The wife had connected us with a fantastic deal through AirBnB at south Lake Tahoe on the California side. The place was on a water channel in a marina community and was a four bedroom house. To boot, it was a chance to see snow (still unique for these transplanted Floridians) and ski at a nearby mountain called Heavenly.
This all sounded idyllic. And frankly it was.
The trip included my grandson, the wife and I. Travel was a long day with a connecting flight hauling around luggage and a big bag of snow gear for the three of us, but we had done it all on airline points so the inconvenience versus the price made it worthwhile. We started on my 165th day of being alcohol free.
Frankly our first day there was a day of driving, acclimatizing, planning for the days ahead and grocery shopping. For what we would spend on a single meal, we could buy a few days worth of groceries. Plus the added waste of time of loading up and heading out constantly would burn a lot of time.
Still somewhat fatigued the day after our arrival we went to one of the mountain resort rental places and arrange for boots, ski’s and poles and headed up the mountain to Patsy’s run at the top of the Aerial Tramway, thinking it was a beginner slope.
In two runs after a lot of time, anxiety, frustration and with hunger eating at our bellies we bagged it for the day. Patsy’s run wasn’t as beginner as some of us needed.
** Note to self: Do more homework on where the real bunny slopes are before days before heading out to ski.
** Note to self: Arrange for Lift tickets a week or more in advance for cost savings.
** Note to self again: Don’t head out to ski just before lunch on an empty stomach and hydrating.
Leaving that stressful afternoon on the slopes exhausted and still fatigued from traveling the day before we headed to a nearby place for some much needed grub. We found McP’s, a nice Irish themed place that had a hearty and unique menu.
As we sat down and the wait staff brought us iced tea’s, the wife and I realized there were large inviting stein’s of beer around with other tables. I saw dark beer, light beer, and golden beer. My taste bud’s ached for it. And with football on tv, the environment was set up for a perfect beer drinking experience. The wife and I exchanged glances, but remained strong. After I tore into some onion rings and hydrated on a couple glasses of iced tea, the urge abated.
I realized that I walked into a perfect environment with a perfect mindset that could trigger my drinking. When I realized I was driving, I was in a strange place so I wanted my wits sharp, and my grandson was having a challenging mood (as kids will from time to time), so my drinking wasn’t going to help him or improve my own mood. And, let’s face it, one drinky generally leads to more.
I was able to refrain.
That was day 166, but I got through that couple of hours.
21 Buzzards 