… that’s how this last week has been. Laura has been in Maryland with her dad and the dogs and I have been kicking our heels waiting to head north to meet her. We finally hit the road today at 8am and what a relief it was to have some wind in the sales. While listening to podcasts, to combat the boredom of the incredibly dull drive up I-95, I heard the term “Covidian doldrums”. It stuck me that it’s the perfect term to describe what I (and I suspect many others) have been feeling since the seas of life were becalmed mid-March. Each day the sun rises, chores get done and meals are consumed and there’s a certain degree of normality. People go shopping, there’s traffic on the roads, music has thankfully been occurring with more and more regularity, and yet there’s also a distinctly palpable undercurrent of abnormality. It’s more than masks, limits, or constant reminders that “we’re all in this together, yada yada blech…” and something other than electoral mudslinging and the constant reporting of man’s limitless ability to be unkind to one another at the slightest intimation that we differ in opinions (which are generally poorly informed and rarely researched). For me, these are all just signals indicating the extreme degree of uncertainty of not only when the wind may start blowing but in what direction it will set and for how long. And perhaps the abnormal part to all this will be how strong the wind will blow. Personally, I see gale warnings ahead.
And so we’re taking this opportunity to row out to even quieter waters and enjoy some calm before the storm.
The last trip was a whirlwind (sure are a lot of weather references in this post) tour of the Midwest and a chance to break in RV and get the family used to setting up and breaking down camp. This trip is going to be quite different. We’re going to set up camp and stay long enough to enjoy it. The focus is 100% relaxation!
Today I drove to Fort Matanzas National Monument just south of Saint Augustine. I figured I’d get in a little solo sightseeing and pick up another Unigrid for our collection (more on that later) but on arriving was greeted by signs stating that they couldn’t be bothered to be open (at least that’s how I read them). So frustrated in my first attempt at playing with myself by myself, I journeyed on to Fort Frederica National Monument arriving after a short but beautiful drive through the moss-draped oak-lined streets St Simons Island. Here I was able to secure a Unigrid modeled here by Polkadot who, although no doubt now fully informed on the history and significance of this settlement, seems unimpressed…
Tonight the dogs, cat and I are staying just south of Savannah. Tomorrow it’s a short drive to Fort Pulaski National Monument and then on to McDowell Nature Preserve where we’ll wait for Laura’s airport Uber!
