So Cindy is considering a trip to New Zealand.

Anybody else going anywhere? Day trips? Venturing far afield? Staying put?

Hawaii next year. We'll fly to Honolulu three days early and then take the seven day cruise from there.

Steve and our son are going to Hawaii (Kauai) on Saturday. I could have gone, but things felt too unsettled with my parents when plans were made, so I opted out. I am going to New Jersey mid June for my father’s family “going away” party. Not really a vacation, i know. It’s more difficult to get places flying from here now, especially going east. And it’s so expensive now. I’m just hoping my flights don’t get cancelled, as there is no wiggle room in my trip (red-eye from Seattle to Philadelphia that gets in the morning of the event). An extended stay in Seattle on the way back to see my mom again. Other than that, I think we’ll stick close to home and do some more exploring in Montana. (Actually, “sticking close to home” in Montana has a whole different meaning distance-wise than anyplace else ) Our oldest moves to Texas in June (she’s been staying with us since graduating from grad school last fall).

I’m taking another road trip. I’m driving to CA to attend a graduation party for my niece and nephew.

From there I head for AZ to take the camping trailer out of storage and haul it to Ohio in time for a bluegrass festival in August. I’ll be picking up my usual traveling companion on my way through Tucson and we’re planning a different route this time.

He’s already compiling a list of topics to argue over.

I’ve been traveling. Thanksgiving was Paris, Xmas was Cancun, February Miami and April was Rio.

Probably Portugal in June.

We haven't been anywhere since Covid started except places we could drive. We went to Whidbey Island and the Olympic Peninsula last summer to visit friends, and did it all by car. I did some backcountry treks with my horse--all in Montana. And Mr. Pique went back to NC last summer for his mother's 95th birthday.

This year we plan to visit the Big Horn mountains in SE Montana with horses and dogs in tow (wanna join us, Jodi and Steve?)

Also this year is our 25th wedding anniversary. We plan to float the Missouri River through the White Cliffs area this August or September, then go to Europe for a couple of months. A driving tour of Spain, a visit to Portugal for the Golega Horse Fair, and then if all goes well with a project I'm working on I may stay longer and make several other Euroopean pit stops. Too early to discuss.

I have not yet made reservations because I want to see what is happening with Covid numbers overseas. I'm also not crazy about spending 14 hours on a plane with people with no masks on. (Jon, how do you handle this, with your extra vulnerability?)

We haven't gotten Covid and we don't want to get Covid, and I personally like how Covid has changed the world from a social standpoint--getting together with friends outdoors on an occasional basis has been great. I don't really miss parties or theater or concerts, though of course I don't want this state of affairs to go on forever

I'm afraid if all goes well (in a manner of speaking) I will manage to arrange at least two operations, one a big deal - to wit, a revision of spinal surgery + a few touch-ups to other parts of my ambulatory system which have left me with a drunken sailor lurch.

Hope the surgeon can fit me in, and (even harder to arrange) that the other surgeon can coordinate his work at the same time. Not much room for a vacation.

Especially important to have the spinal op in the summer as its requisite rehabilitation is to walk for at least an hour a day. That means walking indoors when the weather turns.

Last time, I ended up doing much of my walking in our 24/hr gourmet supermarket and the Mall.

(Tangential digression. Skip if easily bored)

Come to think of it, our Mall is being replaced by a Casino (RIGHT opposite the area's largest cemetery! FWIW Many disgruntled folks are trying to unload pre-bought cemetery plots. They've decided they don't think it's the environment they want for eternal "resting in peace".

BUT on the other hand, when limited by Winter weather, I might have fun walking around that planned casino - a first, though I worry it might unleash a latent gambling bug*. Last time, I certainly bought a lot more groceries than otherwise, bored going up and down the same aisles. Impulse treats - but they added up! And no, treadmills don't count for some reason or I'd haunt Planet Fitness.)

*Why I think the gambling bit at least a remote possibility, is the indelible memory of hitting the jackpot, first try, from a slot machine. Dad and I had stopped in a store in North Carolina on a trip South. (I think they're still legal in N.C.) He just gave eight year old me a handful of quarters for fun and I emptied the machine of quarters! I'll never forget the rush that flooded me. It was like a potential heroin addict being given a trial dose and just KNOWING they had to avoid it forever, because it was like the Sirens would have been for Ulysses.)

The only specific plans I have a late summer trip to New York for my nephew’s wedding.

Other than that, I’ve been putting off making specific plans until I have a final date on when I will be retiring again, presumably in a few weeks or so. The problem is, I have been estimating it will be a few weeks or so for a year now… In the immortal words of Bullwinkle, “this time for sure!”

Dang. You all just reminded me how little travel we’re doing. Covid was bad enough but one or both of us have been tethered to home by various medical issues. Though we could get away for a day or few. Lethargy, I suppose.

Pique - all the flights I mentioned were fully masked, and international flights still are.

I was in San Francisco this week for a conference. It was the first domestic flight I took since they dropped the mandate. Probably 90% of the plane was masked, including the flight attendants. I asked a colleague who flew from Gainesville via Atlanta what he saw, he said more like 30%.


Also on flights I wear an N95 and don’t take it off to eat or drink if possible. (On my one all day return flight from Europe I did eat but it was business class and less dense.)

COVID is a different beast now with omicron (including B.2.12) being less deadly, paxlovid being super effective, and me having antibodies (6 shots a charm). I don’t really think it’s going away in my lifetime, so I’ve been trying to find a modus vivendi where I can balance managing risk and yet still live my life.

quote:

Originally posted by jon-nyc:

I was in San Francisco this week for a conference. It was the first domestic flight I took since they dropped the mandate. Probably 90% of the plane was masked, including the flight attendants. I asked a colleague who flew from Gainesville via Atlanta what he saw, he said more like 30%.

I've been on six domestic flights in the last two months, more if you count the connections. The mask rates: OKC airport, I saw exactly one other one white male masked. Minorities and women had a slightly higher rate. I'd guess 5-10%. Atlanta airport, maybe 10%. Reagan National, maybe 20%. Portland airport, maybe 25%. Seattle airport, less than 20%. Dallas airport, less than 10%. Most flights, I'm guessing around 20%, on average, but that may be an over-estimate.

At one wedding of some fairly liberal people from the D.C. area (the wedding was in Charlottesville), I was one of two people masked. I took my mask off to eat, but otherwise only when I was in the outside areas.

I get some strange looks occasionally because I insist on wearing a mask, but I don't care.

Because I was visiting my kids, I did take my mask off to eat in restaurants, particularly on the most recent trip. I wanted to get through this gantlet and make it to the third trip ... if I got COVID on the third trip, I decided that was OK. But both my kids and their friends are consistent about wearing masks, except in restaurants (or while performing).

We have upcoming travel plans! (Pending the world situation, obviously.)

We are taking the whole Quirt/Mary Anna family to the beach in July for a week.

And I'm on sabbatical this fall, so we're shopping for AirBnBs in New York and New England so that I can do some archival research at various Ivy League institutions and we can do some long-range consideration of where we might like to retire.

It's been a long year...several years...decade, so we're also planning to rest.

None here.

Mrs pj's mom will be coming to stay with us periodically. Driving her around may be my vacation. I wonder if she still has a motorcycle helmet. She used to play the banjo and is trying to re-learn. We'll spend some time out in the back yard plinking together.

Mrs pj wants to take her mom somewhere out of the US for her 80th birthday this fall. I may go. We'll see.

My friend is doing a customer support assignment bouncing back and forth between Paris and Liege. I'd like to go see him. We'll see.

Doing a Seattle - coast - wineries - Portland road trip with another couple in late July/early August...

MrsTuner and I are getting our second boosters this weekend.