This morning’s run (day #3898) took me along the San Francisco waterfront with Alcatraz in the distance. My wife walked behind her daughter and I, so we frequently looped back to join her. I ran at a much faster pace to keep up, finishing my 3.1 miles five minutes quicker than normal. It was a perfectly clear morning and the Golden Gate Bridge was free of “Karl the Fog.” I was however listening to KFOG on the radio. Since it’s the month of August, locals refer to this time of year as “Fogust.” I’m sure that later in the day, Karl will settle into the area around the Presidio where we will spend the evening with family. Karl was named after the misunderstood giant in the 2003 film Big Fish, as part of an anonymous Twitter account in 2010 @KarlTheFog. 

It’s wedding eve and this “Bay Day” in “Fogust” is packed with activities for most of the women in our family. I simply have to report to the Sottomarino Winery at 12:30p. In the meantime, I just got back from Safeway with a supply of Diet Coke. The only bad thing about staying at a Marriott property is their exclusive arrangement with Pepsi. I’ll finish writing this post, clean-up, and maybe watch the Cub’s game at a nearby tavern. Currently, my Indiana Hoosier footballers are in an early morning battle, only up by a field goal, against Ball State and there is no television coverage here in the West. I’ll have to settle for monitoring it on the internet. I should be “sitting on a dock by the bay, watching the tide roll in.” 

I’m the step-father of the bride. It sounds like something out of a Frankenstein movie. I have limited responsibilities, playing second chair to her father, who fortunately is a good guy. I’ll be in that role again for the step-daughter that I ran with this morning, when she says her vows in just two months. That will be a less extravagant affair and won’t require any travel. My wife has been remarkably calm for these monumental life events. I’m still a bit under the weather, but at least not in a fog or a Karl. Nothing that a little wine tasting won’t resolve. 

Hopefully, Karl will know that tomorrow is the start of September, and will stay away for the Big Day by the Bay, dubbed by me as “Bay Day.” There are plans for an outdoor ceremony with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background and surrounded by the history of the Presidio, a former military post. It’s now a 1500 acre park and major outdoor recreation hub. There’s even a Walt Disney Family Museum on the property and a Yoda fountain outside of the Lucasfilm offices. “May the force be with them,” as the newlyweds start their life together. El Presidio Real de San Francisco was originally a Spanish fort sited by Juan Bautista de Anza in 1776, while their reception will be at Arguello Restaurant, just a short walk from the Presidio Chapel where vows will be made. Luis Antonio Arguello served as commander of the Presidio from 1806 to 1822. Tomorrow, I will help my wife set-up the Arguello reception, and see if she maintains her “cool,” as her youngest takes this major step in her life. Frankly, I’m expecting lots of tears of joy on “Bay Day,” and will be armed with Kleenex.