Berkeley Marina

One of our best days this summer was the day we spent at the Berekely Marina. I had tried taking the kids there last summer, but got my directions mixed up and never made it. Thankfully, this time I had a map and found it. I loaded up the kids bikes, kites and a lunch and headed out. When we arrived, we drove around a bit and found a place to eat. I had brought a bag of peanuts and boy was that a good thing. As we sat on the grass, the kids noticed ground squirrels (?) scurrying in and out of the rocky embankment that leads down to the bay. Of course, they had to check it out, so off they went. These squirrels had obviously been fed before...the kids were thrilled with how close they got to eat the peanuts and how fast they shelled them once they were dropped. I figured we probably shouldn't be feeding them but the kids were getting such a kick out of it. So after about a half hour and with all the peanuts gone, I talked the kids into going to fly their kites. We climbed to the top of a nearby hill and discovered that this is an amazing place for the kids to fly their kites as there is so much wind (or at least it was so windy that day) that the kites go up and stay up soooo easily! It was perfect. I barely had to help them! So we just hung out for a while watching the kites fly really high in the air.
Once the kids were done with the kites, we headed back down the hill to our car and traded our kites for the kids' bikes. This part wasn't nearly as fun as my middle daughter isn't quite as fluid on her bike as her older brother. We didn't go too far as her constant wales of "help me!" got to be a bit much. However, my son was able to stop and chat with a fisherman and at least we made it a little ways. I have to remind myself that it isn't how far we go, just that we make an attempt and get out.
So, the main reason for heading to the Marina was to find the famed Adventure Playground. I had heard and read about this playground in various places and it got rave reviews in every publication. Thought we should check it out since we live so close to it. When I checked out the website, I found that that day was the last day they would be open during the week. From then on out, they would only be open on the weekends. This would either be good or bad....I was also a little worried about the hammers, nails and paint that they described as being left out for the kids to play with but thought, "what the heck." My kids surprise me all the time, you really never know. After driving to the other side of the Marina, I found it! It was funny that to get there, you first had to walk past a "real" playground and I had a hard time convincing the kids that that wasn't where we were going, that there was another playground just on the other side. Somehow I managed to get them to the Adventure Playground and ta-da...there it was! We walked in and I signed the waiver and we headed to the building area. There are about 4 tables with scrap wood, paint, hammers, nails and saws. This is what I was worried about, but the kids did a great job! They each took to their own project, sharing what they had and asking for what they didn't. Caleb discovered a cool magnet hung on a string (kinda like a fishing pole) that allowed him to "mine" the park for nails.
I'm always worried going to a place like this by myself with the three kids, cuz I'm never sure how I'm going to keep track of them, especially if its busy. We were very lucky that day that although it was their last day being open for the summer, it wasn't too busy. I was able to let Caleb troll the park looking for nails, while Nyah worked on her project in the project area and Cora and I explored the park some, climbing the various wood structures. Each structure has been restructured and repainted a few times by kids, which is really unique and fun. What Caleb liked most though I think was the zipline. You had to be 6 in order to ride it and he had just turned 6. So off he went: he climbed up the ladder, grabbed a hold of the rope and zoomed down the line! I could tell it made his day! What an amazing day with my kids. This will definitely be a yearly trek we make each summer.