Montrose Harvest Market

Today we went to the Montrose Harvest Market in Montrose (near LaCanada Flintridge). Mike at Franklin Avenue recommended it (he was there last weekend with his wife and 2 year old son), and since we were in the area, we decided to stop by and check it out. Thanks for the recommendation Mike!
Montrose Harvest Market
Sundays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Honolulu Ave. and Ocean View Blvd.
Montrose, CAAt the end they had a fun zone for kids.

Astrid is familiar with a trampoline, as she jumps on one just like it at her toddler gymnastics class at the YMCA.

This tented area was age appropriate for toddlers like Astrid. The floor was matted with gymnastics type padding, and it had 3 small trampolines, toys, and tunnel for kids to crawl through.
Jumping on the trampoline while holding papa's hands.In the background you can see the two bouncy houses. Not sure if the charged for those, but the toddler fun tent was free. We didn't go into the bouncy houses. Maybe next time.

Uwe asked me if Astrid has ever been in a bouncy house. She has once, when she went to a birthday party when she just turned one. Astrid was just standing at that time and wasn't walking yet. I remember holding her and jumping with her. Click here to see Astrid in her 1st bouncy house. Bouncing on a plastic bouncy horse. (Later Astrid gets to ride a real pony.)Playing on a toddler keyboard.The buttons light up and make sounds.There are only 5 notes, but she enjoyed playing with it (and people watching as she was seated).Maestro!Getting ready to put Astrid's shoes back on so we can get a bite to eat.Here I am with Astrid's shoes and hat, but no Astrid. She ran over to Uwe to see the photo he just took. Do all kids today run over to the camera to see their picture?

Sure is different from my childhood when we had to wait to get the film developed. Several years ago my mom found some undeveloped film in a camera, and when she got the photos developed, she found photos in there from when my brother was in a first grade school performance. No joke. Uwe took this close up pic of Astrid.

Her blue eyes have a ring of hazel/green around the pupil.Papa and Astrid.A pink balloon to match Astrid's pink flowered hat.The sun was really hot today. I always carry a hat in Astrid's diaper bag just in case. I don't want her skin to have sun damage later on (i.e., skin cancer, freckles, age spots).She was a good girl today and didn't protest when I put a hat on her. I like the wide brim on this hat, that also shades her shoulders. I got it at Target.In addition to the normal farmer's market fare the Montrose Harvest Market also had:

• a New Orleans Jazz Band
• Antiques & Collectibles
• Jewelry
• Books
• Records
• Toys
• Home & Garden Decorations

We stopped by this wine shop that had a sign outside that said they also served sandwiches, but there was no one in the store. A few other people walked in off the street as well, and it was a pretty big wine store (with an ice cream stand inside), but not a soul inside who worked there. Beats me if they took a break or were in the restroom, but it was strange. You'd think they'd have at least 2 people working the store on a busy Sunday like this.

There were a couple other restaurants on Honolulu Avenue. Southern food was the speciality of one. We passed at the thought of the unnecessary calories. The other had a 45 minute wait. So we decided to eat from the vendors at the market. I had the Hawaiian chicken (Korean style) - boneless, marinated chicken flame broiled with rice and salad. Uwe had an entree (chicken and veggie kabobs with humus and pita bread) from the Mediterranean food stand. My chicken was delicious. Uwe said his food was okay, but the chicken was terrible.

Astrid finally got to ride a pony!

They have pony rides for $3. Tickets can be purchased down by the shaved ice stand (not at the pony rides themselves).

I think Uwe had a bad experience with a horse as a kid. In response, up to this point he hasn't wanted Astrid to ride ponies, or to be near them. He's always been afraid that she'll get hurt, and that she would be afraid of them as well.

But I know she's not afraid because I had her picture taken on a pony in Griffith Park last year and she loved that horse. Click here to see Astrid sitting on a pony in Griffith Park. I saw that this pony ride was very safe - they have a child proof seat with a back on it that wraps around each child (like a holster) - and the ponies are small and docile, and they walk slowly.

There were 2 ponies today. A larger one, and a smaller pony that Astrid rode.

Uwe was a hesitant at first, and he didn't want to watch (because it made him nervous and anxious). But I asked him to take some photos because I wanted to walk along side Astrid just to make sure she didn't get scared and he did (and ended up watching her the entire time). I needn't have worried though, she was fine. And Uwe did fine too. =) The pony ride goes up and down the sidewalk. It's a brief ride, but long enough for some nice photos, and for the kids to have fun riding on a pony.Astrid and her pony at the end of the ride.We stopped at a toy store before going home (also on Honolulu Ave.). They have the same train set as the one we saw earlier this week at the Travel Town Museum gift store.

The railroad set itself isn't affiliated with Thomas the Engine, but all of the extra pieces are. Like the trains themselves. We may get one for Astrid this Christmas, but again, it almost needs an entire playroom to display it in.We've been on the lookout for a bike for Astrid. When Uwe goes to the gym, he takes Astrid with him to the YMCA - they have a daycare center there which is free to members so that parents can use the facilities for up to 2 hours - and he saw that one day she was riding a bike there out in the courtyard.
We'd prefer to get her a wooden bike like this one (rather than a plastic one), but it turns out it was a tad too small for her."Yay a bike!"This was a classic Radio Flyer, but again a tad too small. She'll outgrow it before we know it. We did see plastic bikes there but they were outrageously expensive. I've seen the same at Toys R Us and decided not to get them. We really do prefer something classic and/or made from wood rather than plastic and factory produced. So the quest continues for the perfect bike for Astrid.

It was a nice Sunday morning spent at the Montrose Harvest Market. There's a lot of stuff for kids to do there, and it was a nice change in scenery. I'm sure we'll go there again if we have a chance.