USS Midway & personal pizzas

Yesterday we enjoyed the Maritime Museum but ran out of gas before we checked out the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier. We decided to head back today to take care of that and were glad we did - it is a massive, impressive boat and made for an interesting day.

The USS Midway was commissioned at the end of WWII in 1945 and was active through 1991 when it served as the Flagship of Persian Gulf air operations in Operation Desert Storm and rescued 1,800 Americans feeling the Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruption in the Phillipines. It opened as the USS Midway Museum in San Diego in 2004 and last year surpassed 5 million visitors. It's 1001 feet long, 258 feet wide, and weights 69,000 tons - the 1st ship too large for the Panama Canal.

There are 5 main levels with additional levels accessed by stairs and ladders. We started on the Flight Deck where we walked around dozens of planes from different eras. In the foreground of the photo below is a chart that shows the letter association for each flag; we were able to decipher the message of the flags flying on the bridge in the background: "Midway, home of the brave".

Some of the planes have wings that fold for storage.

Emile and Mike requested this photo to show a little scale; where they're standing was a narrow section near the bow which is less than half the total width of the boat.

I made some friends along the way. ;-)

You could spend days perusing the historical displays and exploring the living and working areas of the boat, some with life-size dioramas.

Dinner was wonderful (again): personal pizzas. Here's Mike on the back patio firing up the barbecue for the chicken.

Topping choices included fresh herbs from Mariah's garden [not pictured: pepperoni, salami, and chicken].

We each filled out an order form and Mariah made the pizzas - on panini bread - to order.

Here's Emile's.

The salad awaiting company at the table.

Dig in!

Another day well spent. :-) Happy trails!

Old ships and good seafood

Mariah and Greg headed off to work again...

...and we got our wits about us and headed out on our 1st field trip - to the harbor area in San Diego and the Maritime Museum which is housed in the Berkeley Ferry, seen in the background of the photo below. The ferry was built in 1898 to carry passengers across San Francisco Bay and "is the finest example of a Victorian era steam ferry afloat". She was especially invaluable helping residents of the bay area escape fires caused by the 1906 earthquake.

That's one of dozens of beautiful sculptures dotting the promenade in the foreground.
The museum inside the ferry has lots of exhibits, featuring San Diego's Navy, lots of beautiful ship and engine models, and a fascinating navigation exhibit including this old teaching model for navigation and currents in the Pacific islands. (Big thanks to Richard Mudrow for buying our tickets!)
Here a volunteer is starting up the massive steam engine for Mike and me.
A couple of models

There was also a temporary art and artifacts exhibit entitled "Three Voyages to Paradise" focusing on the travel, discoveries, and art of Captain James Cook, author Herman Melville, and painter/sculptor Paul Gauguin. It was wonderful but photos weren't allowed so here's a hint from a postcard I purchased.

The top floor of the ferry had beautiful seating, plants, and stained glass and a large dance floor (we tried out the seating but not the dance floor).

Here's a view of 3 more of the museum's ships, a B-39 Soviet attack submarine from the cold war, the HMS Surprise (lots of masts and rigging near the left), and the Star of India (center, with sails). The Surprise is a replica of a late 18th century Royal Navy frigate used in the production of the film "Master and Commander" starring Russell Crowe. The Star of India was launched in 1863 and is the oldest ship in the world that still maintains a regular sailing schedule.
Looking skyward from the deck of the Star of India...
...and across at the Surprise (Berkeley ferry in the background).
We enjoyed a wonderful seafood lunch at Anthony's overlooking the harbor (thanks, Emile!)...

...before heading back to San Marcos to hang out on the back patio and to nap. :-)

Mariah and Greg returned from work and Mike joined them at their health club for a work out.

Seafood stir fry for dinner with banana splits for dessert - divine! Happy trails!

P.S. Meanwhile - back in Oregon - here's what Carlos was up to this evening. :-)

Arrival & 1st full day in Southern Cal

Mariah met us at the San Diego airport and we headed to Old Town for a nice lunch.

Here's the driveway of their beautiful home in San Marcos - looks like we picked the perfect spot for our vacation!
Mike, Emile, and Mariah (with good cat Pearl) hanging out.

Good cat Patrick rules the roost; here he's watching Mike and my dad watching tv.
Greg and Mariah worked a full day while the rest of us napped, caught up on reading, and ventured out a little. I hiked to a local shopping area where I bought a few small camping items at an outdoor store, a few small kitchen items at Marshall's, and a few small toys at a party place (total volume the size of a paperback novel). Mike went for a run and worked out at a local park.

Mariah came home and worked out on the back patio.

It's the best hotel in San Diego! Emile upgraded it today from 5 stars to 6. :-) Here are photos of a couple of the guest rooms...

...and a kitchen shot. They've done A LOT of work on this house - painting every wall and replacing all the cupboards and surfaces. Here you see the new cupboards, granite counters, tile backsplash, travertine floor tiles (they laid themselves throughout the house) and an iceberg tip of the wonderful food they're providing. Last night we had terrific pesto (prepared by Mariah from her own basil plants) and corn on the cob; tonight - spicy chicken chili and cornbread. :-)

I'll close today with a few photos from their beautiful garden. Happy trails!

San Diego - HERE WE COME!

I am so delighted to be making this trip with best beloveds to visit best beloveds in San Diego! Mike, Emile, my dad, and I are mid flight (just crossing the Oregon/California border according to the online flight tracker) and everything has gone very smoothly so far.

Emile drove from Pendleton to The Dalles mid day yesterday (Monday, August 8th) and we finished tying up loose ends and packing and headed to the Embassy Suites near the airport thanks in large part to an incredible groupon.com deal I purchased a few months ago. The hotel is really gorgeous and just a couple of minutes from PDX. They provide appetizers and free drinks at the manager's reception nightly so we enjoyed that after settling in.

Here you can see Mike and Emile in the atrium as we headed out for dinner at Red Robin.

In the morning Mike worked out and I made a quick run to the airport to pick up my dad who arrived on a shuttle from an hour and a half south in the Willamette Valley. Emile got a head start on his reading for the trip.

Our suite also came with a full breakfast and a week's parking.

We shuttled to the airport...
...and here we are, cruising along at 37,000 feet. Happy trails!