Spring Break 2020

Otherwise known as “Staycation – COVID-19 Style”

Several months ago we planned a trip to Montana for our granddaughter’s baptism, and planned it to coincide with their spring break. Well, as you know, a global pandemic due to the coronavirus was declared, just a week before we were set to get on a plane. Our plans were in limbo for a while, not because we were concerned about catching the virus ourselves, but because we didn’t want to inadvertently be the top news story after traveling through a couple of airports – “Florida couple introduces virus to Montana.”

After we made the decision to cancel our trip, President Trump issued the “Slow the Spread” guidelines, and a few days after that, Brooke’s stake president postponed her baptism. I guess we made the right choice. It was still sad and disappointing.

We also still had some vacation days to use, so we did. They weren’t our originally planned activities, but we did enjoy the chance to get out and about. The first day we returned to Haverhill Park to play tennis and barbecue chicken.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and a few other people had the same idea, which meant we had to wait for a court to become available. Fortunately, it was easy to practice our social distancing. Notice that the playground was roped off with orange netting and caution tape; the county was doing their part to protect children.

Early the next morning we drove to Beach Access #35 to watch the sunrise. We figured that our favorite restaurant would be closed (and it was), so we took a picnic breakfast (muffins, yogurt and juice) and enjoyed it while watching a beautiful view. We weren’t the only ones there, but the other visitors were walking their dogs, and we were able to keep our distance just fine.

The day after that we took a picnic lunch to a small city park. This one only had a single table, but that’s okay, because we were the only ones there. While we were there, one other family came and walked the path, but once again we were able to enjoy the beauties of nature without coming into contact with other people.

Sunday, while the rest of the world really was staying at home for church, we drove to the building in Belle Glade, just in case someone showed up who hadn’t received the message. Afterwards we made a few visits so Wayne could administer the sacrament to those in need. We figured since he was on the Lord’s errand, and we were being careful, and there were no known cases of the virus in that area, we would be safe. (It was also before our governor issued his “stay at home” order.) So far, so good.

The last day of our little vacation should have been a beach day. However, by then, the governor had closed the beaches. Too bad, because it was perfect beach weather. Instead, we went to a local nature preserve and took a hike. You can read more about it here.

So, those were our outings. They didn’t fill up all of our time, so we were able to do some fun things at home as well. We made progress on sewing projects, finished up a couple of home improvement tasks, and tried some new recipes. One lunch Wayne got to try authentic Korean ramen; it wasn’t quite what he remembered from his childhood (so I’ll still be looking for that), but it was definitely hot and spicy. It turned his eyes red and his lips orange and gave him puffy cheeks. Mala – which means numbingly spicy – was an accurate label. I chose something else to eat.

We also watched a couple of movies, but tried not to have the news on 24/7. That would have been too depressing!