If you are a Francophile, you are aware that today is” le 14 julliet”, the annual French holiday that marks the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, which is considered the beginning of the French Revolution and the new nation. As with our 4^th of July, it’s a celebration of independence, and we were fortunate enough to be in Paris last year to see the parade.

I had (and still have) much to learn about “le 14 julliet.” For one, the French do not call it “Bastille Day” as we do here. It’s either La Fête Nationale or le quatorze juillet. Which makes sense, the storming of the prison is not what is celebrated but the events that followed. Why we Americans do call it “Bastille Day” I do not know, but it would be like other countries call our July 4^th “Boston Tea Party Day” instead of Independence Day.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées was draped in French flags and packed with people. It turns out that the parade is a military parade, a tradition since 1880. We’d never seen a military parade, (part of me kept waiting for the floats!) but it was an unforgettable sight.

Afterwards, the kids could hop on military trucks and tanks and have their picture taken. I have to admit, my first response was "Seriously?"  But when in Rome Paris…

I’ve experienced so many 4^th of July barbeques and fireworks shows that it becomes very easy to forget what we are celebrating. But seeing the Parisians celebrate the modern democracy they enjoy today reminded me to do the same.

Ask any American and they’ll know that July 4^th is also our national day of barbequing, but I’m still unsure what exactly the French eat on July 14^th. So tonight, we’ll enjoy an easy roasted ratatouille, who knows if it is a July 14^th favorite in Paris, but it is a very popular, hearty, and healthy dish that originated in Provence. Bon Appétit!

Tuesday is a great day to take the ferry into San Francisco. At the end of the school year Ella’s art teacher had introduced the class to Andy Warhol (originally Warhola, as my daughter patiently explained to me) and the pop art movement. So we were off to visit the SF MOMA to take advantage of the free admission day (the first Tuesday of the month) and see some of his works on loan as part of the Fisher exhibit.

 But before we made our way up Market, we made our way through the Ferry Building. While the free admission was nice, my main reason for picking a Tuesday was to enjoy the farmers’ market there. Of course, the Saturday market is spectacular, but it’s also crowded, so the Tuesday market was just our speed.

We wandered the Ferry Building debating lunch options. As always, Out the Door (the takeout station for the Slanted Door) won out. It’s those steamed chicken buns, we all love them. With a peach from Frog Hollow we were set, sharing a bench with a million dollar view.

We had happy bellies and were ready to trek to the SFMOMA. It’s such an inspiring place to walk around. Ella thoroughly enjoyed the galleries. My 4-year-old, on the other hand, was more interested in finding the rooftop garden (and café). So up we went, because I figured there was a piece by Mondrian she'd really like.

   Actually, a piece of Mondrian, cake that is. We ordered a slice of Mondrian Cake, intricately baked and assembled to resemble one of Piet Mondrian's Composition pieces. All the desserts were witty plays on art works; a cake inspired by Wayne Theibaud, a Richard Serra Cookie Plate to build your own edible sculpture, etc. And they served the best coffee—roasted by Blue Bottle Co. I made sure to pick up a bag of their beans at the Ferry Building, and then with a few more provision stops (can’t leave the place without some cowgirl creamery cheese!) we were back on the Ferry home.

Yes, Tuesday is a great day to take the ferry into San Francisco.

Just wanted to share a few photos from the two classes we did last week on Summer Desserts--just in time for the 4th of July! As is usual, the kids did a remarkable job, working on three recipes in less than two hours. This class we made the Big Strawberry Shortcake (a great recipe from Sheila Lukin)...

plum-raspberry crisps that were prepared in individual ramekins...

and a very yummy blackberry ice cream base (which we sampled but it does take at least 3-4 hours to set up properly. However, there were no complaints with our soft ice cream!)

Cost Plus is selling ramekins in sets of 4 for $2.99. Those were the ones I used for our class, sending the kids each home with a little boxed crisp--they were charming! There are sold in a variety of colors; we chose red and blue in anticipation of the patriotic weekend ahead.

And just an FYI, starting in the fall, I'll be posting reminders here a few days before the class occurs. Especially for the City of Santa Rosa classes, it can be difficult to remember that your child is enrolled in a one-day class in July when you signed up for it at the start of the year! If you'd like, you can subscribe to my blog (top right of this page) and then the postings are delivered to your email box. I really appreciate everyone's support with the classes, I love teaching your kids and hope this is helpful. If you have any other ideas please let me know-- l love your feedback, suggestions, and new class ideas. Thanks!

Hope your day is filled with family, friends, shade and lemonade!

One of my summer goals is to get out of dodge once a week with the girls on a mini-day trip. I was born and raised in the East Bay, and then moved to San Francisco before heading up to Sonoma County. It’s such a treat (for me and the girls) to visit old haunts and to enjoy that bay breeze. Today we started our adventure at the Adventure Playground in the Berkeley Marina. It’s really an anomaly; a playground of forts and play equipment that are in a continual state of change—thanks to the kids who can earn use of tools and paint and then have at it.

I know it sounds like an accident waiting to happen, but it’s very well organized and the staff ensure everyone ”plays  safe.” We wandered from fort to fort, sawed a little in the workshop area, and then hit the mini zip-line. I haven’t been since I worked at a day camp in the East Bay 15 years ago, and the place felt the same. Adjacent to it is a standard playground and great lunch spots, as well as a perfect cove for dipping your toes in the water.

Here is a link to the Berkeley Marina and Adventure Playground if you'd like to visit:

http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/contentdisplay.aspx?id=8656

Needless to say the girls built up quite an appetite there, so for lunch we headed to another East Bay institution—Fenton’s Creamery. I have memories of going there with my parents when I was a kid, and they both have memories of doing the same with their parents. It’s just that kind of place.  Fenton’s also never changes—they pride themselves on that. Stepping in there, with its marble tables and ice cream parlor chairs, and wait staff dressed in retro black and white uniforms, you feel transported back in time—even if the teens at the table next to you are all texting away while they wait for their sundaes.

And oh, those sundaes. What can be said about this:

Actually, not much. When it arrived on the table, it was the first moment of silence I’d experienced with the girls all day. Millie looked up to the sky as if to thank the goddess of dairy products. The girls were in awe, until Millie said, “Dig in!” And did!

Here is the link to Fenton’s Creamery:

 http://www.fentonscreamery.com/