Fort Baker - Golden Gate Bridge

Ed recommended we stop at Fort Baker for a picnic lunch and magnificent views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Ed has never steered us wrong.

We enjoyed a picnic in the shadow of the bridge. It was beautiful!  I relived the excitement of our first visit to the bridge through Larissa. You ARE standing on a spot you've seen in movies and history books

 

 

Muir Woods National Monument

We had a full day today.  This is the farthest west Larissa has ever been. There were a few things we wanted to make sure she saw before going back to Texas. We began the day at Muir Woods National Monument. We were given a free annual pass for entrance to National Parks - SCORE. We plan to use that in the next few months.

We were informed the parking lot at Muir Woods was closed by a flashing sign on 101. We found the parking lot and line for the shuttle. It turns out the gentlemen in front of us lived in San Angelo for many years. Michael and Jared were both wearing ASU sweat shirts.  It's a small world.

 

Larissa had never seen trees this big. They aren't as spectacular as the ones in Northern CA, but they are still pretty impressive!

 

Old Sacramento



Michael went to work and we went to Old Sacramento!

 

What's there to do in Old Sacramento? Well.....we skipped the museums...so that leaves walking along the dock, window shopping and eating. We did all three.

 

Nolan, Stacia, Jared, Larissa, Alex

Larissa, Stacia, Nolan, Alex, Jared

Love everything about this photo

Check out the punishments.....being mean to a girl was very serious

 I put him up to it - when I asked if he was ready to be a school marm. LOL

Stacia's ready

One Week

 

 

Chaplain Lieutenant Colonel  Jerry E. Sather

Wing Chaplain, 30th Space Wing

cordially invites you to attend a retirement ceremony honoring

 

Chaplain Major Michael E. Gherkin

Deputy Wing Chaplain, 9th Reconnaissance Wing

 

on Friday, the fourteenth of August at eleven o' clock in the morning

Foothills Chapel

Beale Air Force Base, California

R.s.v.p. by 7 August 2015

Military: Uniform of the day
Civilian: Buisness Casual  

Reception immediately following the ceremony in chapels annex.

Grass Valley Adventure

We are taking advantage of the cooler temps to get out and about.  I put a couple of roasts into the Instant Pot and we drove to Grass Valley and the Empire Mine State Park.  We toured the mine and the "cottage" and club house.  We then stopped in Grass Valley at Cousin Jack's Pasties! Yummmo! They aren't open on Wed. but the gal made us pasties and set us up outside anyway.

 

Another Prairie Diamond

We rounded the day out of dinner and another episode of Star Wars.

Jared and Larissa Arrive

Jared and Larissa arrived Sunday after chapel.

 

It didn't take long for Jared to realize that Zander is a tougher wrestling opponent these days!

Monday the boys embarked on a day long game of Risk. It was a draw. 

 

Larissa and Stacia played a variety of games and created "these."

 

I needed to "do something" - so brought all the photos from the hobby closet. I have about 14 years of photos that need to be put in albums.  I worked on it while the kids played games - good solution. I  need to run to a store and find a better adhesive. The Creative Memory Tape I have is evidently too old....very weak....I'm making it work but it's  a chore. I'll run out soon anyway.

 

I had M&M's today....which turned into a lovely connecting opportunity. I stopped by the commissary for ingredients to make Beef Stroganoff per Jared's request.  It's been COOL the last couple of days. We took advantage and played in the park.

Larissa has never watched Star Wars. We've been watching one a day. Michael is busy at base....and keeping appointments.

We may go find something to do tomorrow. LOL

Retirement Ceremony in 10 days!

Arielle Update

A fun aspect of having Gherkins out of the home are SKYPES!  It's a red-letter day when we get to Skype with kids.....and it provides me with a photo for a Mommy Post on Arielle.

BreAnne, Arielle and Me (the shoulder angel)

In one short week she has managed to register the car in OR, start a bank account, pass her DMV test, argue with DMV about the authenticity of her birth certificate - and win, try out a new church and find a job.

Find a job? Yep! Arielle is the newest employee of Fred Myers!!!!  She commits to 12 hours a week and can work more hours as her college schedule allows.  Way to go, Baby Girl.

AND.....Sunday she marched herself into a Japanese church....it always takes a bit of moxie to walk into a new church where you know no one.....but she wanted to visit this one. The sermon was in Japanese - which she enjoyed. It was fellowship Sunday so she got to talk to lots of people and eat lots of yummy Japanese food. She met a couple that works with International Students Inc. and exchanged info.

Not bad for one week, Arielle. I can't wait to tell Nikki you went to the Japanese church. She was asking if you had on Sunday.



Izaak loves Skype with his inlaws too - or at least he humors us!