Early to Bed – Early to Rise
Saturday morning came none too soon
for the Dance children. They were up long before it was time for breakfast and
time to travel to San Francisco. They met in the basement to go over some
unsolved business.
“We only have about one and a half
hours, if that,” Robert said to his sisters.
Once again, they were hard at it,
attempting to find more answers concerning the mysterious code.
“Why would anyone put a code in a
book about Vikings?” they thought. The answer was in the solving and solve it,
they shall.
“I think these numbers could
represent days of the week,” Kelly remarked, as she looked through the book
from Mr. Walkinhawk.
“How will we know which days?”
questioned Robert.
“It says here that the symbols or
characters may be in standard numerical order and that it would depend upon the
calendar used.”
“What does that mean, sis?”
“In the United States we use a
calendar where Sunday is the first day, but some countries, like Norway and
Sweden, use Monday for their first day of the week.”
“So, we better write out both just
in case,” Rebecca suggested, never missing a typing stroke as she spoke, “Kell
found the code in a book that deals with a Scandinavian topic, but the code was
probably written here in the U. S.”
“Good idea,” said Robert.
“Time sure passed by quickly this
morning,” contemplated Rebecca. “Why do the weekends go by so fast and the
weekdays seem so long?”
A short while later, and after the
family had finished breakfast, they packed up the car, making their way out of
Berkeley toward San Francisco. There was not much traffic on the Bay Bridge
that early, so driving was much more pleasurable than during the weekday
commute hours. They saw some light fog over toward the Golden Gate Bridge as
they exited the tunnel opposite Yerba Buena Island.
“Such a beautiful view, isn’t it
Jonothan?” commented Mrs. Dance, knowing what answer would come.
“It sure is, dear.”
“Wasn’t the San Francisco-Oakland
Bay Bridge actually officially named The James "Sunny Jim" Rolph
Bridge?” Kelly questioned her parents,” Named after the man who was Mayor of
San Francisco in the 20’s and Governor of California in the 30’s when the
bridge building started?
“Yes, Kell,” Dad answered, “but most
people just call it the Bay Bridge."
“It was completed in November of
1936,” Kelly continued, “six months before the Golden Gate Bridge was, wasn’t
it?”
“That’s correct.”
Kelly added, “It must have been
amazing at that time once two bridges opened up and all the Bay Area people
could go to and from San Francisco easier.”
“I never thought much about it, but
I suppose it was a bit of a shock to have both the North and East sides of the
Bay able to just drive over so easily,” mom said, “Especially on the weekends.”
“Lots of business for the merchants
back then, I’m sure,” commented dad.
Upon exiting the freeway, they
zigzagged a bit through the edge of the financial area and across toward
Fisherman’s Warf. They took Bay Street out to Marina Boulevard then turned left
on Baker Street and parked their SUV in front of the Palace of Fine Arts.
“I like to watch all the geese,
ducks and swans swimming here,” Rebecca said as they exited their vehicle.
“And the fountain when it’s running
is nice too,” added Kelly.
“I like the buildings and structures
a lot,” commented Robert.
“This place was constructed for the
1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition,” Kelly informed Robert, “and it’s always been a
favorite place for weddings.”
“Too much information, sis.”
“Where does Kell get all this
information from, Jonothan?” mom questioned.
“She reads almost non-stop, ever
since she was about two years old or so.”
“I used to think she was only
looking at the pictures until that day she explained what the article she was
looking at was about,” Mrs. Dance recollected.
“Yes, I remember. After that day we
were giving her book after book to read, remember?”
“Yes, dear, I do. I was there too,
don’t forget.”
“Ha, ha,” laughed Mr. Dance.
“Do you remember what her fifth
grade teacher said at the parent-teacher conference, Jonothan?”
“Oh yes, he said, ‘Your daughter
reads like a smoking chimney on a cold Colorado winter evening’, he was a
colorful man, wasn’t he.”
“He sure was.”
“Kell sure loves to learn about new
things, Felicity, my dear.”
“She sure does.”
The children looked around, but none
of them could see their uncle anywhere. They were a bit early, so they decided
to walk around and explore a bit.
“We’re going to look around some,
ok?” Robert asked his parents.
“Oh, but don’t be too long,” dad
replied, “Uncle Jim should be here in a few minutes.”
“Ok.”
The kids wandered around the
complex, heading for the area under the large dome. Robert wanted to climb on
some of the smaller walls that were decorated with ornate figures.
“There sure are a lot of pigeons
here,” Rebecca commented, with a distasteful sound to her voice.
“Pigeon feather color patters are
polymorphic, but wild pigeons used to come in only the gray and blue/black
color morph until people started breeding them. Today there are as many as
thirty color morphs,” blurted Kelly.
“What is a morph?” asked Robert.
“’Morph’ is a word used to describe
a special inherited feature, and with pigeons it refers to the feather colors
inherited.”
“Do we really care that much about
pigeons?” questioned Rebecca.
“Yes, we learned about this in school.
Scientists overlooked these birds for so long. We can actually learn a lot
about birds in general from studying pigeons. We actually know more about many
wild birds than we do about common pigeons.”
“They are rather cute and peaceful
little birds,” added Robert.
“I like them,” asserted Kell.
While their parents waited by the
large pond for Uncle Jim, they reminisced about the children when they were all
young. They watched the swans swimming and the pigeons roaming around looking
for people who may have brought them some bread to eat.
It was always serene at the Palace
of Fine Arts and today’s early morning had proven to be a very special time for
the Dance family.
After a short time, Jonothan and
Felicity saw James approaching from a distance. From atop one of his vantage
points, Robert had also observed his uncle. He quickly climbed down.
“I saw Uncle Jim coming. We better
go now.”
The trio scampered off to rejoin
their parents and greet their uncle. They could hardly wait to visit some of
their favorite areas of the city.
“Hi, Uncle Jim,” greeted Rebecca,
arriving first, followed closely behind by her siblings.
“Hi, everyone, it looks like it will
be a beautiful day.”
“It sure does, brother,” Jonothan
responded.
“Can we take a walk around the
Palace?” asked Uncle Jim.
“Sure,” Mrs. Dance replied, “We’re
not in any big hurry to leave.”
“Great!” Robert said loudly, “I like
it here.”
The family slowly made their way
around the grounds while Kelly gave an historic, but brief, overview of just
about everything to do with the area; its construction, the designer, the size
of the colonnades, the refurbishing done in the 60s, and the entire family
really enjoyed hearing the information.
“So often,” Uncle Jim said, “we just
walk around and don’t really know anything about the historic significance of
our surroundings.”
“Sort of like all of these pigeons,”
commented Rebecca.
“Yes, I suppose so, Becca” her uncle
replied.
After walking around, they took a
peek inside the entrance area of the Exploratorium before returning to the
Dance SUV. They all piled in for the drive over to the Cannery and Fisherman’s
Warf areas. Dad parked the vehicle in an area near the curved pier just west of
Ghirardelli Square.
“We have a clear view of Alcatraz
Island today,” mom announced to everyone.
“It’s an amazing place with a lot of
history behind it,” added Jonothan.
“It was the location of the first
lighthouse and United States fort on the West Coast,” informed Kelly.”
“And it was a federal penitentiary
where famous criminals were placed,” Robert exclaimed.
Rebecca interjected, “Native
Americans even occupied the island at one time for about a year and a half.”
“And some good movies have had
scenes filmed out there also,” Jonothan added.
They walked over to Ghirardelli
Square and spent some time browsing through the shops, enjoying things there
before continuing over to the Cannery to do some more shopping. At the Cannery,
the kids browsed the many boutiques selling interesting knickknacks. The elder
members of the family preferred visiting the exotic food and clothing stores.
The Dances continued their day
together by visiting the ‘Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum’ and the historic
‘Wax Museum’, where they encountered a special surprise.
“This is a fun place,” Rebecca
remarked to everyone.
Robert stated, “Sort of creepy too.”
“There is soooo much here,” Kelly
said, “the History area, the Hall of religion and palace of the Living, Egypt’s
King Tut, the Sports exhibits and the Chamber of Horrors.”
“Horrors! That’s the best,” exclaimed
Robert, as any other teenage boy would.
The family wandered through the
darkness from display to display and soon found themselves hearing screams
emanating from the Chamber of Horrors area. As they passed by one of the
exhibits, they saw a large wooden chair with Frankenstein’s Monster seated in
it. They passed slowly by.
“Blaaahhh!” growled the creature, as
it rose to its feet, literally scaring the living daylights out of the Dance
family. Everyone had a long laugh after that experience.
“That was scary,” Rebecca trembled.
“But a lot of fun,” cheered Robert.
Once they left the museum, they
decided to share a loaf of famous Sourdough French Bread for which Fisherman’s
Warf was so proudly known.
“I have heard that this bread and
the way it is made cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the world due to the
special climate and the way the misty air here affects the wild yeast starter
they use to make this bread,” commented Kelly.
“I remember something about that
too,” Uncle Jim replied.
“I love it,” Robert said, “I’m
hungry.”
They bought one round loaf and
shared it among themselves while they walked around the area sightseeing. After
polishing off the loaf, which they had divided six ways, they decided to go
into a shop where they can purchase and paint cups, bowls, flower vases and
other things like that.
“This information pamphlet says that
they will bake our items in a kiln and we can return to pick them up in a
couple of days,” explained mom, “Is that ok, Jonothan?”
“Sure, I can stop by on my lunch
break and pick up whatever we have painted whenever they’re ready. And I’ve
never encountered a parking problem while in my work vehicle.”
They all understood the meaning of
that since his work vehicle was an unmarked police car.
“I’m going to paint a coffee cup
with a night silhouette scene on it,” Robert told the others, “It will look
like San Francisco looks just after the sun sets.”
“I want to paint a vase, mom,” Kelly
said.
“How about you, Becca?” asked Uncle
Jim.
“I’m still looking, but maybe a bowl
that I can put flowers or a candle in later. Yes, a bowl for me.”
The parents and uncle decided to
paint coffee cups, since they are a very practical item for most adults to have
and actually something they would use regularly.
Once items were chosen and a table found
where they could all sit and work together, the group began working on their
projects.
“This isn’t so hard after all,” mom
observed, “thanks to all the different size brushes we can use.”
“My bowl is going to have delicate
flowers on it and a few candles too,” Rebecca said.
Kelly questioned her uncle with
great curiosity, “What are you painting on your coffee cup, Uncle Jim?”
“Three historic ships that are part
of our great American heritage.”
"They wouldn't be the Niña,
Pinta and Santa Maria, would they, Uncle Jim?"
“That is correct, my dear niece.”
“Good luck with it.”
“Did you know the Niña’s other name
was the Santa Clara and the Santa Maria was also called the Gallega?”
questioned the kids’ uncle.
“Yes,” answered Robert, “and I think
I read that they were never really officially named anyway.”
“That’s correct,” commented Kelly.
Once they completed their projects,
which took about an hour or so, the group handed them over to the store’s
employee and started towards Pier 39. On their way, they saw a Martial Arts
demonstration going on at the sidewalk area near where the tourist ferryboat
excursions were located. They decided to have a look.
“That’s Terry Van Doren, isn’t it,
Becca?” Robert questioned his twin.
“Yes, it is,”
They were surprised to see one of
their schoolmates was among the members of the team giving the exhibition.
After a few minutes, the group of Martial Arts practitioners took a break and
Terry came over to say hello to his classmates and meet their family.
“Hi, Robert, Rebecca. How are all of
you?”
“Fine,” Robert replied, “We are here
for a sort of family sightseeing day. Our uncle is here visiting from out of
town, so we thought this would be a fun thing to do.”
Rebecca jumped in, “I didn’t know
you did karate.”
“Oh, this isn’t karate,” he replied,
“This is a Korean Martial Art form known as Hapkido.”
“Have you been training long?”
inquired Robert.
“Yes, I have. Since I was about six
years old.”
“That’s a long time,” commented
Rebecca.
“I started with Aikido, and then
about a year and a half ago I started learning Hapkido.”
“It looks very interesting,” Kelly
said to the young man.
“This is our sister, Kelly,” Robert
informed Terry, “and this is my dad, mom and uncle.”
“Glad to meet you all. Thanks for
stopping by.”
“Our pleasure, Terry,” replied Mrs.
Dance.
“Well, I’ve got to get back now,”
said Terry.
“See you at school,” Robert and
Rebecca said.
As the practitioners readied to
continue their exhibition, the Dance family moved on to Pier 39.
“Terry is such a nice guy and a good
student,” commented Rebecca to Robert.
“And he is sort of quiet and keeps
to himself, too.”
“I think it is called humility,”
Kelly said, overhearing their conversation, “It takes great patience,
discipline and humility to become a great Martial Artist.”
“I suppose so,” Robert replied, “and
many years of training.”
“And that is why you see so few
criminals ever achieve the highest ranks in any sport or art that takes
discipline, patience, self-control and humility. They don’t possess those
qualities,” their dad added to the conversation.
“I guess taking the short road to
anything isn’t always the best idea,” said Rebecca.
“No, it is far better to be fully
experienced than just partially experienced with the things in life that you
wish to master,” stated dad.
“Yeah,” Robert replied, “Who would
want to go to a brain surgeon that only has some experience instead of having
extensive experience?”
“I sure wouldn’t,” answered Kelly.
Kelly heard the distinctive sounds
of those special visitors who frequent the docks next to Pier 39 and asked,
“Can we go see the California Sea Lions at ‘K Dock’ over there, dad?”
“Sure. Is that alright with everyone
if we stop and see the sea lions first?”
They all agreed and headed up the
wooden walkway toward the left far-end of the pier where the sea lions were
located.
“There are quite a few here today,
kids,” mom said as they neared the area.
“What a life,” Uncle Jim commented,
“Sunbathing, swimming and eating all day long. What a life.”
After watching and listening to the
creatures for a while, the group made their way to the center of the pier where
all of the shops were located. They visited some of the stores and boutiques,
bought a few things, looked at dream items and did some every-day old-fashioned
window shopping. The hours pass by quickly and the group was feeling a bit on
the hungry side.
“Let’s all find something to eat,”
mom said, “How about that?”
“Yes,” they agreed.
They voted to have Uncle Jim choose
the place to eat since he was not around so often. At the place chosen, Robert
ordered clam chowder in a sour dough roll, Rebecca a hamburger, Kelly a hot dog
and the adults some type of seafood specials.
Once the food arrived, they all dug
in like hungry wolves in the forest.
“Before I forget,” Uncle Jim
announced, “I found out that my new assignment will be as the Regional Security
Officer at the American Embassy in Oslo, Norway.”
“Wow, that’s great, James,” replied
Mrs. Dance.
“I can hardly wait to come and visit
you, Uncle Jim.” Kelly said eagerly.
“Of course you may, and I am hoping
that all of you can visit next summer for a month, if possible.”
“That sounds good to us,” responded
Mrs. Dance.
“Wow,” said Robert, “A month in the
land of the Vikings.”
Jim added, “I’ve been informed that
July is the official vacation month in Norway.”
“Is that good or bad?” questioned
Mr. Dance.
“It really doesn’t make a big
difference in the Capitol City of Oslo. It just means that most Norwegians take
their holiday during the month of July.”
“I wish we could all go now!” Kelly
exclaimed.
After lunch the family rode a Cable
Car from Fisherman’s Warf to Chinatown for a quick stroll along the unique
shops there. The group stood for some time observing three elderly Chinese men
placing wagers on games as they sat in the small park located a couple of
blocks from the center of the stores and shops area.
The day passed quickly, but the
group looked forward to Sunday’s picnic in Golden Gate Park. Driving back to
the Palace of Fine Arts where Uncle Jim parked his car, they discussed some
details for the Sunday gathering. Uncle Jim also asked the kids how they were
progressing with solving the code Kelly found in the Viking book. They assured
him that they had made significant progress and hoped to complete their
deciphering of the message at any time.
“Dad invited his partner, Suzie
Chow, to come along with us tomorrow,” Kelly blurted out suddenly.
“A, yes... I did,” dad said slowly,
“She is a very nice single lady and we wanted you to have a chance to meet her,
if that’s ok, brother?”
“Sure, I think I would like that.
After all, any partner of yours must be San Francisco’s finest.”
After the family dropped Uncle Jim
off they decided to take the scenic route back to the Bay Bridge. They drove
down Lombard Street atop Russian Hill.
Holding tightly to her armrest,
Kelly said, “This 40-degree drop between Hyde Street and Leavenworth Street,
along with these sharp curves, earned this road the well-deserved title of the
most crooked street in the world, and it’s always a fun ride down.”
They loved seeing the beautiful
flowerbeds and cute homes along the way.
“That was fun,” Kelly said, “Can we
do it again, dad?”
“Sure, why not?”
After one more drive around the family
headed for the bridge. The evening lights throughout the Bay Area that night
were breathtaking to see from the bridge. The peaceful experience of viewing
city lights flickering in the night darkness was the perfect ending for their
day.
Next Chapter
Chapter Eleven: Pioneers and Picnics
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