To travel or not to travel

SHERYL AND I would love nothing more than to get out of Quincy for a few days, but the COVID-19 thing has thrown wrenches into those plans. We are still not over our dream vacation being canceled at the end of March, and we are still owed a big chunk of money (we had trip insurance, thank God). Sheryl has been dogged and determined to get our money back and it hasn't been fun.

Traveling during a pandemic is not a good idea. The thought of sitting in an airport with a bunch of strangers, then sitting right next to somebody you don't know on the plane, isn't appealing. On Labor Day Weekend we are supposed to attend the Hart Sibling Summit in Arizona, but Sheryl and I still haven't finalized plans. We will wait another few weeks and then decide.

We have some family camping in West Michigan in two weeks, and again, it would be a blast and fun to sit on a Lake Michigan beach for a few days. But driving up there means going into rest stops, restaurants and maybe hotels. Most of the activity would be outdoors, weather permitting, but there are still a lot of variables you can't control. So that trip is likely a no-go.

It's OK. Health is paramount, and we continue to stress safety and wearing masks in public. Last week I heard about a man I knew a few years ago in Quincy dying of COVID-19. He spent the last week of his life on a ventilator and it was living hell for his family and close friends. There's been other related issues that have affected guitar lessons and even gigs and band practices. It appears in Quincy area businesses are finally taking the mask enforcement issue seriously in the wake of our COVID-19 numbers spiking in recent weeks.

People say, "When will we get back to normal?" Well, there is no normal anymore. For us it's one day at a time and making smart choices. We'll get through it, with any luck, even if it means not hitting the road.