Parks and Paintings On Presidents' Day

1.  Spend the day at Burgess Park

Did you know was originally a part of the Dibble Hospital Facilities and purchased in 1948?  When was the last time you actually went to the park instead of just hurrying by it, en route to somewhere else?  Maybe today is the day to change that. Your child is out of school today and if you too have the day off work, why not spend time outdoors in one of the nicest city parks in the area? How much time, depends on the weather, of course, but you could easily spend a half hour or many hours at . There's a skate park, a childen's playground, even some walking trails. Only nine acres, but there's certainly a lot packed in here. Let's hope for a break in the weather that will allow for some outdoor time, so you can enjoy this delightful park. It's free and it's yours. Burgess Park is at 701 Laurel St.

2.  Take a walk in Bedwell Bayfront Park

2.  Sometimes when you live someplace you stop really seeing what's there. Perhaps that's the case for you with , right here in Menlo Park. is Menlo Park’s largest park, and its only open space on the Bay. The park’s 160 acres are surrounded on three sides by the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge. There are trails, hillls with views of the refuge and of the South Bay. Good for hiking, running, bicycling, dog walking bird watching, kite flying, and photography. Lots of trails in this park, some suitable for wheelchairs.  President's Day offers a unique opportunity to do more than just drive by .

3. View the paintings at two local art galleries

Just one more week to see the paintings at and . at the Allied Arts Guild  is showing the work of six new artists — Jared Sines. Decker Walker, Jerry Peters, Carolyn Jones, Mark Monsarrat, and Nancy Stevenson. The exhibit comes down next Monday, so today would be a good oppportunity to see it. is at 75 Arbor Road and is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information call, (650) 321-0220. At you can see the work of artist Nora Reza while you get a cup of coffee. Reza's exhibit is a tribute to her longtime friend, the late Stanford artist Nathan Oliveira. The figurative and abstract paintings, done in Palo Alto and Provence, are on display at 1010 El Camino Real through Sunday. Cafe hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.  For more information call (650) 327-0830.

4. Winter Camps for the Kids

A reminder about three winter camps for the kids; two offered by the City of Menlo Park and a third by a local business. The city is offering an ice-skating camp for children aged 6 to 12 at Nazareth Ice Oasis, 3140 Bay Road in Redwood City. The fee for residents for the week is $66; non-residents $88. For additional information contact Susan at (650) 364-8090 x 116.  Another alternative is the Winter Horseback Riding Camp, at Spring Down Equestrian Center at 725 Portola Ave. in Portola Valley. This camp is open to children aged six and older.  Send a lunch and snack. Aftercare is available. For more information from Springdown, call (650) 851-1114. The fee for residents is $429; non-residents, $578. A third possibility is the "U-Me: Math Camp," 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., for children from six to eight years old. The fee for this camp is $250 for the week, and siblings can play for $10 a day. U-Me is at 3355 Edison Way. Call (650) 257-7511 for more information.

5.  And since it's a holiday....

And you just may not be in the mood to do your own cooking...maybe this is the night to take advantage of the two-for-one Monday night burger deal at . It's a standard Monday offering here, plus you can catch whatever sports event is up tonight. The deal is good from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.  is at 150 Middlefield Road. For more information, call  650-327-6453.