A Snowbird in Paradise

 Just as I am looking for the end of the COVID pandemic, along comes the possible start of World War 3.  

We are getting ready to return to Michigan from Florida but this time we are trying the Amtrak Auto Train.  We have a 90 minute drive to the loading place late afternoon.  Then they load our F150 truck and we will go to our place in the regular train car.  Since most of our travel will be at night to our destination in Virginia the next early afternoon, we will sleep most of the ride  We will have a 6 hour drive after that.  I have a lot of questions, especially about how well I can sleep on a train.  We will probably travel back and forth from Michigan to Florida by train from now on.  We are 81 and 83 years old so a long drive of  2 or 3 days is not smart any more.  If you figure in the cost of gasoline and a night at a motel, the cost will be about the same.

Visitors from Michigan were sparse this year.  Our older granddaughter flew down the end of  December for a week but she was mostly sight seeing with an old friend she made down here when she was 7 or 8 years old.  There were only scenery photos as I was warned not to drag out my camera.  :(

Christmas, New Years, Valentines, his birthday, daughter's birthday and Easter were all spent with the daughter from down here in Florida.

 2020 and 2021 were years like no other.  The girls had school only on occasion as the governor of Michigan tried to figure out how to keep her constituents safe.  

It was good to have family around, even if the time was too short.

It is June 5 and we are still in Florida.  We have never been here later than early May so this "Rainy Season" is new to us.  Looks like SOME rain everyday for the last week and another week into the future.

This is the first Mother's Day I have ever missed: as a daughter, mother or grandmother.  Carrie and the girls sent me a beautiful bouquet of roses.  We are going out to eat once I get home.  I hear the flowerboxes on the front porch in Michigan are planted (as a surprise but someone blabbed).  The daughter here in Florida came over and made us a nice meal.
Not many birds to photograph but this Anhinga, drying himself off, cooperated.


Not much to take photos of since we are homebound due to the COVID-19 virus.  Luckily we have some nice blooms in our hedge.





These are just a few altered photos using a program called PAINNT.

Gabby has become quite the photographer.  2018 she took photos at the football games and, since her dad was one of the coaches no one stopped her from being on the field.  2019 her dad moved to coaching at another high school but she was still more than welcome on the field.  The cheerleaders and the "mosh pit" demanded to be included in photos.  She also took some for Gabriel Richard high school and the JV teams.  She also took portraits and graduation photos of some friends and families.  To say "Grandma" is proud of her accomplishments is an understatement.  Many of her photos appear in the 2019-2020 high school yearbook.


For Abby's birthday in April, it was a gloomy day UNTIL late PM she was called out of the house as her sister led a parade of her friends and classmates past her house, many with gifts and cards.  They had been successful in keeping it all a secret and she was, indeed, surprised.

This was Abby's "Senior" year at St. Pius school (Grade 8).  She was Captain of Volleyball and Basketball teams as well as Class President.  She and her classmates have looked forward to this year since Kindergarten.  There was to have been the 4-day class trip to Nashville, Confirmation Ceremony, Torch and Ribbon Ceremony, Graduation, and to top it off, a huge all-night party catered and arranged by the parents.  From there the classmates scatter to other schools for 9th grade.  Most will never see each other again.  Well, NONE OF IT HAPPENED.  Thanks to the COVID-19 shutdown all schools were closed in Michigan (and many other states).


This was the official graduation, greeting the teachers from their cars keeping social distancing.

What do you do when you are isolated from family and friends?  Find an old blog and update it.

In former years the whole family would visit for Spring Break 10 days but no flying right now.  They were here for a couple 4 days after New Years Eve and that was it for this year.  The daughter who lives a few minutes away here in Florida was here quite a bit with her sister and nieces.


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This is my 3rd week seeing almost no one.  Several of his friends stopped by that first week but no more.  Daughter who lives nearby was coming over often to feed us but even she is staying away.  A few cars go by in the morning, mostly workers in Laurel Reserve.  One motorcycle goes by every day.


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Since then the Corona Virus has dominated our new reality.  The girls couldn't come back for Spring Break.  Younger son and his girlfriend didn't come for their usual visit.  Dear friends who were planning on a visit cancelled.  Even his neighbor-buddies are distancing themselves.  So here we sit entertaining ourselves.

We tried a distance meet yesterday...daughters Carrie (MI) and Katie (NJ), granddaughter Gabby (MI) and me (FL).  Granddaughter Abby (MI) came on her mother's feed and my son, Andy (MI) made a brief appearance.  Video chats help.

I tried a drawing challenge.







I started an Isolation Coloring challenge but got bored

Then I tried a Isolation Photographic Art challenge using the program PAINNT and I may do a bit more with that.