Back on the trail

I am very pleased to report that mushrooms are in season again, and we discovered some whoppers in a neighbor's year today. But first, the young professor:

This is the first mushroom. The top is dark brown. It looks like a chestnut. Underneath it has orange gills and black spores.
This one is almost definitely a bolete. This isn't the best picture but you can tell how big it is compared to the ruler. The underside is sponge-y. It smells great but since "we don't eat mushrooms not from the store", I can't taste it.

Success At Last!

Liam and his dad and uncle went to Hagemann Ranch Trout Farm (warning: annoying music begins playing as soon as you visit the site) today, and Liam bagged two rainbow trout. Joy of joys, the fishing season ends with a bang, not the whimper we feared.

Jazz Prodigy

For reasons that I have attempted to explain over at my blog, Liam's new interest is the saxophone.

Another visit to Fantasy Junction

We went back to Fantasy Junction this weekend, and the owner let Li sit in the driver's seat of a 1969 Jaguar XKR. Heaven on Earth.

Fantasy Junction

Yesterday we discovered this place in nearby Emeryville called Fantasy Junction. Its a showroom for very high-end sports cars. Think 1974 Lamborghini Countach. Think 1937 Jaguar SS-100. That was one of Liam's favorites. Here is a picture of a car Liam really loved, a 1953 Jaguar. He's in the corner of the photo holding his face in joy and excitement.

Some Great Surprises

Today we were all sort of getting on each other's nerves, so we decided to go and do a hike. We set out to find mushrooms but I (Andrea) was not hopeful. Winter's almost over around here and I didn't know what to expect. But we found some amazing stuff, including some really rare mushrooms. We haven't identified this first one, but are pretty sure that the second picture shows a Black Elfin Saddle or a False Morel, also called a Brain Mushroom. The last two pictures are of a perfect Panther (amanita pantherina) that we found. This is the first one of these that we've ever found ourselves and Liam is ecstatic. He said, "This is a great day for the imagination!" 

A New Interest

Liam is really interested in sports cars now, and in particular, really likes Jaguars, especially ones that have the jaguar on the hood.