Make Some Art with Shawn Harris
These are great little art tutorials to do with your kiddos. Shawn Harris wrote and illustrated Let’s Be Bees and Duel and illustrated The Future and First Cat In Space by another fav Mac Barnett. (Among others!) So far, each video accompanies one of his books and shows you how to do the art style he used. Nothing too prescriptive. Just silly and playful, while actually teaching some art tactics kids can understand. The series is SO charming and fun to watch for kids and grownups. It feels crafty and weird and comforting; like a mix of Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Bob Ross.
Merlin Bird ID app
Here’s something good associated with Cornell! The Cornell Ornithology department created this app that I’ve long been obsessed with. You record the bird sounds wherever you are, and it identifies them based on the call. It’s just the coolest. If you’ve got multiple birds sounding off, it even highlights which ones are making the current sound. Like a wildlife version of a Zoom meeting speaker view. It’s damned exhilarating to know you’ve got a yellow rumped warbler or a black phoebe or an acorn woodpecker or my fav identification: a great horned owl hanging out in your tree. Warning that you will likely become a bird nerd.
Christmas FM
My husb and I discovered Christmas FM on our honeymoon in Ireland over the holidays in 2018 and have been coming back to it ever since. They play a lot of the same Christmas classics we get in the states, but they have some fun (and sometimes bizarre) Irish or UK holiday hits in there. The Pogue’s Fairytale of New York is played as often as we play Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas. And I really don’t mind all the radio ads when it’s said with an Irish accent. The website and app streams Christmas music all year round (for the Christmas freaks like me) and has some extra stations if you want only Irish, Classics, Classical, etc.
Nat’s Early Bite
This is a true neighborhood spot. It’s not trendy and fancy. They’re not trying to do anything more than make great food and give great service. It’s full of regulars who seem like they’re eating in their own home. I always get some version of pancakes/waffles/French toast, bacon and eggs. And while it seems simple enough, it’s always SO DELICIOUS. I’ve tried many breakfast spots and diners all around the valley, ordering the same things (for science)… and none of them have ever come close to Nat’s.
