The alarm sounded at 5am and we reluctantly got up. Even Harriet was none too thrilled at the early start to the day but we had to return the RV to Oakland by 11am so there was nothing for it.
The return journey was pretty straightforward and the check out procedure at the RV depot was smooth too. We had done only 887 miles and so even qualified for a refund on the 1200 miles we had bought.
At ten past eleven we were crossing the Bay Bridge and returning to the place where it all began. Never will I tire of seeing the city pull closer into sight. If Belinda Carlisle was right then this is where it would be.
Thanks to a few emails in Yosemite we arrived in the hotel to find a package waiting for us. This contained a replacement spare wheel plus an additional spare set just to be safe. We were mobile again.
So off we went, down the familiar route of Market to the Ferry Terminal building then round to Pier 39 and the Wipe-Out restaurant - a real favourite of ours since we first came six years ago.
A great piece of luck was the fact that it was Tuesday so we could go to another Castro Dads. After doing some saltwater taffy shopping in Fishermans Wharf we took one of the F line streetcars down to the Castro.
Apart from Kevin it was a different group this week and so we could retell our story and hear some new ones. This is the sort of group we need especially for Harriet when she's older -the children really enjoy it although they prefer to keep their own company outside and leave the Dads to talk.
It will also provide fodder for my latest book idea about a group of gay dads bringing up their families in a major conurbation - there will be six children and it is provisionally titled Six in the City ;-)
I'm running a bit ahead of myself I know but you can see why wannabe authors would hang around groups like this because you hear some amazing stories.
We met one couple who had just adopted a 12 year old from one of the more socially conservative places in Northern California. The machinations of the social workers and the foster parents left us slack-jawed. The boy himself is as happy and bright as you could ever wish for and confident enough to give us a Shakespeare recitation. Another Dad had a much more difficult time with his home country of Belgium than we had with the British Home Office.
It's also a place to discuss how to handle the questions we get asked so regularly by other people such as 'where is the mother'. When discussing people's assumptions one Dad trumped us in indignitation: he says that he is usually assumed to be the nanny! He is actually a stay-home Dad and his partner and he have just come back from a holiday in Ireland without the children. It was the first time he had off from his 24-7 job.
I'm sure he found it tough to be away from them but holidays do come to an end. This one pretty much has. This morning we will have breakfast and then soak up our last few hours in San Francisco before flying home.
This holiday blog will end here. I'll spare you the blow by blow details about the flight because I'm sure we all know how it's going to go. It's been such a great pleasure to be here as a family and to spend every day with them uninterrupted.
These days will always be most treasured memories.
