ANOTHER GREAT ADVENTURE?

Son Murray is moving from Philadelphia where he has lived for nearly 40 years to the Salt Lake area. As he concluded the process of selling his condo, he packed his car with everything important to him. Then he suffered a physical setback and needed help in order to leave Philly. A rescue mission was organized by son Yancey. Daughter Hallie met Yancey in Philly on Friday (Aug. 7), assisted with last minute condo cleaning, and then left Philly for Denver driving Murray’s car. Yancey flew back to Denver with Murray.

And that’s where Mike comes in. He flew to Denver last night (Monday) and will drive Murray in his car to Salt Lake City and then return home on Thursday.

So, although this does not involve me directly, it’s been stressful anyway – family members flying and driving across the country during a pandemic. The creative muse all but disappeared, but basically, all has gone well.

Hallie at the Kansas statehouse

How lucky we are these days to have cellphones and the ability to communicate instantly! Hallie set a goal to visit the statehouse of the states she passed through (provided it was on her route, of course), posting photos on Instagram. As she drove through Kansas, I asked her if it was black and white, as depicted in The Wizard of Oz. “Might as well be,” she replied.

Late Tuesday afternoon, Hallie reported that she would visit the statehouse in Denver before driving to Yancey’s. “You’re going to downtown Denver?” asked Mike, adding that the traffic in Denver is terrible. “I live in Seattle,” countered Hallie.

Hallie at the Colorado statehouse

I wasn’t super-worried, but I was still relieved to know Hallie had arrived at Yancey’s – and further relieved to know that Mike had also arrived.

Well – it’s not really a staycation for Bess and me, but the effect is the same. And all things considered, especially that Mike will only be away two full days, we decided not to go to the farm. By the time I pack, load, unload, unpack and then do it again in two days, it hardly seemed worth it.

Will there be staycation gifts? We'll see. KW