September 11th, 2019

I was warned that San Francisco was dirty and unsafe. "The traffic is terrible," multiple people said. Well, to be honest, there were a lot of homeless on my way out at 12 am after the concert (a few blocks from the Chase Center) but, if you go to the North Beach (Pier 39) it seemed perfectly fine since that's the tourist area.

I found this great website (of course they have an app too) that you can reserve a parking space. The one I used is called SpotHero. Since I went down there at about 3 on a weekday, finding a spot wasn't an issue BUT, I saved $ using the app. The garage I parked in (Pier 39 Garage) is $10 per hour. If I hadn't reserved and paid $25 for parking through SpotHero, it would've been $40. Dang cool!

I wandered around, checked out a few stores, then sat down to have some Fish and Chips (and a top shelf Margherita - it was happy hour afterall) at Lou's. It was all delicious. I sat, watching people go by, listening to all the languages. It was lovely. Such a mix of people and everyone was enjoying themselves (well, except one man and woman - the man was following quickly behind. He said something in his language, she stopped, turned around, scolded him in their language then stormed off again with him trying to keep up).

I enjoyed walking through the ZK Gallery. There were several pieces sold. THAT'S the kind of Gallery to be in. A $20k painting was headed to France. Way cool. I'm following them on IG now. It definitely made me want to get to work! But alas, I must drive today.

I sat at the end of the pier, listening to the birds and sea lions. The sound of the waves hitting the pilings was rhythmic. The sun was just a few hours from setting. The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz both visible, I watched as the final tour boats sailed away. No one bothered me. Everyone was enjoying their own space. Sitting here, nearly an hour, I decided I had to go to a beach to watch the sunset. I did a quick search and found a few nearby (one had a lot of nudity according to the site - I went to the other instead 🤣 I love the human body but wasn't in the mood...I just wanted the sunset).

Gollum travels with me. He was given to me by a former student who spent hours in my classroom after school (if you're reading this, hello Hannah). She knew I love the Lord of the Rings but was totally creeped out by Gollum. She gave him to me because I had the innate ability to creep her out as well. 🤣 I typically walk softly so I could appear next to students without them even knowing (I scared many over the years). One particular time, after school, Hannah was sitting in my yearbook room with a friend on the floor as I worked on editing yearbook pages that students had submitted (don't miss the hours of editing but I miss my "kids"). She was talking about her boyfriend and how needy he was. Hanging off her, always needing to be around her, and it made me think of Gollum. So, in my spontaneous nature, I jump out of my seat and do a Gollum crawl toward her saying "my precious" as I go. FREAKED her out, the friend (hi Stephanie) and I laughed - eventually Hannah laughed. From then on, she found or drew me Gollum. So, he rides along in my truck and I take pictures of him in different locations and send them to her (and my Bri - hi Bri). So don't be surprised when you see pictures of Gollum. He's my travel companion. 🤣

As I sat on the beach, there's a young man with a professional camera. He's snapping pictures and I ask if I just stepped in front of him. I'd already taken my Gollum picture. He says "no, I just was getting my little prop out." His was much more spiritual (a little Hindi sculpture). I laugh and say "hey I have one too... well, not the same as yours but a little prop." It was nice to have another creative to sit near as the sun set.

The sun has set on my stay here. I must start the preparation for my drive. I'll be back in Boise on Friday for sure. But, I'll talk to you again before then. Love you all! Have a beautiful day! Go do something spontaneous today!

OH...btw - I didn't think traffic was bad at all. Just go with the flow and all is well. Granted, the cars squeeze in from lane to lane; but, as long as you're paying attention, it's just fine.