Coronavirus Journey, Part 23

by Bill Duncanin Journalon Posted on

Part twenty-three of my ongoing journal entries about life in the time of the 2020-2022 Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. Previous posts: Part One (Jan-Mar, 2020). Part Two (April 2020). Part Three (May 2020). Part Four (June 2020). Part Five (July 2020). Part Six (August 2020). Part Seven (September 2020). Part Eight (October 2020). Part Nine (November 2020). Part Ten (December 2020). Part Eleven (January 2021). Part Twelve (February 2021). Part Thirteen (March 2021). Part Fourteen (April 2021). Part Fifteen (May 2021). Part Sixteen (June 2021). Part Seventeen (July-August 2021). Part Eighteen (September-October 2021). Part Nineteen (November-December 2021). Part Twenty (January-February 2022). Part Twenty-One (March-April 2022). Part Twenty-Two (May-June, 2022).

July 2, 2022

Welcome to the second half of 2022. Seems like time for an update. This July 4 weekend things feel somewhat in flux, suspended somewhere between good and bad. As always, I’d like to take the optimistic view but it’s hard to shake off the negative signals.

In the world at large, a series of inflammatory rulings ending the now firmly conservative Supreme Court’s first full term have roiled the nation. The most egregious but fully expected was overturning Roe v. Wade, but there were plenty of other bad rulings to choose from on gun rights, environmental rulemaking and other topics. We can look forward to the end of June bringing annual bad news from the Supreme Court for a decade or two to come, which is mighty discouraging.

A lead article in today’s NY Times about the polarization of the U.S. has me thinking what if the country devolves into stronger states rights and less federal authority as the conservatives seem to want. Call it the Less United States, a little more like the European Union: a collection of quasi-independent states bound together by a thinner continental authority. One can easily argue this is what the Constitution’s framers intended – indeed, this is precisely what a number of conservative Republicans and judges say. Given the trends in local elections and the outlook for the midterms, they are in a much more likely position to prevail for the time being. So what if they do?

First off, some people can still vote with their feet, moving to the kind of state they want. I’m increasingly glad we happened to land in Maryland, a reliably blue state even if we actually live in a somewhat redder corner of it. Virginia was moving in a better direction but was seduced by Glenn Youngkin in their last governor’s election. Hope is not lost, but I’m glad we’re north of the Potomac.

Even as I type this, though, I know the conservative Republican stance for states rights is really a ruse. What they really want is control of both state and federal government, and will happily impose their will over Democratic blue states just as soon as they have the leverage to do so. Witness the clamor to to impose anti-abortion laws at the federal level to “protect” lives in all jurisdictions.

In somewhat better news, the January 6 Committee investigation is building momentum and seems to be doing a good job eliminating any doubts that Trump and his cronies acted dishonorably (certainly) and criminally (probably) in multiple stages of their post-election gambits. White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson’s surprise testimony last Thursday was damning though not decisive. It may yet force a corroborating witness out of the woodwork, as the Committee has nakedly begged (looking especially at White House attorney Pat Cippolone to fulfill his role as John Dean). Even if it doesn’t decisively prove his criminality, the Committee may be doing enough to damage and discredit Trump that the Republicans can banish the festering virus. It hasn’t happened yet, but hope springs eternal.

Speaking of festering viruses, Coronavius still won’t go away and the trend is on the rise again in the U.S. and globally. Subvariants continue to spread and people are still getting sick, though fewer are dying. The numbers (and concern) are still not irrelevant, though much less of a dominating worry in our day-to-day lives. I include them for old times’ sake. As of this week, Howard County is at high risk again even though Maryland overall is low. Neither Barb, Allie, nor I have tested positive through this whole pandemic, by the way, but it still feels like it’s only a matter of time. 

Numbers:

  • Global cases: 548M; Daily average: 763K; Total Deaths: 6,335,000
  • USA cases: 87.6M; Daily average: 114K; Total Deaths: 1,015,000 
  • Maryland cases: 1,137,000; Deaths: 14,794 (“Low Risk”) per CovidActNow.org
    • 15 states “Low Risk” (Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Nebraska, North Dakota, Maryland…)
    • 17 states “Medium Risk” (Puerto Rico, Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina…)
    • 21 states “High Risk” (Alaska, Florida, California, New Mexico, Colorado…)

The war in Ukraine continues with Russia’s focus still mainly on eastern Ukraine with occasional showers of missiles in Kyiv, Odessa or wherever they want to inflict terror. Both sides seem to retreat here or advance there in incremental moves. Sweden and Finland have decided to join NATO and polls in Ukraine (if they can be at all reliable) show that Ukrainians overwhelmingly (more than 90%) want to join the EU and NATO (75%). Both developments pose substantial threats to Russia and may tempt Putin to act more aggressively rather than retrench as he more wisely should.

So that’s my world summary for the moment. In our immediate lives, things also feel in somewhat suspended animation though it’s mostly of our own choosing. Barb is very happy to apricate (our word of the month) every weekend at the pool…where she is at the moment. Our big plan for this 4th of July weekend is to go see separate movies (Elvis for me, Rise of Gru for her) then have dinner together tonight. Tomorrow evening, Barb will go out with her friend Sheila while I go to a Billy Strings concert, then on Monday we will grill a steak. That’s it. Next weekend we have a couple of meals planned: dim sum in Virginia with Jeremy and Deanie Wu on Saturday and grilling brats at home for Ada on Sunday. We have no other trips planned for the summer, other than looking forward to Allie coming down in early August. Allie is with friends (including Albert) at a beach house in Narragansett for this holiday weekend. Meanwhile, Barb keeps tabs on everyone else’s travels and seeks out tales of delays or stupid behavior. It seems everyone has such tales.We’ll see how Allie’s weekend transpires.

My lawnmower broke down again on Wednesday but with Ron’s help we diagnosed it to be a faulty switch. He ordered me a new one on Amazon; we plugged it in yesterday and it worked, so I’m back in the lawnmowing business. While my mower was down, Janice came and mowed my lawn in half the time I usually take. Seeing her do that and facing the prospect of having to get a new lawnmower led me to consider the possibility of paying Janice to mow my lawn on a regular basis – I’d rather pay her than a lawn service. I could still do trimming and maybe get an electric push mower to do the odd spots in our yard, but I’d also like to get Janice’s help and coaching with our yard. I broached the idea with Ron and may yet discuss it with Janice. I rather like the idea if we can make it work, but it will really be up to her. But for the moment, my mower works again so it’s back to the status quo.

We’ve been invited to a wedding near Charlottesville for one of Barb’s work colleagues in early October. I’m hatching a plan where Barb would take that week off and we would drive up to see Allie for her birthday after the wedding. Barb seems to approve, so we’ll discuss it with Allie after the 4th. 

And that’s about all the news that’s fit to print.

July 6

We had a quiet July 4 at home this year. The noisiest aspect were the fireworks set off by our neighbor at the “castle” on the cul-de-sac. He threw a big party for a few hundred guests, some shuttled in by an Eyre bus from off-site parking. The fireworks were impressive and I had a nice view from our front steps, so thanks!

Barb woke up that day with a bit of a scratchy throat but it didn’t impede her sunbathing at the pool or our evening of steak and Endeavour. She went to work as usual on Tuesday but came home early (for her) before 7pm feeling very tired, feverish and coughing. Whether this is actually Covid or not remains to be seen, but she is definitely sick. She tested negative with a rapid test but went directly to bed and slept fitfully most of the night. She’s working from home today and probably for the rest of the week. She sounds hoarse and is coughing quite a lot; she says she will go lie down but she hasn’t done it yet. I’m staying out on the deck and hope I don’t catch whatever she’s got.

July 11

Well, now we have our own little Coronavirus story to tell. Barb never did test positive because she refused to take another test, but I caught whatever she had on Thursday, July 7, and tested positive the next day. I spent the next few days with mild symptoms which gave me a good excuse to do nothing but watch TV all weekend. Today I’m feeling mostly better, well enough to write this, at least. Since I’ve been compulsively working on this Coronavirus Journal for more than two years I feel compelled to fill in the details.

Barb worked from home Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, but hardly let her coughing, achiness and headaches keep her off the computer or the endless stream of emails and conference calls that are her working life. She took a nap on Wednesday afternoon for a couple of hours, otherwise she stayed on the clock. Your tax dollars still at work. I mostly tried to stay out of her way other than keeping her supplied with liquids and occasional snacks. 

I think my real mistake was sleeping in the same bed while she was having fitful nights on Tuesday and Wednesday. She got up multiple times and insisted on having the TV on to try to help her get back to sleep. That didn’t do wonders for my sleep patterns, though I thought maybe my CPAP machine would help filter out bad germs to some extent. 

I had tickets with Larry for an Orioles game on Thursday night, one I’d selected a month or so earlier as the only game I planned to attend this season. It was against the Los Angeles Angels featuring two likely Hall of Famers that I would mildly like to say I saw in person when I had the chance: Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani. Plus, I had been seduced back in April by an article touting the new patty melt being served by one of the vendors at Camden Yards. I am a total sucker for a patty melt, even though I’ve been disappointed by various ones more often than not. I’m always on the lookout for a good one. Larry had bought the tickets online and I was surprised to see he’d chosen Club Level seats which are the nice ones with access to the air conditioned concession area.

So, I was determined to go to the game even though I’d certainly been exposed to a pretty nasty virus, even if it wasn’t confirmed to be covid. I convinced myself that if I wore a mask full time that would be an adequate precaution. I didn’t bother to let Larry know beforehand about Barb’s illness or my exposure, nor did I let the very slight tingle in my throat that I first noticed on Thursday afternoon slow me down. I let the patty melt cloud my thinking.

As I left for the park, Larry let me know there was some disturbance near the stadium. I tuned into local Baltimore radio to learn there had been an altercation with some of the squeegee kids near the park – a driver who didn’t want his car squeegeed stopped and took a baseball bat from his car to threaten the kids…so one of them shot and killed him. It was a sad and difficult incident on many levels which was bound to reverberate in Baltimore for some time to come, and not a good omen for going to the game, but I was able to easily skirt the area to get to my regular parking garage.

I arrived at Camden Yards about 45 minutes before first pitch, giving me time to walk the lower concourse to see the various new food stands before heading up to Club level to find our seats and track down my patty melt. I wore my mask amid the crowd in case I was already infectious; I estimate less than 5% of the crowd was masked. The story didn’t change in the air conditioned Club level. 

There was a line for the patty melt place and I had to wait quite a while for them to get my order to me. I found a quiet table away from anyone else to finally gobble down the mostly disappointing sandwich. There was way more bread than burger and not enough onion or cheese. Most egregiously, the bread was greasy white toast rather than rye. My search for a reliable local patty melt continues. At least I don’t have to return to Camden Yards for this overpriced one.

Trout at bat with Ohtani on deck
Ohtani hitting
A lovely night for baseball; Trout at bat, Ohtani on deck

The game itself was fun, with the O’s in the midst of their best winning streak in years. Rookie catcher Adley Rutschman hit his first home run in Camden Yards and the O’s won 4-1. Trout and Ohtani were impressive but didn’t actually hurt the O’s – they both hit long outs to Camden Yards’ newly deepened left field. The weather was very pleasant, as was the overall evening. In the middle innings I went to get some popcorn and got a whiskey mule drink that was actually pretty good; I didn’t make much of a dent in the popcorn, however, which was something of a signal that I was off my feed. I was glad to get to this game, had a good time and hoped that I didn’t infect Larry. We didn’t have any other people immediately around us, so I didn’t worry too much about infecting anyone else.

Almost as soon as I started heading home, however, I could feel my health deteriorate, starting with chills and shivers. I made it home by 11pm but was already tired and ready for bed. Barb insisted on taking my temperature and my fever was at 99.9. I was definitely coming down with pretty much the same illness she had. I decided to sleep on the couch so Barb and I wouldn’t disturb each other and also so I could promptly turn the lights and the TV off and try to rest. I moved my CPAP machine to the family room and took some nighttime cold and flu tablets to help rest.

I slept reasonably well despite being on the couch but was still tired in the morning when Barb got up and headed into the dining room for her work day. She made me check my temperature and it was a little over 100 degrees. I shifted my CPAP into the bedroom to sleep some more but also took a Covid antigen test and was not surprised to see the positive result. Barb didn’t seem to think it was obvious that we needed to cancel our weekend plans for meals with friends – we were due to meet Jeremy and Deanie Wu for dim sum on Saturday and have Ada and her dog over for a cookout on Sunday – but once she let them know I’d tested positive they both quickly took rain checks. I contacted my doctor via emails to let them know I tested positive and to see if I should get further tests or medication. The reply was no, just rest for a few days and see if symptoms deteriorated. So that’s what I set about doing.

I stayed in bed most of Friday, napping now and then between Wimbledon semifinals and various shows I had taped. I thought I might read or do some writing but couldn’t summon the energy to do anything beyond watching TV or napping. In the afternoon I felt hungry enough to have some popcorn but otherwise just kept drinking water. I took some Advil during the day, as well. My symptoms basically came down to a low fever, cough, runny nose and general tiredness and achiness. I’m glad that I didn’t feel sick to my stomach nor did the cough get low in my chest. For all my fears of Covid for two years, this round wasn’t a bad sickness; I was grateful for vaccines and that this particular variant seemed to be a relatively milder one. 

I spent Friday evening on the couch again, first watching the O’s win another game then sleeping fairly well after waking up one time in a drenching sweat and changing my shirt. On Saturday morning, Barb got up on schedule and went off to aerobics. I didn’t think it was a great idea for her to go exercising in a room with other people but kept that opinion to myself. I was glad to get the bed to myself for the rest of the morning and moved in there. I more or less watched the Wimbledon Women’s Final, rooting slightly for Ons Jabeur but wasn’t very surprised to see Elena Rybakina pull it out. Good for them. Time for a nap.

Saturday was pretty much a replay of Friday. I spent the day mostly in bed, sort of watching Wimbledon and then various baseball games. I felt good enough for some pea and pasta soup for dinner which induced another full body sweat and a change of clothes but by the end of the day I was starting to feel better. I spent one more evening on the couch, mostly because I was fairly comfortable there and could go to bed earlier than Barb.

On Sunday my cough and runny nose were mostly better and I didn’t feel feverish. I still didn’t have a lot of energy, so again spent more time than I usually do watching tennis, baseball and golf and doing crosswords. I couldn’t bring myself to read, write or do anything more productive, nor did I feel good enough to take a walk. For dinner, I ordered some Voodoo Pasta from the Red Bird Cafe nearby. I was glad to have an appetite back. 

By Monday, my symptoms were basically gone, just occasional sniffles and coughs. I had enough energy to take a walk in the afternoon, though it tired me out. I started working on this post…but, full disclosure, it has taken me the rest of the week to finish it. Even I am put off by the level of mundane detail but, again, I felt compelled to go into detail for the sake of this Coronavirus Journal. I mean, it’s the culminating event in the journal, right? At least I hope there’s nothing coming that will top it. I don’t want to catch the virus again and I certainly don’t want it to be worse.

For the record, in the two weeks since I last looked at the numbers, case levels have risen across the U.S. and the world. Howard County is still the only county in Maryland at a high risk level, though the state as a whole remains low. Dr. Fauci expects there will be one more surge in the fall/winter after this one, but hopefully the pandemic is nearing its “last legs.” Where have I heard that before? Also for the record, Dr. Fauci finally caught the virus a few weeks before Barb and I did. 

Numbers:

  • Global cases: 560M; Daily average: 914K; Total Deaths: 6,361,000
  • USA cases: 89.1M; Daily average: 133K; Total Deaths: 1,020,000 
  • Maryland cases: 1,155,000; Deaths: 14,867 (“Low Risk”) per CovidActNow.org
    • 8 states “Low Risk” (Rhode Island, Maryland, Minnesota, Michigan, Iowa…)
    • 13 states “Medium Risk” (Puerto Rico, North Carolina, Virginia, North Dakota, Nebraska…)
    • 32 states “High Risk” (Alaska, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, California, Colorado…)

So that’s my Coronavirus story for the time being. A week later I am 98% over the symptoms. I’m able to take my full walks and sleep in my own bed. I have a very occasional cough or runny nose but hardly anything out of the ordinary. I feel that my deep breathing is a tiny bit constricted but it’s hard to say whether that’s related to the virus or just being a little out of shape. I expect to try tennis again this coming Monday for a good test of my general fitness. I’ll let you know how things go, eventually.

July 21

For what it’s worth, it rained on Monday evening so I didn’t get a chance to play tennis but generally I’m feeling better and able to take my regular walks. I have a little bit of lingering sinus stuffiness but it’s no big deal, really. So I guess I’ve recovered. Barb and I have an inappropriate sense of invulnerability now that we’ve had the virus – our antibodies must be way up, we figure. We tempted fate and went to the movies (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris) and a restaurant last weekend and lived to tell the tale. 

The world’s attention has been on record-setting heatwaves in Europe and the U.S. this week. Here in Maryland it hasn’t been so bad but we are due to get the worst of it the next few days with temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90’s predicted. So far, Manny and I are able to still sit comfortably on the deck for most of the morning before moving inside for the afternoon. Laurie’s had it much worse in Spain, lacks air conditioning and has to contend with smoke from fires though so far the fires are not terribly close. She’s heading to Norway for a couple of weeks in a few days so should find some relief.

The January 6 Committee holds its final televised session tonight…or at least final in its current sequence. This one will focus on Trump’s dereliction of duty during the riot itself. I don’t expect great revelations from this one, but it will be in prime time and will offer a chance to sum up. I expect there will be one or two more summary sessions around September to issue a final report. In general, they continue to do a good job of preaching to the choir and they may be making some dent in Trump’s overall approval, but he’s still talking about announcing his candidacy for 2024 soon and it doesn’t look like any Republicans have the nerve to stop him, whether or not the Justice Department or other jurisdictions actually indict him. 

Meanwhile, Trump’s candidate for Maryland governor, Dan Cox,  just won the Republican primary handily, thumping Gov. Hogan’s hand-picked successor. The Democratic candidate is still tbd but likely will be Wes Moore, whom Barb and I couldn’t quite vote for in the primary but will be happy to do so in the general election.

We’re looking forward to seeing Allie and Perri in two weeks. We’ve also solidified plans to go see her in Boston in early October. Those will be the highlights for the next few months. Otherwise we’re sticking close to home (and the pool for Barb). I’ve got two concerts this weekend in the heatwave: Norah Jones on Saturday at Pier Six in Baltimore and Rhiannon Giddens with Silk Road at Wolf Trap on Sunday. 

I’ve made some headway on Billzpage summarizing our 2008 trip to Argentina and the Galapagos. When I finish, I can plow ahead with 2008 and onward. I’m feeling the need to get more of the main timeline done but it’s still looking like a project that will take me years. So be it. I still enjoy it. I enjoy doing this journal as well but I wonder sometimes when and how to take a step back and pull some higher value from the effort. For now, I’ll just plug along and see where things go.

July 27

This week I tried to broaden my cultural horizons a little bit. I saw Norah Jones in concert on Saturday in Baltimore, drove to Wolf Trap on Sunday to see the Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens, and yesterday went to see Jordan Peele’s latest film, Nope. They’ve each given me something to think about and cause for further research and listening. The most illuminating and enjoyable was the Silkroad concert. My comments on the concerts are here and the film here. 

I was glad to be healthy enough for each show. I went maskless at the outdoor concerts but wore a mask for the indoor and sparsely attended weekday movie showing. We’ve reached the point where Covid practices are inconsistent and not very meaningful. I trust I won’t get sick, but who knows anymore. As long as it’s not a death sentence we are officially moving on with our lives, thanks very much.

The rest of the world either continues to go to hell or is not doing so badly, depending on what you care to read. We’re either in a recession or not, gas prices are going down and inflation may have peaked or maybe not, the Russians are advancing in Ukraine or maybe the Ukranians are turning the tide…either way that war and its consequences are dragging out. Speaking of dragging things out, Trump appears to be under Justice Department investigation after all but is also raising his profile this week with speeches, threats to start his 2024 campaign and hosting a LIV golf tournament at his Bedminster club. His Republican thug colleagues are making plans to retake Congress and the White House while celebrating Hungary’s Victor Orban at CPAC but wait, the Democrats are about to score some wins with legislation in Congress (maybe). And it’s hot everywhere, though one notes that it’s also late July, so maybe not all that much of a surprise.

Manny and I are just trying to take it all in and get by day to day. Barb continues to work hard but is getting more annoyed by people at work every day and is making more noises about retiring. But no concrete steps yet. The timeline is still next Spring sometime, unspecified. We’ll see. We’re all looking forward to welcoming Allie and Perri in one week. It promises to be the highlight of our travel-less summer.

August 4

Allie and Perri are here, having arrived last night. Yay! At the moment we are all out on the porch, enjoying the morning before it gets too hot. Manny and Perri are more or less getting along. Allie is working and Perri seems not very impressed with the birds. But so far so good. Tonight we will get some tapas at the new Madrid Spanish Taverna that opened recently.

I have several tennis stories to relate, for what they’re worth. Last Friday we were supposed to have an end of season celebration for our erstwhile tennis teams at the club. There was no charge to come play, celebrate the end of the Spring/Summer season and there were prizes promised to the winning teams, of which ours was one, so I was actually looking forward to the event. The weather on Friday, however, was gloomy and threatening. As I drove over, it started raining and by the time I got to the club I got an email the event was canceled. It was par for the course for what had been a disappointing tennis season. Between the mixed doubles team and the supposed men’s doubles weekly pickup time, I had actually played only five times in four months. As a small consolation, the club offered free tickets to the Citi Open tennis tournament starting the next week in DC. I decided I would take the offer and go on Wednesday, the day I was due to pick up Allie in the evening.

In the careful-what-you-wish-for department, last Monday the weather was finally good enough to play men’s doubles. There were four guys so we played 4 games then rotated in the other person. I was doing well and had a good time for an hour or so then got a little tired and rested for one mini-set. I played one more mini-set and was ready to call it quits when another fellow showed up. I agreed to stay and play doubles and we ended up going another full hour to a tiebreaker. Two-and-a-half hours was more than I bargained for. I came home sore and sweaty and collapsed that evening on the couch. I was very creaky on Tuesday as well. 

On Wednesday, I slathered on some sunscreen and headed to the Citi Open. They made a point of recommending Metro since parking was difficult and expensive. I had to reacquaint myself with Metro and take into account some problems they’ve been having with the Silver Spring station causing delays. So I decided to park at the Grosvenor/Strathmore station which was a couple of stops away from the Friendship Heights station from which the Citi Open ran shuttles to the Rock Creek tournament site. Every step of the way was slow for me, being effectively a newbie at everything from the parking lot to the fare cards to finding my way from the station several blocks to where the shuttle buses loaded. Once I finally got on a bus, the driver got lost and the other passengers had to give her directions from their phones. But we got to see some interesting parts of Northwest DC. 

I finally made it to the tournament by 1pm, about an hour later than I’d planned. I needn’t have worried. I did a circuit of the grounds to get my bearings before heading to the main grandstand where I decided to watch three main matches for the afternoon. There was lots of seating available in the main grandstand where I watched the #2 men’s seed, Hubert Hurkacz, lose to rising Finnish mouthful, Emil Ruusuvouri. I stayed to see the #1 women’s seed, Jessica Pugula, lose to Daria Saville. Actually, I only lasted a set and a few games before retreating to the concession area to get a drink and hot dog. I went back to the grandstand for one more match, #3 seed Simona Halep vs. Anna Kalinskaya. Halep ended up retiring two games into the second set. It was never clear if she was injured, ill or just too hot. 

The weather was relatively good for DC in August, temperatures around 90 degrees with low-ish humidity, but after two hours in the sun I was toasted. I don’t know how the players do it. They are all incredibly fit and lean, running around the court and crushing the ball with a variety of spins and finesse. It’s a completely different game than what I play. I’ve gotten spoiled watching tennis on TV where you get replays and lots of different angles, plus an easy switch to other courts/matches if things get too dull. I don’t get the appeal of actually attending a tournament, especially in August in DC. From listening to conversations, it seems many people do it day after day, year after year. I know others who attend the US Open in NY each year. It’s not for me.

On the other hand, I found (thanks to Yelp) a place for dinner that was definitely up my alley. Lao Sze Chuan is a big, new upscale Chinese restaurant on Rockville Pike. The place specializes in Peking Duck and other banquet-worthy dishes from northern and western China. I tried cold Szechuan noodles and “Never Forget Chicken,” another cold appetizer. They were delicious with a slight numbing mala flavor. I had my fill and still had plenty to bring home. I’d love to go back there with some others to explore more of the menu.

Allie’s flight from Boston was delayed slightly but I got to the airport in time to fetch her and Perri. It’s great to have them both here. Manny and Perri seemed to get along pretty well from the outset. We think Perri recognized her surroundings. Allie reported that she had a rough night with Perri bouncing around but we heard none of it.

Highlights for this weekend will be a John Mulaney show at Merriweather for Allie and me, then the three of us go to DC on Sunday to see Six. We have some good meals planned as well. It’s good to have her here.

August 9

We’ve had a very nice visit from Allie and Perri. Here’s a quick recap.

On Thursday, Allie worked from home during the day while the cats and I mostly stayed outside and out of her way. In the evening, we met Barb for dinner at the Madrid Spanish Taverna we recently discovered. I didn’t realize it was Flamenco night on Thursdays which made things pretty noisy but we had a good time as far away from the music as possible. Our actual meal was not the greatest, so I’m not sure how often we will be coming back – we’ve only found a few dishes we actually like so far – but we had a good time nonetheless.

Barb took Friday off and both ladies worked from home for a bit during the morning. Just because Barb took the day off, it didn’t mean she wasn’t going to work. But once it got to be 11am she headed over to the pool. Allie finished her Friday workday a little after noon and we decided to surprise Barb and have lunch with her at the pool. Allie and I had cheeseburgers while Barb had a hot dog, all perfectly adequate. I left the ladies there after lunch. I honestly don’t understand the appeal of sitting in the sun, reading, listening to bad music and paddling kids, but it works for Barb as an escape from work so more power to her. They lasted until about 4pm; I came home to the air conditioning, watched tennis, read and did crossword puzzles. An active lifestyle. 

Allie joined me on an attempted walk outside in the late afternoon but looming thunderclouds drove us back inside. I completed my walk on the treadmill while Allie joined Barb in the bedroom watching TV and puzzling, then we started catching up on season two of Only Murders in the Building. After a couple of episodes, we went to Hot Pot Hero for a fine traditional dinner followed by Soft Stuff ice cream. We returned home to knock off a few more episodes of Murder.

On Saturday, Barb headed back to the pool after aerobics. Allie decided that one day in the sun with the heat, humidity and bugs was enough for her so she and I opted for an afternoon on our own. We thought about going to lunch in Sykesville but after reading several nice articles in a Baltimore Sun insert about Howard County (not online yet, that I can find), we decided to go to Ellicott City. We had to wander a little bit to find a parking place but eventually snagged one and headed to the Manor Hill Tavern. I had their Bird’s the Word chicken sandwich while Allie opted for their fried green tomato one. Both were decent, as were the fries and beer. It’s a good establishment. I should try and drag Barb down there more often.

Allie and I strolled down Main Street, window shopping. We stopped into EC Pops for an overdose of Maryland kitsch and vowed to come back for some kettle corn for Barb (and a cute shopping bag for Allie). We made our way downhill through Ellicott City, heading for the now opened Number Nine Trolley Trail. We noted many newly opened and renovated shops along Main Street. It’s considerably cuter and chic-er than when Allie lived here. I feel bad that I don’t frequent Old Ellicott City often enough. This was a good reminder.

I tried to find the Number Nine Trolley Trail at some point in 2020 during Covid but discovered it was under construction. This was the first time I was able to actually walk on it. We found the entrance just past the Ellicott City bridge on Oella Road. Though it was a hot, sunny afternoon, the trail was mostly shaded and at least a little bit cooler. I was soon dripping in sweat nonetheless, but it was a very nice little walk, slightly uphill for a mile or so. We went about a mile, as far as the Benjamin Banneker Museum (or at least the path to it) before turning around and coming back down the slope. It was a nice little trail and a good excuse to go more often to have lunch and a walk in Ellicott City. When the weather is more conducive.

We walked up the other side of Main Street, stopping at the Cozy Cafe for their bathroom and a coffee for Allie. Another cute place to try sometime – it has changed hands since I last went there. We poked our head in the Ellicott Distilling Company, another new establishment that looks worth a try sometime. We returned to EC Pops to get Barb’s popcorn, then I couldn’t resist going into the chocolatier next door, Sweet Cascades. We bought a selection of hand-crafted chocolates including some intriguing spicy ones. It seemed very European and another temptation to return for. Allie and I were reasonably worn out by our exertions and didn’t want our chocolate to melt so we headed back to the car and returned home for a shower and rest before our next adventure.

The main enticement for Allie to come down this time was to see the John Mulaney show at Merriweather Post. We had dinner reservations at The Food Market at 5:30 in advance of the 8pm show. Allie and I shared plates of charred octopus and fried oyster carbonara (both quite good). I ordered the steak frites and shared some with Allie. And, of course, we plowed through the complementary parmesan popcorn that we love. Allie also had cream of crab soup which unfortunately was a little too rich and creamy for her. Fortunately, she found a restroom in time and was little worse for wear.

We had to kill a little time at Merriweather before the show, which was unexpectedly complicated because they made us put our phones in sealed pouches so no one could record the show. We found that sitting idle for an hour without access to a phone is not easy, especially when one is unprepared with alternatives. It was nice just sitting and talking with Allie, but it has become harder to have a conversation when you have to rely on your own wits and memory and can’t check a device for details, corroborations or updates. The internet has definitely changed us.

I wondered ahead of time how a comedian could command two sold out nights at a 20,000 person capacity venue, much less a nationwide summer tour of such venues. Allie had no such doubts. She and I had seen Mulaney in Boston last November and he was touring basically the same show about his drug intervention and new chapter of fatherhood. Allie was especially eager to see how the show had evolved in anticipation of an eventual Netflix special which we both presume is eventually forthcoming.

There were two unannounced opening acts. Comedian Seaton Smith started promptly at 8pm with a pretty good 20-minute set. He was followed by Dan Levy – not the more famous Schitt’s Creek guy with the same name – but an LA-based comedian who is evidently a good friend of Mulaney. He also did an energetic 20-30 minute set. Both comedians were entertaining but I’m hard pressed to remember any specific bits, nor do I feel like I need to keep an eye on their careers.  

Mulaney started his set remembering the last time he was at Merriweather 20 years ago when he got arrested in the parking lot before a Phish show. Right now I can’t remember what he was arrested for but it was something appropriately dumb and innocuous. Shortly into the show, he spotted a 10-year-old audience member, Jonathan, near the stage; Mulaney engaged in an extended dialog with him and kept directing comments to him throughout the show which was a good running gag. It seems that kids end up at nearly every one of his shows even though the material is plainly inappropriate for pre-teens. He did much of the same intervention material as in November, added a bit more about his baby and had a fun if historically inaccurate section on why America hates Russia (“Name a year that Russia’s been good. You can’t.”).

I enjoyed the show, had a good time, and admired Mulaney’s skills (and perseverance, in the heat). Comedy shows still strike me as a little anticlimactic. There is only so much one guy alone on a blank stage can do. The set can be funny, with a nice rhythm and flow, but there’s little hope for the catharsis or deeply emotional moments one can sometimes find at musical concerts. And there’s no encore. The show is just over and you leave. Allie prefers comedians to musical concerts, but I definitely lean in the other direction. Still, I had a good time and was glad to share the event with Allie. It was the happy culmination of a very nice day. 

On Sunday, we got ourselves going with a Starbucks run for Allie followed by dim sum at Asian Court. We kept the meal relatively light as we had big dinner plans later in the day. But the main event was attending a performance at the National Theater in DC of Six, the musical about the six wives of Henry VIII. We drove down to DC and, with a little time to spare and at Allie’s request, had a drink on the rooftop bar of the Washington Hotel. Photo op!

The show was a dose of industrial strength Broadway entertainment laced with the tiniest threads of actual history. The show raced through the stories of each wife with a song for each one in a variety of modern styles; the program gave a helpful little guide so you can mix and match each style/singer with each wife. Barb and I had trouble understanding the lyrics so here’s a little help with that, too. The whole show was less than 90 minutes including the confetti-filled encore. We briefly saw Arathi, Julie and Maya after the show for a quick hello.

After the show, we made our way to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab a few blocks away. We indulged in a plate of out-of-season stone crabs, a ribeye steak, and sides of onion rings and creamed spinach. A totally healthy meal. They were all delicious and we had a tiny bit left over to bring home. That night we finished the rest of the available episodes of Only Murders in the Building; we will have to wait until October when we see Allie (and her Hulu subscription) in Boston to see the finale of season two. 

The original plan for Monday had been one more pool day. Barb and Allie both took the day off but the plan was thwarted when we learned the club was closing the pool for a staff appreciation day. It became my task to conjure up an alternative. We decided on heading to Annapolis for the day and as I researched restaurants I discovered/remembered that the Reynolds Tavern does an afternoon tea. I was pleased to find that it was available on Mondays and they also served a full menu of lunch options – the perfect mix. 

We drove down, found a place to park and had a very pleasant tea/lunch. The girls each got high tea while I had a nice shrimp and scallop risotto. After a leisurely repast, Allie and I wanted to take a walk down Main Street to the dock but we had to wait a while longer for a random thunderstorm to blow by. Eventually it did, and we left Barb at the restaurant before heading on our stroll. Allie enjoyed getting reacquainted with Annapolis where she hadn’t been in many years. I was able to fill in some local knowledge thanks to years of robot competitions at the Naval Academy.

We found our way back to Barb and made it back home by the late afternoon, in time for me to still take a walk in the neighborhood. Everyone agreed it was a good day even if the girls couldn’t get to the pool. Mission accomplished. We capped things off with a thoroughly unhealthy dinner of Korean fried chicken, scallion pancakes and various sides from the combo Nan Xiang Express and TKK Fried Chicken. The food was not great but there was plenty of it!

On Tuesday, Allie worked from home while Barb went into the office. We met up at the EC Diner for one final early dinner before I shuttled Allie and Perri back to BWI for their flight home. It was a great little visit with them both, despite the hot, muggy, thunderstormy August Maryland weather.

These five days amounted to our summer vacation for 2022. It was an excellent little visit, we ate very well (and too much), saw some interesting and entertaining things, visited a couple of local places that felt like trips away, and had a great time with Allie and Perri. No complaints on those fronts. I wish it could have been longer but with Allie and Barb both working it was not very practical for them to take an extended break. Part of me says it would have been nice to actually travel somewhere nice, but then again it was probably even better to be able to stay home with the cats and our carefully customized creature comforts. 

I’m beginning to question under what circumstances Barb and I will actually want to travel again. There are a handful of places we both still want to see (Australia/NZ, England, Ireland, California…and then what?). Beyond them, I can think of a number of places I’d like to go but I’m not sure how easy it will be to pry Barb from her routines and comfort zones. I can do some of them on my own but it’s not as much fun traveling alone, and it’s not very fair to leave Barb at home dealing with whatever house maintenance issues inevitably crop up. I love the idea of traveling with Allie or Laurie but the practicalities of finding mutually acceptable times and itineraries seem less and less likely. Traveling just seems increasingly inconvenient. It’s safer, cheaper and certainly easier to just stay in our very nicely appointed local bubble and travel vicariously via TV. Besides, we have quite a lot of the world’s interesting cuisines available here in Howard County or not far away in DC or Baltimore and quite a number of cute little towns and attractions within a few hours drive. Two years of living in our pandemic-induced bubble have shown that right here is not a bad place to be, most of the time.

August 16

It’s been a little while since I reported on the state of the world, such as it is. The day Allie left last week, the FBI searched Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home for sensitive documents he was storing there. This set off a firestorm of Republican denunciations and much ink spilled over all media for several days. It’s another instance of Trumpian criminal behavior that, while it might actually result in some form of indictment, seems unlikely to slow him down from running again and maybe winning. In the short term it seems to have had the opposite effect, emboldening him to declare his 2024 candidacy rather than holding off until after the November midterms. The next day, he was deposed in NYC over his corporation’s business dealings and pleaded the 5th more than 500 times. A couple of days later, Rudy Giuliani was informed he is under direct investigation in Georgia for election fraud. Just another week in Trump world. He will not go away.

In the meantime, Biden and Congressional Democrats have scored several legislative victories, adding to a string of actions that cumulatively add up to a pretty impressive track record for the first two years. There is talk that maybe the midterms will not be quite the blowout that had been feared. It’d be nice if it works out that way, but there are a lot of news cycles between mid-August and November.

The CDC modified its Covid guidance last week, noting “Covid-19 is here to stay.” This makes somewhat official the stance that most of the nation, including our household, has taken for many months. The virus is still around but it seems that with our vaccines it is unlikely to kill us, or at least as many of us. Another new variant may change the picture but for now the pandemic is pretty much over. Isn’t it?

For old times’ sake, I’ll do the numbers again but I’m not sure how much longer I will go through these motions. Hopefully I won’t feel the need to. The case numbers have been largely meaningless for some time now; the deaths are all too meaningful but are also probably significantly undercounted. The risk levels are still somewhat meaningful but I don’t think many people are paying attention anymore, if they ever were. Howard County is back at a medium risk level but 5 other Maryland counties are high risk, while another 5 (and the state as a whole) are low risk…not that it affects many daily decisions.

Numbers:

  • Global cases: 591M; Daily average: 814K; Total Deaths: 6,434,000
  • USA cases: 92.8M; Daily average: 100K; Total Deaths: 1,034,000 
  • Maryland cases: 1,203,000; Deaths: 15,063 (“Low Risk”) per CovidActNow.org
    • 11 states “Low Risk” (Washington, Maryland, Utah, Oregon, Colorado…)
    • 19 states “Medium Risk” (Puerto Rico, New Mexico, Wyoming, Illinois, New York…)
    • 23 states “High Risk” (Kentucky, South Carolina, Alaska, West Virginia, North Carolina…)

I guess this means I could take a step back and try to make some sense of the whole pandemic ordeal, or at least take the time to read back through these journal entries and try to pull some threads together. I don’t feel ready to do that yet, so consider yourself lucky. But eventually I will, or at least I will guilt myself into trying to do something to sum up this experience.

My immediate preoccupation is with trying to finish reading Liberty is Sweet. This book recapping the American Revolution has been a slog. It’s rich in detail but not very well written, in my opinion. The book did point me to the interesting story of James Lafayette, a double agent spy in Cornwallis’ camp who provided important information to Lafayette and Washington before Yorktown…and who took Lafayette (or Fayette) as his last name five years after the war when Lafayette helped endorse his freedom. His life makes an interesting bookend with that of Harry Washington who escaped the household at Mount Vernon and fought on the British side of the Revolution. There is a fine historical novel to be made weaving these two lives through the underreported perspective of their times. If I had more skill and energy I might tackle it. I might at least try to pull together a post or two about them. At a minimum, I will have a look at (and listen to) some of the multiple videos and podcasts that pop up about James Lafayette (e.g., from Williamsburg, Spy Museum, Yorktown Revolution Museum). 

Over the weekend I had responsibility for feeding Leslie’s dog, Piper, while Leslie went to visit Emery in Indiana. The first evening I went over to do the job quickly because we had a dinner guest, Barb’s colleague Caroline, and I had some grilling to do. Piper was a good girl for gobbling up her food and doing her business in the back yard. As I prepared to leave out the front door, Piper was desperately certain it was time for a walk. She and I wrestled a bit at the door as I tried to get out and she got the better of me, nosing down low and bolting through. She made a beeline for Leslie’s front bushes and we proceeded to play tag for another 45 minutes while I tried everything I could think of to cajole her back inside.

She resisted all efforts, especially when I tried to just pick her up. It got to where she started snarling when I laid a hand on her and she nipped me a few times which is very uncharacteristic of her. After a very long while she relented and I was able to hoist her back inside. It was an ordeal for me, but fortunately Barb and Caroline didn’t seem to mind the extra time to chat. The next several visits with Piper I was able to spend more time with her inside and hit upon a strategy of doing a crossword puzzle and boring her to tears which made it easier for me to make my escape. The whole experience was a reminder of why I am resistant to getting a dog of our own. I’m much happier with cats, thank you.

Other than that, I’m trying to lose some of the weight I gained in the two weeks since Allie arrived. We ate very well while she was here and I kept it going for the week after. I need to get back to my better habits. I’m also playing a little more tennis, aiming for maybe once a week rather than once a month. We’ll see how that goes. My indoor block starts next week. Barb has a few more weekends until they close the pool on Labor Day, then we can figure out what our routines will be for the fall and winter…and then her retirement looms. Or does it???

August 22

I’ve got several things to report on this week. Last Thursday I had a good payoff for my summer of concert going, seeing Brandi Carlile, The Indigo Girls and Allison Russell at Merriweather Post. See my full review here.

On Friday I mowed the lawn, did errands for the weekend, and started on a post about Harry Washington and James Lafayette that quickly snowballed. I’ve once again created something that’s way too long and not as coherent as I want it to be. It will take more time and effort to clean it up and then try to condense it into something readable. But the stories remain fascinating to me and provide useful insights into roles of African Americans in Colonial and Revolutionary times.

Saturday was the day of the Asian Night Market at the Howard County Fairgrounds. I’d seen a poster for this first-time event about a month before. Barb was interested so we rescheduled a dinner cookout with Betsy Pelovitz (who wasn’t interested) and bought tickets at $10/person plus a $2.50 service charge for each, plus a $10 parking ticket with another service charge, $37.50 in all. Barb mentioned it to Leslie and we were surprised when she expressed interest and bought a ticket herself. Other than seeing that one poster and the website, I never saw any other advertising or notice for the event, not even on the Fairground’s signboard.

The event ran from 2pm to 11pm so our plan was for me to go early to get lunch and scope things out while Barb was at the pool. Then I’d come home, pick up Barb around 5pm and return to meet with Leslie for dinner. I headed over to the Fairgrounds a few minutes after 2pm with my appetite already percolating. I was surprised to run into a backup at the top of Pfefferkorn near the intersection with Rt. 144. I thought there was an accident, but traffic just crawled from there to the Fairground – it took me 30 minutes to go the 2 miles from our house to the Fairground. Some police were directing traffic and pointed me into the parking lot where there was already quite a crowd and long lines to get into the fenced off food area that was set in a corner of the parking lot, not even in the Fairground itself.

I eventually got in and scoped out the roughly 50 food vendor stalls and trucks. There were quite a few things I wanted to try but the lines were already quite long at many of the stalls. I found a short line at Bun’d Up, a DC chain with 3 locations, and got a pair of curry chicken bao buns that were a decent start. After a further wander of the increasingly crowded scene, I found the end of the long line for Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly, a Rockville Filipino restaurant that was mouthwateringly featured on WETA’s Signature Dish show. I updated Barb by text and took these photos while I waited.

The weather was hot and sunny, around 90 degrees with a little breeze – not a bad day for August in this area, but after a couple of hours in the sun, I was starting to feel it. There was a beer and water stand not far away but I couldn’t lose my place in line. I started to worry more when I saw a girl pass out a few feet from me in a different line. No paramedics or safety personnel showed up but a cluster of ladies fanned the girl until she sat up and recovered.

After close to an hour I finally made it to the front of the line. I was set to order the Lechon roasted pork belly over rice but the server explained that they’d run out of rice (their driver with more supplies was stuck in traffic) and offered me a sandwich which I took. I also got an order of lumpia (spring rolls) since I was there and their calamansi juice, a Filipino lemonade that I vaguely remembered enjoying in Manila. I guzzled the ice cold calamansi which was indeed delicious, but I was too hot and uncomfortable to eat at that point and there were no chairs or tables anyway. So I headed back to the car to take things home and connect with Barb.

I was able to get out of the parking lot and back home in a reasonable amount of time. Barb was happy to share the lumpia with me, though it would have been better fresh. I decided to save the pork sandwich until the next day (it turned out to be very tasty but would also have been better fresh, especially the crispy cracklings). I got a quick shower to cool off and freshen up, then we headed back over. We tried to warn Leslie about the crowds and traffic, but learned that she was already stuck in it on Pfefferkorn a few hundred yards ahead of us. I could only imagine how bad traffic was on Rt. 32, Interstate 70 and every other surrounding road; all I ever saw was our little stretch of Pfefferkorn and Rt. 144 and that was bad enough. This time it took us a full hour to get back to the Fairground. Barb was remarkably patient, having brought plenty of magazines for the car, and I thought Leslie would bail out but eventually we found each other in the parking lot and made our way in.

I got in line at the Blowfish Poke truck to get Barb some shrimp chip poke nachos and tempura shrimp (neither of which are on the menu in their restaurants but we wish they were) while Leslie and Barb scoped out the place. If anything, it was more crowded than when I left. The lines were all very long, the trash cans were all overflowing, cars and people were still streaming in. Somehow, everyone remained remarkably calm and patient but it was increasingly clear that this whole thing was a big mess. 

Leslie also ended up at Bun’d Up because the line was relatively short and got whatever they were serving, but it was just fillings as they had no more bao buns. Leslie was fine with that. They also ended up going to the Supreme Barbeque stand where the line was short. Their offerings were pretty much straightforward Texas BBQ but they are related somehow to the AunTea Boba stand that was next to them. Leslie got a small dish of brisket. By this time, after 45 minutes or so, I was finally at the front of the Blowfish Poke line and got Barb’s food. She fetched me and Leslie a beer and we met at one of the few available stand up tables under a tent near the Poke truck. Leslie had one sip of beer and a few bites of brisket before having to sit down on the ground, possibly from the heat or lack of food or liquids. She got some water instead of the beer and that seemed to help. I ended up drinking both beers while Barb and I helped finish off the brisket which wasn’t bad but could have used some sauce or vinegar or something.

My dinner plan was to get cold Sichuan noodles from Peter Chang’s NiHao stand. I went to stand in that line while Barb and Leslie planned to see the vendors in the crafts tent. The NiHao line was relatively short, maybe 30 minutes, and I headed back to the tables where I found Barb and Leslie chatting with a policeman. He let us know a few more facts: that traffic was backed up for miles on all the roads in the area, including I-70, that the organizers had sold over 25,000 tickets for the event and seemed totally overwhelmed, that police were helping with traffic as best they could but most of the problems were caused by the organizers and their lack of planning, that there was already no way they would be allowed to hold a similar event in the county. 

It made me realize we were all lucky there were no serious incidents at the event. One crazy person or an accident with the various open flames, vats of boiling oil and haphazard wiring could have been a real disaster. As things were, people were remarkably calm, patient and good natured. The poor restaurant workers were doing their best to manage an impossible situation and one way or another people were being fed. Hopefully the restaurants themselves were making some profit from the long lines they all had. I’m sure the three of us spent well over $100 at the event, on top of the $50 we cumulatively spent on tickets. I started to do the math, however, and realized that the organizers collected at least $300,000 in ticket sales but meanwhile couldn’t have spent more than $20,000-$30,000 on the actual event. Someone was making out like a bandit and had a lot of questions to answer. There was evidently a LOT of discussion about the event already on various social media platforms but it would take me a couple days to catch up with that.

It was now getting dark, time for the actual night market part of the whole deal. The weather cooled, the music got a little louder and more obnoxious, and while some people left, others were still streaming in. I wanted to try one more item – some Uigher lamb skewers from Bostan Uygur Cuisine, an Arlington restaurant – and got in that line. Barb and Leslie did some more wandering, finally getting over to the crafts tent. After more than half an hour in line I was still less than halfway from getting any food so I decided to call it quits. At 8:45pm we bid Leslie adieu in the parking lot. Barb and I were home within 15 minutes but it took Leslie an hour to get out of the lot and back to her house. 

The next day I looked for news articles or social media about the event and had trouble finding much. It wasn’t until 48 hours later that more of the media picked up the story. Here are some of the articles and reports.

The upshot of the whole experience is that there is a substantial market for doing this type of Night Market food festival but this was certainly not the right model. The organizers fell on their own sword of good intentions. I would feel bad for them but they have evidently walked away with a substantial profit at least until the lawsuits come rolling in, and they will never be trusted to run an event again. They have also disappeared and not made an adequate effort to apologize or explain what went wrong. Someone else will have to learn from their mistakes.

I’m glad we were able to go, and I might have set a record for getting into the event twice and actually trying a variety of different booths/foods. I would have liked to try more. Maybe someday I’ll get another chance. But I now have a few more restaurants further afield to aim for in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.

On Sunday, we recuperated with Betsy Pelovitz and a low-key dinner of ribs, chicken and burgers on the back porch. A much easier and more congenial dining experience.

My final item to report is that I was able to get a ticket to the Carnegie Hall reunion of Rhiannon Giddens and her Songs of Our Native Daughters sisters. Barb and I will be going up to New York on the first weekend in November. I got train tickets and a hotel reservation for two nights, so we’re mostly all set. Barb won’t come to the concert but we will make a weekend of it and get some good food. Next I get to see what else we might do on a free Saturday and Sunday morning in the Big Apple. Something to plan for! I’m excited.

August 29

We got a call from Allie yesterday. She’s been feeling a little sad, caught in the Boston late summer blues. She evidently broke up with Albert and found that most of her other friends were either out of town or occupied with their own activities. So she was feeling a little lost and on her own. After a little discussion, I volunteered to come up and be a buddy for the Labor Day weekend coming up. I got flights (using Southwest points!) to go on Friday and return home Tuesday. Allie and I are lining up restaurants and other potential activities. I’m looking forward to it and I think she is too. It’s a nice break for me, anyway.

Labor Day marks the end of pool season, so Barb will be there all weekend anyway. After that, she will be home on the weekends and we may actually plan some lunches and dinners together. That will be nice.

I finished, for the moment, my post about Harry Washington and James Lafayette. I fell a little deeper down the rabbit hole than I expected, but then I often do. The two of them led interesting, contrasting lives before, during and after the American Revolution. I’m glad to have gained some better insight into their lives and the wider set of events they experienced. I’m not sure what to do with the post now that it’s done. I might trim it some to post on Billzdaze to make it public, but I worry because it’s mostly just plagiarized snips from other sites. Will think on it a bit.

I once again feel obliged to tackle the photos waiting in my timeline. Next up is our 2008 travels to Denver and Hawaii. It was a busy year, our 25th anniversary.

With our 40th anniversary and Barb’s retirement looming next year, I’m finally making some headway planning a trip to England in May or June, mainly to use our British Airways vouchers that will expire later in the year. We hosted Ada and Poppy for dinner last Saturday, partly with the idea of picking her brain on things to see and do in England. She wasn’t a whole lot of help, but she seems at least hypothetically interested in joining us for some of the trip. We’ll see what transpires.

The rest of the world seems to be holding together, more or less. The Ukraine War is 6 months old and seems likely to stretch on indefinitely but at least for the moment seems more or less contained in eastern Ukraine. Trump is huffing and puffing about the FBI and Justice Department coming after his sloppy home filing of national security secrets, but for the moment there’s no clear indication it will result in any actual indictments or put a dent in his plans to run in 2024. At least he hasn’t officially announced his candidacy yet, which is a small surprise. If he doesn’t do it right after Labor Day he’ll presumably wait until after the November midterms. It seems unlikely the Justice Department will do anything before then; this saga will no doubt stretch into next year.

I think that’s all I have to report at the moment. I’ll check in after Labor Day with a report from Boston. Happy end of summer!

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