From Remillard Park, Mill Valley, to Shorebird Park, Berkeley 1/26/14

January 26, 2014

 

The week of January 20th, Casey and I attended a "Bodacious BBQ Bash" at the Best Lil Porkhouse in Corte Madera. We won the best hat contest, thanks to my Mom and Dad loaning us a pair of matching hats.  Our prize was two tickets to a Sunday afternoon event at the Community Center in Mill Valley. Sunday, January 26th ended up being one of the best days we'd had all year.  (Granted, we were only three weeks into the new year)  :D

 

The event we had won tickets to was called Loving Spoonfuls. I researched the fundraiser as Casey drove the pretty drive into Mill Valley. It was a benefit organized by the Community Institute for Psychotherapy, raising money for the less fortunate families in the area.  The Community Center was packed! The parking lot was full and we circled once before asking a gentleman if he was leaving and following him to his car. We waited patiently as he slowly set himself down and prepared to back out. Another car pulled up at that time around the corner from us and began waiting as well.  We inched forward so that he could see us (even though it was impossible he hadn't already seen us).  Finally, Man #1 backed out in a way which allowed us to pull in first. Car #2 threw a fit and began yelling. I stepped out of our vehicle, approached this red-faced, middle-aged man and explained calmly how we had come about that spot. He sped off, obviously headed to the same event as we were going to.  Luckily it was packed inside the big Center and we never again crossed paths.  Inside we found the top chefs and restaurants providing appetizers, soups, and desserts. The "spoonfuls" we received were mostly small plates/bowls full of food! We were barely able to sample half of the 20 or so challengers.   The three hour event wouldn't be nearly enough time for us to get through everything. We ate until we were full, walked a couple laps around the beautiful field and property, and then decided to hit the road. We will definitely purchase tickets for the 2015 event. (Around $30)

 

We began our drive home and I immediately went into "What's Next?" mode. I was ready for more fun! I saw California Historical Landmark (#917) on our left. The Melting Pot restaurant is located at this landmark on Sir Francis Drake Blvd.  During the period of 1891-1915, the Remillard Brick Company functioned as the largest brickmaking firm on the Pacific Coast. A plaque placed on the tall kiln in 1989 tells a little history about this single remaining structure. Across the street is Remillard Park.  We stopped here after noticing the walkway along the shoreline.  Artist Dennis Patton is responsible for a giant sculpture of Sir Francis Drake along the walkway. We stared at the beautiful piece, reminded that the nearby Drake's Bay in West Marin was a landing point by the English admiral. We then played on the rocks and climbed down to the water. Some litter sat at the water's edge, but it was mostly a beautiful, scenic day with bright sunshine, blue water, and even bluer skies.  The warmest winter in January on record for California meant we'd seen a lot of these warm, sunny days.

 

After Remillard Park, we decided we'd had enough fun and we should go home. Hahahaha...!!! That's definitely NOT true. I asked for one more little detour and Casey suggested we walk along the
Berkeley Pier. I can't even describe how excited I was to stop there.  I hadn't been there in over a decade. Literally!! It was the year I graduated from high school. I remember being on a first date on 9/9/99, and we walked the length of the pier at the end of the night. Here I was almost 15 years later with my husband, very excited to return and check out this popular pier.  It was probably the best day to walk along this pier; it is not a quick stroll and we were both very warm when we reached the end of the section that is maintained and open to the public.  The original pier stretched 3.5 miles into the water. 2.5 miles of pier remain, but less than a mile of that is accessible.  At the end of the 3,000 foot walk down the pier, you can see parts of the continuing pier in the distance ahead. As we walked back to the shore I stopped to look at all of the graffiti. Every spot that a person is able to spray paint on this pier has been covered with pictures and words and colorful tagging. It's on the railings, the benches, and even the wood boards we were walking over. We also saw the head of a bat ray that a fisherman had caught, cut, and left behind. Lots of people were fishing the pier, and lots of people had caught fish. Most of the fishermen had the decency to clean up after themselves, but some left behind trash, food, and sadly, this smiling fish head. 

Back on land we regretted leaving my refillable water bottle in the car, and I decided to buy a bottle of water from a mobile food cart conveniently parked nearby. It had coolers of ice cold drinks and tables for sitting, with music playing on a nearby boombox.  The Eat and Run food cart owner was friendly and kind while we purchased my water bottle and a soda for Casey. The food he handed to another passerby looked terrific. And what a great spot to be able to work all day; lucky him! He seemed like a very happy person.

The Shorebird Park Nature Center is walking distance from the pier.  The Adventure Playground is made from all recycled materials and has a captivating view of the marina, but the children playing on the large structure seemed not to notice all the blue in the distance. Picnic sites and BBQ are also here and there is a large lawn where we watched a man try to learn to throw a Frisbee.  The Nature Center building was closed, but is home to a bay aquarium and a fresh water aquarium.  It is an example of green building, and is the first municipal strawbale building in the United States. (A building method that actually uses bales of straw, if you were wondering).  They also use a solar photovoltaic electrical system to power the aquariums, computers, lighting and other equipment and promote educating the public on marine conservation.  Land animals frolicked around the building and lawn, and signs noted other protected animal life nearby.



Our final stop (for real) was at Rotten City Pizza in Emeryville.  I had a crispy, thin slice of arugula pesto and a spinach. Casey ordered pepperoni. We love this pizza spot. They often have a variety of types available by-the-slice, even on a Sunday evening. Ordering well-done guarantees their thin crust will be served hot and brown.  We ate upstairs next to a pool table at some tables with a TV.  The sun was setting and we drove the last stretch through Emeryville on our way home.  A beautiful sunset, ending a beautiful day.  All thanks to two matching black-and-white cowboy hats at a BBQ party.