Life in a Covid – 19 Hot Spot: Week 26 – The new Normal?
My sons have always gone camping together in September. The only miss in the last 15 years was the September that the younger son got married. This year any campground that was not already restricted by COVID-19 was shut down due to wildfires raging through the state and national forests. What to do?
Solution: Urban camping. We have a back yard which has a lawn. Occasionally wildlife (rabbits, possums, raccoons, an occasional coyote pack, an occasional deer) appear unexpectedly. And we have adjacent foothills so far unscathed by fire.
So we had a family reunion, properly distanced. The campers set up their tents in the yard (separate tents, properly distanced) and set off for a 16-mile hike which included a fair segment of asphalt and sidewalks, summited the local peak (Elevation, 2,812 ft) and a stop at a local pub able to serve a cold beer with outside seating.
Cooking out was pretty civilized, using our Smoky Joe for burgers, and sitting around our propane-fueled portable fire pit for after dinner cookies and conversation, six feet or more apart.
The next morning the guys settled for a breakfast of coffee and French toast made in our kitchen, rather than bacon and biscuits on the camp stove. We ate together on the patio, using single-use plates and napkins and utensils fresh from the dish washer.
No, it wasn’t the same. But it was still a slice of wonderful to see and hear my family together in real time, real space. I’ll take it.
Allyson Johnson 