An overview of Oceana High School in Pacifica, where Sarah spent her teenage years as an "ugly, wimpy" boy named Sanford.
This is where Sanford got severely beaten and scarred for life - the boys' locker room.
The school's courtyard has a world map. I walked around the map to trace Sarah's journeys, both as a child and as a flight attendant.
The school does not even have a decent stadium - or even bleachers for that matter. The campus is very run down. Add the cloudy, foggy Northern California beach weather, and Sarah won't feel at home here.
Sarah's first job was as a flight attendant for United Airlines. Thanks to her language skills, she worked international routes - most likely on these planes. These planes may be very familiar sights for me, but now that they are settings for my novel, they feel special.
San Francisco City Hall, where gay marriage licenses were issued for a few months in 2004. My writing instructor suggested that I could possibly get Sarah and Kirsten married here, though I decided that the timeline won't work. (By the way, the blue BMW in front is my car - and Kirsten gets one of her own after she moves down to Los Angeles and makes it big.)This is also where Melissa Etheridge did a free concert in August 1999. I was there. I am putting Sarah there too.
Sarah's current employer is San Francisco's new Gay Center, at 1800 Market Street. This place did not exist when I lived in the Bay Area...
