Caleb makes us breakfast and eats half of mine. I change out of my it’s-cold-morning clothes and put on something more athletically appropriate so that I can put some miles on my green and dirty tires and Caleb can ride his purple-forked bike. We’ll walk our bikes within sight of the beach, then ride home.

We’ll use our Balboa Park Pass to access the Air and Space Museum and realize I forgot my camera. It’s a good thing we can come back. We watch families in the bird flight simulator that would fail a migration and others who can’t earn their Mars passport.

I appreciate the interactive portion of the museum as it allows another aspect of learning and can be fun for all ages. Scientists and engineers who work to make life in space easier are also creating technologies with secondary purposes on Earth for flights, food, and fundamentals.

There are parts from old missions and models for take-offs that haven’t happened yet. There are necessities for sanity while floating around in a lack of gravity and other trinkets that were brought just to claim that they too had seen space from a different perspective.

I ask Ron, a volunteer museum docent, a quick question about the Hall of Fame and will read only a fraction of the biographies under the photos of men and women awarded for in-flight advances and help on the ground to make air travel more efficient, safe, and cost effective.

Ron interprets this as an invitation to talk, upon our exit of the hall, about a few of the ships and planes he saw in battle and exchanges stories with Caleb who has some experience of the military as well. I’m grateful for the gift of conversation that older generations still have and their willingness to share.

Then there’s the giftshop with t-shirts and cups, science kits and puzzles, snacks and magnets, and a book by Rachel Swaby to influence the next generation of women scientists, Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science — and the World amongst other books on the shelf.

We stop at Himalaya House for dinner to-go and while we order our two naan bread flavors and paneer with veggies and rice, we watch a child climb a booth and put his feet on the window as his mom clears the table out of his way and dad ensures he doesn’t get kicked in the face.

We’ll go for a walk to escape this madness as tantrums are one thing and can be common, but disrespecting a business is even more acceptable these days as employees can be held liable if they hurt the customer’s feelings, which can be more costly in court.

Next stop is Dori Boba for a roasted coconut matcha milk tea with boba for me and a tea without balls for Caleb. I decide I prefer mine without shaved coconut on top as that just means less space for my drink so the dried fruit can remain crispy.

We stop at Grocery Outlet on the way home for breads, pasta, and meats for the freezer so we’re ready for the week. We enjoy our dinner and then Caleb is on a three-way call with his siblings as they and their dad decide whether to amputate part of his left foot or let him die in a week from gas gangrene.

Robert chooses surgery, since the grandkids still appreciate his company and no kid wants to tell King Grumpy to kick the bucket, though they wouldn’t judge him either way as he has a list of ailments that he no longer wants to cope with and properly manage.

Jessi is with Robert in mountain time, he goes in for surgery at 8pm Pacific time, and Kris is in central time. We’ll wait up to find out that Robert lost his toes and that the doctor will wait a few days before finishing the stump. It will be weeks before he’s allowed to put pressure on his foot.

I used to be close to Caleb’s parents and talk with them often, but the same could be said for my parents. His dad pushed us away and though our last visit was decent (or I’m naive) I don’t have to worry about being called for nurse duty, since the ones being paid can’t handle his messy attitude.