Anna Grows

Anna working on her bonsai It came as no surprise this week when Fairfax County Public Schools announced that they will begin the school year virtually.  Over the past two weeks, several surrounding school districts made the same decision.  It was inevitable.  We are waiting for more details on the schedule.  Virtual school is set to begin September 8. Meanwhile, private schools in the area have LONG waiting lists.  Parents are desperate to get their children back into the classroom and hoping that private schools will be able to do some in person instruction.  That is yet to be seen.  They will also need teachers willing to come in for in person instruction. Anna is disappointed, along with everyone else. We will see how things work.  So far, Vienna Jammers is planning to meet in person and has put all sort of new protocols in place.  Swim is yet to be determined.  Hopefully there will be some opportunities for limited activities. The weather has been  incredibly hot (90-100

Anna completing her PE log for the week It was back to the normal pandemic routine this week .  Well not quite.  Since temperatures have soared, it is too hot for hiking (Anna was very excited about that).  We did get some evening time at the pool (there is a sign-up for time slots and social distancing is required, along with masks when you are not in the pool).  It was also a return to on-line PE, which is nearing completion.  One of the PE requirement to graduate from high school in Virginia is that the student must "demonstrate skill" in CPR/AED and basic first aid.  In order to meet this requirement, Anna and Theresa signed up for a Red Cross first aid course (Theresa decided it was just good to have).  How does one train for CPR during a pandemic?  Well, the Red Cross has it figured out.  First you need to complete an on-line training with simulations (it should be noted that it took Theresa twice as long to finish as it did Anna).  Then, you need to go to an inst

Ellie, Anna & Storm at the beach After much debate, it was determined that a vacation was needed.  While we had to cancel our original plans (like everyone else), social distancing someplace else seemed like a good option.  We opted to head for the Outer Banks and rent a place for the week.  We took all of our food in and decided to do what we do at home - limit trips out and go places where we can keep a distance.  Anna's friend Ellie was able to join us, and so we headed south in hopes of enjoying some quality ocean time. It should be noted that a vacation at the beach with your family (or any vacation) will not truly be a vacation right now - largely because you have already been locked up together for over 4 months.  "Vacation" just means your are locked up together in a different spot. We were happy that Ellie could join us.  At least we had one new person in the mix! NC Shrimp Night As expected, we arrived to find we were surrounded by a lot of ot

Enjoying burgers for the 4th It is tempting to write about normal traditions for the July 4th celebrations.  Rather than dwell on traditions, here is the 2020 version of a happy July 4th celebration: July 4th in Washington is usually notoriously hot, and this year was no exception.  Fortunately, we were able to enjoy a peaceful holiday in a combination of air conditioning and shade without worrying about trekking through the heat in large crowds.  We kicked off the weekend on July 3 with a neighborhood "battle of the bands."  One of the neighbors with a lawn that backs to the pond turned it into a stage with plenty of room for musicians to social distance.  There were four bands, including the neighborhood classic rock band "Social Distance."  Neighbors brought picnics and spread out around the pond on blankets and lawn chairs.  The entire show ran from 4 - 9 PM with an excellent turn-out.  It was great to hear a live concert again and see the neighborhood