Sixteen years ago, I took this aerial photograph in a flight from Little River airport, south to Point Arena then back north to Mendocino. Since that time, much has happened. And now there is a pandemic affecting our world, and confining many of us to our homes with limited ability to travel, except in our memories. Usually, I travel with Liz throughout the year--to Hawaii, Costa Rica, Cruises through the Panama Canal or down the Eastern Canada/New England area during fall colors, as well as camping in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and more. In 2020, the year started of well with a trip to New Zealand and Australia.
Then the pandemic hit, just a few days after our return from the New Zealand trip, and by mid-March, Shelter-At-Home orders were enacted, then extended, then modified but still there, and now we await vaccinations. Gone were spring camping in the desert and summer camping in National Parks, and fall trips up the coast. Gone too were our brief trips to San Francisco or Disneyland or other nearby areas of California. Like all Americans, my family just struggles to stay well or recover from Covid, and hope for few family and friend losses, and wishing the vaccines could be deployed faster for all.
Many of us have baked more bread than ever before in our lives (count me in that group as I have ordered my third 50-lb sack of bread flour), and resumed gardening with a vengeance (while fighting raiding bunnies and racoons in my case).
The above Google Earth picture shows the place much as it is today. A few more trees have been taken out and brush pushed back along the edges of the clearing than in this 2018 image as we address the new fire reality. The greenhouse now has three new raised beds at waist height (yay!), and will soon be home to lettuces and other later winter vegetables. All in all, life in a pandemic up here is much the same as before, just with interesting masks, and more careful behaviors with outside, socially distant small meals and catch-up conversations. New tools are patio heaters, exterior hand wash stations, etc. And of course, Zoom. Zoom Family sessions, Zoom meetings, Zoom collaboration, Zooming, Zooming, Zooming...
I need new glasses.
