So long, San Diego
Saturday, September 27th, 2008
Even the surfers in La Jolla stop to watch a stunning sunset
The night before leaving San Diego for a very long time, Bill and I wanted to eat at our favorite pizza restaurant (before getting back on our low carb regimen) and, hopefully, watch a sunset. It is one of the only things we miss about the west coast, and San Diego in particular. We were handsomely rewarded with a fabulous sunset, and great pizza, too!
We were in San Diego for our good friends Sandi and Mike’s daughter, Machelle’s wedding. I was honored to be asked to stand up with Machelle as her Matron of Honor. We weren’t sure, up until the last few weeks, whether or not we would actually make it to the wedding. Felicia’s baby was due on September 10th, and being a first baby, could very possibly come later than the expected due date. As it happened, little Thatcher decided to stay breech and was taken by c-section on September 9th. (See previous post for the big event). Needless to say, that freed up our calendar to make it to San Diego and wedding.
Machelle and me in the Bride’s Room at the church, getting dressed
The day went flawlessly, Machelle and Roger put together a beautiful wedding ceremony, and Sandi and Mike outdid themselves on the reception. We all danced the night away!
Bill and me at the reception. We were tired, and very, very happy.
But back to saying goodbye to San Diego. It has been five years since we moved away. Not all that long, considering I lived there my entire life up until then. What amazes me is that every time we would visit, maybe once a year or so since then, the place changes so dramatically! What was once the sleepy Navy town of my childhood has grown into a behemoth of a city – freeways constantly clogged and the noise is unbelievable. I guess I was used to it. When Bill came down in September of 2001, he had been away for many years and noticed the changes with alarm. I defended San Diego completely at that time. “Oh, it hasn’t changed that much!”, I would say. I navigated the streets and freeways with ease. He would say, “How do people put up with this on a daily basis – and WHY?” Now I know that he was absolutely right. I can still find my way around San Diego – it is familiar to me, but it is definitely NOT my home anymore.
That saddens me. I love my many friends there. I just wish they would all move to Fort Collins!! Bill and I are counting the days until we can get back up there to live. I’m torn, of course. My time here in the Bay Area with Felicia and Thatcher mean the world to me. I would never give that up. It is one of the big reasons that we have been on the road now for almost two and a half years. We want to know our grandchildren and we want them to know us. Thatcher will most certainly not remember me after only 2 months, but I will most certainly remember seeing his first smiles, the way he smells, the softness of baby skin and how he looks into my eyes. Yes, I will remember that.
Thatcher Fox Douwes, our fourth grandson! He was born September 9, 2008 at 2:52 pm (a good solid Virgo!), weighing nine pounds eight ounces (the Oakland Raiders have already expressed interest in drafting the hefty young Thatch as a fullback, but fortunately the Raiders are personas non gratas in just about every decent household, so they were huffily turned away), and measuring twenty-one and one-half inches. Felicia (Jeanie’s daughter) came through the scheduled C-section beautifully, and we were allowed to come in for our first visit a little more than two hours after Thatcher’s birth. Here he is, in Nana Jeanie’s arms, smiling (well, the smile is a little obscured by his thumb, but it’s definitely there) for the camera.
Jeanie and I had stopped at a truck stop for some gas a few miles (I think) east of Reno, and I just had to get a picture of the sign announcing our whereabouts (we looked around and never did see a town, per se…figured all twenty eight of the residents must live and work right there in the truckstop). It brought to mind some of the other signs we’ve seen over the two-plus years we’ve been on the road, including this one (below); 
we saw it as we were coming into Kentucky a year ago last spring. We’ve pondered the meaning and still haven’t come up with an explanation. Apparently, we’ll have to read Lonesome Dove (from which it is apparently quoted) to get a hint.