Day 97: Take Me Out To The Ballgame

It's important for everyone to know, first and foremost, this "holiday" is not for us. We can barbecue and go camping and drink beer and enjoy our three day weekend, but it's not for us. It's for them. The ones that never made it home. The ones that threw themselves in the line of fire to protect our way of life. It's for the families, the wives and children left behind. 

That being said, that doesn't mean it's not okay to have a good time this weekend. Just remember what the "Memorial" part of Memorial Day is. 

The Bay Area is a really unique place to live. It's takes up a gigantic geographic region, engulfs several major cities and lots of small ones, yet we (being in North Bay) still feel completely removed from the city and feel WORLDS away out here on the farmlands. The great thing about it is that within a 2 hour radius, there's something to do. And because the Coast Guard is so small and we know people basically everywhere, there's someone we know nearby.

Our next door neighbors from Cape May live just an hour or so across the bay near Alameda. They're moving out of the bay area next week, so we wanted to make sure to see them one more time while they were close. Because of the generosity of Operation Care and Comfort (a non-profit that benefits military families), their family and ours received free tickets to the San Jose Giants game this afternoon, a single-A (advanced) minor league affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. And what better way to celebrate an American holiday than a baseball game with friends?

San Jose Giants!

Calen's big buddy Kyle

I prefer attending minor league games. You're closer to the action, so it's more intimate and easier to watch. The stakes are higher for these kids playing, and a "routine" double play really isn't routine, which makes it more exciting. Plus, they have all sorts of activities for the kids on the field in between innings which makes it that much more fun. 

For military appreciation, they had a WWII era jeep. Cam made sure that Calen wore his helmet.

The downside of today was that it was easily 90 degrees in the direct sun, and we didn't get into the shade until around the 5th inning. So we spent no less than $400 on water, gatorade, icees, and any other cooling-down device. Calen started to feel weak and nauseated; he takes after his dad and can't handle the heat the way Cam and I can. But even I got light headed at one point. But once the sun went behind the stadium it was very pleasant. Calen even got to race the mascot around the bases in the middle of the 5th inning. 

Calen about to race around the bases! He's 3rd from the left, the one waving to us.

It was a great venue and definitely somewhere our family will go again. The kids had a blast despite the heat and we had so much fun visiting with our friends before they transfer onto their next adventure. 

Awesome awesome weekend. Can't beat it. 

Heading home. Love my two "big" men

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