It was an ordinary day. Another snowy, cold, dreary, no-nothing day! The type of day that's good for...well...nothing...except snow shoveling and napping! I've suffered through quite a few of those days this winter. Just finished shoveling about 2 inches of snow that fell overnight and covered our walks and driveway. I was supposed to be working at the gallery today for a few hours until I got a text telling me I didn't have to come in today due to the snow. So, the next best thing to do was pick up my MacBook Air and begin typing a story. It was only last evening that I told Carol I had planned a day trip to a few locations for one of the two week-end days coming up. We would head south from Lancaster until we crossed into Maryland. Would then pass through Elkton, Maryland and over the bridge at the C&D Canal at Chesapeake City. Stay on Rt. 301S to Cecilton and then look for the road that would take us to Betterton Beach. Haven't been to Betterton Beach for ages. Used to have the best times with friends sitting on the small beach along the Sassafras River where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay. Swimming is just OK at that beach, but since it is February and that's not going to happen anyway. I just would love to see a beach somewhere. Then we could head from there to Chestertown, Maryland which is located along the Chester River. Neat little town, but not a real good beach location. After a walk through the town and a stop at the farmer's market we could head home to Lancaster once again. Just trying to find something to do except sit in front of the TV hour after hour as it seems we have been doing for just about the entire past year. Carol and I were supposed to go on vacation to the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin in late April of 2020 when Covid-19 hit and closed the island to travelers. Three weeks of sunning along the warm Caribbean Sea was tough to miss, but we had no option.
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| Carol and I on Orient Beach on the island of St. Martin over a year ago. |
I called Karen, our travel agent in Lancaster, and sent an email to Magali, our travel agent in St. Martin and changed the dates to the end of October. All went well and we had made all the changes necessary for six months from our original trip. Then...the virus got worst and we had to cancel our trip in October and reschedule it for April of 2021. Boy, did we miss going to the beach. Makes all your problems and cares go away. Something about sitting on a beach chair, under an umbrella and listening to the waves lapping closeby. That can be so relaxing. Add to that a good book and a few naps and we are in heaven. And, the food on an island that is half French and half Dutch helps quite a bit also. Well, April of 2021 is fast approaching and it doesn't look very encouraging. The island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin had reopened months ago and was once again allowing visitors to their island paradise. But, too many people were making visits to the island and not practicing good hygiene procedures and the amount of Covid-19 cases began to rise once again. French side of the island, where our rental house and favorite beaches are located, naturally, is thinking about closing to visitors. Should we again call and make new arrangements? All is not well in paradise! Oh, how I need a day at the beach in Paradise! I realize that we can go to the beach somewhere much closer, but if you have ever been to a beach on a Caribbean island...well...you know that it really is paradise! Not quite the same as the beach at Betterton, Maryland or even the shoreline along the Chester River near the Chesapeake Bay. Perhaps if we both got our vaccines in time for our trip we could still make it to the island. But, trying to find a place to get the vaccine is almost as hard as trying to get to the Caribbean. I know the waves will still be lapping and the sun will still be shining and the sound of the ocean will still be there, but..."Oh, how I need a day at the beach in paradise. Will it ever happen again? It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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| Looking at the ocean from our beach chairs over a year ago. |
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| The umbrellas have been put away for the day and the sun has gone down in the distance over a year ago...but we still can't seem to pack up and go back to our rental home! |
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