Mom’s Musings

Once we’re home again and the vacation photos are on the computer, I plan to upload some to the blog. For now, words must suffice.

Yesterday, Rick found that it was necessary to replace the hot water heater here at his dad and mom’s place. Their 30-year old water heater had started leaking prior to our arrival. They had purchased a new one, which was being stored in the shed until an opportune time to install it. Rick being handy at such things, the opportune moment arrived. However, we forgot to remember that the local hardware store would be closed on July 4th. Hmm . . . What to do?

No problem. The Home Depot in San Rafael, about 40 miles away (many of those miles being winding country roads) was open. Off we went to purchase the necessary flexible tubing, couplings, reducers, nipples, pipe tape, etc. After much searching through innumerable bits and pieces in the plumbing department, Rick found the appropriate pieces, and off we went, but not home.

We proceeded on our way to spend the 4th in . . . the beautiful city of San Francisco! The day was warm, a bit breezy, but no fog, which is a good thing when you’re hoping to watch the fireworks display later on.

Aunt Kathy, Rick’s older sister, went with us, and was navigator extraordinnaire. She pondered the map and directed us to Golden Gate Park, which was packed out beyond believability. Rick maneuvered our 15-passenger van into a curbside spot near the Japanese Tea Gardens.

The nine of us – Rick, Kathy and I, and the children, Debra, Rebecca, Lydia, Lydia’s friend Bianca, Seth, and Seth’s friend Austen – explored the lovely tea gardens, deciding not to partake of refreshments yet, and then moved on to one of my favorite stops of the day, the San Francisco Botanical Garden. We arrived just one half hour before closing time of 4:30pm, much to my disappointment, so had to briskly walk through the gardens rather than stroll. The plants are arranged according to how they grow together in various regions. For example, one area showcased the flora of New Zealand. The areas blend seamlessly into one another, however. Very lovely. Someday I would like to spend several leisurely hours truly observing and enjoying this remarkable place.

Next followed a great adventure, which I will leave to Rebecca, Lydia and possibly Seth to recount. Suffice it to say that no one got separated from the group or lost, though we were truly surrounded by pressing throngs of San Franciscans and fellow tourists.

By the way, this morning Rick installed the hot water heater with all its bits and connecting pieces, and Debra is currently enjoying a hot shower. Hurray for the can-do man!

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 5th, 2007 at 9:37 am and is filed under Fun Things. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.