Someone...

got a little older last week.

(Thanks to the cake, age is no secret around here!)

 

 

To celebrate, we hit up the big city.

We didn't even mind the rain

because that is exactly what we have been praying for around here.

This picture says it all: cable cars, hilly streets, newer high rise buildings,

very old buildings and dampness.  It's San Francisco.

 

We began our day with a tour by the National Park Service of the waterfront area

which includes the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

 

 

 

The Hyde Street Pier houses a collection of historical ships.

We were able to visit the three that were open that day.

Due to the wind and waves, the smaller craft were closed to tours because the

boats were pitching around quite a bit.

 

 

The C.A. Thayer was undergoing restoration.

She is a 156 ft. three-masted schooner that sailed along the Pacific coast.

The way it responded to the waves made me concerned that Rudy would get

sea sick while still in port.

 

The most impressive is the Balclutha, a square rigged ship that was built

in 1886 in Scotland to haul California wheat to Europe.

It is 256 ft. long and survived many months-long trips around Cape Horn.

 

The sailor quarters were in the forecastle.

Miss T refused to lay down in the bunk; she said they were creepy.

We all agreed that they resembled coffins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the big stove in the tiny kitchen where all the meals were prepared -

three times a day for months at a time.

Behind the kitchen was a pen for livestock.

 

Every ship needs a colorful captain...

 

It was really neat to go down the steep steps and see the cozy  quarters where the captain and his wife lived. It was certainly not spacious but was a bit more luxurious than the crews' quarters.  There was a bedroom, bathroom, living/dining room, and a kitchen.

It was too dark down there for me to get any good pictures.

 

The Eureka is a side-wheel ferry.

It was built in 1890 to haul trains across the bay and then rebuilt in 1922

to haul passengers and their automobiles.

 

There is a display of old vehicles and carts on the lower deck.

 

The seating area is upstairs.

 

Then it was time for lunch so we walked over to one of Rudy's favorite areas:

Fisherman's Wharf.

 

Some of us choose exotic food:

 

and others of us choose to not be exotic:

 

We were warmed up inside and out and ready to tackle the afternoon.

Stay tuned for the rest of the day...