Fourth Annual Trip Post script

by Donna Swagerty Shreve

I wrote the Fourth Annual Girls’ Adventure more as a narrative for future reference than a reveal of the true tensions involved. I call it constipated writing. Sometimes it is best to skim over the surface and not hurt feelings with your own feelings.

Four years ago a dear friend reached out to me to organize a girls’ trip to Ashland as she had had such a great time a few years previously. Due to unforeseen health problems two of the original women going on the trip had to drop out. To make the trip possible, I needed two replacements.

I chose Melanie who I have known since grammar school when we were in Camp fire girls together. She is a great traveler and easy to get along by anyone. The fourth person was my sister-in-law Mary Lou. She was not one to travel without her husband, my brother but I knew she loved Ashland as that is where she went to college and met my brother. With my brother’s help Mary Lou was now on board.

None of the three women traveling with me knew each other. Their only connection was their relationship with me. We were a bit of an eclectic mix. The biggest difference was political. Three of us are strong Democrats and keep up on the current news. Ginny, my original traveler, is very conservative and most all of her friends are of similar opinion. She is in a daily echo chamber and I am one of her few liberal friends. She has, on occasion, brought up politics just to hear my side of an issue. I never bring up politics but do react to issues she brings up.

Our first play this year was an Oscar Wilde play, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” It was very stylized and well done. There was nothing controversial so no issues were brought up. Our next play the next day was “Quixote Nuevo” which had a strong Mexican theme and touched on every issue of immigration. Ginny has shared her views on immigration with me several years before, She was all in favor of the wall and felt the United States was full and did not need any more immigrants illegal or legal. At one point in the play an ICE agent comes on the stage and the Boos in the audience were deafening. Ginny’s comment after the play was she loved the costumes. Her son is a sheriff and quite conservative.

The three of us are housed upstairs and Ginny had quickly chosen the downstairs bedroom that had her own bathroom. The three of us share a bathroom and share kids’ bedrooms. But after four years, we prefer it this way. As we shopped and ate in great restaurants, the four of us were able o find plenty to talk about that was not controversial.

Our hosts gave us breakfast each morning and the six of us gathered in the kitchen and enjoyed various conversations. Deb and Howdy are members of a church that is sponsoring a Ukrainian family. They were discussing the problems the family was having with jobs and housing even with help. Budget cuts were running throughout the community. Deb and Howdy have never hinted at their political leanings but this year the gloves were off. Deb referred to “our jerk of a president” and mentioned a few other concerns she had. Ginny was silent but was obviously puckering. 

We stop in Redding each year on our way home to have lunch with friends that Melanie, Mary Lou and I have in common. Melanie and I went to school together with Peter and Mary Lou knew him and his wife from when she lived in Redding for over 30 years. Ginny had no connection. I had mentioned to Peter that Ginny was quite conservative but Susan, his wife had forgotten. Lunch was slow and we had plenty of time to catch up. Peter and Susan are quite liberal and live in a now ultra conservative Redding which was taken over by MAGA several years ago. Susan started in on the latest developments and again Ginny was silent but puckered once again.

After everyone was delivered, I was not sure Ginny would want to return for a fifth year. I sent a group email to ask if they were committed to the next year with the play offerings and me not driving.

Melanie and Mary Lou quickly responded and said they definitely wanted to return and the play selection was fine. I was just about to call Ginny when there was not response after several days. I was convinced she would not want to return.

I then received a text from Ginny saying she would drive, liked the play selection and she would help by doing the restaurant reservations. I know that if, in the future, I was in need she would be there for me. It is a lesson that we must keep our connections with friends who do not agree with us on political issues but can make connections through other venues.

858 words

10/13/2025

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