Our second week started the same way as our first: EARLY. Given that most shipyards begin work at 06:30, and our commute is about an hour long, both Kevin and I wake up around 04:30 every weekday. The three-hour time difference from New York has proven to be our friend.

Week 2 proved to be much more exciting than Week 1. Kevin spent the beginning of the week sand-blasting and obtaining random bits of gear from the tool shop. He then crawled around the USS Higgins, which was being repaired in the yard this week. He got to do paint inspections and was introduced to the ship’s sonar dome. I was taught to do the shrinkage calculations, which proved to require some real dedication. I then started accuracy inspections in the first stage of construction, which contains single plates. I got to climb around a bunch of plates and blocks and take measurements of lengths, widths, and bevel angles. Being in a department that considers itself to be at the “crossroads of engineering and production” is turning out to be an amazing experience. I’m learning from people who are familiar with the production process but also know exactly how the ship is supposed to come together, so they have so much knowledge of shipbuilding to impart on me!

We had rain the entire week, so of course everyone around us was irritable and resisted going outside at all costs. However, a coworker did bring me on a bike ride to a ship block to perform an inspection. Because the ground was wet, my bike slipped on one of the steel crane rails, and I fell off (in front of my coworker). It was truly the romantic bike ride through a steel yard that all young women crave.

Having actual work to do the second week made it go much faster than the first, so the weekend arrived quickly! On Friday night, we went to dinner at the beautiful home of local Webb alum, John Malone. Both he and his wife Amy welcomed us with delicious food and amazing conversation.

Saturday was the first sunny day of the week, so we decided to take a trip to the shore and explore Ocean Beach. The water was gorgeous, so we spent some time walking along the beach and accidentally soaking our (my) shoes.

Of course, our weekend wouldn’t be complete without plenty of donuts, so we visited a few shops.

After walking a couple miles and eating nothing but lumps of sugar, we decided to stop and get burritos. They were huge and delicious, but Kevin insisted that Glen Cove’s Tex Mex would always be #1 in his heart.

The day only got better when we came upon a tree filled with what we assume are parakeets! I secretly considered herding one back onto the trolley to keep in our apartment, but then I remembered that we don’t really have time to take a pet on walks right now.

Sunday was again a beautiful day, so we decided to finally see more of the downtown area. We again started with donuts (two each this time because they were absolutely magnificent) in Little Italy, and then made our way to the water.

We came across this super cool piece of art, which was supposed to spray water, but sadly did not.

We then went to the USS Midway Museum and learned more about the ship, the aircraft that it carried, and those who lived aboard when it was still sailing.

While there, we were given recommendations on places to hike in the San Diego area, so hopefully we can commission a Webbie with a vehicle to take us sometime. Still downtown, we walked around the Gaslamp Quarter and grabbed an early dinner before heading back to our apartment. We’re now ready for our third week of early wake-ups! This week looks like it’s going to be much sunnier, so hopefully we’ll both get to spend more time outside during the week!