Memorial Day Weekend

Kelley and I did a couple different things during Memorial Day weekend. We went up to Sonoma Country "aka Wine Country" to check out the vineyards and wineries.

On Sunday we took part in a "cultural parade" called Carnaval. This took place on the south side of San Francisco in a primarily Latino community.

To celebrate the actualy holiday of Memorial Day we attended a parade and a Memorial Day sevice at the military cemetary here in the city. We were able to walk to this as it was just a mile or 2 from our apartment.




We also walked to the Golden Gate Bridge.

TOC 2008 Crowns New Champs ! ! !

THE 2008 TOC CHAMPS

Daniel and Jason took it to Matt and I this past weekend and thus they won the 2008 TOC...However, Matt and I are already planning our attack for next year.

Here we all are in front of Jason and Erin's house.

Following the presentation of the TOC jackets.

Matt and I are still able to smile even after buying the champs their celebration dinner.

TOC Weekend

This has been the weekend we have all been waiting for...the TOC. The annual tradition continued as David, his brother Daniel and cousins Matt and Jason gathered in Chicago for a weekend of challeges and events. We have yet to see which team will return home with the honored "TOC jackets."

Afternoon spent north of the city

Kelley and I went for a short drive yesterday afternoon. Our primarily destination was Muir Woods which is a national park which has redwood trees. We hiked a bit there.

Our next find was a small beach town named Stimson Beach.
On the way back to town we stopped in Sausalito to look at the marinas and boats and had dinner sitting on the waterfront...with a nice view of San Francisco across the bay.

We crossed the famous bridge a few times during the day.

Getting to know the area

Kelley and I have been checking a lot of things out...getting stuff like bus passes, parking permits, post office box...learning bus routes, etc...



This morning we had planned to visit Alcatraz but we could not get tickets. It was meant to be because as we departed the pier we found a woman's purse and we were able to track her down within about 1 hour's time. We called her employer's office and her husband's office (both in Las Vegas) and someone was able to track her down and we met her a little while later. It was really nice to be able to help. We finally accepted $40 from her husband to insisted on buying us lunch!



Instead we took some photos of Alcatraz Island and these crazy seals that are just off of one of the piers.

Kelley on a "one way" trip to Alcatraz.

The sea lions that hang out in San Fran.We live about 1.5 miles from where i'm standing. Basically, our apartment is "behind" my head.

Lake Tahoe

We stopped by Lake Tahoe on our way into San Fran on Tuesday morning...

We have arrived in San Francisco!

Hello Friends and Family:



Kelley and I are safety in our new apartment in San Francisco.
All is well and we're just trying to get settled a bit.

Here is where we are located for the next few months...the "A" marks the spot...

Here is the route we just took to get here...

On The Road to San Fran - Day 2

We found another hopping spot for the 2nd sleeping spot on our cross country drive. Tonight we are in Battle Mountain, NV which was voted as "the armpit of America" a few years ago by some travellers group...it probably isn't that bad, but it does seem to be "back in time" a bit. We are basically in the center of the state. Tomorrow we have a 7 hour drive to San Francisco.

Before we left the state of Colorado we drove through the town of Dinosaur, CO.

I was surprised by the snow on the mountains in Utah and I was even more surprised by all the mountains in Nevada.Today we drove all the way through Utah. We stopped in Salt Lake City for lunch and checked out some of the Mormom stuff downtown. This is the big Mormom church. Kind of spooky if you ask me.

Kelley in the Mormom flower garden.

I think I drove for about 90 minutes without having to touch my brakes as we drove across the Great Salt Lake Desert...I was averaging about 82 mph so we made good time!

On the Road to San Fran - Day 1

Kelley and I departed from Boulder today on our way to San Francisco. We were in Boulder for about 15 hours to sleep and pack up our stuff. We drove about 3 hours this afternoon and we are crashing for the night in a small town named Rifle, Colorado. We are thinking that tomorrow we'll head towards Salt Lake City...

The crew that helped us move from our apartment into a storage unit.

During our drive today.

Rifle, CO

Kelley having fun.

Super Week in Hilton Head

We spent a week with our families in Hilton Head, South Carolina. We had a very nice time with much fun and relaxation. It really was extra special as all of our family was there...Kelley's side and my side.

My nephews...Karter, Colin and Micah.

All of us take 1.

All of us take 2.