SUNDAY, JULY 12

SUNDAY, JULY 12:

       Another beautiful morning. Drove in to Carmel Valley to meet Rachel for worship service at their church. Eric was teaching in children's church. As we expected, a very contemporary style service. But the preaching/teaching (from the Youth pastor) was totally solid and scripturally-based. Very straight-forward and practical . . . the take-away being that it's not faith that changes things, but God's goodness.

      Said our good-byes to Rachel & Eric and the girls, and then made the short drive over to Hannah's to do the same (although the kids were at their dad's, so only saw Hannah & Pasqual.)

       Then we drove south into downtown San Diego and the Big Bay, as the locals call the San Diego Bay. Parked at Seaside Village, an appealing area of eateries and shops on the waterfront. It was nearly 3:00, so we were pretty hungry! Just got burgers at a food court area and got a table in the shade. The sun was pretty intense!

        Then walked around that area a little, along the Embarcadero, soaking up the sunshine and the views, especially of the iconic Coronado Bridge.

 

                                                                     

 

 

 

 

Turned around and walked the other direction, where we were hoping to find a tour boat. Which we did! Only had one last tour of the day remaining, an hour cruise of the North Bay at 5:30, which was perfect for us. In the meantime, we enjoyed views of the downtown skyline,

 

                                                                     

 

 

 

 and passed the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway,  

                      

                                                                 

                                                          

 

  

as well as other historic ships, notably the Star of India, a sailing ship built in the 1860's.

                                                                                 

The next time we visit here, we'll take in these ships. Just didn't have time today.

      The cruise of the North Bay was great. We've discovered that water tours are one of our favorite ways to explore an area. Especially city harbor tours, such as this one. They are totally relaxing, while treating us to gorgeous scenery, the fresh ocean air, and lots of information about the locale. This one lived up to others that we've experienced. We had wonderful views of the city skyline,

 

                                                     

 

 

 
                                                                   

 

 

 

                                                                    

 

 

 

Harbor & Shelter Islands, Point Loma and its nearby California sea lions,

 

                                                  

 

 

 

Coronado Island, which is host to the North Island Naval Air Station, the 2^nd largest Naval Air Station in the country and where Rachel used to work, and good views of the Midway

 

                                                            

 

and Star of India.

                                                              

 

And a special unexpected treat – we passed the docked U.S.S. Carl Vincent, the aircraft carrier on which Jonathan served.

                                                                

 

        Enjoyed the walk along the Embarcadero back to Seaport Village. The sun was beginning to sink now, and felt good. I've gotten some sunburn in a few places, and it's a little uncomfortable when the sun is beating directly down on it. We each got a Ben & Jerry's ice cream to enjoy in the “village” before returning to the parking lot.

        And a stress-free 30-minute drive home to Santee. This was a delightful way to spend our last day here in San Diego. We'd wanted – and intended – to go down to the Bay ever since we got here. But it didn't work out earlier, because of not having the truck, the kids coming out here, our being up in Laguna, etc. And it worked out perfectly doing it today – the weather was glorious, the Sunday afternoon crowds didn't affect us and actually added to the celebratory mood of everything (celebrating California summer!), while the boat tour only had a very few people on it.

       So tomorrow we leave here for the Santa Barbara area for 5 nights before heading further north. We left St. Louis 5 weeks ago with a lot of loose ends and unknowns regarding Jason's situation. The idea was always that we'd re-assess after our time here in Southern Calif with Bethany & Landon, and then with the Hammond family, and decide if we needed to go home or not. Beth assures me that everything is going well back home, and that there's absolutely no reason for us to interrupt our trip. In fact, it would likely be counterproductive if we went back home now, as all 5 of us really can't live in that 2-bedroom house. So Jason would need to go back to his dad's, which I know he does not want to do. It will no doubt happen soon enough after we return in the fall, unless God has some other plan in mind. But for now, we can keep things as they are.

      So northward bound! The next phase of our 2015 trip. It feels a little eerie – leaving familiar Southern California for places I haven't been to in over 40 years (well, excepting Santa Barbara, but even that has only been on day trips from Malibu – not camping overnight). I feel a little like Lewis & Clark . . . leaving the comfort of St. Charles and Wood River. after having settled in there for months and getting to know that area well, for the Great Unknown. What surprises and challenges will the next few weeks hold? We'll see . . .