Located between Milpitas and the Mission Park Regional Preserve, the 1,558-acre Ed R. Levin County Park features mountainous trails overlooking the Spring Valley Pond and Bay Bridge. The park is open nearly every day from 8 a.m. to sunset with a $6 entry fee. The park’s views become even more striking...

Some teachers collect vinyl records or souvenirs of past travels, while others house antique coins and stamps in bound folios. However, for substitute teacher Christopher Duff, the entirety of his collection—a collection of memories, that is—can be hastily drawn on a whiteboard: a peanut...