Today we made a trip to the commissary on NAS North Island to replenish our dwindling cache of various kinds of protein, vegetables, and other kinds of sustenance that we like to eat. There are times when I kinda wish we didn’t like so many different kinds of ‘things’. Shopping would be a lot easier. We wouldn’t have to walk up and down all those isles. It could be confined to just a couple of them. Then, however, we wouldn’t have any fun eating like we do.

On the way out of the RV park we were greeted with a whole line of new Seals watching some other ones duke it out on the beach with some automatic weapons. The troops on the beach were not visible so I’m only guessing about who they were and what they were doing, but I do know that the Silver Strand Beach belongs to the Seals.

While Diane went to the commissary I went to the Navy exchange at the other end of the building. My mission was to get a sewing kit for Diane and a sketch pad for myself. I brought a large container of art supplies but forgot my sketch pads. I think I know exactly where they are. At home. In the computer room. Near my computer. Dang! Guess we’ll visit Walmart tomorrow.

Oh ya! With the help of a nice lady, I managed to get a sewing kit. Diane needed it to sew up Max’s toys that have mysteriously sprang leaks allowing bits of cotton to invade our living space and somehow wind up in some little dog’s poop. Very odd, don’t you think?

I took the sewing kit back to the car and went to the commissary to accomplish my other mission – select some vegetables. Which I did. I got an avocado, some tomatoes, and a head of lettuce. Now I can make a proper salad.

While leaving the base Diane spied the gas station so we pulled in and I filled it up with $4.30 a gallon fuel. That’s not a bad price considering the higher prices all over town.

About the fuel thing – though the prices are elevated they aren’t nearly as high as we thought they would be. For that, we’re thankful.

After the gas stop, we continued to the exit gate, passing the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). It’s got here before we did, and it’s been here the whole time. We had to drive right past it to get off the base.

Last week, on our first trip to the exchange, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) was also here but she up and left without letting us know. We know a couple of people who used to be stationed aboard the Nimitz.

We made it ‘home’ without any notable incidents, and I took Max for a long walk because he’s such a good puppy. He’s actually amazing.

Here’s another photo I took this morning, or yesterday afternoon, of one of those Sea Hawk helos the Navy uses. It zoomed over the ships on the Naval Station side of the bay then dropped to a hover and just stayed there for a while. They do that once in a while. I mentioned this before. It’s pretty amazing. We still don’t know what they are doing but we can appreciate the skill needed for the pilots to do this for so long at a time without getting the wheels wet.

Gotta go. Stay safe.