Courageous Joy

Sunday, August 09, 2015

Farewell Sunday

It's a big day for us. Michael preached his last sermon as an Air Force chaplain.

We were happy to have Cole and Elise back. Clara is back too, but the only photo I got of her is unflattering. I'll try again on Friday.

What a blessing it was to be here for Quentin's dedication. Desiree and her family have been champs as they faced surgery, chemo and pregnancy all at the same time.

Love this family.

The kids all got pillow cases signed by all the kids in the RE programs. Very fun.

I'm explaining who Jared (Gherkin #5) is...

Michael is opening our gift from the service. "Off the Beaten Path." It's a perfect gift for us...and many wrote notes in it. Perfect. I can't wait to crack it open and get exploring.

How I love these ladies!

Nikki, Margaret and Maria

Desiree and Quentin

I am glad Ashely made it home so we could say goodbye before we leave.

Me, Ashely and her kids

We took a quick windshield tour of the base, stopped by the commissary and the WW2 POW Cell block.

Jared (Gherkin #5) and Larissa

Saturday, August 08, 2015

Michael had a surprise for us. We had hoped to visit Stinson beach.....but by the time we were done at Muir Woods we weren't sure there would be time for the beach. We were not parked up at Muir Woods and it would take more time than we were planning to get there. We opted to head to Fort Baker so we could picnic by the Golden Gate Bridge and see the iconic bridge.

When we left Fort Baker, we assumed we were headed home. Michael took us to Rodeo Beach instead. I love the Pacific Ocean. It makes me feel closer to Asia.

Larissa also loves the ocean and had never been to the Pacific Ocean.

This is evidently how male Gherkins do the beach! LOL

Notice how excited Stacia is - jumping!

But not jumping HERE. LOL

Don't judge me. I was sharing the experience with a family member who I thought may have been here before.

Cute happening which caught Michael's eye

Sand is a fact of beach exploring

I look forward to visiting the Atlantic Ocean sometime in the future. Viva la retirement. This is the last Saturday Michael will be Active Duty.

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!

Friday, August 07, 2015

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.