In the Same Boat: San Diego Maritime Museum

We met the Harveys nine years ago on the East Coast, when J started her law degree. The last time we saw the Harveys we lived in Hawaii, and our house was for sale. We were clueless about our timeline for a San Diego move. But one thing J promised me before they left was that they were going to visit us in San Diego in 2009. And they did!They graciously visited during an unpredictable week at our house. They are fabulous and considerate house guests every time they come.

The kids were thrilled to see this arrive at 6:30am after the first night the Harveys arrived.

Yes, I did say 6:30am. They were not at all phased. Aren't they great friends? The cement truck pump arrived and our concrete was poured that morning. The crane dipped into our yard, not pictured.

The next day, we visited the San Diego Maritime Museum. It is in an outdoor museum, on the east side of the San Diego Bay, at the Embarcadero. We boarded the Star Of India first. It is the oldest regularly sailing ship, and the oldest iron hulled merchant ship.

The Harvey Four! J is expecting a little boy.
The Farmer Five

I was surprised how much the kids loved all of the ships, and how much they touched and interacted! They rang the bells, ran up and down the decks, and checked out the wooden paneled captain quarters and dining areas. Below they investigated the cargo hold and passenger areas. Small model ships were displayed below and Son1 loved the teeny model life boats that hung from the decks of the ships. Quickly, Son1 picked up on so much nautical vocabulary.


In one of the cargo areas a small scale ship allowed more climbing, more ringing, and some washing of the deck.


Next we boarded the H.M.S. Surprise. "H.M.S." refers to "Her Majesty's Ship." This was built as a replica ship, once called the H.M.S. Rose. In 2001 it was sold to make the movie Master and Commander, and called the Surprise. It is now registered as H.M.S. Surprise in honor of the movie. This is a view of the stern.

While on the ship, I grabbed a big, fat, plastic rat from an exhibit and jiggled it in Son1's face and said, "WOOOOO!!!!" This passerby looked at me in shock and awe and belted out a loud laugh. I assured her it was fine; Son1 laughed gleefully. After all, I am a mom of boys. But then I had a girly moment with J when we took our picture with Russel Crowe.
We boarded the former B-39 Soviet Navy attack submarine. It was designed to kill American and NATO Navy ships and submarines. It is over 300 feet long, making it one of the longest submarines, but it sure felt small to me! We climbed through many low small openings, and checked out the control room, torpedo room, and all of the quarters in between.

And Son2 checked out the USS Midway from the periscope.Our last stop was The Berkeley. It is steam ferryboat that is over 100 years old, and operated on San Fransisco Bay for over 60 years. By this time, the Farmer family was near expiration, so I have no pictures to show you. But you can check out The Berkeley here. We told the Harveys we would meet them at home, after they dined at the Embarcadero.