the last post of summer

 

This was the end of a very magical day for us.  We had spent the afternoon wandering around Fisherman's Wharf, watching the musicians and mimes and tourists.  Then we chose a random restaurant on the water and dined on fresh caught fish and King crab while overlooking the sailboats and San Francisco Bay. After dinner we walked along the water for four miles all the way to PacBell Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.  We arrived right as the game was starting, and as we saw the first glance of the ball field the National Anthem began.  I teared up, watching all of the players with their hats off, their hands on their hearts.

The game was an exciting one. Our Giants won. One of the best moments was when a foul ball was hit almost 500 feet into the Bay by Shawn's favorite player, the great Pablo Sandoval (The Baby Panda). It was captured on film and replayed on the big screen a few times.  We cheered and laughed and watched in awe of these amazing athletes diving for balls in the outfield and hitting 95 miles per hour fast balls.  Our son was in heaven.  He never stopped smiling the entire night, and when the game was over we were one of the last people to leave the stadium.  An usher saw him staring out at the empty field as the lights began to dim and gave him a picture of one of the Giants rolled up in a tube. When we opened it, to our surprise it was the Baby Panda! Then we walked all the way back to our car, four shivery miles, all the while going over highlights from the game.

It was a great, great night.