Marin county

  San Francisco, California, United States
Saturday, December 22, 2007

This past week has been pretty quiet. We're staying at a little RV 'resort' (I use the term loosely) in Marin county. It's so weird that I grew up here in the Bay Area, about 45 miles south of here, but I really never came to this side of town. I rarely even went in to The City (San Francisco) because it's kind of a pain to get around in, and not much fun unless you know where to go. (Yes, there is a TON of stuff to see and do here, but you know how it is when you live somewhere, but you never go do the touristy stuff unless someone is visitng from out of town? It's kinda like that.) As rarely as I went in to the City, I really NEVER came over here-it's on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. I think I've been here once-I went to Sausalito when I was a kid. But now that I'm here, I love it. We've probably all seen all those beautiful pictures and postcards of San Francisco, the bridges, the Bay, and the surrounding hills and mountains.

the Golden Gate

Apparently those pictures were all taken from this side of the Bridge. How crazy to have lived in this area for all those years, but to not have known that all these cute little towns and amazing scenery were all right here!

Lovely hillside

Albert has been working all week, and I've just been kinda laying low. The highlight of the week was traveling down to my mom's house on Thursday. I drove down, and Albert took the train down after work. We went to the meeting there in the Palo Alto South congregation, where Rick was giving his first number 4 talk on the School! He did an awesome job, and looked so proud up there on stage. It was hard to hold back tears, especially when he got choked up talking about our hope for life in Paradise. What an amazing change! All these years of indifference on his part, as far as our beliefs as Jehovah's Witnesses goes, but now he's finally moved at the idea that he too can enjoy life in Paradise. It's wonderful.
After the meeting, I accompanied my mom to the Oakland airport, where my nephew, Ian, was scheduled to arrive. It's been hard on my mom and Rick since my brother and his family moved to Colorado, taking the only grandchild with them. They've been empty-nesting really bad. So Mom was excited to get a chance to see Ian. She has to share him with Ann (his mom) during this Winter break, but at least we'll all get to see him for a little while.
Albert and I spent the night, with the intention of going out in service Friday morning with friends from my old congregation. But I woke up with a migraine (perhaps from sleeping all crooked on the couch) and Albert wasn't feeling so good either. So we just sort of hung out all day. Mom gave me a massage. (Moms are so good for things like that). We went to dinner last night with some friends, then headed back to our place in Marin.
The campground we're staying at is actually not bad. It's small (parking lot style), the sites are smaller, but it's very clean and has all the necessary amenities (laundry and such). The office staff is very friendly and attentive. And right behind the park is a marshy area that leads to the Bay. Great place to take the dog for a walk. It's in a great neighborhood and has wonderful views. We're within walking distance to the Ferry, which Albert takes to work in the City. It's only a few blocks from the ferry landing on that side to the office, so it's very convenient. Nice to not have to drive, too, since driving in the City is a nightmare, and crossing the Golden Gate is expensive. The ferry ride is about half an hour, and Albert has been loving it. I haven't gone with him yet, but he says it's very scenic and peaceful. We're glad we found this place. It's not so convenient for getting to my mom's house (we have to

approaching the City

get through the City, which takes forever, then another 20 miles down the freeway past that) but extremely convenient for work, and such a cute area.
Next week Albert is taking off from work, since half the week is eaten up by the holidays anyway, and most people are out of the office for the whole week. Not much point in trying to go in. So we're going to go check out some local sights-places I've never bothered to go to right here in my own backyard. My parents will probably join us, so it should be a nice little get-away.