Happy St Pat's Day-one year later

 

Happy St Patrick’s Day

One year ago today at around 5 PM we arrived back home from our 15 day cruise to Hawaii and back from San Francisco.  Except that the 15-day cruise ended after a total of 25 days.  We did get to all four of the scheduled islands as planned but four days after leaving the Big Island, we learned that there were passengers and crew on board that had been exposed to COVID 19!

As a result, we were quarantined in our room on the ship for eight days and then flow to Miramar Marine base in San Diego for five more days.  We had nice accommodations there though the food was not cruise ship quality!  But with the help of Chris, our nephew and Washington State Representative, we received help from our Senator’s office and the Washington State Infectious Disease director.  We were flown home in five days, unlike residents of other states who stayed for the normal 14 days of quarantine.  We did have 14 days of home quarantine once we got home.  The others did 14 days at Miramar and other military bases and still had to quarantine 14 days at home.  Thank you, Chris.

We posted all of the above as it was happening so many of you have heard it. 

Once home we did the 14 days in home.  So, what has the past year been like for us?  Most likely just the past year has been for you.  We closed into a very small ‘bubble’, consisting of less than six people.  We wore masks when out on our daily walks.  We ordered groceries online and had it delivered to the car in the Fred Meyer parking lot.  On a very few occasions we ventured into a building.

Now, a year later, we are vaccinated against the virus although we don’t know how much protection John will have with the immunosuppressing drugs.  We’ll continue to be cautious in who we are around, less so hopefully once most have been vaccinated.  We have been home for 365 consecutive days.  In our 30 years of marriage, we have never spent a whole year at home; we have always had a vacation away from home.  And often, several trips in a year.

All of our volunteering has ceased leaving lots of time to fill.  John took up rock painting and we hide those rocks along the trail we walk daily.  They are left for others to find and either take home and enjoy or rehide for someone else.

Colleen had just finished having cataracts removed from both eyes.  Hopefully she will not need reading glasses once the vision settles.

Hope you are all well-stay safe!