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Joined December 2019Living in: Colorado Springs, United States
  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day14

    SQD14: And We Remain Healthy!

     Yesterday in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 27 °F

    Self-quarantine day 14 ... the last day.
    Stay @ home order day 9.

    It's over ... the SQ, that is. We'll still social distance for the foreseeable future, but it feels good to know that we didn't pick up anything during the two days it took us to get from İzmir to Colorado Springs. Now to remain as healthy as we are the moment 🙏🏻

    To be frank, we didn't have any reason to suspect that we'd come into contact with the dreaded coronavirus while we were traveling. We kept our distance from others. We had "safe" seats on the long-haul flights. We sanitized our seats and anything that we might touch around us using disinfectant wipes. We washed our hands frequently in the lavatory ... disinfecting as an added precaution when we returned to our seats. In other words, we practiced safety measures throughout our time in airports ... on airplanes ... and even in our room at the Hilton @ Logan Airport in Boston. Glad that our efforts were not for naught.

    Woke up to a winter wonderland today. The forecasted snow started late yesterday and continued through the night ... blanketing the area with fluffy white stuff.

    We didn't think we'd gotten three inches of accumulation. So, we figured the snow clearing crew would be a no-show. With that in mind, after breakfast, Mui went out to clear the driveway. He had barely started blowing the accumulation away from the garage door when the crew showed up. Yay! Minutes later, the driveway was down to bare concrete. Any patches that remain will be taken care of by the sun and warming temps.

    There wasn't much in the way of chores today. So, Mui installed my new keyboard tray. It tilts and swivels, allowing me to work more ergonomically ... that's a good thing since I am at my desk quite a bit more these days ... working towards catching up on photo processing and writing projects.

    In fact, today's processing took me to San Diego, California. The date was 21 January 2017. We had a terrific day — visiting the USS Midway Museum ... having a yummy meal at Sally's Fish House ... enjoying a colorful sunset ... and watching San Diego recede amid twinkling lights as we left after nightfall to begin our TransPacific crossing. Love armchair traveling when I can't travel for real.

    I've attached one of the photos I processed from our day in San Diego. Once I get a few more days of photos uploaded, I'll share the link here for those interested in reliving our RTW voyage with us.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. I'll write again when I have something interesting ... or just to catch up.    Read more

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  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day13

    SQD13: Brrrr! ... Otherwise, All's Well

     April 2 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 37 °F

    Self-quarantine day 13.
    Stay @ home order day 8.

    Did I describe Colorado's spring weather as finicky in a previous footprint? Yes, I did ... and it is oh so true.

    The forecasted 53F must have been reached before we even rolled out of bed this morning. The temp has been going down steadily all day ... I just checked Weather Underground for our neighborhood and it's down to 21F now. Snowflakes are floating on the air ... nothing sticking ... not yet.

    Yesterday, Governor Polis extended the stay-at-home for Coloradans to the end of April. It's needed IMHO. And we need more people to take it seriously and stay home except when they absolutely have to go out for unavoidable errands, doctor's visits, and such.

    As the stay-at-home order is being extended, we are nearing the end of our self-quarantine. Just one more day left.

    Our days are well and truly settling into a routine. A few chores ... some fun stuff. Before we know it, the evening hours are approaching. Dinner and a couple of shows on TV pretty much wrap things up. Thank goodness for Netflix ... we're binge-watching "The Crown." What can I say ... need fluff entertainment these days.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy, One more SQ post tomorrow, and then I will only write if I have something exciting or different to report.    Read more

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  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day12

    SQD12: April Fools

     April 1 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 66 °F

    Self-quarantine day 12.
    Stay @ home order day 7.

    I wish this whole pandemic thing was just a stupid prank being played on us for April Fools. That when we wake up tomorrow there will be no coronavirus. That everyone who has been stricken with it will be well. That everything will be back to normal. Yeah right ... that's not going to be the case, is it? So let's continue to take all the precautions necessary to reduce the spread and flatten the curve. It's all we can do.

    Today we had some federal forms to complete. And they required signatures to be notarized. One would think that the requirement to do so would have been waived. After all, we're all either encouraged to or are under orders to stay at home. No such luck.

    So we called our bank to see if there was a drive-through notary option we could take advantage of. No ... lobby service was required. The good news, to limit the number of people in the bank at any given time, an appointment was required. Alrighty then ... 2:00p it shall be.

    There were indeed very few people inside the bank ... one of only three branches in the area with lobby service for the foreseeable future. It took all of five minutes to get the necessary notarization done ... our sanitized driver's licenses in a sanitized baggie ... the notary using fresh-out-of-the-box gloves to touch everything ... us using our own pens to sign the papers ... she using her own pen to complete her notary journal ... all three of keeping our distance.

    A quick stop at the post office to use the automated system to get the necessary postage to send off the form. And our outing was completed.

    I have to say that I was disappointed to see all the cars on the roads ... and in the parking lots at the various malls we passed. No way all those people were out to do "essential work." In our community, we've been isolated from the goings-on in the rest of Colorado Springs. I guess not everyone is staying at home like they should.

    Believe me we would have postponed our outing if we could have ... but that wasn't in the cards. You bet, however, that now that we've got the documents in the mail, we'll be back to our stay-at-home routine.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy    Read more

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  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day11

    SQD11: Routine is Good

     March 31 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    Self-quarantine day 11.
    Stay @ home order day 6.

    Routine is good ... but it does make for boring journal entries. There's really nothing to write about that anyone would be interested in. Yet, time is flying rapidly ... three more days before our SQ days are over 🤞🏻. Not that we plan to rush out and socialize ... no, we'll be keeping our distance physically. Thank goodness there are "online" means of keeping in touch with family and friends.

    We had a gorgeous day here in Colorado Springs today. Just terrific. Blue skies — sunshine. Even though the high today was only around 66F — and that wasn't reached until around 5:00p — it felt much, much warmer in the sun ... even in the early hours of the morning. T-shirt weather for sure while I was sitting on the deck at 9:00a, enjoying my morning tea. Mui went biking ... and later in the day, we went for a neighborhood walk to enjoy the delightful weather further.

    We know this weather won't last, however. Colorado's spring is finicky. So we'll make the most of it while we can. Indoor chores can wait for when we have those blah days and have to stay indoors.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And here's a cute washy washy reminder video I’ve attached to this footprint.    Read more

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  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day10

    SQD10: Nothing Exciting

     March 30 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Self-quarantine day 10.
    Stay @ home order day 5.

    A rare overcast day in Colorado Springs ... though the sun did peek out occasionally as it is doing now. As unexciting as the weather was, so was our day. A typically routine day.

    We had some travel odds and ends lying around, so after breakfast, I went downstairs to what I call the travel storage room ... located under the staircase. All are put away now ... the luggage back where it belongs.

    After our morning walk up to and around the neighborhood lake, we each set about doing our own thing.

    For Mui, that involved a bit of work in the kitchen.

    I sat at my desk and processed photos from our 2017 voyage around the world ... 14 days down ... 166 more days to go. The advantage of coming back to the thousands of photos from that adventure now is that my emotional attachment to them is not as strong and I am finding it easier to toss a lot more of them in the virtual trash bin.

    That's it ... hey, I did say it was a routine day ;-)

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy.    Read more

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  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day9

    SQD9: Quiet Is Good

     March 29 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    Self-quarantine day 9.
    Stay @ home order day 4.

    All's quiet on the homefront. Nothing exciting to report … and that’s a good thing these days.

    After breakfast, Mui set up a corner on the deck for me to enjoy the sunny morning. I sat out for a while, enjoying a couple of cups of tea while doing a bit of armchair traveling. He had it on his mind to disinfect his shopping from Thursday and organize everything on the pantry shelves ... so I let him do that 😉

    Mui also baked some banana nut muffins today ... got to make the best use of those bananas that were a little too ripe to otherwise eat. We're going to have to either buy another muffin tin or he's going to have to cut his recipe in half. The muffins that came out of the oven today are oversized ... "Just like the ones as Starbuck's," Mui said. We'll be splitting one for tea ... the rest, we'll freeze for future consumption.

    Today’s exercise walk took us around a different part of the neighborhood ... variety is a good thing. We encountered no more than 10 people in the time we were out ... all maintaining the appropriate social distance even as we exchanged greetings for a good and healthy day. Alas, I've since read on our neighborhood board that some people still don't think that the precautions for stopping the spread of the virus are necessary. I pray they don't find out first hand just how wrong they are.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And follow the recommended precautions to flatten the pandemic curve.    Read more

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  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day8

    SQD8: Halfway Through

     March 28 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F

    Self-quarantine day 8.
    Stay @ home order day 3.

    Yesterday marked 14 days for our potential coronavirus exposure for going through BCN to get to Turkey at the end of the TransAtlantic cruise. We remain healthy. I wasn’t worried, because at the time most of the cases were in Madrid. It wasn’t until days after we flew out of the Barcelona airport that the virus began growing exponentially in Spain.

    I discount any exposure while we were in Turkey for a week. Not only did we practice social distancing, but COVID-19 cases didn’t start exploding until after our departure. And even now, the number is only a small fraction of what we’re seeing in the US.

    But then we traveled two days to get from IST to DEN — with an overnight in BOS. The virus was already exploding in the US by then. So, we will continue to self-quarantine for another week. That will give us two weeks from our departure from Turkey.

    Plus we'll adhere to the Colorado stay at home order for a week after that. But we'll be able to look for solitary hiking opportunities outside the neighborhood during that time frame ... a change of pace is good for our mental health.

    All in all ... a good day.

    After blizzard-like conditions overnight with strong winds that blew most of the powder snow elsewhere around the neighborhood, we got very little accumulation. Where surfaces get the sun, the snow has already evaporated. It’s a bit chilly at 37F, but we’re expecting to get into the high 40F range this afternoon. We’ll delay today’s exercise outing until later in the day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And here’s a link to a video a doctor put together on how to bring your groceries into your house. I think similar precautions can be applied to most anything ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=sjDuwc9KBps&feature=emb_logo

    ON THE FAMILY FRONT

    The short story ... all's well with both our families in Turkey, and my brother, who lives in Kansas City, MO. The Turkish government took the pandemic very seriously and instituted fairly stringent precautions very early on to slow down the spread. While the number of cases is growing, it’s at a far slower pace than here in the US.

    Mom has been quarantining herself since we flew from Spain to Turkey in mid-March. The local health clinic has been checking on her daily by phone to ensure she's well. She is now cleared from any possibility of exposure from the trip to return her to her home in Turkey. Alrighty, time to go out for some exercise.

    But there is a wrinkle. She has to adhere to the stay-at-home order for 65+ that was instituted by the government last week. Absolutely no going out for any reason. Hefty fines for not following the order.

    The good news? The health care worker told her that if she stays home for another 10 days that she will give mom a permission slip that will allow her to go out for exercise and such ... with appropriate social distancing measures taken when doing so. In the meantime, it's a good thing she has a penthouse condo where she can spend time on the terrace ... when weather permits.    Read more

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  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day7

    SQD7: Sit Down & Be Counted

     March 27 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Self-quarantine day 7.
    Stay @ home order day 2.

    With snow expected this evening, the temperature was predicted to dip drastically as the day progressed. So, this morning I put aside my chores to sit out on the deck while the sun was still out ... making the cool temp bearable. The quiet peace of the morning was broken by birds chirping ... mostly unseen in the trees and vegetation.

    Eventually chores beckoned. Mui and I set out to put checkmarks by those items on today’s list as quickly as possible. Then time to get some exercise. Although there was a rather stiff breeze, the 🌞 won the battle.

    We walked up to the neighborhood lake (a retention pond, really) where we found quite a few families out getting some fresh air. There was plenty of distance between each group, so we joined in to walk partway around the lake before taking a detour that found us walking on the far side of the arroyo. Not another person around ... perfect. The walk gave us a chance to see the grading work that’s been undertaken to reduce the impact of erosion on the sides of the arroyo.

    Lunch today was some of the fresh halibut Mui picked up from Costco yesterday. I had hoped that we might be able to eat al fresco on the deck. No can do ... the temp by then was down to 48F with some hefty wind gusts that made it bone-chillingly cold. As I write this now just before 6:00p, the temp is already down to 35F. The snowflakes that the wind was tossing about are no more, but the smell of snow is in the air ... the mountains that are visible from my home office have disappeared from view. Methinks we’ll get some white stuff overnight. How much? That’s TBD.

    Our 2020 census invitation came in the mail yesterday. So, today Mui and I sat down to complete the census online. The letter said it would take about 10 minutes ... 5 minutes is all it took for us to answer a few household questions and a couple more personal questions.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And sit down and be counted. The official census date is just four days away and according to the update I received today, only 30.2% of households have responded thus far.    Read more

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  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day6

    SQD6: Stay @ Home

     March 26 in the United States ⋅ 🌬 64 °F

    Self-quarantine day 6.

    Another routine day for me. A few chores taken care of early in the day, I found time to relax afterward in the sun on the deck ... until it became too hot and I had to seek some shade. Yes, our sun here in Colorado Springs is quite powerful even when the temp is only in the high 60s. A corner of our deck was protected from the wind — which has been gusting up to nearly 50 mph. It was the perfect place to read for a while.

    Mui, on the other hand, broke quarantine today to replenish some of our foodstuff and other supplies. Why? Because Governor Polis has imposed a stay-at-home order statewide ... for the next two weeks. It went into effect this morning. People are still allowed to go out to shop for essentials, but the order will probably exacerbate the stockpiling we've already seen. Best to get ahead of it Mui figured.

    Anyway, he lucked out by going shopping bright and early. Costco was open at 7:30a — half an hour before the designated shopping hours for those who are 60+. No lines. The shelves fully stocked ... even TP, paper towels, disinfectant wipes, rubber gloves, and all those other nearly-impossible to find items aplenty. The purchase of such things is limited to one per account ... sad that Costco employees actually have to monitor this, but it is what it is I guess. The bonus — we have fresh halibut to add to our menu!

    A stop at the commissary for small toiletry items. A quick in-and-out at Sprouts for fresh goods. All shopping accomplished with a touchless credit card ... and no close contact with anyone. Now we’re topped off again for the stay-at-home order which is essentially adding another week to our self-quarantine period.

    So what does the order mean for us? Nothing much really. I checked the order on the web and what’s outlined is no different from what we’ve been doing to keep any social interactions at a distance. We’re still allowed to engage in “solitary” outdoor activities. For the next week or so, we will continue to get our exercise with neighborhood walks. After that, we’ll start looking at trails and pathways in nearby parks to add a bit of variety.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And stay home. At present, that doesn’t mean being cooped indoors 24/7. Rather it means keeping social distance to do your part in inhibiting the spread of the coronavirus. If you don’t think you can make a difference, just check out the video I’ve included in this footprint.    Read more

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  • Two to TravelDuring the Coronavirus Crisis
    Day5

    SQD5: Unplug

     March 25 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Self-quarantine day 5.

    I don't have anything much to report about today that is different from yesterday.

    Up early ... today's chore-list was checked off by 9:15a. Shortly thereafter we set off for our walk to get some exercise and fresh air ... hoping to get out and back before the winds picked up. We missed the worst of the gusts, which have been blowing at up to 50 mph at times.

    I've begun to process and upload into my SmugMug galleries some of the thousands of photos that I've backburnered in recent years. We've been traveling so extensively that I simply have not had time to deal with them. I enjoy armchair-traveling — reading about the exploits of others — when we're not doing so ourselves. Processing the photos will be another way of traveling virtually during this health crisis we're dealing with around the world.

    All in all ... a good day.

    Stay safe ... stay healthy. And remember to unplug from all the news we're being bombarded with about the coronavirus pandemic. You'll feel so much better for doing so.    Read more

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