The new normal

Summer break is winding up.  We have work to do this fall, in whatever form that takes.  The jury is still out on how our jobs will happen.  I know Cas starts with virtual school, and I know that Dallas is holding off until the last minute on making decisions (by design- they bought some time by delaying the start to after Labor Day.)

For at least a little while, though, we are living in our new normal world.  Cas and I love to travel, and certainly, we will get back to it as soon as it's safe to do so.  Until then, we are trying to make the most of being cautious.  This summer, we have looked into activities around town.  We've ridden bicycles, paddled kayaks and hiked through trails near and far.  We've found outdoor alternatives to explore, as well as ways to "go" to places virtually.  A few things we have done to save our sanity that I would recommend if you're not already doing them are:

Cas found a way to play board games and card games over the computer with people who are in different places.  He has been setting up games with family members and playing with Tabletop Simulator.  It's here, in case you (or someone in your circle) is tech-savvy enough to set it up and get it going: https://store.steampowered.com/app/286160/Tabletop_Simulator/

Cas also got us an Oculus headset early in the summer so we could "visit" places we love.  It's cool- in addition to fun games, there are places you can go with street views, so we stood on the beach where we were married, and we went to the Acropolis, the Fiords in New Zealand, Niagara Falls- you name it.  The headset lets you turn 360 degrees and look around as if you're standing at the place you see.  It's pretty neat: https://www.oculus.com/quest/?locale=en_US

We have been keeping up with happy hours.  My family has a set happy hour we've done on Wednesdays for a few years.  It's just a good mid-week check in and get together.  In CoVid times, we have moved that event to a Zoom call.  We hang an iPad from the fireplace mantel so we can face it from a pair of chairs while having a snack and a beer.  I even taught my dad how to use a Kindle Fire he had laying around to connect.  We've done Zoom or FaceTime calls with my dad and brothers, Cas's parents and brother and a few groups of people from our jobs.  There have also been in person happy hours, though they have all taken place in backyards.  We've got it down to a science.  We put our beers or cocktails in a cooler (with water, because Texas), pack snacks, sunscreen and bug spray and load two camping chairs into the trunk. We bring everything we need and leave nothing behind.  

And then, there's the trivia.  Our third date ever was pub trivia.  We played at Addison Ice House in a match put on by Geeks Who Drink.  Their questions are clever, if a bit cheeky, and while their content is challenging, if sometimes risqué.  It is pub trivia, after all.  They have been running a weekly quiz on Tuesdays since this whole thing started, and we have played from home most weeks.  They have also added other quizzes throughout the week.  If you want to check them out, here you go: https://www.geekswhodrink.com/

Finally, we have kept up with date night.  When we first started going out, Cas and I had a set date night during the school year.  Every Thursday, we got together.  It was low-key by design.  Sweatpants were acceptable attire- but the idea was to pick up some easy food- a Subway sandwich, for example- and hang out at one of our homes.  Eat the sandwich, watch an episode of the show we were into and just be together.  When we bought the house, Thursdays meant we headed to a restaurant.  When we all started quarantine, Cas and I kept Thursdays special by making that our one night a week to get takeout.  We have hit up some of our favorites and carried their food home.  This week, it was Fish City Grill.  We've taken things home from Zorba's Greek, C-Rolls Sushi, Nelson's Steak and Seafood, Fajita Pete's and a number of other local places that may not have the cushion of a big restaurant chain.  

So, that is my list of things I would recommend.  Keep yourselves safe and sane, but don't forget to play a little bit.  

As a final note in the "travel" blog, I want to write down the things we didn't get to yet- and may still do in August or September, time permitting: 

• Catch a movie at the Coyote Drive In, Fort Worth: https://coyotedrive-in.com/
• Wander around the Dallas Zoo: https://www.dallaszoo.com/
• Do a "photo walk" through Deep Ellum and look at he murals: http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2016/deep-ellum-42-murals/tour.html
• Check out the sandy beach in Little Elm: http://interactives.dallasnews.com/2016/deep-ellum-42-murals/tour.html

So, that's it.  Happy quarantine, everyone.  I hope to be writing from somewhere outside of Dallas next year.  

Oh, and of course, here are our photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

A tour guide in your pocket

So, the thing we did today was a phone-app-based walking tour.  If that sounds strange, that's because it kind of is.  We did one a few years back, and it was sufficiently fun, so we thought an outdoor walk this morning might be a good idea.  

We bought a Groupon for a company that does guided walking tours in some major cites.  In the area, they have one for downtown Dallas and one for McKinney.  Since we wanted to try something totally new while keeping distant, we went to the seat of Collin county and checked out what there was to see in McKinney.  The tour we picked used a phone app to guide us to different locations in the city, giving us facts, photo suggestions and questions to answer (mostly based on historical building plaques) along the way.  

It was a cute walk, and as is now the norm this summer, the only problem with anything was that not everyone was practicing good social distance.  Surprisingly, though, most McKinney folks did well.  There's a saying about a few bad apples that applies, here.  

We started at their library, where we had to find a particular statue and take a photo of it.  After that, the app directed us to walk to a specific historically significant church and find the date when construction on the building was completed.  The walking tour sent us to a fountain in a park, then to check out some nearby statues.  It suggested some shops and restaurants, but we skipped those.  Maybe we'll stop by for a visit after the global pandemic is all wrapped up.  

The tour routed us to a large, imposing biding that used to be the Collin County Prison.  Famously some members of Bonnie and Clyde's gang were held here, and they were evidently planning a jail break, but were transferred to a different facility before they could pull it off.   After they stopped locking folks up here, the building was used briefly as a restaurant, and patrons could dine in tables situated in the jail cells.  A unique dining experience, to be sure.  

We also walked past an old school house where we were supposed to ring the bell out front- then to the Collin County History Museum, which used to be a very beautiful post office.  After that, a few more stops until the culmination of the tour at the Old County Courthouse, which is currently a performing arts center.  The tour offers up trivia as well as challenges and questions.  The trivia that popped up at the courthouse was that the last trial here was a murder trail, and a pretty gruesome one, to boot.  Apparently, a jealous mistress was accused of murdering her sweetheart's wife.  With an axe.  Oh, and she was acquitted...  Wow.  Such a pretty building, and such a dramatic end to its legal career.  

All in all, it was a good walk, an interesting morning, and yet another good option for the socially distant summer of local stuff we've tried to maintain.  

Here is the $19 Groupon we bought, allegedly a $50 value (it's worth $19, not $50): https://www.groupon.com/deals/zeetours-5-dallas

Here's the website for the company, though there are TONS of other companies that do this: https://www.zeetoursapp.com/

And, of course, here are photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

Anniversary, Covid style

Cas and I have gone on some really cool dates that we find worth repeating.  There are a few that we recently tried to replicate in our home, with pretty great success.   One of the things we've done a few times is see Ricki Derek do a show.  He is a local guy who sings crooner-style while backed by a very large and very talented band.  We've seen him a few times around the holidays, but we prefer his Valentine's Day show.  He gets his whole big band on stage at the Granada Theater and sings amazing, old love songs.  After a full set, the movie screen comes down, and the old-timey movie theater-turned-music venue returns to its original purpose.  They typically screen Casablanca.  

Monday was our fourth wedding anniversary.  We sent off a few bucks to Ricki Derek and purchased his official CD.  Nobody even really buys CDs anymore, but I thought it was the best way to get Ricki into Cas' music library while shelling a few bucks out to a favorite local guy who probably isn't getting a lot of work right now.  We listened to the CD during dinner, then watched Casablanca on the living room TV.  New twist on our oft-repeated Valentine date.  Mission accomplished.  

Speaking of dinner, we have a ritual there, as well.  We use credit card points to obtain restaurant and retail gift cards, and because of that, we use the credit card for EVERYTHING.  This results in tons of gift cards.  We usually save up a bundle of Ruth's Chris cards and have a fancy, expensive, blowout steak dinner for our wedding anniversary.  And, while I know we could probably have headed to Ruth's Chris and they would have been happy to see us, we wanted to continue keeping our social distance.  So, we used some other gift cards.  We had a hundred bucks saved up in Omaha Steaks gift cards, so I volun-told Cas to make me dinner.  He was happy to oblige, probably because he enjoys grilling, and probably  because I have made so many meals since quarantine started.  

Our usual move at Ruth's Chris is to have a fancy cocktail, then be seated for dinner, order a bottle of fancy wine and get some steaks with amazing side dishes.  Okay, challenge accepted.  I made a us each a very nice old fashioned, then we popped the side dishes in the oven and got the grill all warmed up for the steaks.  We had a fancy bottle of wine with dinner, of course, and when we finished that, because Cas and I are pretty perfect for each other, we watched cartoons.  

I hope everyone who is staying home is doing so with a good person or some good people.  It makes all the difference in the world.  

Here's the bar where we had the fancy drinks, complete with the flowers Cas' mom sent us.  I think it really adds something, don't you?  

Ricki Derek: http://rickiderek.com/new/

Omaha Steaks: https://www.omahasteaks.com/shop/

Count the cupcakes

If you have ever been to the Dallas Arboretum, you have seen them.  There are almost always at least a half dozen teenage girls in big, puffy dresses that make them look like torsos sticking out from the tops of fancy cupcakes.  I always count the cupcakes when I go to the arboretum.  Today, there were only two socially distant cupcakes.  Still, it's something to behold, and just a little strange to see while everyone else is fanning their faces and shuffling sandal-clad feet through the flower-lined paths.  

In a lot of Hispanic cultures, girls have a special party on their fifteenth birthday.  Consider it their version of the Bat Mitzvah or the Sweet Sixteen.  It's called a quinceanera (Keen-suhn-YEH-ruh).  There are always elaborate photo shoots in the puffy dresses before the party.  I wondered this morning as we drove to the arboretum if we would see any at all.  Apparently, some things will never change.  Well done, cupcake girls!

I went with a much more casual look.  I sported shorts and a T shirt today as we walked around the Arboretum.  Cas and I seem to hit up the arboretum once a year- usually in the summer, and usually in the morning on a day when the forecast is for lower than hundred-degree temperatures.  Next year, we will check the humidity before we head off to go cupcake counting.  Live and learn.  

It was a very pretty walk, though.  The arboretum limited the number of people they allowed in at any time, and they had marked paths for one way and two way traffic.  Some things were understandably closed- they turned off the toad fountain and shut down the play area for kids.  They did have a new feature, though.  They had a sculpture exhibit on display with pieces all around their beautiful park.  There are pieces that look like people doing different park activities whose clothing and accessories are so real looking that sometimes, we got confused and thought actual patrons on park benches were additional statues.  It was kind of funny, and honestly, the sparse crowd in the arboretum made the statues stand out all the more.  Here's a shot Cas snapped of a sculpture heading out for a picnic.  

Smart girl- go for a spot in the shade!  

It was a really nice walk in the park, and I am glad we went early in the day.  It was far less crowded than any other time I have been there, and I am sure that was by design.  The lack of too many other people was nice.  There were still some times when Cas and I cut through the grass to avoid having to walk very close to other people.  There were a few people who followed so close on the marked paths that we called them tailgaters, but it's easy to step to the side and let them move on.  

Overall, it was very pretty, and we had a good time.  We got home just in time for lunch, and if I play my cards right, maybe a nap.  

If you're interested in the arboretum, buy online and schedule a time: https://www.dallasarboretum.org/

We got tickets as a gift, but they are typically $10-$15

And, naturally, photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

A hill, a park, a pool-lake

So many things.  Cedar Hill State Park is at Joe Pool Lake.  So, it's a hill park pool lake.  Or something.  Nevertheless, we started the day looking for a few scenic drives.  The mercury has been climbing lately, and this promised to be another 100+ day  It's 97 degrees as I sit in my air conditioned home and write this, so it's probably for the best that we've made our way back inside.  

The scenic drive portion of the day started off pretty nicely.  We trekked to Cedar Hill, well south of Dallas.  It's a community around Joe Pool Lake, which you could locate on a map by drawing a straight line down from DFW airport.  The area around Cedar Hill was, in fact, quite hilly.  Kind of a shock to the system, knowing how flat most of Dallas is.  We tooled around the area for a while, deciding finally to pay the entry fee and tool around in the state park.  Once we were in, we found a hiking path that looked pretty good and went for it.  Regrettably, there was not a lot of shade on this path, but there was not another soul in sight, and the scenery was beautiful.  We trekked around for a while, until we came to the scenic lookout, a spot that all but demanded a photo be taken.  

It really was a gorgeous hike, and there were some very good breezes that showed up along the way.  We wandered around the hiking trail, then made it back to the car for some sweet, sweet air conditioning.  One more stop in the hill park pool lake was necessary, and on that one, we dipped our toes in the water.  That seemed to cool everything down 20-30 degrees.  I may be exaggerating.  It just felt really good.  

The only way we could top that was by purchasing a Slurpee on the way home.  I know it's a cup of slushy sugar water.  We all know it's a cup of slushy sugar water.  I do not care.  A Slurpee on a super hot day after a particularly shade-free hike is the best feeling in the world.  

Except that shower when you get home.  That shower is pretty great.  

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

Cedar Hill State Park- $7/adult: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/cedar-hill

Off the beaten path

This morning, we got out of bed uncharacteristically early- at an hour that nearly offends Cas in the summer- so we could get out the door and to our destination before the sun really got revved up.  We made it to Bonham State Park, which is about 60 miles from our house, just after they opened the gates at 8 am.  It was an act of sheer will for us to wake that early for a leisure activity, but it was totally worth the groggy march out the door.  

The state park has a lake, and it's called Bonham State Park Lake.  That is in no way to be confused with Lake Bonham, which is about ten miles to the north.  No- Bonham State Park Lake is pretty small.  Stand at the edge of the water at any place, and you will see the whole lake.  We booked our entry online the day before and arrived to find that while we were welcome to swim, they were not renting kayaks, because, the person at the information desk said, they had no way to sanitize them.  Puzzling.  We had been wiping down oars and the sides of the kayaks at White Rock, then stashing the wipes in a pocket so we could row.  We're not park professionals, and we figured that much out.  I digress.  We spent the majority of the morning hiking.  

The folks at the information desk gave us a very nice trail map, and we went about the business of checking out the trails.  There were five trails on the map, and they told us one was closed because there were people felling trees.  Gotcha.  Don't want to walk underneath that.  If a tree falls in that forest, I don't want to be underneath it to hear a thing.  We even found a geocaching box and wrote our names on the notepad in it.  

It was just starting to get oppressively hot when we were wrapping up our visit.  We walked knee-high out into the water and watched some small fish swim near our feet.  After a few minutes of that, we pulled our picnic lunch out of the trunk of the car and ate under a shade tree before heading back to Dallas.  All in all, a very good morning.  Both of our Fitbits registered 10,000 steps before we left the park, so when we got back home (after some really necessary showers) and sat down to read for a while, there was absolutely no guilt about being so sedentary.  

Cas is about to put lots of photos in the album from our morning, but I think I will share a photo of the trail they call Gnarly Root Trail.  If you look at the path ahead, you will see how the name was inspired.  

Bonham State Park- $4 per adult: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/bonham

If you wanted to check out geocaching: https://www.geocaching.com/play

And, of course, photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

Up a creek

With the smashing success of our last kayaking trip to White Rock Lake, Cas and I decided to go back. The White Rock Paddle Company did well by us the first time we went, and Cas had spotted a creek just past a bridge last time we went out on the water.  This time, we were literally up a creek (and back down it again).  

We've got the procedures down, now.  The rental folks insist on touchless rental and payment.  The only thing we touch when we get there is the kayak and the oar.  We got in, rowed out about 15 feet and took off our masks.  I had a Ziploc bag for those and my car key.  Cas had one of those watertight phone cases.  We were slathered in sunscreen and armed with bottled water.  

The trip up the creek was nice.  There were exactly three humans we encountered once we really got into it.  We saw one man fishing and we saw two other paddlers heading out as we were returning to our start point.  Other than that, it was quiet and pretty.  I spotted a turtle and scared him off his log, but we both managed to see a crane perched on a rock, grabbing a little lunch.  When we got back to the lake, we saw another crane (or maybe the same one?) before rowing back to return the kayaks.  

It's a fun way to spend a little time, and kayaking is a perfectly socially distant activity.  I suspect yesterday was not the last time this summer we'll find ourselves deliberately up a creek.  

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

If you are interested: https://www.whiterockpaddle.com/index.html

$19.99/hour + tax, not including gratuity

Have a Willie nice 4th

Willie Nelson is an American legend.  His voice is one that you can immediately conjure up in your mind if you have ever heard it before.  He is all at once nasal-sounding and able to sing with perfect pitch.  He has been making music for longer than most folks I know have been breathing in and out.  His beat up guitar has a name (Trigger), and has seen more life than most of us ever will.  

Last year, Cas and I saw his show in Dallas on July 3rd.  This year, we tuned into his virtual Fourth of July picnic.  I styled my hair appropriately: 

To try and get the pinnacle American holiday correct, we got some barbecue to eat while watching the music.  I have to admit, the show didn't really get good until around 8pm.  That's when Asleep at the Wheel went on.  After that, it was a parade of different people- most of them legendary in their own right- who sang Willie Nelson's songs, songs about Willie or songs that felt otherwise appropriate for the occasion.  

Finally, when it was time for Willie himself to get in on the show, the feed for the live stream got all kinds of glitchy.  I would call it a hitch in the giddy-up, so as to stick with the theme of the evening.  I suspect that lots of folks skipped the opening acts and the banter between Lukas and Micah Nelson (the banter was very skippable, by the way) and popped in to overload the system just in time to crash Willie's performance.  The folks broadcasting it even went so far as to back up the stream and start from Sheryl Crow's song a couple of times.  

I was frustrated and ready to give up, and just as we were about to, the whole thing cleared, and we watched Willie Nelson's family band regale us in the safety of our own home.  

His older sister played the piano- she was born in 1931, two years before Willie, but for some reason, he calls her "little sister."  Go figure.  The band was incredibly talented.  And Willie was exactly the same as we remembered.  He looks all of his 87 years.  His craggy hands match his aging guitar when the camera zooms in.  Still, he has that spark of a great performer.  He clearly loves playing music, and it comes through.  

Hopefully, next year, we can spend the 4th out watching fireworks or sitting at a baseball game- the plan was to be in Boston yesterday, which seemed like a very patriotic idea.  Still, I don't think we could have conjured up a more American stay-at-home activity than the Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic.  We even put out a blanket and ate, picnic-style.  Happy birthday, America.  

Some photos for you: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

I don't know what you've heard...

Today, we carried on with the apparent theme of the week by taking a trip to the Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary.  What a mouthful.  Anyhow, in a non-Covid world, the Heard museum would be a place for hiking, learning, field trips, a ropes course, ziplining- you name it.  In our Covid summer, the Heard museum has limited exhibits, but full access to the hiking trails.  When Cas and I set out this morning, we did so with extra water and a picnic lunch.  

The Heard museum is in McKinney, so it wasn't terribly far from our house.  When we got there, walked through their entry building (and gift shop, of course), paid admission, then started on one of their well marked paths.  

There were boardwalk paths that crossed wetland spaces, as well as shaded gravel paths that went through some very pretty scenery.  The paths are all well marked, well mapped and reasonably safe, though no one can guarantee anything outdoors is free from snakes, fire ants or plants that make for itchy rashes- not that we saw any of that.  

The museum is very much set up as a learning space, so there are interspersed zoo-like exhibits.  We met a pair of bobcats and a pair of deer who were in enclosures.  There was also a butterfly enclosure we walked through, which may have been my favorite part.  

We walked several of their paths, only seeing a few other people along the way.  Every time we encountered other humans, we put masks on, but with today being the first day of July, we walked without them when it was just the two of us.  

When we finished the nature walk, we went back to the car and retrieved a nice, cold picnic lunch. We decided to enjoy our meal on a park bench in the pretty garden area near the museum entrance.  I don't know if a mandarin orange ever tasted so good as one that had been on ice and was ready to go on a sweaty, dirty, post-nature-walk lunch, but they were perfect.  In fact, the whole picnic was perfect.  Heck, the whole morning was.  We just got back, and I think the rest of the afternoon will be decidedly cooler, cleaner and less active, but we had a pretty great morning at The Heard.

If you are interested, here is their website: https://www.heardmuseum.org/

And we paid $10 each to get in.  They have a sign outside so you can pay online and do touch-free entry, but we just handed the lady behind the desk a $20.  

Of course, as always, here are some photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

A walk in the park

On the very edge of the west side of Lake Ray Hubbard, you can find the Rowlett Nature Trail.  When looking for different places to muddy up our hiking boots this summer, this one looked promising.  Lots of suggestions in an Internet search were turning up paved paths in pretty parks, and those are nice, but we wanted to see dirt and trees and critters.  Cas has a pair of Red Wing hiking boots all the way from beautiful Red Wing, Minnesota.  Through no small coincidence, he also has a wife who is from Red Wing, Minnesota.  Needless to say, he likes wearing the boots while hiking with the wife.  A paved path simply won't do.  

So we set out this morning to find a little bit of nature.  

It was a nice walk, though not a really challenging hike.  It was three miles total, so it wasn't really that far.  We wore long pants, as several Internet comments mentioned snakes, and we didn't want to find out the hard way that our ankles and calves might just be delicious.  It rained pretty hard yesterday, so we did get the opportunity to trudge about in some mud.  There was also the kind of humidity I have heard referred to as "air you can wear."  No matter, though, we had a good time.  

Dallas weather has been pretty kind to us this summer.  We still haven't hit 100, and most days, we don't make it north of 95 degrees.  Hardly seems like the end of June, if you ask me.  It's all for the best, though.  If we have to socially distance and do outdoor things to stay safe and CoVid-free, we're pretty happy Mother Nature is cooperating.  

If you are interested, parking is free, the trail is also free to use, and aside from a difficult-to-find entrance from the main road, the rest is easy.  

Map: https://goo.gl/maps/PHwEdyuRsDkKofq79

Website: https://www.ci.rowlett.tx.us/Facilities/Facility/Details/23

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

La dolce vita

About a week and a half ago, I got a new job.  It was a long time coming.  There were two and a half years of grad school, tests, practicum hours (like an internship) and lots of time spent searching job sites.  I applied in six different independent school districts for a school librarian job.  Because I want to stay with middle or high school kids, I saw exactly seven jobs even come up.  I managed to interview for four of them, and when a job offer came, Cas was ready with a very cool gift.  To congratulate me, he purchased a virtual tour of a Tuscan vineyard.  

It was supposed to be a real time tour of the vineyard, hosted by the friendly, smiling Italian man in the image they used in the promotion.  Cas booked it, and the company cancelled.  He booked it another day, and they cancelled again.  Maybe no one else booked, and it wasn't worth the hassle for our fee alone.  Cas had already purchased three bottles of wine from the region as a part of his super-thoughtful gift, so he came up with something even cooler.  He projected his computer to our living room TV and used Google Earth to "travel" to where the wines were from.  He even started at he airport, then "flew" us across the ocean to Italy.  After zooming in on the first vineyard, we went to the bar for a tasting.  Here's what my super creative and thoughtful guy came up with: 

We went to the couch (tour bus), traveled to the next vineyard (on Google Earth) and stepped off the bus to go to the tasting room (the bar between our living room and our kitchen).  For good measure, I found a Pandora station that played The Three Tenors.  Seemed correct.  

After the tasting tour, we poured a pair of glasses full and watched a few YouTube presentations from different Tuscan vineyards.  We rounded out the evening by eating lasagna and watching The Italian Job, because why not?  I didn't leave the house all day, but we spent the afternoon in Italy.  How cool is that? 

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

The show must go on

Last night brought a new socially distant adventure in the form of a throwback activity.  We went all the way to the city of Ennis and watched a movie.  I wouldn't go to a regular movie theater at this point in time, even if we were somehow able to do so- and I have no idea if they are even open.  What we did was head to a drive in theater.  There are a few peppered around the area, and the other one we considered was in Fort Worth, but in the end, we went to the one in Ennis, because they seemed to have the most well constructed plan on their website for how to deal with operating while implementing Coronavirus safety measures.  

The theater plays second run movies, and last night, we decided that, of the available options, it would be pretty great to watch Jurassic Park on the big screen.  Nothing like watching dinosaurs from your car under the moon and stars.  

Typically, the drive in would not allow outside food and beverage, but they've made an exception for the current situation.  We didn't take too much advantage, though.  We only brought water, and we didn't even drink that much, because they say on their website that they're hoping people will use their bathrooms for emergencies only.  Gotcha loud and clear- stay in your darn car.  Done and done.  We took my car and put the top down, but most of the people there were good about sticking in or around their vehicles.  When anyone got within a few feet of our car, we put on masks and waited for them to leave.  Still, once the movie started, it ceased to be a concern.  We did each venture to the bathroom, but we showed up an hour early for a two hour movie, and the drive was quite a haul.  Bound to happen.  

Anyhow, it was a fun experience, and I think Cas and I can both recommend a trip to Ennis if you're interested.  I don't think we'd head back a whole lot more this summer, as it takes a full hour in the car each direction from our house, but we may see one more movie before school starts.  Here's what you need to know:

The website said the movie starts at 8:30 and you should go early.  We went on a Thursday, and it seemed we could have arrived right at 8:30 and still been fine.  They actually started our movie just after 9, though it may have to do with how recently the summer solstice was and how late sunset is happening these days.  I don't know how crowded the weekends are.  

If you have a portable, battery operated radio, bring it.  If you don't, by a $10 radio somewhere.  The audio for the movie plays on an FM station, so you need to tune in.  If you don't want to have your car sit and idle for two hours or drain its battery by operating the car radio while the engine is off, just get something that you can operate separately from your vehicle.  As a bonus, if you tune in to the correct station before the movie starts, they will have a DJ playing pop music from the late 50s and early 60s.  Not every song will be a winner, but it certainly sets the mood.  

Check the weather before you leave the house.  It was perfect last night.  It did not rain, and the weather dipped from the low 80s to the high 70s while we sat and watched the dinosaurs.  There was also a pretty spectacular breeze.  I would try for a night like that, even if your car has a permanent roof.  Roll the windows down.  It's pretty great.  

There is a downside.  The bathrooms are pretty gross.  They have proper plumbing, and everything functions correctly, but you get to share your space with a lot of flies.  Think highway rest stop.  And when you do go, wear a mask, stick a Kleenex or a baby wipe in your pocket and throw a small hand sanitizer bottle in the other pocket.  We used the baby wipe to open/close the door, latch it shut, flush, operate the sink handles and get back out of the bathroom.  After that, you're on to sanitize your hands on the way back to the car. 

Other minor downsides are the distance from home and the presence of cigarette (and other) smoke, though the space is pretty open and the smoke dissipates quickly.  

All in all, a good entertainment option for a socially distant summer.  Nothing fancy, but a unique experience.  Here is the view as I was walking back from the bathroom:

Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 for kids

They have what I am told is a very good concession stand, though we skipped it.

Website here: http://www.galaxydriveintheatre.com/

Naturally, photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

Paella and sangria

One year ago, Cas and I were in Valencia.  We went to a cooking class with award winning chef (and International Ambassador of Paella) David Montero.  When we took the class, we snapped a photo of the recipe that was sitting out on the table.  I also took a lot of notes while the cooking was going on.  When we got home, we made paella a few times, but it kind of trailed off during the school year.  It's pretty involved.  Yesterday, exactly a year from our cooking class, we made paella.  

We made some sangria and listened to Tuna music.  Enjoy a few tunes.  

If you would like to try the recipe, it's here. 

The seasoning we use is here. 

And, of course, we took photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

Row your boat

Today's social distancing win: Kayaking.  We decided to head out on a lake and rent a pair of kayaks.  We checked out the White Rock Paddle Company today.  At the current time, they are open Wednesdays through Sundays, and the kayaks are $20/hour.  It was the perfect day and the perfect activity.  We've been feeling a little cooped up, lately.  I have been searching for a new job (just got one!) and Cas has been decompressing from the long semester.  We packed some bottled water, a ton of sunscreen and our really cheap baseball caps that we typically use on river floats.  We booked in advance, as their new business model demands, and we paid online.  The White Rock Paddle Company apparently changed its payment processes so nobody has to touch anything in order to do business.  

We got in our kayaks, wiped down the oars and roamed the lake for an hour and a half.  It was a really fun thing to do, and today was a beautiful day to do it.  The wind was in our faces on the way out, and the water was surprisingly choppy for a portion of the time.  We went out farther than the other folks who rented kayaks at the same time as us, and we saw a lot of pretty shores and a cool bridge.  We managed to take some water into our kayaks- thank God Cas keeps some ratty, old towels in his car.  

All in all, it was a pretty perfect activity if you need to stick around Dallas.  We're definitely going back to this rental company, and there is a pretty good chance we will check out other kayak rentals at different lakes before the summer is over.  We can both recommend this company- they have a great location and decent prices.  Do the reservations online from your computer, though.  Their interface is pretty tough to use, and it's worse from a phone.  

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7

If you are interested: https://www.whiterockpaddle.com/index.html

$19.99/hour + tax, not including gratuity

Dinner and a show

Last night, Cas and I had a socially distant dinner and a show date.  We started outside.  While I do an awful lot of the indoor cooking, he runs the grill.  Anything cooked outside over fire is all Cas.  Last night, he grilled a pair of steaks and a couple ears of corn.  We combined that with a few other side dishes, and it was a very nice meal.  

After dinner, we logged in to a show.  We've been to the Pocket Sandwich Theater many times before, and their shows are always fun.  They are the folks who encourage you to boo the bad guy and throw popcorn at actors.  Given how tightly packed the space usually is when they do live shows, the online option was pretty smart.  

What it boiled down to was folks at home watching what looked like a Zoom call.  The actors were on screen in a grid pattern.  The premise was that some money went missing at a company, and one of the six people on the screen was the culprit.  From there, folks watching from their homes gathered clues, and during the intermission, we all had the opportunity to send in our guess as to which of the six was the thief.  

It was pretty cute.  We didn't arrive at the right conclusion, but it was certainly more interactive than scrolling through the Netflix cue.  

I am not sure if Pocket Sandwich is doing this sort of thing again, but I think we'd pass.  Once was cute, but I'm not sure they can keep the concept fresh for a second iteration.  Still, I have never been to dinner and a show like this: 

Website: https://www.pocketsandwich.com/

Cost: $10/device, additional donations encouraged

Xing Street

The bike trail we use most often is called Preston Ridge Trail.  It runs North-South and starts at a point that is 1.3 miles from our house.  When you ride this trail, it crosses several streets and a set of railroad tracks.  There are painted notifications on the pavement itself that tell you to prepare for crossing the street or the railroad tracks, and they are written so that the words look like they're in reverse order.  XING is above STREET.  

I get the need for brevity.  If you are moving fast, you need to know there is a street to cross just ahead, and you don't want to waste time with extra letters.  Crossing becomes Xing.  Naturally, we pronounce Xing as though it was a Chinese word.  It sounds a little like Jing.  

So, today, we rode down Xing Street for a while in the morning.  

Fun fact: Cas looked up Xing to see if it was a Chinese word.  Bingo.  It has several meanings, but my favorite one says it's a Chinese verb meaning do, travel, walk or go.  Pretty apt definition, if you ask me...  

Here is a current trail map- the green ones are best: https://www.dallasparks.org/DocumentCenter/View/5362/City-of-Dallas-Hike-and-Bike-Trail-Network-Existing

The animals are not the problem

Today, Cas and I went to Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch.  It's an entirely outdoor facility with animal enclosures and information about the creatures they have housed there.  There are bears, monkeys, lemurs, sloths, kangaroos, camels and tons of other critters.  It was all very interesting, and the animals were quite active.  Typically, if you were to go to the Dallas Zoo, for example, most of the enclosures feature animals large and small, lounging around with not much to do.  At this place, though, the animals were active.  The bears were playing and splashing in a bath.  The lemurs were practically bouncing around.  You can buy a bag of food for $3 and feed certain animals.  Cas and I fed miniature horses and camels.

The only reliably lazy animals the whole time were the lone crocodile and the kangaroos.  They were pretty unimpressed with the visiting humans.  

I don't think I would recommend Sharkarosa to people who are trying to do a good job of social distancing, though.  The animals were fine, but the humans were another story.  Of course, the people who worked there were behaving very well.  They wore masks when interacting with others and stayed appropriately distant, observing good safety protocols, but the clientele was decidedly different.  They huddled together in shaded spaces, sitting nearly on top of one another during presentations.  They stood in the center of walkways, and very few of them wore masks.  As careful as I am when I just go to the grocery store, I am not about to rub elbows (or anything else) with folks who don't feel the need to practice a little bit of what I now regard as common courtesy.  

We were very careful, and more than once, we hung around in a spot we wanted to leave, just to make time for everyone in our path to vacate.  It was pretty frustrating, but the great thing about Cas is that he was on the same page.  Neither of us wanted to walk through a narrow space while someone was coming the other direction.  We may be vigilant at best and paranoid at worst, but we are really trying to get the social distancing right.  When we saw everything we wanted and noticed that more people were coming in the entrance gates, we made our decision to head back to the house.  Sharkarosa is fine, but the humans leave something to be desired.  Since they are not open on weekdays, there is almost no chance we are heading back there until there is a vaccine or a good treatment protocol for the Coronavirus.  After that, we may just enjoy the whole thing.  

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7 

If you are interested: https://www.sharkarosa.com/, $24/2 people, $12/2 people with Groupon: https://www.groupon.com/deals/sharkarosa-wildlife-ranch-14

Who are you?

The thing Cas and I do every Christmas and birthday is try to come up with a cool activity instead of a tangible gift.  We each had homes before we bought a house together, so we had more stuff than we knew what to do with when we moved in.  We put half of that stuff in boxes and bags and gave it to whatever charity was willing to pluck it off the porch whichever day we were ready to donate.  We don't need stuff.  

Christmas of 2019 brought us two things to do.  We already played Whirly Ball before the world turned on its head, which is good, because it's a group game with a ball and some goofy bumper cars.  It just seems like a lot of contact in a CoVid world.  What we had to wait for was the concert.  He wanted to see The Who when they passed through Dallas last month.  I think you can guess what happened, there.  I got the first email saying the show had been postponed indefinitely.  The second email said the whole deal was off, and a refund was on the way.  Bummer.  He wanted to see them.  So, we developed an alternative.  Thank you, YouTube.

We had several shows to choose from, and the final decision came down to a show from 2017 and one from 1982.  Both strong contenders, but in the end, we selected the 38 year old show.  Rather than the reality of what we may have seen at the American Arilines Center, we opted for the band in their prime.  They were younger, fitter, and very energetic.  

If course, we tried to have the full concert experience.  We poured beer into plastic cups.  

We did consider the comedy (only for a moment) of throwing $30-$40 out the back door of our house as we held the plastic cups, just to have the full experience of paying too much during a rock show.  We opted to keep the wallets closed, though.  

And because I had the amazing good fortune to marry someone fun, there was a break between songs when Cas disappeared up the stairs and returned with a beach ball.  Of course.  

All in all, a great success.  We joked about lines at the bathroom and how long it would be before the parking lot cleared out.  Had we actually attended a show in person, he theorized we would have found a nice bar in the neighborhood and wait for the rest of the crowd to dissipate before driving home.  To that end, we sat at the bar between our living room and our kitchen and had a post-show cocktail.  

So, it wasn't exactly the full concert experience, but at the moment, it's as close as anyone should probably come.  

Socially distant

The usual summer travel habits Cas and I have established so far have to change this year.  In fact, they had to start changing at spring break.  If this had been a normal year, there would be a series of entries in this blog from March about the trip we fully intended to take to New Orleans.  Alas, the novel Coronavirus has changed everything.  Walk into any public space, and all of the sudden, people are in face masks.  The world turned sideways for a bit- I mean, there was absolutely no toilet paper at grocery stores or warehouse stores for over a month.  People stopped getting their hair cut.  The young and healthy were encouraged to behave on behalf of the older and infirm.

In parallel to that, of course, our summer travel plans withered on the vine.  Maybe next year...  We were going to travel to major cities exclusively within the US, but now, it seems, we are sticking even closer to the house than that.  Still, the fact remains that we are teachers with a whole summer stretching out before us, and fun stuff needs to be done.  

So, here we go.  Cas had his last meeting or whatever work-ish thing he did yesterday.  I had my last day of work on Thursday of last week.  We are free until somewhere in August, and certainly, we don't intend to spend the entire summer holed up in the house.  But how do we keep ourselves virus-free while having a good time?  It will take some strategy, to be sure.  Today's strategic move: The Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area Nature Preserve.  

Cas and I packed a few sandwiches, a few apples, some hand sanitizer, bug spray, wipes, etc. and headed off for a hike.  They have several hiking trails, there, and we walked the majority of one, switching to another for the most shade on our trip back to the car.  We saw the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, a log home from 1869 and plenty of bugs, flowers and butterflies.  It was a good first thing to do, and a nice way to dip a toe in the water, so to speak.  We have now ventured out of the house for something besides groceries, takeout food and socially distant lawn chair happy hours.  All in all, a great start to a rather unusual summer.  More to come.  

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2XJ3mX7a61qq3KRj7 

If you are interested: Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area- $5/car- https://www.llela.org/llela-home