USS Hornet

Yesterday we had the great privilege of touring the USS Hornet with our private guide, Grandpa Jack!  My grandfather is a proud Navy Veteran who served over 20 years in the service before retiring as a Chief Petty Officer.  He joined the Navy right out of high school (he was just shy of 18, which, if you know my grandfather, you wouldn't be surprised that he bent the rules ;-). He was married to my grandmother, Antonia, for the last 10 years of his Navy career.  Growing up, I heard stories of how Grandpa was gone 9 months out of each year, and because of frustrating last minute changes, he was assigned to a ship in southern California just after he purchased a home for his family in the San Francisco bay area.  Therefore, they were just able to visit on weekends when his ship was in port.

On my toughest days, I draw strength from the memory of my grandmother.  She was Italian-born and immigrated to America when she was just 16.  She barely spoke the language, didn't have family as a support system,  and had four young children to care for on a shoestring budget.  Without the technology that we take for granted today, she relied on the written word to update my grandfather on only the happiest goings on.  I just recently learned that she usually wrote several drafts of each letter to make sure they were just right, as the English language did not come easily to her.  My grandmother embodied the committed military wife that I strive to be.

Even though it's been decades since Grandpa retired from the Navy, he still considers himself to be a sailor.  A matter of months after my beloved grandma passed in 2006, Grandpa began volunteering at the USS Hornet.  It is a historic aircraft carrier turned museum that is permanently docked in Alameda.  Grandpa goes to work restoring the ship twice a week (he says the first hour he and his friends sit around and "tell lies" over coffee and then log about 2 1/2 hours of real work each day :-).  We were so grateful to be able to experience one of Grandpa's passions.

Dad (Papa) met us on his lunch break for the grand tour!  Thank goodness that he sacrificed lunch to spend time with us, because we could not have done it without him!  We climbed several steep staircases/ladders to reach the top of the ship...Kris and I had babies strapped to our chests, Dad carried Andy, Mom provided much-needed encouragement and Grandpa led the way.  None of us are keen on heights, but we helped eachother literally every step of the way.  It was well worth the effort.  We took in the most extraordinary view of the entire San Francisco skyline.  That wasn't even the best part of the day, it was seeing Grandpa's sheer giddiness that made this excursion a trip highlight.

The Captain's Room.

Andy was a perfect angel as Papa carried him around the ship.

Made it to the top! Whew!

There it is! It doesn't get more beautiful than that.

Baby, how's that for nose art ;)

We all wore red, white and blue because we are proud Americans :).