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