Bye, Daddy!

Woo-Hoo!!!! This week is being spent on the other coast.
My husband is working at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, so I am meandering around the Seattle area. Our hotel is in a quaint town, filled with charming boutiques and coffee shops! Yesterday I took the foot ferry to Bremerton, then boarded the Washington State Ferry to Seattle. It's an hour long ride across the Sound. Perfect down-time to read and people-watch. Ahhh...but truly that is one of the main attractions of this area... Seattle is an "artsy" place. Seattlites are extremely colorful, nonconformists sort of people. Beyond the many tattoos, earrings and grunge-look, the city owns a laid back attitude. I walk up to a crosswalk and cars actually stop! (never seen in the DC area) Being a product of the 70's, I feel as though Seattle is a stop in a time-machine. This is not my first visit, and I can assure you it will not be my last. Several times I've told my husband, Seattle is THE only place which I would pack up and leave the only county I have ever spent my 29+ years!
Tuesday was spent strolling the main street, shopping and chatting with shop owners. I was encouraged to take a drive along Beach Drive, which parallels the Sound. Truly, it was a great suggestion, the road was scenic and the cars behind me didn't mind my tourist-style driving at all! I made my way to Manchester State Park and decided to take a hike. It never ceases to amaze me, when you listen to the "little voices" in your head and something awesome occurs! I was walking along the hike trail and I came to a fork...I began walking to the right, stopped and turned to the left. Around a bend was a clearing, with several people standing around...it seemed a bit odd at first...but hey, I'm in Seattle, life is different here. I saw a couple Coast Guard ships and asked an elderly gent who was taking pictures what was going on. He informed me the CG was escorting a boat through Rich Cove.
As I looked around, it was then I noticed the signs..."I Love You, Dad" Several moms and their small children were waiting for a final glimpse of their husbands and daddies as they departed for deployment. Then it appeared, the USS John C. Stennis. Three-thousand sailors were on the ship taking them to Southern Caliornia for two months of pre-deployment exercises. The Stennis is scheduled to leave for a seven month deployment in January. As I snapped a few pictures, I heard one voice above the rest...a little boy screaming at the top of his lungs, "Bye, Daddy" and then he looked at his mom, almost hoarse asking, "Do you think he heard me, Mom?" She replied that of course Daddy could hear him. The little guy obviously wanted to make certain...so once again at the top of his lungs, with all his voice kept saying, "Bye, Daddy" until the ship was out of sight. I asked one of the moms if I could take a picture of her and her child with her camera in front of the ship as it passed by...she was thrilled. May Almighty God Bless these dedicated Sailors and watch over their families who love them so.













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A prayer request for my brother-in-law, Phil who was rushed to ER with 100% airway blockage, is now laying in ICU with a tube offering him 100% breathing abilities. I mentioned Phil in my blog in early August, a VietNam Vet with several Purple Hearts. He and my husband share the same birthday of August 8. Phil has suffered several heart attacks over the years, and also battles what is now known as PTSD. He is an amazing man... loving, gentle, giving and always smiling.
May God's gentle hands touch Phil and may God give strength to the family who loves Phil so.