August 9, 2014 - Moe's, USS Hornet, Sulphur Creek

We filled the day with East Bay friends and activities and never made it to San Francisco.  We started out at one of Randy's favorite places, Moe's Bookstore in Berkeley.

Down the street the boys played Mario Kart while we waited for our sandwiches at Montegue's.



At 2 p.m. we were in Alameda meeting Lisa, Anna and Colin for a visit to the USS Hornet aircraft carrier.

 Here we are in the Navy yard before going on board the Hornet.



We toured the "island" with a veteran and learned a lot about the ship's workings and history.

On deck, Bret was living dangerously.

Anna and Bret are standing at the Quarantine Station where astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin spent some time after returning from the moon. The USS Hornet retrieved the landing capsule from the Pacific.
 Later we caught up chatting a bit at a Mexican restaurant. All too soon we had to say goodbye and go to the next activity.

We traveled to Hayward to attend the Sulphur Creek Nature Center's campfire program given by our friends Sam the Naturalist, and Tamar the Volunteer.

Sam showed us a skunk, newt, Townsend big-eared bat, and a great horned owl. Then Reed and Bret helped light and tend the campfire while everyone made s'mores. It was a fun and educational evening activity. Due to the drought Sulphur Creek is dry, so there was no problem with mosquitoes.

Following this, we crossed the Dumbarton Bridge and are staying in Mountain View tonight.

 l