On our last evening in San Diego, my sister Susan and I, along with Susan's dog Blackberry, visited our Uncle Jack, cousin Denise, and her husband Paul at their home on the north side of San Diego. We sat around the kitchen table and had a nice chat, giving me a chance to talk family history with Uncle Jack, who was about to celebrate his 99th birthday in a few days. Jack was almost 14 years younger than his brother - my father Nelson - and went to my old alma mater, the Illinois Institute of Technology, becoming a civilian engineer for the US Navy. He later became a professor of engineering at San Diego State University. Afterwards, Denise, Paul, Susan and I (along with Blackberry) went to dinner at the Backyard Kitchen and Tap House in Pacific Beach. Uncle Jack felt more comfortable staying at home instead of dining out, and I'll be damned if I forgot to take a photo of him and Denise and Paul before we left. No matter - I am featuring a photograph on the left of Uncle Jack watching the 4th of July parade back in 2017, during a family reunion in Cannon Beach, Oregon. He hasn't changed a bit.
I took the photograph on the right of Denise (sitting on the left), my sister Susan (center) and Paul at the Backyard Kitchen and Tap House. I googled the place on the internet, and found that their heated patio was very dog friendly. In fact, they actually had a menu for dogs. That is the first time I have ever seen something like that, although I suppose it is standard operating procedure in California. And I'm sure that fad will be heading east very soon. The food was good, the patio very pleasant, and it was fun catching up with Denise and Paul, who moved to San Diego from Oregon nine years ago to help Uncle Jack out as he got older. Hopefully, we can all get together next year for another one of those Hoyt family reunions in Cannon Beach.
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