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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 11, 2022 14:25:43 GMT
My Great Adventure
Susan Peabody
Definition . . . To qualify for a great adventure it must be something that someone else paid for and something that you have dreamed about all your life. Invitation . . . My best friend lives in Scottland. She asked her boyfriend if he would take her to San Francisco to visit me. He agreed. Her name is Shirley and his name is Stuart. I am thrilled. Fantasizing . . . I immediately found my box of old dreams and started fantasizing about all the things we were going to do. Planning . . . Shirley and I both like to manage things so we each planned a different trip in our heads and started obsessing about it. Comparing notes . . . When we compared notes, we got in an argument and Shirley changed her mind about the trip. I cried. Stuard was dismayed. I apologized. Shirley changed her mind. All is well. We are both learning a lot about communication. Compromise . . . It was about this time that we both realized we had not included Stuard in our planning. We asked him what he wanted to do. He said he wanted to see the sights in San Francisco. We agreed. Itinerary . . . We are still planning our itinerary, but I broke down today and looked at bathing suits on the internet. This was a great ordeal as I could not find a bathing suit that covered everything on my body. I realized they haven't made bathing suits like that since 1917. I also had to come to terms with my body image hang ups. I decided swimming was more important and I bought the suit. More to come . . . I will be writing every few days just to keep you posted. Please join us on our trip by commenting on this thread.
This link is the journal I kept on my first Great Adventure to Switzerland. My friends said they had fun checking my posts every day. loveaddictsanonymous.boards.net/thread/15474/trip-switzerland-journal
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 11, 2022 15:34:39 GMT
Friday . . .
Shirley and I are learning a lot about communication. Every adventure needs to be a learning experience as well as a holiday.
All three of us have threatened to cancel the trip at one time of another. We all then agreed to work it out. I took the lead on this. I apologized (tenth step) and surrendered control to my hosts.
As we speak, the trip is being revised again as we become more and more aware of America's penchant for hidden fees. It is amazing what they do not tell you about a hotel when you book a room. Everything that used to be included is not an extra fee---parking, use of the swimming pool, etc. etc. Also, because of rising gas costs, Uber has doubled its rate. Soon, they will be charging extra to have a bathroom in your room. LOL
Shirley thought maybe she picked a bad time. With the world in a state of chaos right now, the soon the better, in my opinion.
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 11, 2022 20:55:44 GMT
Saturday . . .
Now that the trauma of buying a bathing suit is over, I met with Shirley and apologized for doing too much planning. I had it in my head that since I was the host, I was also the tour guide. So, I turned the trip over to her and Stuard. Here is our new itinerary.
Thursday, June 23, arrival at San Francisco International Airport
Van to the Graduate Hotel in Berkeley
On Friday, tour of the UC Campus where I went to school and worked for 25 years
Dinner and a few lattes.
Saturday, Uber to Hyatt in San Francisco Fisherman's Wharf.
Three nights together touring San Francisco
Home to dream about the trip.
Back to my regular routine of zooming every morning and going to meeting together.
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 11, 2022 21:30:21 GMT
Saturday afternoon . . . When someone gets angry at me it triggers my fearful inner child. When someone wants some space, my inner child assumes they are angry at me. This leads to panic and a relentless effort to get in touch with this person. This happened the other day with Shirley and afterwards I explained my need to keep communication going. Also, in recovery, I want to learn to give people space without having a panic attack. Every relationship is a chance to further our recovery. Shirley and I are recovery buddies. We are learned about our inner children and how not to trigger each other. I love recovery . . . Attachments:
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 12, 2022 0:01:10 GMT
Not for prime time . . . If you are homophobic, skip this. I am not gay, but a lot of my friends are. So, I have always wanted to go to the Gay Pride Parade in San Franciso. This year it will be on the weekend I am in the city. I will take the cable car from Fisherman's wharf to downtown SF and watch the parade. I am going alone but that is fine. I am so excited about this. I just want to add that God picked these dates, not me or Shirley. God had us change our itinerary 3 times so I would end up in the right place at the right time. God is good. Other sightseeing locations to come . . . Attachments:
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 12, 2022 19:49:35 GMT
Sunday . . . The planning of this trip has made me aware of a few things. San Francisco is a beautiful city and I have lived across the bay for 72 years. I was born in Berkeley in 1948. My father was a student at UC Berkeley. I attended Cal and graduated in 1978. I worked on the campus for 25 years at the School of Law. I always thought that being a secretary was a waste of my time because I really see myself as a writer. But as I researched the School of Law, I have become aware that it a very renown place and that the professors I worked for were very famous. One man in particular was named Professor Feller. We were very close. I knew his wife and planned his funeral. I did not know at the time that he was famous. I lived a very exciting life and never realized it. Attachments:
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 14, 2022 20:14:12 GMT
Tuesday . . . After about ten adjustments, here is what we all agreed on. Today I took down my suitcase from the closet and found some things from my last trip. I reminisced about my last trip. It was to Dallas where we had a memorial for my late husband Frank. I still miss Frank and wish he were going with me. I have been a widow for almost three years now. Here is the fantasy itineray. Fantasy itinerary . . . subject to fate . . Board plane to San Francisco on Thursday Arrival around 2:15 PST Van to Graduate Hotel Greet each other . . . exciting time Rest Friday . . . Rest and walk to Law School around the corner where I worked for 25 years. Eat Hang out and rest Saturday . . . Take Uber to San Francisco Hang out until 4:00 pm check-in Check into the Hyatt Centric Dinner, sleep Sunday . . . Susan goes to Gay Pride Parade on cable car Monday . . . Tour the city on Hop on Hop Off bus. Tuesday . . . Boat rides Wednesday . . . Susan goes home on East Bay Paratransit Thursday . . . Open (Susan may take paratransit back to SF) Friday . . . Open (Susan may take paratransit back to SF) Saturday . . . Open (Susan may take the van in) Sunday . . . Susan attends a Quaker meeting at home. Monday . . . Fourth of July fireworks display on the pier (world famous) Susan will come in on paratransit. Tuesday . . . Uber to Claremont Wednesday . . . Hang out at the pool. Susan bought a bathing suit (sigh) Thursday . . . Van to the airport. Fly home. Reminisce for the rest of our lives. Attachments:
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 15, 2022 21:09:36 GMT
Wednesday . . . I got distracted today by life. I am estranged from my granddaughters and all I ever get is a graduation invitation every four years. I just found out that I am not invited to her college graduation. Since my daughter died, my son-in-law has not allowed me to see my granddaughters and it is very painful. Still . . . I am very proud of her. She goes to Pacific Union College, which is a Seventh Day Adventist college that trains students for service. She is going to Loma Linda University in the fall to begin a Ph.D. program to be a physical therapist. She is graduating with honors. Attachments:
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 22, 2022 21:49:11 GMT
I have been packing my bag in my head for the last week. Today, I packed it for real. Tomorrow Kim arrives at the airport, and we are going to rest and celebrate and hug each other. God is good . . .
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 23, 2022 16:15:07 GMT
Today is the day Shirley is coming to see me in San Francisco. I have found that anticipation is almost as exciting as the actual event . . . but not quite. LOL I am meeting Shirley and Stuard at the hotel in about five hours. The flight was not cancelled so all should go well for phase one of our time together. I am so excited. Shirley is the girlfriend I never had as a child. I was too obsessed with boys. I have found that in recovery, God gives us many of our childhood dreams. I have wanted to be a writer since I was ten. Wish granted. I always wanted someone to love me as much as I loved them. Thanks Frank. I have always wished I could have faith. I do now. I always wanted best friend to have fun with. Wish granted . . . Attachments:
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 29, 2022 17:35:06 GMT
I have been having too much fun to post in my journal, but here is a synopsis of what has happened to far . . . please forgive me for some of my more cynical comments.
I arrived by bus to the graduate hotel. There was loud music playing in the lobby. I had a migraine and asked them if they could turn it down. The woman at the desk rolled her eyes and said, "Everybody likes this music." "I said, "If you are young." The good news is that another woman at the desk was very kind and she let me check in early. I spent the next two hours going down to the lobby to look for Shirley and going back to my room for some peace and quiet. Being sensitive to noise because of my migraines is really a handicap.
I was in the lobby when Shirley and Stuardd arrived. We both let out a spontaneous scream. I jumped up off my chair and ran over to give Shirley a hug. We were so happy to see each other.
We put their suitcases in the room and went down for dinner. Due to Covid the restaurant advertised on the website was closed, but you could order food from the bar. This is when I went into sticker shock. $15 for a hamburger. Ouch!. However, the food was delicious.
We all went to bed . . .
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 29, 2022 17:51:59 GMT
The bed was really soft and comfortable. It was like sleeping on a cloud. Shirley called about 8:00 and told me they were in the lobby. I got dressed and met them at the bar. I ordered a latte for only $7. Amazing. After breakfast we walked over to the UC Berkeley campus. We walked over the famous Campanile and rode up to the top of the elevator. We met a lot of people from other countries and looked at the beautiful view of the whole Bay Area. We could see San Francisco from the tower and when we got to San Francisco, we could see the Campanile from there. Interesting. My mobility leaves a lot to be desired, but I pushed myself to keep going and I wanted my friends to enjoy the most beautiful; university campus in the world. My history. Great Uncle, George Peabody, 1896. No tuition as UCB is a public university. Father, Donald Peabody, 1950. My mother went into labor on the campus where my father was a student in 1948. Susan Peabody, class of 1978, Phi Beta Kappa, History major. Susan Peabody, 1979, teaching credential. Son, Karl Mcknight, 1993. We are going back in a week for a golf cart tour to see the entire campus. Attachments:
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 29, 2022 18:02:06 GMT
The Graduate Hotel is designed for young people and there was a concert that weekend, so we decided to move on early to the next hotel.
We took an Uber to the Hyatt Centric in San Francisco. Uber is great because the meter is not running if you run into traffic.
The hotel is beautiful. I highly recommend it for decor. However, like our other hotel, there is a lot of hidden costs. They charged us an extra $30 to check in an hou early, and the restaurant did not serve lunch. It also became apparent that Fisherman's Whart was not just outside the hotel, but 4 blocks away. Still, it could have been worse.
I got a craving for a Starbucks and this is when all three of us starting controlling. We got lost and everyone gave us different directions. By the time we got there, we were all exhausted and irritable. But our spirits picked up when we went for our first boat ride under the Golden Gate bridge and around the island of Alcatraz. Shirley got sun burned, but we all had a great time. We then went back to the hotel and had a nice meal . . . expensive but great.
We all went to bed early.
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 29, 2022 18:17:01 GMT
On Sunday we took Uber to downtown San Francisco to watch the Gay Pride parade. We all loved the costumes. I especially liked the Dykes on Bikes. Thrilling to watch. The biggest shock was the nude men. We all laughed and stared at these guys. I loved the parade. We stayed for an hour and went back to the hotel to rest. Then dinner and a good sleep. On Monday we got on a tour bus that went around the city. Golden Gate Park was beautiful. When we got to Haight Asbury it brought back a lot of memories. The bus rode past the park when I smoked my first marijuana cigarette with a man, I just met who would end up being my husband and the father of my son and daughter. It was a bittersweet moment. A lot of San Francisco was run down and there were a lot of empty apartments because the landlords got greedy and raised the rents so high that nobody could afford it, but the park and the Civic Center was beautiful and very clean. When we got back, we rested and then went for a swim in the pool on the third floor. Very nice, heated pool. I kept going back and forth between the pool and the hot tub. It was thoroughly enjoyable. Kim and I started swimming and laughing and having a great time. We met a lot of people from other countries who spoke better English than we did. The other tourists were very friendly. After our swim, I took a shower, and we all went down to dinner. Great restaurant with great food and service. We met Boris who is the best waiter I have ever met. After dinner we all went to bed. Thoroughly enjoyable day. Thanks Shirley and Stuart. Attachments:Gay Pride.webp (179.56 KB)
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Post by Susan Peabody on Jun 29, 2022 18:31:45 GMT
On Tuesday, I checked out of my room, and we all went down to breakfast. Stuart loves oatmeal. I like French toast. Then, we walked down to Fisherman's Wharf where we got on a tour bus to take us to Sausalito and Muir Woods. I had to get pushy to get a window seat away from a child. Felt kind of guilty afterwards, but I got a good view. The tour guide was named Doug. When he started talking about the hippies in the 1960's, Shirley told him we have an original hippie on the bus. So, I raised my hand and introduced myself as a hippie from the summer of 1968, one year after the Summer of Love in 1967. Great fun. When we got to Muir Woods we disembarked, and the tour guide went and got a wheelchair for me. It was Shirley's idea, and it made the day for me. Thank you Shirley and Stuart for pushing me up and down the trail. I had forgotten how beautiful the redwoods are. Just amazing. We took lots of pictures and had a load of fun. We also met a very nice tour guide who went to forestry school at UC Berkeley. Very nice. The tour bus then took us to Sausalito where we had lunch is posh restaurant. Great food. Then, we walked back to the docks and waited on the ferry back to San Francisco. I tried to get on top of the ferry, but the wind was really strong, so I went inside and enjoyed the view. After we arrived back at Fisherman's Wharf we took an Uber back to the hotel, but my feet had developed blisters and I could not walk. We then had a nice dinner and Stuart and Shirley put me on the bus to go home. Everyone is going to rest and then meet up again in a few days. Today, Wednesday, I am going to begin to document my great adventure and begin ruminating about it all. Attachments:
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