Some of us are fortunate to have survived childhood summers spent  seeking out the best swimming holes along brooks, streams and rivers.  The sweetest ones had warm, sandy beaches.  One had an old knotted rope.  Others had rocks under which we found crayfish. 

Often we paid for finding these gems with poison ivy and nettles but there is almost nothing more soothing than slipping into cool, clean moving water. We were youthful engineers, spending hours building dams, dragging logs and moving rocks in our efforts to enhance our secret spots. 

Times are different and rarely do our children get out of sight, or so we think!  Nevertheless there are some neat swimming holes nearby that make nice little adventures with the children.  Check these out, and please, please tell us about others, if you're willing to share.

This weekend an Art Adventure awaits us all!  The Plein Air Affaire at MAH, the Museum of Art and History in downtown Santa Cruz, is always a treat.  I find children's perspectives and comments on art delightful and often insightful.  I shall be there listening to the children!

Happy adventuring! Parmalee

Suki's Blog: Making a Greener Home

"...Each time we do something to the house, we're trying to be conscious of balancing how "green" our choices are with the realities of life. It's amazing to me how much our consciousness of these choices has changed since we bought our house in 1996. Then, it didn't occur to me that living at the top of two very large hills might make it less likely that I'd ride my bike to the store rather than drive. Now that I have kids, no way am I going to race down the hill on our bikes if we need to haul a gallon of milk back up." Continued>>>

Below is only a partial list of upcoming events and activities so be sure to click on our EVENT CALENDAR so you do not miss anything >>

Use the PARENT PLANNER to click on events and resources you are interested in and click PRINT MY PLANNER to print or email your list.

Outdoor Painting in Scenic Santa Cruz County features local artists and guest artists painting "en plein air." The artists participating are all celebrated for their abilities to create artworks in the open air using portable easels and palettes. With Impressionist stylized short brush strokes, these artists use their expertise to portray the effects of light and shadow.

Join us outdoors for a display and sale with live music, children's art activities, refreshments and sculpture. Participating artists have contributed over 150 pieces of artwork; many artists will be onsite and some will do live demonstrations. Bring your family and friends to this exciting event and take the opportunity to purchase your favorite Plein Air piece!

2010 Participating Artists:
Tomiko Bailey ~ Hildy Bernstein ~ John R. Crawford ~ John Deckert ~ Cornelia Emery ~ Mark Farina ~ Catherine Fasciato ~ Paul Fortis ~ Susan Elwart Hall ~Michele LaMontagne Hausman ~ Maggie Renner Hellmann ~ Susan Leone Howe ~ Sibyl Johnson ~ Bill Kennann ~ Barbara Lawrence ~ Peter Loftus ~ John Maxon ~ Mark Monsarrat ~ Irina Parfenova ~ Erika Perloff ~ Charles Prentiss ~ Paul Roehl ~ Julia Munger Seelos ~ Timon Sloane ~ Mary K. Stahl ~ Ann Elizabeth Thiermann ~ Susan W. Trimingham ~ Akiyo Walker

Museum of Art & History  Meet Plein Air Artists displaying their work, Plein Air Affaire 2010 Display & Sale
Jul 10-11 from 11:00am to 5:00pm