Well, maybe you can, but March, April, May, June, and July is long enough, already.
Senior Adults need to get out and see people and things.
But how to do it and stay safe from our "friend", Covid-19?
Why not just enjoy the simple pleasures of home? After all the morning glories are blooming..
Planning is important in these times, and we wanted to stay safe. So...
We wanted to get to Blacksburg to see our kids, and there were some guidelines we needed to follow.
1. Don't eat out in strange places.
2. Use a mask when out in public.
Who was that masked woman?
3. Use clean, less crowded rest rooms.
Now you may think that this is kinda self-serving, being how I like to visit courthouses, especially those in small, out of the way places, but remembering how we used the restrooms while traveling, they seemed an available, and perfect, option. They were kept up well, never anybody else waiting or using, and seemed the perfect place to keep safety in the forefront. So we visited small county seats, especially in towns off the beaten track and kept clear of crowds in restrooms on the interstate highways.
It is not hard to stay out of eating venues if you pack your own lunch and snacks. On a 6 hour drive, only one meal is needed each way, and that was always ready. The problem was where to eat. We solved this on the way north by finding a church parking lot, with shade and a picnic table.
The only person around was the lawn mower guy. He saw what we were doing and just waved as he mowed, ending with a salute as he drove off when finished.
On the return trip from Blacksburg, we found a small rest area on I-81 and stayed away from the rest rooms, and other people.
Another advantage of courthouse visits was the mandatory use of the face masks in those courthouse buildings. In Tennessee it must have been an important day for car tags as there were lines (spaced appropriately of course) in several places.
The purpose of our trip was to visit with family, and we did for a couple of days before heading home. Our primary activity, besides eating, was Pickleball. We took our paddles and balls, chalk for marking lines on the tennis court, and played many games.
It was more instruction in rules at first, but as that family caught hold of the concepts, some real lively games ensued. Pictured are Caroline and Carolyn in the forecourt with Drew and David in the back. PS: the photographer is standing in the shade on a hot day.
There is a certain type of anticipation that takes place as you begin a backroad oddesey. You know you will get scenery, history, and adventure, but you just never know what interesting places you will find.
Like a big dike holding back the waters of Douglas Lake at Dandridge..
Like a Revolutionary War Graveyard, also in Dandridge..
Also in Dandridge where Tennessee seemed to be hanging on by a thread..
In Newport where a 1920s Clinic and Hotel had been redone for Senior Housing, on the highway behind the Courthouse.
In Jonesborough, the oldest town in Tennessee, we found a picturesque town, that was home to a national storytelling theatre..We want to come back and stay one day.
And in the parking lot behind the Washington County Courthouse, a car with a John Wayne quote.
"Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway"
Appropriate for the settlers who came to these sections of East Tennessee and SW Virginia.
It did not take a lot of courage for us to make this trip, but we found people and places where courage was put on display for all to see, and enjoy.
