September 2019

It’s hard to believe that two years have passed since the last USS Sargo reunion – that  one took place in Washington, D.C. in 2017. This year’s festivities happened in San Diego, California, a city to which Stacy Lyn had never been, and what better reason to travel than to reconnect with friends? Though the city is a charming one, it pales in comparison to the people we Traveling Socks visited that week in September.

What did we see whilst in Diego’s city? To start with, all of the sailors and their wives took a cruise around the bay. There were ships in port and animals trying to find a warm place to sun on a warm, windy day as the friends enjoyed a meal, but mostly camaraderie. It was a seamless transition from 2017 to 2019 – and Stacy Lyn wondered if the time in between actually existed at all.

The following day, Stacy Lyn and Norm walked around the Gaslamp Quarter of town with Jim, another of these golden friends they were honored to see again. Mr. Bennett the canine accompanied the trio to town on that day. Canines are welcome most anywhere in San Diego, even on the terraces of restaurants where he was able to people-watch as the old friends caught up on old news (oxymoron intended).

Of all the charming spots that Stacy Lyn visited, her favorite was Old Town San Diego. The red-tiled roofs and stucco façades made her feel like a welcome guest. The cityscape was painted in bright colors with flowers, murals, and various attractions along the sidewalks. She found the most beautiful jewelry at Skyblue Gems right on the avenue. Rosemary Sanchez hand makes all of the jewelry herself, and she offers a more-than-fair price. Tell her Stacy Lyn’s Traveling Socks sent you if you find yourself in Old Town.

On the last evening, all of the sailors and their wives gathered together in one place to celebrate during their banquet. George Wallace spoke about his experience in the submarine fleet and the novels that followed. Various trinkets were auctioned and raffled, and to her dismay, Stacy Lyn didn’t win anything. But that was of little consequence because the bell then tolled for the sailors who went on eternal patrol since the last reunion. Stacy Lyn missed Robert Smith, or Smitty, the most. His unique brand of humor, Texas drawl, and generosity were gold, and as the poet Robert Frost iterated, “Nothing gold can stay.” The reunion was not the same without him. We wish that everyone would come every time from now until eternity, but that’s not the way life works, is it? Tears were dried as everyone headed to the Hospitality Room for one more story, or one more joke before it was time to say so long.

Before she knew it, Stacy Lyn was headed home. Two years passes by quickly, until you’re waiting for the next thing, and then it seems to crawl.

Nature’s first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf’s a flower,
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf,
So Eden sank to grief.
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

Stay gold, Sargo family. Until next time. ❤