Holidays of 2020 … and the “Big Reveal…”
For the Holiday season of 2020 (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s) we found ourselves back in SoCal still locked down with the threat of the Covid Pandemic in everyone’s thoughts… Who would have ever believed nearly a year ago we entered this terrible world health scare that would shape, change, and dictate our entire lives and plans.
We have been very fortunate as a family and extended family so far with avoiding any serious health issues, though without question we have been very diligent with our masking, hand sanitizer, social distancing, small circle of contacts, and little physical contact with others…
Our first day at Desert Shadows RV Resort we got a surprise visit from my niece Casey, Ian and his son Jude. They all had been in lock-down and working from home in nearby Palm Desert, CA. Although we don’t see trick or treaters very often it was such a great surprise to see little Jude all dressed up for the day.
Happy Halloween…
Our Snowbird location of Desert Shadows RV Resort was actually at about 50% capacity of normal years, with all our Canadian friends trapped above the border. Fortunately we were in a very safe, gated community that found us with a close group of 8 friends that were just as sensitive to the same protocols as we are.
We hiked with these people and had several outdoor barbecues with them (including – Thanksgiving & Super Bowl Sunday). We also played pickle ball regularly, and just were able to enjoy our backyard and outside as much as possible.
The Stoller’s & Nunan’s celebrating Thanksgiving with a Turkey cooked on the Grill…
Our biggest dilemma going into Christmas and New Year’s was how could we visit with either our son or daughter & son-in-law for the Holidays???
After much deliberation we booked a flight to Boston for XMAS week to visit our daughter and son-in-law who live in Charlestown, MA. Unfortunately we couldn’t include our son…
We had a direct flight from Palm Springs to Boston. We spent nearly 9 hours double masked, face shielded, hoodie sweatshirted, and glove ready for the entire trip. Arriving in Boston safely we immediately went straight to our apartment for showers before getting hugs from our daughter and husband who have been working from home since the start of the pandemic, with little exposure outside of the home. This was literally the first people we had hugged besides ourselves in nearly a year…. ( It was so nice to give them hugs…!)
The direct flight to Boston was literally empty …
We spent nearly 9 hours like this for that flight to Boston…
Our daughter lives in a Brownstone on the 3rd floor which is just too small for us to stay in so we had to figure out an alternative. Fortunately we were offered a 1st Floor (Incredible 2 story apartment) in our daughters building for the 2 weeks. Brenda, our daughters neighbor, had recently had some foot surgery and was convalescing at another family members place and she was so gracious/generneous to offer up her place for the Holiday’s . Brenda has incredible taste and had completed a remodel of the space over the last few years which is a one of a kind Brownstone apartment. Besides her custom kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and sitting areas, her dining/living room areas are amazing with custom built-ins and a spectacular fireplace which we were welcome to use for the Holidays. One of the things we loved most about our old Connecticut home was our 2 fireplaces which were always going in the winter months. Brenda’s fireplace was a perfect substitute.
The most memorable surprise of the week happened our first morning after arriving. Caitlin & Bruce showed up at our door in the morning with a little wrapped XMAS gift. We had all agreed that we would just forego gifts this year and just do everything we could to enjoy our time together.We commented upon their entrance that ” You guys said no gifts…” They said don’t worry it’s nothing big and not to worry. We all sat down on the couch and Joanne started unwrapping the present with Caitlin & Bruce’s insistence. Opening it she pulled out a black -n-white sonogram picture which I immediately responded with ” you guys already sent us this pic from the breeder of your new Golden Retriever Puppy that should be born any day..”. Everybody started laughing and I looked at Joanne and saw tears in her eyes. She said that’s no dog that’s your future first grandchild!!!! WOW… Double WOW!!!!!
They said they were expecting a baby next June. Incredible!!!!!
The Sonogram Surprise … Guess it doesn’t look like a puppy…
Next they said we have to FACETIME now with the Dew side of the family next. Apparently everyone had known since Thanksgiving they were expecting except Joanne and I as they wanted to tell us in person.
Getting on the FACETIME with the Dew’s and Nunan’s we all celebrated together and then Caitlin handed a second wrapped box to Joanne. Apparently today was the ” BIG REVEAL” as everyone was going to find out the sex of this little June baby. Everyone had their thoughts and comments until Caitlin & Bruce said open the box. Inside the the box was a little pink ornament saying “It’s a girl…” We are going to be made grand-parents in June with a little baby girl!!!!! Could there be any better XMAS present?
It’s a girl…
Christmas decorations, a fire, and the gift of our first grandchild… Perfect!
The mother and grand-mother to be…
Our next 2 weeks in Boston included daily walks around the USS Constitution River Walk, The Freedom Trail, Bunker Hill Monument, and downtown Charlestown. They live in an incredible area, steep in history of our country from it’s earliest years. Most days Caitlin accompanied us on the walks. She is on a mission to stay active and healthy during this pregnancy…
Mike, Joanne, Cait and “The Constitution”…
The “Freedom Trail”…
Bunker Hill Monument…
Dinners were another high-point of the visit. Caitlin always said her husband Bruce is a great cook and she is right. Bruce prepared so many incredible meals that included Filet Mignon, fish, shrimp, clams, mussels, lobsters, many unique appetizers, and then soups from left-overs. We were spoiled everyday from a culinary standpoint. The Big XMAS dinner included Joanne’s home made cheese cake with caramel drizzle topping. YUM! We certainly will need to get back on a program after these 2 weeks.
Our son in-law can cook… Really Cook!!! Delicious…
Lots of appetizers and Charcuterie…
On independent play time days (days they did things by themselves and we did the same) we ventured on a few side trips. One day we drove to our old home town in Clinton, CT. We walked the beach at Hamonnasset State Park with friends (practicing social distancing), and then just drove around town and many of our familiar places. Many things were not open because of Covid, though we still enjoyed the day with all our reminiscing from our 30 years in the area.
Another day we took a drive down to Cape Cod. We are in no hurry to buy back into a sticks & bricks house yet though have always put Cape Cod, MA on a possible short list. The drive down wasn’t a traffic nightmare, like a typical day in the summer is, though it wasn’t without incidence. We stopped in a little town called Kingston, MA for some gas. unbeknownst to me when I returned my credit card to my pocket after using for gas I inadvertnently dropped my drivers license, cash and the credit card right there at the pumps. An hour later after just getting on the Cape I got a call from the Kingston Police dispatcher telling me it had been turned in at their office and would be there waiting for us later in the day on the return trip. Incredible in today’s day and age there are still so many great/honest people out there. We were so lucky to recoup everything including the cash. Wouldn’t surprise us at all if they were Rvers…
Although it was December, the drive through all the quaint towns of Cape Cod like Dennis, Brewster, Orleans, Chatham, Yarmouth, and the Port towns too was very fun. The area is much more rural than we thought, though the summer crowds are very daunting. We also took a tour of Nickerson State Park as a possible option maybe when we can spend some future exploring the area in warmer times. The park is very nice though after checking costs we were stunned. A good value for Mass. residents though anyone with an out-of state license it would cost over $80.00 for a night (all fees). For a state park???? Not sure if we’ll ever stay here just because of the costs. We enjoyed the day though would need to explore this a lot more as we just didn’t get the warm & fuzzies we thought we would. Also the logistics of access is very concerning. Lot’s more places to consider….
Cape Cod…
New Years was our final hurrah in Boston. We had an incredible meal, played a game with the 4 of us , and then watched “Hamilton” on their Big Screen for the first time. It might sound a little boring for some though in the midst of a pandemic it was a perfect way to celebrate the start of our 2021 and our continuing Revolutionary Journey….
