I admit that the crab fest at my brother's house was a scary event that I did not know quite what I was walking into. Fortunately, everyone but my nephew and his wife were vaxxed and tested. No illness reported afterwards and there were some truly nice people there. Meeting my brother Jeffrey was great - much better and fun than either of us expected. I already felt like I knew his wife from our previous conversations.
A couple of weeks ago, we hosted our friends Brian and Laura at our house. We are on the route between Atlanta and where his family lives in North Carolina. It was a great visit. We introduced them to Karen and Bob. Brian and I went with Bob & Karen to The Forge Greensboro where Bob gave him the penny tour of The Forge, their facilities and what they do there with education in industrial arts while John and Laura went antique treasure-hunting around town. All of us met up later at Crafted The Art Of The Taco where we had one of their giant tables to ourselves near the front of the restaurant. It was also the first time Brian and Laura had seen our house in North Carolina.
We both got tested again last week.
Last weekend, we traveled to Black Mountain, near Asheville, NC to visit John and Kathy at their beautiful home in the mountains. It was, like the time with Brian and Laura, a very emotionally restorative visit. We both felt renewed after the visit. We visited the studios and shops of downtown Asheville and traveled up the highway to visit the Folk Art Museum and the Grove Park Inn.
While we were stopped at one scenic overlook I overheard one couple talking unmasked and without worry about testing positive for Covid19 two weeks ago while a tween-age boy was spitting on the sidewalk. Once we got back to the house and my sandals, I threw the my shoes in a plastic bag and didn't wear those shoes on the way home. The soles were covered in bad memories of those strangers at the overlook. All of us were masked the entire time we were out of their house. Rather than eat out, we had takeout the first night and the next two were great home-cooked vegetarian meals.
We feel fine. I'd like to be tested again after we pass the 10-day mark from the trip.
Speaking of trips, I have decided not to go to my niece's baby shower in Marietta, Georgia. I had one call with my sister-in-law when called to check what the protocol would be for the shower. It's going to be much bigger party than I thought and none of them are masking or are vaccinated. No one, including my pregnant niece, has any intention of ever being vaccinated. She was discouraging my decision to wear a mask. That is too much risk for MonsterMustDie and myself, and I certainly don't risk to bringing an infection of any sort to anyone especially vulnerable.
I cancelled my RSVP in a phone conversation with my sister-in-law. I tried to phone my niece twice to let her know first but she never returned my calls. Anyway, it is my sister-in-law who is officially organizing the baby shower.
We are still planning to visit Brian and Laura this weekend and I hope the weather will allow us to get together with some of the Women's Night group of friends on Friday evening and possibly another day while we are in Atlanta. Masked and outdoors and in a small group preferably.
After this weekend, I believe all of our social activity will be online-only until after the holidays. That includes our local friends, Bob and Karen, because Bob is facing vascular surgery next week to deal with a dire situation that was made worse by a miscommunication with his doctors - they mixed up or lost his tests when he made an emergency visit in April an now he is a ticking time bomb with a 81% blocked inner carotid artery.
I hope everyone endures and comes out on the other side of these times okay.
