Last weekend I drove 1,000 miles round trip in a rented van to clean out my Mom's house in Delaware ahead of sale.

I brought my own food and did stop at the gas stations and the grocery store (and out for ice cream with an old HS friend).

But holy hell..the beach traffic was just like any summer...Everything was open...I did not enter and my HS friend and I deferred our regular boardwalk visit..holy cow...I could not wait to get the hell outta there!

It is a great time to do major home renovation.

Contractors return calls and do your job immediately. And they really need work right now.

You hand them the keys on your way out and collect the keys when you return. Hotels are empty and offering deals.

For me, it was super helpful to know work travel wouldn’t get in the way. Mr. Sphinx had to be here, so I could put him to work preparing. And since we can’t vacation , we have extra money.

Next up, three bathroom remodels.

quote:

Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
It is a great time to do major home renovation.

Contractors return calls and do your job immediately. And they really need work right now.

You hand them the keys on your way out and collect the keys when you return. Hotels are empty and offering deals.

For me, it was super helpful to know work travel wouldn’t get in the way. Mr. Sphinx had to be here, so I could put him to work preparing. And since we can’t vacation , we have extra money.

Next up, three bathroom remodels.

Just the opposite here! I am on my third contractor who has not shown up..they are all so busy...dumpsters in the driveway are all too common as are tree and landscape work..

I just was stood up yet again by a contractor yesterday for just a quote!...He was my third ...I just want them to show up!!

And this one asked me to write up an SOW..which I did..He is a good guy, called him today to reschedule. I even combined two years work into one to make it more worth his while...but heck..all the houses in my neighborhood are getting remodels, complete yard redos....wow.

We are planning a multi-state road trip with an overnight stop. Ending up out in the boonies, so it will be just like a self-quarantine. I'm thinking maybe Panera along the way in addition to gas stops - they have the 'minimal contact' thing down pretty well, and most have outdoor seating. I'll take my bucket-o-wipes along for the trip!

Talked to a friend who just drove up to Chicago from Charleston. It's a two day/one night trip. She said the hotel she stayed in was immaculate. She said there was no loose stuff like boxes of tissues, etc. out on tabletops. Cups in the bathroom were paper.

She got in late, washed up, and went to bed. Said they had a Starbucks thing set up so she could get coffee and a bagel.

All in all, she said she felt pretty comfortable.

You want to fly?

Chas!

OK, maybe I shouldn't be laughing, but....

We've been discussing travel. Mr. Nina would love to visit his dad, who is 97 years old and living in western Massachusetts. BUT he figures that he would need to quarantine for 14 days before seeing him. This isn't a requirement from Massachusetts, but rather the knowledge that should he bring in any sort of cooties, a 97 year old isn't likely to survive them. So it's a big commitment for what would normally be a 4-5 day trip. On the other hand, he's 97.... every visit could be the last.

It's tough.

I've thought about a road trip just to get away for a bit. I could go visit my nephew, niece and their son, but then I'm looking at dealing with hotels and I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Yeah, they're supposed to be following all sorts of cleanliness standards but, let's be honest, hotels were never all that super clean to begin with. Then it was just gross, but now it's also potentially much more serious.

Do any of you have travel plans, and how are you managing them?

Cindy, this was the summer 'o home maintenance around here. We had Handy Dude in to do a variety of stupid chores, had our yard thoroughly cleaned out, trees pruned, etc., the decks have all been pressure-washed. Only thing left is gutter cleaning (which I'll wait until fall/rainy season to do) and window-washing (which I'll wait until our tax bill has dissipated a bit).

Chas, I am *so* stealing that.....

Chas,

Just today the news in Rehoboth, Delaware, where I was last week, is not good.

Restaurants are now pulling back and going back to take out only. The crowds the last two weeks were just too much to assure safety.

Cannot say I am surprised..I could not wait to get the hell outta there.

We’re flying to Cleveland on Wednesday.

It’s complicated. I’m not happy about it.

Film at 11.

Chas-

We're going from fewest cases of covid in the nation to a sudden big increase in new cases since the state reopened a few weeks ago. Out of state license plates are everywhere. Few are wearing masks. Stores are crowded. Lots of traffic. It seems pretty clear to me we're going to have to shelter in place again.

I frankly do not understand why anyone is traveling during a pandemic. We went shopping together at the feed store, Lowe's, and the hardware store on Sunday. First time we've been out shopping together in months. Conditions with the crowding were scary enough that we decided to go back to instacart for grocery shopping. The risks just aren't worth it IMHO.

I'd love to go to Santa Fe and any number of other places. We sold our Missoula house in a day and I've got money burning a hole in my pocket. The local trails will have to suffice for some time.

This is one of those times when you hate to be right. But I foresaw these results of reopening the US from miles away.

quote:

I frankly do not understand why anyone is traveling during a pandemic.

I'm totally with you on this one.

I'm trying to talk my friend out of a couple of alternatives she was considering. She thought about driving to Chicago to visit us and other friends, or flying out to the east coast, quarantining for two weeks at her brother's house, and then going to the Finger Lakes to the family cottage.

She's had a lot on her plate and would like to get away, but I think traveling right now is a really, really bad idea.

Some observations from the cross-country drive:

Rural America is in Denial