Catch up. Remy-7

Wednesday was Remy's last day in California.

Earlier in the visit, I'd asked him to tell me some things he would like to see, and he said that he would really like to see Alcatraz. Even after I said that a ticket was $26 (about 17 Euro), he still thought that was a great idea.

So I'd gone online the previous week, and was ONLY able to get us tickets for the Wednesday noon sailing. It was already super booked up.

Of course, I was a nervous wreck, driving up into the City, hoping that some sort of natural homing instinct (which I do not possess at all) might kick in, and I'd be able to find not only the Pier that the Alcatraz Tours left from, but also a parking space. In my brain, the Alcatraz Tours left from a spot west of Pier 39, so I was totally not believing my GPS when it sent me to some place much closer to AT&T park. But I'm glad that I listened to it, because sure enough, the Pier that we needed to be at was NOT where i thought it was. Also, fortunate was the fact that I just stumbled onto some all-day parking just in the nick of time. Even if the signs didn't instill a great deal of confidence...

We arrived with an hour to spare, so we went on a little walking tour.

Hello, Coit Tower. We will not be climbing the zillion and three stairs up to your lofty heights today.

Hello smelly sea lions at Pier 39

Hello excited French boy who is going to be going to Alcatraz. See? The Golden Gate Bridge really does exist!

Even though the weather was threatening, and the skies did open as we scampered onto the boat for the trip to the island, we were still treated to some lovely views of the city.

(Hello again, Trans America Building.)

Alcatraz really was something else. I'd never been there, and I think the kids even enjoyed themselves.

Even though it probably would be frowned upon by the chaperones, I told Remy that he should take the Audio Tour in French. No sense wasting the cost of admission. Let him actually get a ton of good information out of the event.

The audio tour was really top notch.

I told Remy he should send this next photo home to his family to show them where he stayed, and what good hosts we were.

(in truth, Nate's room isn't much bigger, and is almost the same color, but I like to think I decorated it a bit better.)

It's just such an ominous place, inside. I can't imagine spending ANY length of time in here.

Look! It's Al Capone!

The weather was always JUST on the verge of raining. Or it was sprinkling. It kind of cut our little outdoor tour short..

I tihnk those big spiky tree-things behind Kelly's head are agave blooms.

I don't know how many times I have seen my mother looking the EXACT same way as Kelly does in this shot. I guess it's in the genes...

Hello 'wildlife'

I loved this sign!

And soon it was time to leave. And just in the nick of time. The skies just opened as we were getting back onto the boat.

Goodbye, Alcatraz. Remy actually was looking sad. I tihnk he could really tell that the end of his visit was approaching.

So to perk him up? We took him to experience the SECRET MENU at In-N-Out burgers.

Yes, that would be the infamous "FOUR BY FOUR" that is not found on the public menu. I never took a photo of the Animal Fries (A basket of fries, topped with chopped fried onions, caramelized (yum!), melted cheese, and Thousand Island dressing. Oh! The calorie load!

And we got home just in the nick of time to head off to the Farewell Potluck Supper.