All Posts

<p>Dear Dad, You would be so proud of your grandson. Yesterday, he tested for and earned his second degree black belt. I wish you could have been there to watch him, you would have been in awe over how well he did. Two years ago, on Father’s Day weekend, when he tested for his first [&hellip;]</p>

<p>I am back in Mattituck. I came out yesterday to spend time with Mom and to help with the house. She was lonely being here alone. Since she doesn’t drive, she was trapped in the house and couldn’t go anywhere. It rained all day when I arrived, so we played dominos. Mom was happy to [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Yesterday, my son competed in a taekwondo tournament. He did well taking third place in both weapons and forms. I am especially proud of how well he did considering he is still wearing a first degree black belt but competing in a second degree ring. (Next week, he will test for second degree). In sparring, [&hellip;]</p>

<p>In novels, after a death, there is always closure. The novel wouldn’t work if there wasn’t. The reader would be left wanting more. The plot would feel unfinished. Real life is not a novel. After sixteen months, I still can’t find closure. Each time I try to locate it, it eludes me. Maybe the universe [&hellip;]</p>

<p>According to my memory on Facebook, it was two years ago today that my son asked his grandfather to please take him to the sound so that we could watch the sun set. Of course, Dad said yes. He always said yes to my son. And that night it was a beautiful sunset. We had [&hellip;]</p>

<p>It rained yesterday and it rained today, fitting weather for my mood. Yesterday, Mom and I spent the day packing up the house. Taking knickknacks off shelves, wrapping dishes in newspaper, boxing up memories. Maybe the rain drops are Dad’s tears. I know he never would have sold this place. We packed until we filled [&hellip;]</p>

<p>It’s been 67 days since I last wrote in my Pandemic Diaries. (Yes, you heard from me daily for a month, but that was different. That was about fun stuff. The diaries are different. They’re about death, its aftermath, and a virus turning the world upside down.) I honestly thought when I last wrote that [&hellip;]</p>

<p>We had hoped to go to the beach today but that’s not going to happen. It is pouring. And the rain on the cost is expected all day. It’s disappointing but I can’t complain, we’ve had a long and fun holiday. However, we still can’t go home. I have a month’s worth of laundry to [&hellip;]</p>

<p>G3 is difficult to please. He doesn’t like to give me credit for anything — even this vacation. He even went so far as to comment, “The only reason you take me on vacation is because you always had so much fun when Grandpa took you on vacation. So really, I should thank Grandpa for [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Last night, we were looking forward to a campfire. We got back to the campsite, lit a fire, settled in, and fifteen minutes later we heard the rustle of the trees followed by rain drops. We dashed into our tent and went to sleep. We spent the day on the New River white water rafting. [&hellip;]</p>

<p>We were supposed to go home yesterday. At the very least we planned to be home today. But while all good things must come to an end, you all know how I feel about New Jersey. And you are also familiar with our last minute random detours to postpone the inevitable. Two days ago, I [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Kati has spent way too much time in campground and other icky public restrooms. She found a mystery bruise on her thigh and initially couldn’t figure out where it came from. And then she squatted, digging her elbow into her thigh and the pinch of pain solved the mystery. Needless to say, she may not [&hellip;]</p>

<p>The sunset in Paradise was gorgeous. It was one of the prettiest sunsets I have ever seen. And we really were in Paradise — Paradise, Michigan. We were lucky, last night, to score the last campsite at the campground in Tahquamenon Falls State Park which is less than twenty miles from Whitefish Point. We pitched [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Last night while we were eating dinner another storm broke. We held off leaving Culver’s until it eased up a bit. When we did get back to the camp site our tent was dry. There were enough trees around us that we were able to hang a tarp over the tent as a precaution. I [&hellip;]</p>

<p>It did not rain last night but Kati woke up at 4:30 because water was dripping on her head. It didn’t drip on my head or G3’s — just Kati’s So she woke us up and told us it was time to pack up and move on. She couldn’t have been completely hallucinating because her [&hellip;]</p>

<p>And our idyllic campsite turned out not to be so idyllic at all. While we were watching Black Widow a storm tore through northern Wisconsin. Driving back to the campground there were branches and leaves down everywhere. As we drew closer to camp the debris littering the road multiplied. This did not bode well for [&hellip;]</p>

<p>We started the day with showers. Whenever we change our clothes that’s usually a good indication that we stayed at a campground with showers. Kati would love to shower more often. G3 doesn’t seem to mind infrequent showers. We spent a great of time in the car today. By the time we reached Duluth we [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Kati was riddled with anxiety about finding a first-come-first serve campsite late on a Friday night. I assured her that there was nothing to worry about. Only 76.7 people in total live in North Dakota. There aren’t enough people to fill any campground anywhere in this state. At 9 PM we pulled into a campground [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Last night, we didn’t get back to the campsite until 2:10 AM. I think we — Kati and I, G3 was sleeping — might have seen a mountain lion running beside the road on our drive. It definitely moved like a cat but looked too big to be a house cat. However, we were moving [&hellip;]</p>

<p>Last night, we were sitting around the campfire when G3 asked, “Are we getting up early tomorrow?” With a sideways glance at me Kati said, “We are on vacation with your mother. Of course we are getting up early.” I definitely have a different relationship with vacation than the average person. When traveling, I like [&hellip;]</p>