California in March

Today marked a few firsts for me.

Firstly, it was the first time I've ever been to California during the month of March. We usually go there for summer vacation, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, not a random weekend in March. But the Bay Area is basically the same all year round, so it wasn't too unusual. Well, it was the rainiest I've ever seen it there, although it was pretty rainy on Christmas 2012.

California is where my three nephews live: Preston (11), Franklin (8), and Nathaniel (6). We were there for the baptism of Franklin, who is quite shy and charming. My grandparents also came, and to my knowledge they have never missed the baptism of one of their great-grandchildren. Franklin didn't want a lot of people to come because he didn't want to be embarrassed. He used to be shy around us, but he isn't anymore. He was making lots of funny faces and funny comments, such as saying that they had to kill lots of people for the headless mannequins in stores. This trip also marked the first time I had ever seen the younger two during the month of March. (Preston lived with us when he was a baby, so I've seen him in every month.) My sister-in-law, Ya-ping, asked Nathaniel why he was so cute, and he said, "I was born that way." I love visiting these kids, and I'm glad that they like us visiting, and Preston wants to move to Utah.

Nathaniel (6), Franklin (8), and Preston (11)

While the boys were at school, my parents, grandparents, and Ya-ping all went to Alcatraz Island. It was fun, and my dad and I got really wet walking around in the rain, even with umbrellas and jackets, but I didn't mind. I knew about the prison and some of the Native American protests, but I didn't know the island's history dated back to the Civil War.

One of the cells

Approaching the island

Lots of gulls

Apparently the island housed beatniks when it quit being a prison. Just kidding. But there is a bookstore/coffee shop in the first building you enter.

We walked up a steep staircase to the recreation yard.

The rubble buildings used to house the families of prison officials. There were children living an idyllic life on Alcatraz!

You can see San Francisco from the island, which made it difficult for prisoners, because they were so close but couldn't do anything about it. There are no known successful escapes from Alcatraz. About thirty minutes before this picture, it was so foggy that you could only see a very faint outline of the city.

Native Americans occupied the island in the 1960s.

Canada geese

I found a lovely phone wallpaper for this time of year.

I also hate to be one of those people who post pictures of food, because I judge them. But I was excited for some interesting seasonal food items. At this time of year I eat lots of green milkshakes, but they're always mint, so this Vietnamese restaurant had an avocado milkshake. It was actually pretty good. And then Ya-ping taught me how to make them, and those are even better, and greener.

 

They also live within close walking distance of a See's Candies shop, so I went there to get an item I'd heard of but never had: St. Patrick' Day potatoes. I'm kind of geeking out over them, because they look just like real potatoes, but they taste much better. The "peel" is cinnamon and cocoa, the "eyes" are pine nuts, and the inside is white chocolate and walnuts. The drawback? They are quite costly.

A boxed "potato," an unwrapped "potato," and a potato.

Even the inside looks like a potato.