Happy New Year

2020 started off so well. On the last day of 2019, Joel, Bryn & Charlie joined us for a visit with Erin in the Bahamas. Sun, surf, and Junkanoo…we had a wonderful time: Charlie got to swim in the ocean for the first time & loved it, and Bryn & Joel ​became​ officially engaged. They returned home​;​we lingered another week enjoying Erin’s hospitality, and then flew to our annual stay in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; but normality was not to last. COVID19 was about to rear its ugly head!

We were able to enjoy a few delightful weeks in the Mexican sun & culture​ with our friends there​, but on March 20, we returned to Denver, accompanied by our ​good​ friends and longtime traveling companions, Mart & Bob Larson. They stayed with us a couple of weeks and then moved to a nearby apartment​,​but they have continued to be part of our COVID bubble​. ​Their friendship and mutual support have made this time easier.

And here we have stayed—trying our best to remain disease free & socially distanced. In mid-April, Erin joined us in Denver, as The Bahamas was and has continued to be on “lock-down” and working remotely from Denver is as easy as Nassau or DC.  We were thrilled to have her nearby, and it looks like she will be here well into 2021, although ​unfortunately ​she will not be returning to The Bahamas. We will miss visiting her there. 

Traveling, eating out and trying new eateries​;​live performance and ​seeing movies in a theater​​; as well as visiting with friends and family are among our favorite activities—and none of them are available to us these days.  We have not been able to see or be with our extended families in MD and GA for more than a year. It is only an inconvenience for us—but for the millions of people who have lost their livelihood​s​providing those services, this COVID pandemic has been ​disastrous to their lives.

We can only hope that it will soon be over. In the meanwhile, we​ have tried​, as we're sure you have,​to concentrate on the positive—more time with our children and grandchildren and the time to reflect and renew. Local road trips to explore the beautiful CO countryside have helped​ us​alleviate some of th​e​ ​​sense of isolation.

2020 did have one final surprise for us, on December 1st, Larry had open-heart surgery.  He was totally asymptomatic, but an alert Nurse Practitioner scheduled a stress test, leading to the discovery of major arterial blockage & thus the surgery.​Thankfully, the procedure went well, and although the recovery has been a bit bumpy, he is now well on his way to a full recovery​. 

Let's hope that 2021 brings a return to normalcy, sooner rather than later. 

Until then stay safe & stay well.​ 

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Photos: Top left to bottom right: Bryn & Erin with us at Denver Botanical Garden; Family photo this summer; Sue & Charlie on the beach in The Bahamas; Larry & Charlie--Garden of the Gods Park (Colorado Springs); Summer Gathering; Family in the Bahamas; Bike Riding on DU campus; our favorite get-away spot in Hotchkiss, CO; taking a walk in the New Normal.