Davy Crockett times 2

Caleb has been begging us to go to the Alamo for quite some time (you know, the usual, two years or something completely inappropriate that it took us this long to actually go). And, Greg had made a deal for good grades and behavior for the year, Caleb could pick any restaurant he wanted, and we would go there to eat. He chose the R.ainforest C.afe. Not our favorite (and by that I mean second to last on our "favorite places to eat"), but the boys love it. So, we chose the coolest month of the year and knocked out the Alamo and the Cafe in one trip two weeks ago.

Caleb would have read EVERY sign if we had given him the chance

Like our hats??

They make us official

One Fish, Two Fish

Last month, the boys took swimming lessons. Caleb was in a challenge class where they had to swim an IM at the end of the two weeks, and Cameron wowed his teacher from last year with all his skills. They had a blast despite the rainy days, switching pools due to the flood here in town, and very early mornings.

Cameron diving to the bottom to pick up the rings

Cameron cheered the whole time Caleb was swimming - waiting with a big high 5 at the end

A final day in the city by the bay

Day 3. The last full day. Tear. I don't know what happened to all the pictures from this day, but you'll get the idea. We started the day going to one of the many gorgeous cathedrals we'd seen throughout the city. Grace Cathedral happened to be just down the street from our hotel, and since they day started off much brighter, more cheerful and a lot more sunny than the day before, we were eager to walk around.

Built in 1862, Grace stands as a renowned landmark of the city. Rich in history and beauty, you can't help but walk in and be in awe. Reverent wonder fills you as you walk around this impressive place. Words and pictures could never do it justice...

After the cathedral, we took a long walk around downtown, got some lunch, and rode the trolley to the Castro district. What an education - definitely a diverse crowd, but incredibly interesting just the same. We walked around a bit; I fell in love with the houses, so similar but each with their own flair - from paint, to wainscotting, to trim, to flowers. Very cool. From there, we took the trolley back to the bay - the longest trolley ride available spanning almost the enitre city and taking about 20-30 minutes depending on the stop lights. Once at the bay, we did some sightseeing and then caught the ferry to Sausalito. A beautiful bay town of its own, we walked, listened to people passing by, did some shopping and had dinner on the water.

It was a little windy on the ferry - the Golden Gate behind us

San Francisco from the shores of Sausalito

Alcatraz on a sunny day - ironically that once a dark horrible place has some of the most beautiful purple flowers growing along the shores.

Then back to the city for some last minute souvenir shopping, a coffee stop, one last trolley car ride, packing bags, good-bye to the city and good-night. Ready to get up and catch the very early flight back to Texas.

Such a fun place - I hope to see you again one day San Francisco.