It’s the last day of being Grandpa J., as all of us leave San Francisco and return to normal lives.  I will miss the kids and even some of their whining.  When I get back to Portland, I’ll be totally on my own – a life of retirement, Uncrustables, and seclusion.  My wife left for business meetings in Chicago this morning, as well.  I’ll have two days to do laundry, clean the house, and resume my dog duties.  It should be cooler than the 100 degree temperatures that I left behind last week, but hopefully warmer than it’s been in the City by the Bay.

The city was crowded this morning, as the workforce returned to their offices here in the Financial District.  I felt fortunate to be beyond those 8 to 5 responsibilities, and instead enjoyed another day to fill of my own choosing.  My flight isn’t until 5, and the rental car will finally be moved from its $62/day parking spot.  Our plans got twisted a bit yesterday, and we ended up at the Children’s Creativity Museum, making an animated film with clay-molded characters.  In fact, I still have clay under my fingernails this morning.  I think we were all a bit burnt-out from the hectic nature of vacation travel, and the fog made the Golden Gate Bridge and any plans to photograph it disappear.  My son and his family have been here four days longer, and got got use of the rental car to visit Yosemite Park, but beyond that it has just sat waiting for a clear day to drive over the bridge and into Sausalito.  We’ll try again today!

Yesterday’s dining was limited to first names – Carl’s, Jr. and Roy’s.  That’s about as wide of gastronomical spectrum as you can get – not-so-fast-food to fine dining.  We never did get a table at French Laundry, a restaurant goal that still eludes us.  I would never have taken the grand kids along, anyway!  Roy’s has always been a favorite of mine, and it was just too close to pass up.  Misoyaki butterfish, their delicious chocolate souffle, and a couple of martinis hit the spot.  The kids were remarkably well-behaved, but in the background, the Cubs were a disappointment.  I’m glad we picked the night before to go to the game, when they won.

It’s time to check-out, pay that $250 fee for rental car storage (what a waste!), and cram-in another day of sight-seeing.  Hopefully, the fog will lift, or is that just the after effects of the martinis?