In the beginning . . . .

Hands down my favorite images of this past year belong to our precious granddaughter – Baby J. We hit the ground running the first quarter of the year with our usual, busy, crazy schedule. We were with Baby J for her first birthday; I was off to a fun annual girlfriends trip on Sea Island; we met-up with my brother and his family in Naples for a special family dinner to celebrate my Mother’s 89th birthday (combined with a trip to the Shy Wolf Sanctuary); took my husband for an overnight at the Hard Rock’s new landmark hotel for a Jerry Seinfeld show, and flew back north to take care of Baby J while her parents took a short break. Before you knew it – it was March.

During our visit to Baby J in the DC area, the news was alarming. I was wary, sitting in the very crowded American Airlines waiting area at Reagan National Airport, nervously looking around, hearing people reflect on the big conference many fellow travelers had just attended. Seems impossible now, but no one wore masks back then. Very shortly after we returned, I began to hear about people from that DC conference who were exposed to the virus. That first March weekend a historic preservation group I volunteer with, held an extremely successful garden tour on a perfect spring day. About a week later and Miami-Dade (unlike the rest of Florida) shut down.

The new reality was staying at home, cooking a lot (started ordering Hello Fresh for variety), sharing the property grounds with peacocks (and crocs) for long walks around our community. Even the golf course was closed, so we, thankfully, had lots of room to roam. We were blessed. Horrified at the daily statistics, both relieved and feeling guilty that we no longer had to report to work like so many essential workers or needed to work like so many others who had lost jobs. We tried hard to support local businesses and give support where we could.

We reconnected with ourselves, reached out and caught-up with absent friends, and spent more time on our terrace than in all the prior years combined. We live in paradise and the warm weather was just another blessing as we watched what was happening in Europe and New York.

Keeping busy was no challenge. I finally found time to work on this blog (what to write in a travel blog when you are not traveling?) and enjoyed the virtual education trend that allowed me to participate in many interesting experiences, courses, and seminars. Oddly, I found it difficult to even read about travel and impossible to do any trip planning, better just to focus elsewhere. I do miss the adventure of experiencing new places and cultures but am just grateful to have been able to spend any day possible with Baby J.