Bankhead Adventures

Christmas in California

2012-01-10T20:46:00.000-08:00

In order to take best advantage of the Christmas season, we decided to celebrate twice. Our first Christmas occurred on the 18th, and it fortunately turned out much better than Modern Family's Express Christmas. We feasted and opened presents and sang carols and watched several ridiculous Christmas specials. Thanks to Paul's brother Alan for coming up with the idea of an early Christmas, and thanks to Paul's sister Laurie for providing the Christmas jell-o. Thanks to both for living in California and for bringing cousins to make the evening complete.

Gobble, gobble

2011-12-03T21:26:00.001-08:00

Our relaxing Thanksgiving dinner at home was sandwiched between an entertaining school celebration and a hike at Castle Rock State Park.

Bankheads in So Cal

2011-11-12T19:58:00.001-08:00

We Bankheads went on a perfect vacation with some cousins: beach, Disneyland, massages, Legoland, and precious time with family. Not even the nasty letter from the school informing us that James is a truant can ruin our happy memories.

Fleet Week 2011

2011-10-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

After a disappointing Fleet Week back in '09, when the Blue Angels canceled their show at the last minute (after we'd already spent three hours waiting for them), we decided to try again this year. Elements of our successful air show experience: perfect weather, a couple extra kids to entertain James and Sadie, binoculars, arriving early enough to get good parking, watching the aircraft carriers and battleships cruise into the bay under the Golden Gate bridge, the appearance of a stealth bomber, and, yes, the Blue Angels.

Magnificent Michelle

2011-10-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

Three cheers for Amy's sister Michelle. She magnanimously came to the rescue when Amy hurt her back with three months of pregnancy to go, and then stayed long enough to get us through the newborn phase and into the sleeping-through-the-night stage. Her accomplishments during her 6-month tenure with the Bankheads are astonishing. She landscaped our side yard, planted our garden, drove the preschool carpool, did the grocery shopping, cleaned the house twice a week, digitized our recipes, enabled Amy to nap daily, had the car painted and the trimmer repaired, researched what kind of trees we should buy, sold our old stuff on Craigslist, did many cool art projects with James and Sadie, built a scarecrow, gave haircuts, made pies and jam and cheese and home-made "girl scout" cookies, picked up dinner, handled some night feedings, let Amy and Paul go on dates, changed diapers, bathed children, fixed all our broken screen doors, scheduled repairmen, took the children to swimming lessons and soccer practice, and tolerated sharing a bunk bed with James. Having her around was an incredible luxury that mediated the upheaval of Amos's arrival and kept our household running during stressful times. Everyone needs such a generous and talented sister. Thank you, Michelle!

Amos at the A's

2011-09-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Amos attended his first Major League Baseball game over Labor Day weekend. The entire Glauser crew was in town for the holiday and initiated the boy at an A's game in Oakland. He was charming through the whole game, even allowing other people to hold him so that Amy could enjoy hanging out with her siblings and parents.

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-09-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

Here is James on his first day of kindergarten. No, Amy didn't comb his hair. He wears a helmet as he bikes to school, rendering combing useless. But she probably wouldn't have anyway.

After school, Aunt Michelle became a hero by introducing James to a German tradition called a Kindertuete, a huge cone filled with candy, treats, and other presents for the first day of school. Lucky kid.

Biz Ops Campout

2011-08-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Business Operations team at Google invited us to camp with them on a ranch near La Honda, which was a golden opportunity since summer campsites in the Bay Area are nigh impossible to come by without a reservation many months in advance. Bonus: this campsite came with a cool kid motorcycle that made James very happy.

Many Firsts

2011-08-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday was a big deal. In keeping with her personal tradition, Amy welcomed herself back to normal (non-pregnant) life with an afternoon of waterskiing. This coincided, naturally, with Amos's first boat ride, James kneeboarding by himself for the first time, and Sadie kneeboarding with assistance for the first time. Many thanks to Uncle Rick for letting us use his boat and to Cousin Ryan for hosting 5 extra people.

The End of Bad Luck

2011-07-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

Seven years ago today, Amy was getting ready for her wedding, which was scheduled for the next afternoon. While trying on her wedding dress one last time before the big day, she lifted a full-size mirror off the back of a door in order to get a better view of the dress. As she maneuvered the mirror for a rear view, it slipped from her hands and shattered, thus beginning her marriage with seven years of bad luck. Now that the bad luck is over, we can take stock of just how bad our luck has been since July 2004:

two master's degrees (one for Amy, one for Paul)
three children, a house, and a minivan
trips to England, China, and Germany
239 adventures immortalized in blog posts

Clearly, that shattered mirror has been haunting our lives. Here's to some better luck.

The Milk Processor

2011-07-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, for all your milk processing needs. Comes in Happy, Sad, and Asleep.

Introducing Amos Rey

2011-06-18T08:36:00.000-07:00

With greatest joy, Bankhead Adventures announces our newest member, Amos Rey. In keeping with the Bankhead tradition of only doing labor and delivery during normal waking hours (sort of crucial, since Paul turns into a pumpkin right around 10 PM), Amos Rey announced his impending arrival on Tuesday morning, and joined the world shortly after noon. No doubt that after the obligatory hibernation period, the whole family will be back to adventuring.

Sleeping Beauty, Literally

2011-06-10T21:36:00.001-07:00

Sometimes spending an entire day insisting that everyone call her Aurora makes a girl sleepy, even if she hasn't seen the movie.

Roaring Camp Railroad, revisited

2011-06-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

Although Amy is unable to hike, we still can't resist heading into the mountains. The redwood forest is just as lovely when viewed from a train, we've found. And we got to reminisce about how much has changed since we last rode this train.

Fire Time

2011-05-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

On our camping trip this weekend, James spent at least two solid hours poking at the fire, making what he calls a "fire stick," a smoldering stick that leaves cool trails of smoke in the air. This kind of mesmerizing fire time is just the sort of thing Amy and Paul encourage. In fact, Paul set an excellent example for the children by deliberately and cheerfully charring marshmallow after marshmallow into carbonic oblivion.

Relaxing at the Office

2011-04-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

Paul on Saturday morning: "My job has been so stressful this week. We've got to do something fun today so I can relax. How about we go to my office?" Sounds crazy, but it works. And it's not the first time.

Policy Revision

2011-04-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

In direct violation of Amy's policy of not camping while pregnant, we decided to join some friends for an overnight trip to Sunset Beach last weekend. Turned out great, which may lead to a revision of said policy. Perfect beachy evening, cozy dinner around the fire, many rounds of hide-and-seek the next day. Our only mistake was not having a proper coat for James for the chilly morning. Fortunately he was allowed to borrow Paul's.

March Madness 2011

2011-03-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

Without further ado: James and Sadie picking their teams for the NCAA basketball tournament. Their brackets will be entered in the Glauser family pool. Last year James won, so he has been the proud guardian of the family trophy for an entire year. Here's hoping the trophy will stay in California.

Big Sur

2011-03-09T15:56:00.001-08:00

The Bankheads have been in the Bay Area for nearly 5 years now, and we just recently spent our first day exploring Big Sur. Perhaps James and Sadie will take such beauty for granted, having grown up here in California, but Amy and Paul will never get over the novelty of hiking through wilderness and ending up at the beach.

Visit from Gram Gram

2011-03-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

Nice to have Paul's mom visit for a few days. Also nice that a random kid at the park insisted on being in our picture.

There's no bad weather, only bad clothing

2011-02-14T21:10:00.001-08:00

Amy and the children have been leading a weekly hike for the non-profit organization Stroller Hikes for nearly 3 years now. Today the forecast of 80% chance of rain and 15 mph winds scared away any fellow hikers, but armed with rain gear, we gambled with the weather and won. We enjoyed a sunny trek along the bay, stopping to find cool sticks and to dig old tires out of the mud.

Fair Fight

2011-01-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

Despite their age difference of two years, James and Sadie are evenly matched in many things: card games, foot races, singing ability, seatbelt buckling, table setting, and biting. After inspecting James's shoulder and Sadie's forearm, Amy and Paul were unsure whether to discipline both or neither. In the end we declared a tie.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-06T20:38:00.000-08:00

Some stats from the Bankhead holiday season:

400 gingerbread cookies and 6 gallons of wassail consumed by our party guests

100% homemade ornaments on our first Christmas tree

25 strands of Christmas lights newly purchased for our house

1 hilarious family night demonstration of "swaddling"

12 days with family in Utah

96 inches of snow

$xxxx spent by Paul on backcountry ski equipment

$0 spent by Amy on a Christmas present for Paul (see above)

7 days Paul went skiing

3 days James went skiing (his first attempts!)

1 lost camera

0 photos (except these lame phone pics)

A More Mellow Thanksgiving

2010-11-30T21:58:00.000-08:00

We Bankheads have a tradition of camping over Thanksgiving. Two years ago, we were so cold that we cut our trip down from three nights to two. Last year we were so cold we cut our trip from two nights to one. This year we went completely soft and canceled our camping trip all together (rain in the forecast, Amy's pregnant, family here from out of town, blah, blah, blah . . . ). To appease our guilty consciences, we took several day trips instead, hiking with friends around cool local places we hadn't been before, finding big views and a cool swing hanging from an oak tree. We missed camping, but not enough to regret ending each night in the hot tub followed by our own warm beds.

Golfing, miniaturely

2010-11-14T19:24:00.001-08:00

Every time we drive by this course, James and Sadie have been curious. We finally indulged their curiosity and took the fam miniature golfing. Sadie made it through about 5 holes and then spent most of her time disobeying the signs about not climbing on the castles, dragons, or water features. James diligently worked his way through all 18 holes and wanted to go again.

Farmer's Work Ethic

2010-11-04T21:17:00.000-07:00

Every chance they get, Amy and Paul attempt to teach their children how to work by assigning them farm chores. As part of this program, Sadie recently had charge of several baby chicks. Unlike her brother, she was not skittish around the animals and nearly mauled several small fowl. But she succeeded in her task of keeping them in their pen, and no complaints have been filed by the chickens.

Our Favorite Hike

2010-10-20T20:26:00.001-07:00

We Bankheads do a lot of hiking, but we keep coming back to this one. Mt. Tamalpais's Pan Toll Station to Stinson Beach is just the right length (3 miles), passes through a variety of lovely landscapes (redwoods, ponds, gnarly bushes, beach), includes a ladder and many wooden bridges, and is downhill all the way, because the Marin Stagecoach will take you back up to your campsite. Last week James self-propelled the entire route, making the trek even more pleasant for his parents.

Introduction to Water Sports

2010-10-09T17:11:00.000-07:00

Go ahead, ask James how he felt about his first kneeboarding experience:

(The footage of the actual kneeboarding didn't work out, but this photo captures the feeling of his accomplishment much better anyway.)

Two New Toys

2010-09-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

Paul's shiny new grill came inside the perfect box for a new play house. Two birds . . .

In the Hollow of Happiness

2010-09-09T21:53:00.001-07:00

This summer we introduced the children to the amusement park. They liked it, so we've gone again and again and again.

Images of Our New Location

2010-08-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

Where Credit Is Due

2010-08-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Through the craziness of moving and graduating, Amy's sister Sica saved the day. She lived with us for six critical weeks, but she'll stay in our hearts for at least twice that long.

Ode to Sica

Without you our old house would never have been packed.

Without you our moving day would have been jacked.

Without you our social life would have been blacked.

Without you graduation day would have been sacked.

Anniversary Adventure

2010-07-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

Traditionally, couples celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary with candy. Modernists have revised the sixth anniversary gift to iron. Bankheads have declared our sixth anniversary the year for an epic backpacking trip to Rae Lakes in Kings Canyon National Park. Here's how we celebrated six years together:

96 hours without children
46 miles of hiking
6943 feet of elevation gain
50 pounds of pack (20 for Amy, 30 for Paul)
107 mosquito bites
3 skinny dips into pristine alpine lakes
2 inadvertently matching outfits
1 awesome and memorable adventure

Bankheads at Brian Head

2010-07-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

We spent several days in Brian Head and Cedar Breaks with Paul's family. Days were filled with hiking, biking, swimming, getting ridiculously dirty, and the ever-valuable cousin time. Nights found the adults playing Scrabble and comparing notes on parenting. Good times.

Lucky number 7

2010-07-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

Last week marked the seventh Bankhead Adventure in Yosemite. Here's to seven more!

Paul Becomes a Master

2010-06-27T22:02:00.001-07:00

Paul is now finished with business school and has the official piece of paper to prove it. James and Sadie got to join him on stage as he walked to receive his diploma, and we enjoyed the company of several additional family members who came to town for the occasion. Paul commented, "Getting out of business school was a lot easier than getting in."

Business School Gala

2010-06-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Amy and Paul attended a fancy gala, the last big business school event before graduation. We were glad to have one last night out with the good friends we've made over the last two years, and we came away with a digital caricature as a souvenir.

The Latest

2010-06-10T10:00:00.001-07:00

In addition to moving, we've been climbing rocks, painting faces, and talking to goats.

Excuses, Excuses

2010-06-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

Bankhead Adventures has recently been rebuked for a lack of posts. Our apologies. The explanation is two-fold: 1. The cord to connect the camera to the computer is still packed somewhere. 2. One of the smaller Bankheads put iPhoto in the trash then emptied the trash. Still working on that. In the meantime, here's a photo of Sadie drinking with some friends. Water, of course.

Living the Dream

2010-05-11T08:41:00.001-07:00

Amy and Paul are now the proud owners of a Bay-Area-sized mortgage. Fortunately, the bank has agreed to let us live in a super-cool Eichler as long as we keep making payments.

Spring Camping

2010-04-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Camping in 2010 has officially begun. Four friends joined the Bankheads in the Santa Cruz mountains for hiking, frog-watching, s'more-making, and swamp-exploring.

The New Cool in Easter Baskets

2010-04-14T21:41:00.000-07:00

What do Bankheads do when they show up at an Easter egg hunt without baskets? Improvise with whatever they find in the car. James put his eggs in a bike helmet, and Sadie used Amy's hastily emptied purse.

2010 Bracket Challenge

2010-04-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

After carefully deliberating about his picks (with his signature furrowed brow), James correctly predicted that he would win the Glauser Family NCAA Bracket Challenge. Sadie, on the other hand, had a hard time focusing on her bracket and in the end chose "Cheese" to win the tournament, which Amy interpreted to be Wisconsin.

X-ray men of justice

2010-04-08T19:56:00.000-07:00

Yes. James and I are pretty much the awesomest dudes ever!!! Rock on x-ray vision. "That's an X-ray pretty good skeleton," says James. "That scary?".

Sadie's Second Year

2010-03-30T22:54:00.000-07:00

It's been an eventful year for our little girl. Happy birthday, Sadie!

Amazing James, part 2

2010-03-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

One day James decided to ride a bicycle. So he did, with surprisingly few spills and even less parental intervention.

Amazing James, part one

2010-03-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

In honor of James's upcoming 4th birthday, Amy and Paul would like to showcase some of the feats and talents of their firstborn. First, and as surprising to his parents as to the rest of the world, he can read. (Thank you, Starfall!) Second, he can and does read while walking.

Reunited and it feels so good

2010-03-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

Part of the reason there have been fewer Bankhead Adventures lately is that Paul has been ridiculously busy. Not only is he a full-time MBA student, but he's also been working at a start-up called Aardvark. All the hard work is paying off, though. Paul is slated to graduate in June and, even more exciting, Aardvark was recently acquired by Google. Paul has discovered that working through a tech acquisition in Silicon Valley while keeping up with Stanford's work load is a worthy challenge. Now that he's once again a Google employee, though, he enjoys weekly massages, fun family visits, and all the gourmet food he can eat.

Mavericks

2010-02-28T22:14:00.001-08:00

We braved the crowds and the rogue waves at the Mavericks Surf Competition. Turns out we were too far away and there was too much waiting in between good waves for James and Sadie to be interested, so we renamed the outing a lovely picnic at the beach.

Bankhead Valentines

2010-02-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

(photos by Ashlee: ashsnaps.blogspot.com)

January

2010-02-07T22:57:00.000-08:00

Some things we liked about January: Paul turned 30, a local grocery store gave away free fresh flowers, and we went ice skating.

Last Snow Post of the Season

2010-01-20T21:15:00.001-08:00

Amy and Paul spent an afternoon snowshoeing in Millcreek Canyon with Paul's brother and his 8-months-pregnant wife (she is a rockstar). We realized too late that all the other snowshoers on this particular trail had sleds strapped to their backs. We had to jump out of the way as they came zooming back down the trail. We still had a great time, but next year our descent back down the trail will be much faster.

Snow

2010-01-11T20:36:00.001-08:00

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

2010-01-04T22:31:00.001-08:00

The children put their Christmas gifts to immediate use.

Natural Bridges State Park

2009-12-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

While Amy's brother Mike was in town, we took the family to Natural Bridges State Park. This place is named for three bridge-like rock formations, only one of which still exists. It's also famous for the thousands of Monarch butterflies that spend the winter there, but we had to look long and hard to see just a few butterflies. Despite the slightly misleading marketing, we had a lovely time enjoying the beach and hiking some trails. Anyway, the children were more interested in sword fighting with sticks and honing their acrobatic skills on the beach than in butterfly watching.

I get paid for this

2009-12-11T22:04:00.000-08:00

Stanford pays Amy to organize fun events for our neighborhood. Our recent roasting of chestnuts over an open fire, of which there are no good pictures since it was dark, was just as cool as our Thanksgiving reenactment, of which there were several good pictures.

A Traditional Bankhead Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T21:56:00.000-08:00

For the fourth year in a row, we've spent some portion of the Thanksgiving holiday camping. This year we attempted Yosemite with Paul's sister and niece. Our days were filled with spectacular views, disturbingly domesticated deer, and a magical 5-foot stick that inspired James to hike for miles without complaint. Our one night was so cold that we decided to go home a day early rather than shiver through another night. (Side note: When Sadie woke up crying in the middle of the freezing night, Paul soothed her back to sleep with a lovely and appropriate bedtime story entitled, "The Willie and Martin Handcart Companies." See here for a grown-up version.)

The Daily Volcano

2009-11-20T19:20:00.000-08:00

James often requests bedtime stories "about when you were a little girl, Mom." One night Amy told him about the volcanoes she and her siblings often made in the backyard sandbox. Of course the next day James requested a live demonstration, and most every day since then we've built our own volcano in our backyard. The colors change, but the novelty never wears off. Also, Amy's discovered a reason to buy the Costco-size baking soda.

Back to Regularly Scheduled Programming

2009-11-10T19:26:00.001-08:00

It took nearly until Halloween for Amy to get back in the groove after the whirlwind of China. That did not stop her from costuming the family, however. A word about James's costume: while Amy was sorting through a large box of hand-me-downs from some cousins, James stumbled upon a Care Bear costume and fell in love. He's never seen the show and thought it was just a bear costume. He wore it through most of October, growling constantly. Amy suggested covering the heart with brown fur to make it more realistic (and less girlie), but James insisted, "But Mom, I love the heart." Paul also took his costume seriously and spent at least an hour wandering around the house saying, "Arrr" in various tones and with various faces.

China 2009: The Business Part

2009-11-06T21:10:00.001-08:00

The major purpose of our trip to China was to fulfill Paul's global experience requirement for his MBA. We spent most of our time meeting with business people, which was great but doesn't make for many bloggable photos. Turns out that China is kind of a big deal in the business world. We met with all sorts of business superstars from big companies: the Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs China, the Chairman of Lenovo, a director at Baidu, the CEO of GM China. We also met with various government people: the Chairman and CEO of CNOOC (China's Oil Company) and the Director of Financial Planning at the NDRC. Although the board rooms all looked alike, the meetings were mostly fascinating and eye-opening, even for Amy, who got to dust off her business suit after 3 1/2 years in retirement.

China 2009: Shanghai

2009-10-31T22:03:00.001-07:00

Shanghai is a great example of how quickly things are growing in China and how the new things are juxtaposed with the old. We marveled at the amazing contemporary architecture and the brand-new skyscrapers, and then walked along the Bund, where it still feels like the 1920s. We were so full of wonderment in Shanghai that we remembered to take pictures only as we left on the high speed mag-lev train, going 431 km/h.

China 2009: Hangzhou

2009-10-16T11:12:00.001-07:00

Although we spent only one day there, Amy and Paul found Hangzhou charming. We stayed on the shore of the romantic West Lake and visited a tea village, where we learned more than we ever thought possible about tea from a captivating expert named Dr. T.

China 2009: Beijing

2009-10-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

In Beijing, we stayed in the super-fancy Hotel G, ate mysterious and mostly delicious food at super-fancy restaurants, met Princess Ringzinwangmo, bartered for child-sized silk pajamas, toured the Forbidden City, wandered around hutong alleys, learned how to make Chinese dumplings, sang Karaoke (The Bankheads sing an Air Supply duet, anyone?), and had several ridiculously cheap massages (90 minutes, lunch included, $15). Good times.

James Washes the car

2009-10-01T21:51:00.001-07:00

The people behind the Firehouse Carwash are geniuses. Kids can use little joysticks and buttons to control a hose that shoots soap at the cars as they pass by. As long as I have toddlers, they have my business.

China 2009: The Great Wall

2009-09-25T02:03:00.000-07:00

As part of his MBA program, Paul had to take a trip to China, and Amy got to tag along. Of course we visited the Great Wall, where we took a tram up a mountain, hiked a steep 4 miles (without kids!), crossed a shaky suspension bridge, and then rode a zip-line over a river.

Camping Plus Two

2009-09-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend found us at Mt. Diablo State Park. Because camping with two kids has become old hat, we decided to kick it up a notch by bringing two nieces along. The kids enjoyed rolling around in their sleeping bags in the tent, and the adults appreciated a lovely sunset.

Yosemite #5: The End of an Era

2009-08-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

The best part about our most recent Yosemite trip was that our friends, the Johnsons, camped with us. They and their 15-month-old daughter added excellent companionship and some mean breakfast burritos to this adventure. We hiked through many gorgeous meadows, to several shimmering alpine lakes, and spent ample time throwing rocks into various bodies of water. We also realized that James is now officially too heavy to carry, so from here on out we'll be doing James-size hikes. James was thrilled to find our position on the map and to carry his own backpack, but he was less excited about the actual hiking part. It took loads of coercion and distraction to get him to walk the slightest nature trail. We'll keep working on that.

More Vacation

2009-08-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

The Glausers were nice enough to host Amy, James, and Sadie for two weeks of non-stop fun, which included riding giraffes at the zoo and lighting firework tanks in honor of Pioneer Day.

Family-Filled Weekend

2009-07-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

The sad news is that we made an unexpected trip to Utah for Amy's grandpa's funeral. The happy news is that we then got to spend the holiday weekend having family campfires, fireworks, Settlers games, water fights, pancake breakfasts, birthday parties, and other worthwhile activities. Paul especially celebrated his inner child, purchasing 4 enormous water guns and teaching James to use them, then using plenty of fireworks and masking tape to modify some tanks for a private pyrotechnic display for the Glausers.

Father's Day Camping Trip

2009-06-29T14:34:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day, Amy's friend Alison invited us on a group camping trip to Big Basin Redwoods State Park: 12 children, ages 3 weeks to 4 years, and 14 adults, sharing 4 adjacent campsites. Once we finally got the kids settled down around 11:30 PM, the adults chatted around the campfire late into the night. Except for Paul, who got out his ear plugs and went to bed at 9:30. The next day several 3- and 4-year-old girls impressed everyone by hiking 5 miles to a waterfall at a respectable clip with no whining. Amy and Paul, who are tired of backpacking their increasingly heavy children, are hoping that James and Sadie were paying close attention.

Change is bad

2009-06-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our bi-annual trip to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon. About a year ago, a dam broke high above the canyon, flooding it with water and silt. Many of the pools we used to swim in are now only 6 inches deep and full of silt and much of the water is milky with silt instead of being crystal clear, but there are also entire new waterfalls and canyons that didn't exist before. Beaver falls was still jumpable, but the pool was too shallow for our usual mega jump

Sadly, Navajo falls has ceased to exist after the river was diverted elsewhere by the disaster. Check out the before and after photos, one in 2005 and the other last week. I was a bit disturbed to discover that the diving board I'd jumped off many a time was a thin sheet of dried mud, not a solid rock. Oops.

The Fair is a Veritable Smorgasbord

2009-06-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

Stanford took our housing dues and turned them into a carnival. Pony rides, fire truck tours, a magician, games, prizes, a petting zoo, balloon animals, and, James's favorite, cotton candy.

In Between the Scenic Vistas

2009-05-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here at Bankhead Adventures, we generally post photos of only the most spectacular and stunning moments of our wanderings. Today, however, we're going to let our readers in on a behind-the-scenes view of what happens before and after our explorations.

Kings Canyon National Park

2009-05-11T22:30:00.001-07:00

Majestic mountains, serene meadows, rugged canyons, thundering waterfalls, sparkling rivers, wild wilderness: Kings Canyon might be our favorite adventure yet.

Mt Tamalpais to Stinson Beach

2009-04-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

The hike from Mt Tamalpais to Stinson Beach is one of our favorite treks--we've done it three times now. The three miles include redwood- and fern-filled ravines, grassy plains, quaint bridges, small creeks, cool ladders, colorful wildflowers, and, of course, the beach. And this time, instead of packing our 55 pounds of children back up the mountain, we discovered the West Marin Stage, a bus that carried the whole family back to our campsite for only $4. Some might say Amy and Paul are getting soft, but really we're just catering to James's unquenchable desire for bus-riding.

Birthday Season

2009-04-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

While in Utah, the children successfully celebrated their birthdays, thanks to a large turnout of both Glausers and Bankheads. Sadie is now 1 and James 3. They both made such short work of Grandma's magic cupcakes that the photos show only the aftermath.

More European Vacation

2009-04-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Amy's sister Michelle already blogged all about our visit with her in Leipzig. Other notable parts of our trip included visiting Paul's sister in Heidelberg, just missing the hullabaloo in Strausbourg, France, enjoying the Mucha museum in Prague, patrolling the ramparts in Dresden (Paul's favorite activity), and braving the snow to get to the excellent fortress in Wurzburg. Also, that our children were having a ball with the Glausers in Utah.

On the Bright Side of Our European Vacation

2009-04-05T22:24:00.000-07:00

Walking from cathedrals to castles, through picturesque cobblestone streets, stopping at every single bakery along the way.

Germany Debacle #1

2009-04-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

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On our way from Wurzburg to Leipzig, it started snowing. Just as we were approaching the tunnel through the mountain pass, the police kicked us off the autobahn and into the surrounding villages. Gretchen, our GPS, kept telling us to make a u-turn and get back on the closed autobahn. So I victoriously followed my nose through a few towns in the direction where I thought the autobahn would be, only to discover it was hundreds of feet above our heads with no entry or exit in sight. Every time we thought we found a new way, there were non-English speaking fire fighters turning us away from the only road through the mountains.

Defeated, we bought a map and drove in circles in the middle of the night on mountain roads with 6" of snow through little German villages. The snow got deeper and the road steeper until we arrived in Oberhof and discovered it was a ski area at the top of the mountain the autobahn had tunneled under. 2 hours later we emerged from the back country and made it safely to Leipzig, only slightly worse for the wear. It's a bit embarassing to get this lost, but I would at least like to complement myself for not swearing during this particular episode.

Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve

2009-03-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

Another Saturday adventure: The best part of this hike was that James traveled on his own two feet for more than half the distance to Alpine Lake. That, and the coyote we saw barking up a storm as we came around a corner of the trail.

Child Labor

2009-03-15T20:47:00.001-07:00

Amy and James are involved in a co-op "playschool" for the six 2-year-olds who live in the neighborhood. For one recent activity, we held a kiddie car wash. Armed with scrub brushes, rags, and the hose, James and his pals rounded up all the toy cars in the vicinity and made quick work of detailing all 8 of the community fleet. Soon we'll be washing real cars and our "playschool" will start making a profit.

104 Degrees Fahrenheit

2009-03-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

Paul's Christmas present to himself now resides on our back patio. Yes, Amy likes it, too. Yes, you can come over and use it. Yes, it is inflatable and portable. No, the authorities don't know about it, and we're counting on our blog readers to keep it that way.

Huddart County Park

2009-02-19T21:23:00.001-08:00

Turns out that if you're not afraid of the rain, you can have an entire forest to yourself, even in the Bay Area. Well, except for the ranger who stops by your minivan during pre-hiking family nap time to make sure everything is OK, since it's raining and all.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T20:21:00.001-08:00

James Goes Skating Again

2009-02-09T20:34:00.001-08:00

This time on carpet, in his pajamas, in skates that are 16 sizes too big.

James Goes Skating

2009-01-26T21:07:00.001-08:00

Yet another icy discovery: our favorite ice rink rents skates in James's size--and that's not even the smallest they come.

Roaring Camp Railroad

2009-01-17T19:25:00.001-08:00

Latest adventure: riding behind the steam engine at Roaring Camp Railroad. Last time we took a train ride (the Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad, over a year ago), James yelled joyously and repeatedly, "I'm riding a train! I'm riding a train!" This time he managed (just barely) to contain his excitement during our journey, but he unleashed his wild energy shortly after we got off the train in an hour-long attempt to chase down the engine after it had departed the station.

Holiday Highlights

2009-01-03T09:08:00.000-08:00

Sadie's first sledding.
Twenty-two hours of movies in the car for James (11 hours each way).
A meltdown on the way to Temple Square and another one when we had to leave.
Lots of fun family, presents, and skiing (not pictured).

Pageant Debut

2008-12-14T21:45:00.000-08:00

James was less than thrilled about his assignment of wise man in our neighborhood Christmas pageant. He ripped his costume off three times, eventually giving in to a bribe of an extra shot of milk in his sippy cup. Sadie, on the other hand, shined in her role as a sheep.

Stroller on Ice

2008-12-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

In case you've ever wondered (Amy and Paul were pleasantly surprised to find out), strollers are allowed on the ice rink in Palo Alto.

We're Thankful for the Redwood Forest

2008-11-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

For the third year in a row, Amy and Paul have taken advantage of the Thanksgiving holiday to venture into some glorious portions of God's great earth. This time we headed into the famed Redwood Forest, where we camped on the beach, hiked through streams and over bridges, traversed canyons, admired enormous trees, and literally tasted nature (see Sadie's photo). James spent at least two solid hours throwing rocks into a babbling brook, while Sadie fashionably modeled her hand-me-down suit that matches her blue eyes exactly.

Highlights of Halloween 2008

2008-11-17T14:46:00.000-08:00

While Amy, Paul, and James got another year's mileage out of last year's costumes, Sadie transformed into a ladybug (or a Sadiebug, as James insisted on calling her). James experienced several Halloween firsts, including trick-or-treating and bobbing for apples.

Man Training

2008-11-08T20:50:00.000-08:00

Amy and Sadie went to Utah for the weekend, leaving James and I to fend for ourselves. I thought it an appropriate time to do some man training, and hereby report my progress on several fronts.

1)Wood foraging and stacking. James successfully found, gathered, and stacked wood that was lying around our complex due to the fence construction. Note the ingenious shingling system that protects the wood from rain. Every man needs to know how to make a good wood pile.

2)Civil Engineering. We turned a pile of sand in the playground into 4 tracks for golf balls, complete with retaining walls, banked turns, ramps, jumps, and a wooden bridge over the bottom of the track. James destroyed more feet of track than he built, but was very successful at sending the ball down the track and retrieving it.

3)In-N-Out burger. Every man knows that when Mom is gone the best bet for lunch is to head over to the famous burger joint. However, James failed this portion of the training by falling asleep just as we arrived, and as punishment had to eat cold fries when he awoke.

4)Heavy Machinery Appreciation. James fancies a career operating machinery. We watched a few videos demonstrating the finer points of operating the king of machines, the Caterpillar D-10.

5)Cooking. I know, I know, you feminists thought I was being discriminatory by having man training at all. But this is the 21st century, so we did some cooking and cleaning as well.

6)Baseball. As you can see we have some work to do on the swing. The boy's skills are slowly improving, however--at least his feet are pointing the right way, which was a major victory.

Just before Church on Sunday

2008-10-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

Solid Gold Pumpkins

2008-10-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Because Paul is an MBA student, we got three "free" pumpkins last week. Let's see, $50,000 of tuition divided by 3 = around $17,000 per pumpkin. Happy Halloween, Stanford.

Great Expectations

2008-10-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Our neighborhood is currently experiencing extensive construction and relandscaping. Most of us are willing to handle the inconvenience in anticipation of a lovely renovated living space. James, however, hopes the construction never ends. We wouldn't be surprised if he is secretly sabotaging the work at night in order to make the construction last as long as possible. He spends at least 3 hours a day watching the workers from our back patio and yelling things like, "Go, Bobcat with tracks, go!" and "Watch out roller, here comes the dump truck!" On the weekends, when the heavy machinery sits idly in our backyard, James spends hours and hours climbing all over the diggers and jabbering about levers, pistons, buckets, and hydraulic rams. He often pleads, "Dad, I want to drive the digger/dump truck/Bobcat/Bomag/roller/cement mixer/crane." To which Paul replies, "Son, if you work hard in school and get good grades, you can drive a digger when you grow up."

Final Assessment

2008-09-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Despite the nightly fiascoes, we've decided to call our Yosemite trip a success. All told, we logged over 20 miles of hiking, saw some astounding scenes (Cathedral Lakes, Cathedral Peak, Dog Lake), enjoyed perfect weather for our daily wanderings, and sustained only one injury (a shiner that Sadie acquired in a run-in with James).

Adventures by Day, Misadventures by Night

2008-09-23T11:41:00.001-07:00

After returning from Elizabeth Lake and diapering James, we set up our campsite. Forgetting who is really in charge of our family vacations, Amy and Paul excitedly planned out hikes for the next five days. Sadie and James, on the other hand, conspired to end our trip a few days early by coordinating a brutal schedule of waking up screaming on alternate hours of the entire night. Paul took refuge in the Nimbus 2000, sleeping soundly while Amy battled freezing temperatures and inconsolable children in the tent. The people camping next to us loved it--and left for another campsite at first light.

Tuolumne Meadows

2008-09-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

As a last hurrah before Paul starts school, Amy and Paul took their fourth camping trip to Yosemite, this time visiting Tuolumne Meadows, a section of the park we hadn't seen before. We arrived to our campsite in time to take a quick hike to Elizabeth Lake for a lovely sunset. Despite the chilly weather, James managed to wade into the lake up to his knees before either of his parents could catch him. When Amy pulled him out of the water and inspected his soggy britches, she discovered that during James's most recent diaper change, Paul had somehow forgotten to put on a new diaper, a small but important step in the diaper-changing process. Then again, we are trying to teach our children about nature--what could be more natural?

Breakin' the Law

2008-09-08T10:35:00.001-07:00

To escape the heat on Saturday, Amy and Paul went to San Francisco to rollerblade across the Golden Gate Bridge. Paul demonstrated his manliness by pushing 65 pounds of stroller the whole way, and Amy proved her in-line skills by falling down only twice. (Note to Amy: don't try to skate across dirt and gravel to read the Historical Interest signs.) Three-fourths of the way through our adventure, a bicycle cop stopped to inform us that rollerblades are not allowed on the bridge. He made us take our skates off and walk the rest of the way. Luckily we had our shoes with us. James and Sadie were disappointed by the sudden cessation of high speeds and had their first taste of how much fun illegal activities can be.