This year I couldn't take my kids to our usual vacation in Northern Michigan for several weeks. I couldnt take them to visit their Grandma in Florida. Instead they went to a camp in their home area for three weeks. I worked. I really missed our vacation. I really really missed it.
1. Problems because of Covid virus.
Well naturally at this time of writing it is still very dangerous to travel by airplane. Let alone an overseas flight with changing planes three times and on the plane for eight hours. I dont even know if these are happening these days. Flights between the US and Europe: are they going on? I heard of several hubs flights from Europe were flying too. But even these were limited or cancelled because of the worsening situation in the summer in the US.
Early in the Spring my Mother said, "You cant come to us, it is too dangerous. Dont even think about it. I thought, by July, we could make it and smiled in my head over her pre caution. BUT, by the end of May when I had to either cancel the reservation on my rental house or pay the other half.... it WAS worse and I had to concede that my Mother had been correct and I couldnt and shouldnt go to the US. Even though northern Michigan was relatively safe with few cases and even fewer deaths, getting there was the problem. In fact the weekly list of countries which were dangerous and required quarantine were changing all the time that it seemed impossible to book any vacation outside of our own country (see my next post for more on this). It WAS downright dangerous travelling. Let alone on long plane flights. Florida at the time was totally off limits. It was one of the most dangerous states in the US. Wow.
When the owner of the rental flat asked if I wanted to come or had to cancel, I wrote back that I had dreaded writing to her and making a decision, but, I had to cancel. She understood and thought that would be my answer. She graciously refunded the first half of the payment. Well... thats that.
Cancelled
2. Florida is getting out of hand at any rate. The summers are so hot there now. Every week I was calling my Mother several times and not only did she have to stay inside and not meet people because of the virus, but she had to stay inside because of the heat PERIOD. The temperature is daily in the 90s and the heat index over 100 all the time. Ridiculous. Between 12 noon and 6 pm my Mother can not go outside. In 2019 we were in Florida in July and we were in danger when we stayed out past 1.30 in the afternoon. A trip to Jungle Gardens Sarasota got us dangerously hot by 1.30 pm that we had to leave. I thought we could make it till 2pm, but we couldnt. As a result, I dont see how a trip to Florida in the summer is even possible for us, unless we just stay inside during the whole afternoon. Kind of silly. (At this writing it is the beginning of September and the heat in Florida is still daunting).
So... how will we make that trip in the summer in the future covid virus or not?
What instead happened was that my daughters went to a camp for three weeks and I worked. Continuously, six days a week all July. I dont usually do that. But a) no vacation was happening and b) I couldnt afford not to work or take any days off. Every day I didnt work cost more than what I had. There is less business, naturally, because of the virus. And since my business relies heavily on tourists, which there are fewer of, I have a great cut in revenue. Ergo, therefore, etc... Work, by me.
It was easy to work. I dont mind that, what I did mind was missing my daughters and our usual time together. I dont want to use this cliche, but I will: I love the bonding we have. We all love our Northern Michigan vacation, although they dont have other friends there so when they get antsy they fight with each other, but overall we have a great time together. And last year I proved that I could handle it all by myself. I spent every summer there growing up, now I wish they can carry on the tradition in their hearts and minds and so far they are. But this year we missed it and to compare it, it is worse than hitting a big bump in the road and the car bangs up and down and you feel that something broke from the lurch and the bump. Something is missing, something broke, maybe a flat tire?
That was the worst. But on top of that, I just plain missed my kids in the summer. Most of the year my wife takes charge of the trips and more than half the time I go, but even so, I have a feeling that they bond more with my wife. ie winter ski trips. I cant ski, so I cant go with them down the hill. In the summer it is just us three. Swimming and going to movies and to the fast food eatery traditions, and, just me with them.
This last summer they werent even at home in the July month. And who knows how long they will want to make the long trip to Michigan and miss their friends in the summer or their dog or whomever? Till they are teenagers?? Hopefully at least that long. And when one stops will the other daughter want to go with me alone?
Lost time. A lost summer. I missed it. I missed them. Gosh darned covid virus.
Ok, I m sounding bloody overly emotional now. Let s stop it.
(Next post, the summer vacation which DID happen)
Maybe being re released. I will get this soon. A classic discordant LP from the discordants epitome. Back from 1982 after Pere Ubu came back together again. I think they cut themselves loose from their punk roots and just did what they wanted to do. Happiness rolled together with sadness. Discordance and melody. Well, at least I think so. Fitting for the time. I guess. With the hit "we have the technology"
