This was one of my favorite days of the whole trip, just because it was action packed from start to finish. Before we got started tho, we enjoyed a super great breakfast. These meals were great because, we were not eating the best of foods for most of the other times in the day...museum snack shops and ball parks are not typically the most healthy. But a full breakfast was a great way to start the day. And this one had french toast....sweet!
So we headed out to meet Granny and Granddaddy with Tanya and Joe at the Midway Museum...and we headed out with jackets. Yes, we went through 116 degrees to be in San Diego at 72 degrees and windy. It was a bit chilly. The museum and ship was great. Much larger than the USS Alabama, and much more rooms to actually walk in and explore. The ship had started its service directly after WWII, and was active up until the 1990s. Which made it really cool that many of the visitors had served on the ship...one older man was telling his granddaughter about his adventures during the Korean War...another man was telling his family about stumbling to his bed after drinking too much...and many veterans all over the ship standing around available for any questions. One of those guys scared Magan and Sam to death, as both of them jumped when what they thought was a mannequin blinked! There is a picture with that guy below. Another of the gentlemen explained the engine room to us, and talked about the newer nuclear ships.
Granny got to tell the girls how to use a rotary telephone. We saw the POW table they left prepared within one of the kitchen areas. We found Magan the mixer she needs for banana bread. And the ship did not have a badge to earn, but you could earn your wings. Davis and Ruby worked through this scavenger hunt on all levels of the ship, and were both awarded their wings. Davis was a little embarrassed, but I told him how much it would mean to Ruby, and he was a good sport and had some fun times on little adventures with her finding the answers. On this ship we also continually lost Davis, and later Sam. For those guys, and this museum, I knew they were just exploring, but I think Granddaddy got a little worried, so he had to go back and find Davis a couple of times. Haha, it became pretty repeatable "Hey, where is Davis", I think Tanya and Joe even started asking this every hour or so.
Tanya and Joe are members at the museum, so it was really nice to get in for free. But also nice to have our own tour guides for different areas of the ship. The museum also had a great audio tour that came with entry, so you could either listen to the adult tour or the kid tour at each section of the ship. Just a really cool museum. I have bought many books on this trip, but the "Midway Memories" was the first one I began at home, and have completed. I think Sam's favorite was listening to the guys on the top deck describe how the planes took off and landed.
After the museum, we said goodbye to Granny, Granddaddy, Tanya, and Joe, as they would not be joining us that evening for the Padres game. We then went over to the navy guy kissing the girl statue. Magan apparently found some history of the statue and shared with the kids. Ruby was completely distraught over why that guy would kiss that girl when he didn't even know her!
That evening we walked down the street to Petco Stadium to see the Padres take on the Dodgers. It was apparent that Californians were ready to be out of the house and back together. As the place was sold out and we where there with another 43,000 baseball fans...as many Dodgers fans as Padres fans. "Who are we for" the girls asked. "We are always for the home team" was my reply as we joined in chorus of "Beat LA, Beat LA", which sounded very similar to USA or even the other chant heard from the Dodgers of "Beat Padres". I think it was not until we were at the stadium, that we all realized the mascot is a monk. That is kinda different.
I think our supper on this evening was a collection of soft pretzels, then some BBQ nachos that magan found. The lines were ugly long, but we did get free refills. Which is funny, because Ruby kept asking about when the game ends, but she was worried that we needed to get a refill before it does. She was also very concerned when we sat at our seats if these were really our seats. I have a tendency to find a seat I like more than the seats I purchased, and more than once we have had to get up and move back to our original seats. I did not think this was ever a problem, but it was funny how this had apparently made her a little nervous. But on this night, and with this sold out crowd, our seats up near the top were definitely our seats, even tho they were taken later by another group of young kids...but they were nice enough to move when our crew got back to the seats. See, that is how the process works.
The game was close, but the Padres held onto a 2-1 lead for a win. We all cheered for the Padres, and a final chant of BEAT LA. This was a fun game as I have usually been with the boys talking to them, but Ruby sat near me and often in my lap. I pointed out to her the fly balls and the ones that went into the crowd. She asked me about the outs, and about when to cheer and not. She was my little buddy, and it made me think maybe she would like this more. So I asked her "Hey, maybe you can go to more games like this with me?" She looked at me with her cute brown eyes, then kinda squinted one as she said "No". Haha...it was worth a try...I am sure I will try her out again at the ball field. We left with the crowds headed back home, and I think we all remember the guy with the beard that looked like Sting-Ray from Cobra-Kai screaming out of his car window "Have you seen my mom"? That became one of our go-to sayings.
Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd. Buy me some peanust and cracker jacks, I don't care if I never get back, Let me root, root, root for the home team, If they don't win it's a shame. For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out, at the old ball game.
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