ALCATRAZ ISLAND

Ferry ride to The Rock


This was the whole reason I wanted to bring Joey -- to tour Alcatraz. Johnny didn't care one way or another, he never heard of it. Our tour was going to be short, just the self guided audio tour and off to the airport.






We literally were on the Island for about an hour. But that was all Johnny needed, he was mesmerized by the place. And a little creeped out. He refused to get in a cell with Joey for a picture. the views from the boat to and from the Island were amazing and then to actually see the place up close and personal, it's something the boys won't soon forget.





Breaking into skate parks might get them into something similar...

NO TIME TO RECOVER

This is an aireal view of Golden Gate Park.

The marathon course took us through most of the Park, but we didn't get to spend much time enjoying the scenery.




Monday morning we took our time getting ready and had breakfast about 9am. Auntie picked us up and took us to Golden Gate Park for the day. We initially wanted to try and kayak under the Golden Gate Bridge, but after spending Sunday with the boys she knew that would not be time well spent. They were POOPED OUT, and so was I.



We let the boys skate some of the bike trails and even did some paddle boats. It was beautiful. I let Joey take pictures, so most of those are of leaves or close ups of ducks butts or something. It's amazing how crammed SFO city is, yet you get to a park and you could easily get lost in the lush landscape.

A heard of Bison were in a corral and we stopped to check them out

MARATHON DAY! (and a little Saturday night too)

Saturday night was insane. Jason dropped us off at the hotel, we ran to get the boys bags and headed for the BART so they could have a sleepover at Jim's. To get to the BART (Bay Area Transit -- part subway, part train) we had to R U N about 8 blocks to the nearest station and then we hopped on the first car that looked liked it was headed to our destination. Maybe jumping on the first train wasn't such a great idea, but luckily a person noticed me intensely reading the map on the train wall. She said that we had until the Oakland stop to decide when to get off and switch to the correct train. I didn't waste any time and made the boys jump off at the next stop and catch the next train.

We arrived in Berkeley and called Jim to pick us up. He gets there, I throw my family's phone numbers at him give the boys a kiss good-bye and head back to SFO. I didn't give any instructions about Johnny, if he fell, if he had a fever, if he had a bloody nose, not even Mike's number in a real emergency. Crazy. I later told Jim that it was probably best that I didn't talk about the 'what-if's' or we both would have chickened out.

WHEW! Now -- back on the BART to get to the dinner. I had a few moments to collect my thoughts before I reached my destination. From the cheap hotel map they gave me when we checked in, everything looks SO CLOSE, I thought that I would easily make the dinner with time to spare, but 11 city blocks is still 11 city blocks no matter where you are. I finally made it to dinner and I didn't miss any of the speakers.

One speaker was the first woman Olympiad marathon runner -- I vaguely remember that when I was a kid back in the 70's. She talked about all of the obstacles she overcame to compete in the Olympics (and I thought about mine just to make it there!). They announced the over achievers of the group -- the people who raised 10, 20, even 30 thousand dollars! The weirdo's who have done multiple marathons and then the 'elitists' who have done Iron Man, Marathons and Century rides (100 mile bike rides). I was impressed, truly impressed.

Our group headed back on the short 11 block walk to the hotel. When I laid in bed that night I was so lonely without the boys. I clung to the edge as if they were there and thought "I wonder if this place is haunted.."

Sunday morning came and I was ready. Oddly enough I was the first person to the lobby (which made me wonder if I was late yet again), then we all headed for the starting line. There were family members with signs and banners and cheering everyone on. Surprisingly enough, it was a pretty good crowd for 5AM (I begged my family to please sleep in!). I met someone from Houston who stayed with me 25 miles, we chatted and kept each other going and made the race a little more interesting.

About mile 18 I spotted my group! I was so excited to see them -- I was worried that we wouldn't connect because the crowds were so thick. I ran up to them and gave them all a big hug. I quickly asked the boys how their sleep over was and they said "It was so cool. We got to break into a skate park!". I gave them a high five and congratulated them on their misdemeanor, and yelled "see you at the end!"

As I crossed the finish line I was handed a Tiffany's necklace, t-shirt and various other goodies. I heard my name being called , looked up and saw my personal cheerleaders there waiting for me. We all hugged again and tried to find a break in the crowded to collect our thoughts. Mike called to congratulate me, then handed the phone to Sophie. I really wanted to talk but couldn't because I was too busy tossing my cookies. I guess it's pretty common.

This isn't MY marathon, but it doesn't matter -- the crowds are the same


Anyway, Jason took the boys to the car, Aunt Marti took me to the First Aid tent where they drew blood and assessed my condition. I was fine, just had to lighten my load a bit I guess. I still had to do more 'marathon related' stuff and check in with my coaches and team, Auntie kissed me good bye and said "don't worry about the boys".

I got back to the hotel, showered, rested then thought the 'Victory Party' was WAY too much work and stayed in. Auntie and the kids met me in my room with dinner in hand and we talked about the days events. I told them about the Pasta Party the night before and about the 'elite group'. I guess the tone in my voice or maybe it's that Auntie knows me, but she knew I wanted to be on that list too. She said to me, "Honey, you can't swim, Lord knows I've spent years trying to teach you..". Yeah, she knows me.

My beautiful Sunday night view...




I also mentioned another event in Dublin. To that Aunite said, "I've never been to Dublin before!!!" Yeah, she knows me...

PLAYA!

I know I'm getting out of 'sequential' order, but as I was downloading the photos from this weekend I noticed this one from the surfing contest on Saturday...

Here is Johnny receiving his trophy (Second place!)...

Notice that he isn't even looking at the person handing him his trophy, instead his gaze is locked on the girls derriere standing next to him...

MARATHON WEEKEND- Saturday

Aunt Marti and Johnny before the hike!




Saturday morning Aunt Marti picked us up and took us to the Muir Wood National Forest to see the big Redwoods. I was pretty excited, I visited the Redwoods a long time ago but the boys had no idea what was in store for them. Jason and Laura were going to meet us for lunch at a restaurant somewhere near the woods -- a place called the The Mountain View Inn.



We left the congestion of cars, buildings and people of San Francisco behind. As the boys spotted the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, their mood quickly changed from 'field trip' to "OH MAN! THIS IS SO AWESOME! THIS IS THE COOLEST PLACE EVER!" -- and we really hadn't even left the city yet. Joey said that he couldn't wait to thank Pops for the ticket and tell him what a great time he was having. I pulled out my phone but as soon as we connected with my dad we were already deep in the mountains and lost service -- it was a very quick trip over!


Today I went by Walgreen's to pick up my photos and they told me that the roll was 'blank' -- I think it was probably someone's first day in the photo department.... With that said, I pulled these photos from the Muir Woods and Mountain View Inn websites.



We get to the Woods and it is BREATH TAKING. Beauty like we've never seen before -- the boys were in awe, they couldn't get over just how massive the trees are.

After looking at the map, we decide to take the 'short trail' so we would have enough time to meet Jason and Laura for lunch. I noticed on one of the maps that we could walk to the restaurant -- come on! It's just a short trial -- 1.7 miles, straight up hill -- we can do it!

This trail looks harmless enough... it's so inviting...


Everyone agreed that it didn't look too bad on the map and we were all up for the challenge. We can do it in 30-45 minutes, right team! WOO HOO! YEAH! WOO HOO! THIS PLACE IS BEAUTIFUL! THIS WON't be too bad... pant, pant, woo hoo. is this a trail? huh, didn't look this far on the map. who has the map? are we going in the right direction?




Okay, if this were a ski resort, it would have been black diamonds all the way up. No one complained because it was so unbelievably beautiful and we were having a great time, but a little heads up from a park ranger would have helped. The wet trails that sheered off to our left went straight down. I mean, there was plenty of trees and underbrush to catch a kid or at least slow them down as they slid to the bottom of the mountain, but that would mean I was going next...

Johnny wasn't lacking in the energy department. He danced his way up the mountain. If he wasn't dancing, he was skipping, moon-walking or hopping his way up --the whole 1.7 miles. He was actually trying to catch up to Joey. Yeah, you read that right -- catch up to Joey. Joey was WAY up front -- so far sometimes that I would periodically check the side of the mountain to see if he had slid down and was caught on a branch or something. He even told us to hurry up! What was really bothering him was that he had to use the 'loo'. Oh yeah. And not the easy # either. Poor kid. But when nature calls... finally about 3/4 of the way up he decided to 'lighten his load' -- right on the walking trail. In a National Forest. Oh yeah.

Luckily Aunt Marti is a seasoned professional when it comes to 11 year old boys. She taught middle school for 20+ years and understands that boys love to pander to the lowest common denomenator -- bathroom humor. It didn't phase her much that the rest of the 1/4 mile hike was spent listening to, in graphic detail, Joey's story of how, when, and where he 'lightened his load'. Of course Johnny had to check out Joey's spot and continued to ask detailed questions throughout lunch. Aunt Marti's only comment was "Not everyone can say they've done that Joey." The woman has nerves of steel.



We made it to the top of the mountain! It was SO WORTH IT! Lunch was awesome -- the Inn was beautiful -- a place I would love to take Mike to -- sans the kids!

The red square shows where the Inn is located. Can't see the bottom of the mountain? Either could we...


A few of us decided that we wanted to tackle the mountain on the way down, Marti and the kids would meet us at the car when we got there. I couldn't wait to see the view on the way down, but unfortunately I noticed the time and I had to be back in SFO for dinner with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (oh yeah, those guys!) and I promised the kids they could spend the night at Jim's house. I had to catch the BART (Bay Area Transit -- like a tram) to get the kids to Jim's house, so we had to hustle people!

Jason and Laura kept asking me who Jim was and why the boys were going there. I told them he was a good friend and the guy who made Johnny is skateboard. I think they heard the word "skater" and probably thought "thug" and probably questioned my judgment as well as my parenting skills (they had to listen to Joey's 'trail' story during lunch). I assured them the boys would be in good hands, Jim has a son that is 8 years old, they are a good family, don't worry, they're just like us...

MARATHON WEEKEND -- Friday

We left for the airport without a camera, the photos are from actual scanned photographs (very retro!).

We arrived Thursday night and all I wanted to do is go to the hotel and get a good night sleep. I checked the hotel on the Internet before we left and it looked pretty nice, but you never know. When we arrived, I knew I was in trouble -- this place was WAY to nice for us. As I walked to the front desk to check in, the boys were busy running from antique love seat to antique love seat with comments like: "Awwww, Joey look at this!...", "Johnny over here! Look how nice this is..." and yelling to me this was the nicest hotel they have ever been to. Of course they said this really loudly -- in the lobby -- which by the way has excellent acoustics, just in case you were wondering. Every person checking in knew at that moment, why this was the first time my boys have ever been near a nice hotel.

We get to the room and the boys ransacked the place, checking every nook and cranny to see what they could find, stuffing their pockets full of whatever would fit -- hand cream, sewing kits, you name it. I tried to ignore them but then Joey comes out of the closet with just his underwear on wearing a tan and black zebra striped robe saying "Hey look what someone left behind! Slippers too. Eleven dollars for a pair of socks? Who pays eleven dollars for socks? They look soft though, can I wear them tomorrow? AWESOME! FOOD too! hey, and a fridge -- this place is awesome!"

Crap, it's gonna be a long weekend....

The hotel is old, really old. How it survived all of the big earthquakes I'll never know. As we were trying to get to sleep I made the comment, "I wonder if this place is haunted?" (Halloween was less than a week away) -- Johnny's eyes darted over to me and as his voice cracked, asked "Why would you say that?" I told him I was just kidding but he didn't believe me. Either did Joey. The rest of the trip was spent very cozily, the three of us crammed in a queen size bed even though the roll away bed they brought us was nicer than any other hotel bed I've slept on.

Our hotel also had a door man that used a whistle to hail a cab for you and dressed like an escapee from the local Renaissance Festival -- the boys thought that was the coolest thing ever. They made great friends with the doormen, every morning giving them the high five, head nod or knuckle bump. Johnny said he could live like this all the time.

All day Friday was spent at Deluxe, with Jim giving us the grand tour. To say that we had fun was an understatement. This is what Johnny has wanted to do the past 2 1/2 years -- hangout with the guys who given him so much hope and strength to Roll. We met the behind the scenes people who made Johnny's board a reality, from the folks who design boards to the ones who market and sell them to shops. It was really something to see how genuinely excited people were to meet Johnny.


Signing boards with Jim


Johnny and Mic-E


Johnny talking to a shop about his boards


The boys with Shannen, whose tireless efforts got Johnny's boards out there!


Jim also took us to Thrasher Magazine where we met Jake Phelps (the Editor) -- who by the way is a T R I P gave us a quick tour of the building then told us to get the hell out. Next stop was the Thrasher warehouse where the boys pretty much gutted the place. I'm not kidding. T-shirts, hoodies, belts, wallets, books, -- if it had a Thrasher label on it, they grabbed it. We arrived in SFO with ONE carry on and ONE checked bag, and left with SIX checked bags. It was insane -- took me DAYS to put everything away.

Gutting the Thrasher warehouse:


The carnage continues...


NOTE: Joey is wearing a completely different outfit from when we left the hotel that morning.



Back at the Deluxe warehouse the boys carried on with the looting, Jim let them take whatever they wanted. BOXES of decks, wheels, stickers, trucks, limited edition/hard to find stuff too -- I felt like Augustus from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the kid who ate so much he was going to explode). Joey loved it, he kept telling me this was the best day of his life -- ever.

There was also a secret door next too the warehouse that led us to another room "where all the magic happens" -- we saw how Spitfire wheels and Thunder Trucks are made. This was the boy's favorite part of the tour, even more than the Glutton Fest they just finished, okay maybe not that much... But it's still one of the first things they tell people about when people ask what they did at Deluxe.

A fond farewell from Deluxe


The ever popular skaters salute! Joey couldn't get enough of these things...


It was only 1pm and I was wiped out. We headed back to the hotel to have dinner with Aunt Marti and Jason. Transportation was fun in SFO, at times life-threatening, but mostly fun and always an adventure. The cab rides and the shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel were NUTS. Not to mention that their vehicles were in desperate need of shocks too. As we got out of the cab on our way back from Deluxe Joey said, "I think we caught air on that last hill", he was right too. We needed Dramamine anytime we utilized public transportation -- with all of the hills and stop and go traffic, I would look over at the boys and their faces would turn from an ashen gray to green color and I would mouth to them "close your eyes and crack the window."

For dinner, Jason and Laura took us to their favorite pizza place that was close to the hotel. It was SO YUMMY! We haven't seen Jason in almost 3 years and never met his girlfriend, so it made for a great reunion. It felt good to sit down and rest. We ate pizza and caught up on each others lives and talked about our plans for Saturday morning. Aunt Marti and Jason wanted to take us to the Muir Woods National Forest, just on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge, to see the giant Redwoods.

It was getting late, we had another big day ahead of us and the boys were starting to get their second wind (aka: going crazy) so we decided to wrap things up for the night and meet up in the morning.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

JAKE AND ELWOOD

Mike suggested that the boys dress as the Blues Brothers this year -- I think they look pretty good, so do the boys.


Our hotel was in the heart of Union Square -- there were building and stores everywhere, some shops the boys have never heard of and a few we were very familiar with i.e., Levi's, Macy's and the Disney Store. As we drove past the Disney store they both said in unison, "YES! the Disney Store! Can we go?"

"We didn't come all the way to San Francisco to go to the Disney Store. That's like going to the Hard Rock Cafe (which they totally didn't catch the reference...) or Bennigan's (still didn't get the comparison) or something" I said. Then one day I had too much time on my hands and strolled by the (gulp) Disney Story only to find Halloween costumes 50% off and thought Tinkerbell would be the perfect 'San Francisco souvenir' for Sophie! Genius! don't worry, I also bought her a plastic Cable Car too...




Tinkerbell, JAKE and ELWOOD