Pandemic Week 14: Happy Father's Day

Enjoying a hike at Fountainhead Park
Joe had a traditional Father's Day celebration this year.  This is truly remarkable since there are few traditions that remain in the time of the pandemic.  What, you ask is this tradition?  Well, it includes:

  • Reading the morning paper
  • Enjoying a hike (today we found a new trail at Fountainhead regional park)
  • A swim at the pool
  • Barbecued chicken on the grill (Peruvian style this year)
Oh sure, there were a few modifications.  First, we had to take masks on the hike in case it was crowded (it was not....other than the mountain bikers, one of which was singing Bon Jovi's Living o a Prayer at the top of his lungs while barreling down a hill).  The neighborhood pool is open, but only for lap swimming and only for 50 minutes a visit - but hey, it is something.  The newspaper and the chicken required no modifications.  Joe also enjoyed a visit to our garden plot to harvest the first zucchini along with some peas and lettuce.  He topped off the evening with some key lime pie (all in all, a good Joe day).
Here are some other highlights from this week:

  • Theresa enjoyed an escape on Saturday to meet her friend Pauletta for a social distance outing at a local winery.  That was a treat.
  • Anna returned to the pool three days a week for swim clinics.
  • Anna started her on-line physical education class, which concludes on July 31.  She just inherited Theresa's old phone and is updating it with apps, including a fitness app to track her goals.  Stay tuned to see how this goes.
  • Anna was debating what to do about marching band or whether to join the color guard.  For now, she is staying in band to try it out.....assuming they still have it.
  • The public schools are debating how to open for the fall.  It looks like the best we can hope for is school a few days a week at 50% capacity.  It is highly unlikely they will be back full time.

First zucchini of the season
Anna's music teacher is hosting a drama camp this coming week (apparently she and her sister, who is a music teacher at another school) figured out a way to do it and meet health and safety guidelines.  Anna is very excited about that as she gets to hang out with some of her friends for the week.  This will be a welcome break!  She is ready with her mask.

Happy Father's Day!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Swimming with the Lakevale Dolphins

Image
The Swim Gang - Leo, Aidan, Megan & Anna Tonight Anna completed her third season with the Division II Lakevale Dolphins.  It was a great season for Anna as she improved her strokes and her times and made it to the "A"team to compete at Saturday meets.  It was an educational season for Joe and Theresa, who learned the ins and outs of life as swim team parents. The neighborhood swim team is the hub of neighborhood social activity in the summer.  There are events throughout the season, including Friday night pep rallies, and Sunday night fund events that include such things as the neighborhood scavenger hunt, laser tag night, bingo night, and even a team night at the Washington Nationals game.  In between the fun is the seriousness of the swimming, and there are definitely some top notch swimmers on the team. Anna with her lollipop for getting a "personal best" time Kids are motivated by different things. Some kids love to race.  Other kids try to beat
Read more

Camp Coles Trip & June Birthdays

Image
Anna at Girl Scout Camp Anna just returned from a fun-filled week at Girl Scout camp.  This year she was old enough to go to Camp Coles Trip, which is on a bay area off of the Potomac River.  This is a water camp, so she spent her days on the bay learning to paddle board and sail along with kayaking. Girl Scout Camp is definitely roughing it.  The camp is in the woods and girls stay in platform cabins with screens.  Anna shared a cabin with 4 other girls.  Mosquito netting is very important at night.  The only electricity is at the dining hall, health center, and activity building.  The girls are also responsible each day for doing "kapers" or chores.  They take turns helping serve meals, cleaning the bathrooms, and general clean-up.  They are also responsible for keeping track of their own things and carrying their bags. Anna had a fantastic time, despite the lack of modern conveniences, and is already planning her return next year.  She made new friends and her favo
Read more

Thanksgiving in New Jersey

Image
The Fagella family (or part of the Fagellas) celebrated Thanksgiving this year in Northern New Jersey thanks to James.  Since James was house sitting for his boss, they were very generous in letting us use their large home in their absence for a Thanksgiving celebration.  We joined Aunt Loren, Aunt Mary, James and Sundance for a Thanksgiving feast.  We could have easily fed another 20 people with all of the food, which meant lots of leftovers.  We also celebrated Aunt Mary's birthday (November 22) and Aunt Loren's (November 27) with a homemade coconut cake courtesy of James. Joe carving the turkey with his assistants. The festivities continued the next day when James hosted 22 of his high school friends for his annual Friendsgiving dinner.  Anna was kindly invited to attend the event.  Since she has attended previous dinners, she already knew many of James' friends.  Once again, the amount of food was staggering with everyone bringing a dish. Aunt Mary and Aunt Loren have c
Read more