjoy the performing arts series of campfire programs. Featuring a different group of live performers each weekend, this series highlights talent from around the Pacific Rim. A New Brighton campground favorite! August 1 at 7:30 PM- 5 M's Play Songs of Early California

8/1 11am-12pm, Heritage Garden Tour of Evergreen Cemetery with Leslie Keedy, The act of planting symbolizes the continuation of life in the future. Join City of Santa Cruz arborist Leslie Keedy and learn about the charming combination of plants and trees at Evergreen. Location: Evergreen Cemetery, Evergreen Street near Harvey West Park, 11am, cost: free/donations welcome.

8/1 and all first Satudays, Birding Walk, Elkhorn Slough, Meet in the parking lot behind Whole Enchilada, Elkhorn Slough supports 346 diverse species of resident and migratory birds. On a recent ESF member birding walk, participants spotted more than three dozen species in a short time frame. It's no surprise that the slough is recognized as a globally important birding area. Keep track of your sightings by downloading a bird sightings list from our website. An expert birder leads the free early morning birding walk.