Ferry, Ferry Fun

It's that time again: exam time.

So while Daddy's up to his neck in papers, presentations, and exams, Mama, Indy and the girls are playing at Nan and Grandpa's house. It gives Daddy some quiet to study at home (there's not much quiet when the circus in residence, as Nan and Grandpa are now well aware) and it lets everyone else have some fun.

And boy, do we have fun.

On our first full day at Nan and Grandpa's we took advantage of a sunshiny day to ride a ferry boat into San Francisco. The girls were excited about the process of buying tickets and climbing aboard the boat...

On board, the girls took turns walking around the boat with Grandpa. (Mama was busy nursing Indy.) In between explorations, they enjoyed the view. And the company.

At one point during the 35 minute trip, Mama was reminding the girls to use "inside voices" on the boat, explaining that people ride the ferry to work, and that they often read or sleep as they travel. Kathleen seized upon this idea, responding, "I've got to go sleep." She shut her eyes and tipped her head to the side, hanging her mouth open just a bit. Mama chuckled and said, "My! You're quite the little commuter, aren't you?" Kathleen never opened her eyes, never moved, and never gave up her faux-sleep as she replied, "I'm not answering!"

When we finally arrived in "The City," we wandered around the ferry building and its lovely boutiques for a bit. We watched other ferries arrive and we watched all the people coming and going. The girls did some running around and Kathleen indulged in some pigeon chasing.

After a bit, we decided to head home. As a reward for good behavior, Nan treated the girls to cupcakes from a pretty little bakery in the ferry building. While the girls were excited about the ferry, they were over the moon about those cupcakes!

The ferry for the return trip was a hydrofoil. Even though the cupcakes were clearly the highlight of the return trip, watching Kathleen play in extra-strong wind on the deck as we zoomed across the bay came in a close second.

And before we knew it our adventure was over -- just in time for naps. That was a ferry, ferry fun day!