Birthday baseball and our Bay-Area background

Eryn and I helped Dad celebrate his 59th birthday in style earlier this month with a trip to San Francisco for Opening Weekend at ATT Park.

A lifelong fan, Dad was thrilled to witness the World Series celebration for his beloved Giants!

But he seemed equally thrilled to visit important places from his childhood and share with his daughters. (Mom had to work and couldn't join us)

Before Saturday's afternoon game we drove from our hotel in Emeryville (on the east end of the Bay Bridge) to neighboring Berkley to check out the house where Great Grandma and Grandpa Fellow lived on Carlotta: 

Grandpa flew for Pan Am, and when he was out of town, Dad and Grandma often drove in to Berkley to stay with her parents. So my dad spent a large portion of his childhood in this home.

He said it looked pretty much like it did back in the day.

Dad knocked on the door, and the couple who lives here now (just one owner between them and Great Grandma and Grandpa Fellow), still in Saturday-morning bathrobes and slippers, eagerly invited us inside for a tour!

They had remodeled the kitchen, bathroom and master suite, but most of the house was original, including the gorgeous wood trim and fireplace:

Dad showed us where Great Grandma, a huge sports fan, would sit in her chair to watch baseball on TV.

Next door was the Hemphill's house. Rob Hemphill was the best man in Mom and Dad's wedding.

On the corner was the dry cleaner owned by another of Dad's best friends, Kingsly Toy. Total cliche, I know :)

I was driving and didn't snap a picture of the massive eucalyptus trees in the school yard where Dad said he and Kingsley would climb up and start fires. WHAT?!?! Nice, Dad :)

Next we drove across the bridge to ATT Park for our Buster Posey bobble heads! The Giants catcher was named National League MVP and honored in a pre-game ceremony.

Good game, but we lost.

Beautiful view from that stadium!

With lots of daylight left, we drove back across the bay and out to the house where Dad grew up on Cervato Circle in Alamo.

My grandparents had the house built in 1959, when Dad was 5 years old. He lived there until he went away to college at George Fox University in the early '70s. Grandpa built that mailbox:

Dad immediately proclaimed that across the street is "where I got my first concussion" by sliding down the open, then-one-piece garage door. Eryn and I laughed and laughed about that. If you know Dad, you get it :)

Other than some landscaping, Dad says the house looks about the same:

This might be where I get my love of ranch-style homes!

The original fence (minus the lattice), which Dad says he remembers painting when he was a kid:

Dad knocked on the door, and the couple invited us right in. Super-nice people!

Much of the inside is original, including garage cabinets:

And the wood ceiling:

Dad's bedroom is now an office:

Then it was time for a trip to San Ramon Valley High School, home of the Wolves. Dad even sang a little cheer for us :)

Almost the entire school has been rebuilt since the early '70s and looked new and fancy.

Dad was giddy after the two very successful trips down memory lane!

Sunday, Eryn and I hit the hotel gym for a sweat session before the Giants game:

Sunday's big treat was the championship ring ceremony. Before the game, the players' World Series rings arrived on a trolley, escorted right onto the field by two motorcycle police officers:

It was quite the event:

But I think all that excitement (and really shiny new rings!) really distracted the players, because they got creamed by the Cards.

Still, a great day at the ballpark!

And... every fan got a replica World Series ring of our own!

Happy birthday, Dad!! Thanks for sharing your special weekend with us :)