Sherlocking In San Diego
By Don Hobbs

My wife's nephew, Andrew Furr, graduated from the United States Marine Corps on Friday, September 12. He recently graduated from high school and fulfilled a life long dream - becoming a Marine. I was already in San Diego, working at my office and my wife, Joyce, joined me. Her other sister, Linda, was there as was her sister, Rhonda, and her husband and his son, Taylor. Rhonda is Andrew's mother.  It was like a mini-reunion. Since I am in San Diego so often, I was voted tour-guide and so that's how I spent the weekend. While Ike was battering Texas, I was chauffeuring around my wife and her sisters. The others simply followed me.

My adventure began on Tuesday when I flew into town on American Airlines. Much to my surprise, the Spanish language in-flight magazine Nexos ran an article, "Banquete de letras" by Marjorie Ross that featured an illustration of Holmes and Watson. The article includes two paragraphs on Holmes and Watson under the subtitle, "Menú de Sherlock Holmes."  This seemed like the beginning of a good Sherlockian week.

I worked a whopping two days, training some co-workers on the most boring of topics. I managed to keep the class awake but just barely. It is more like homecoming week than a workweek when I go to the office. I used to go there twelve to fourteen weeks a year but it is down to eight or nine weeks a year now. When I show up at the office, there are always many rounds of hellos and "how have you been" questions to answer. Joyce got into town after my workweek was finished on Thursday and we had about an hour to kill before her sister Linda arrived.  We dropped in to a wine cafe where I enjoyed a glass of wine produced in Watsonville, California. Ah, another good sign. Her other sister and family was already in town to attend Family Day at MCRD, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, where all of the Marines west of the Mississippi River attend basic training.

After picking up Linda, we drove to La Jolla to eat. Linda had never been to San Diego before so I figured La Jolla was a good starting point. I made the correct assumption. The next morning, we drove to MCRD and watched in awe as the 599 of the newest United States Marines marched before us to music of the USMC Band. All of the precision and ceremony was extremely moving. The graduation ceremony lasted about two hours. After twelve weeks of boot camp, the graduates were given the order they had been waiting for, 'Dismissed!!' Congratulations Pfc. A. J. Furr, job well done.

Pfc. A. J. Furr

Being a newly on-leave United States Marine means 'Bye mom, I'm on a mission and sorry, you're not included.' So I, like any good Sherlockian and uncle-by-marriage-in-law, lead our little group to Tecate, Mexico for a relaxing afternoon in the local Jardin, drinking Tecate beer. On our way back to San Diego, we drove through a routine Border Patrol check point, where a young officer named Ross asked us a few questions. Maybe he will be a colonel someday. Still another Sherlockian sign.

On Saturday, Joyce, Linda, and I drove up to Temecula, California where we visited a few wineries. It is amazing how a little wine before 11 A.M. makes the day go by. The first winery we visited was Faulkner's and as soon as we walked in, Joyce pointed out a plaque on the wall for winning the Mystery Wine Shopper. The award feature a silhouette of Holmes, so need I say it? another sign. 

Joyce and I caught the 6:20 A.M. Sunday flight back to Dallas. We had an excellent time at the graduation and having all of the Sherlockian signs coming at us. So until next time,

Happy Collecting!!