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Vacation
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2020-08-04
Lonely at the Lake
My family has owned a small cabin by a lake in Northern Minnesota for over 60 years. This is my favorite place in the world and was our family vacation destination every year. As years went on my dad and I are one of the few who continue this tradition. After quarantining in April and May and businesses slowly reopening in June we decided in August 2020 that it would be safe enough to go up there. However, this trip ended up being much different than usual. While Minnesota was under a mask mandate the area we were in was much different than the suburbs of Chicago. At home more often than not people did adhere to the mask mandate and there was a mandate to self-quarantine when returning to the state after traveling. The area where are cabin is located is very densely wooded and not exactly populated. The small town has about four hundred people and the nearest large grocery store is a forty-five-minute drive away. While grocery shopping in town it was clear the mask mandate was not as strictly followed up here. Only about half of the customers in the store were wearing masks. The likelihood of adhering to the mandate dropped even further once we reached our township. Even though there were signs posted to “wear your mask” my dad and I were considered the odd ones out at the bait shop or lumber store, as I did not see a single person with a mask on in the ten days we were up there. All of our neighbors who live on the road that hugs the bay are all older. I have known most of them my entire life and some have even watched my parents grow up. Many of them live downstate near the Twin Cities, and some even live out of state, but very few of them live up there full time due to the harsh weather and isolation. It wasn’t until the last few years that the country started to plow our road in the winter. This ten-day vacation is normally packed with multiple dinners at neighbors' houses, tubing and fishing, parties and yard games, and finally ending the night around a fire with our neighbors, their kids, and often their grandkids. This trip, there was none of that. Windows and doors were boarded up because out-of-state neighbors never made the trip up to open their cabins. Jetskis and other water toys were locked up because most older neighbors did not risk leaving quarantine. As far as we could tell it was just my dad and myself. Fishing was just the two of us, the only people we had to argue with over card games were each other, and we both fell asleep more than once on the boat or dock while reading books because it was so quiet. It might have been much more lonely and quiet than normal, but it was still relaxing to be surrounded by nature and absorb its sounds uninterrupted. COVID-19 changed my vacation, but not necessarily in a bad way. I am lucky to have a lake house that was isolated enough that COVID did not seem to touch it. Although we missed our neighbors and have since seen everyone the loneliness allowed for a sense of stillness, the ability to fully emerse myself in nature and relax. -
2022-04-20
Oklahoma Outbreak: an okie boys experience with COVID-19
Looking back at the beginning of the pandemic seems surreal. I remember hearing in December 2019 or January 2020 about some sickness in China. However, I had lived through the Ebola scare and multiple different flu outbreaks and my life had not changed day to day. People would get scared and then it would pass after a couple months with little effect. This would turn out to be different and unlike anything seen in the developed 21st century world. I left my school for Spring Break and though I would return to my final days at Mustang HS and the fun events that came with graduating. My family and some friends traveled a few hours from our house to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and stayed nearby in Medicine Park, Oklahoma. It was a sleepy turn of the century resort town that had seen better days when the rich and powerful of Oklahoma had made it a vacation spot. Although not as popular as it once was, it is being rediscovered by local people for its natural beauty and relatively cheap costs. It seemed like a normal vacation, and we did not see very many people as it wasn’t yet summer and there are not that many locals. We hiked trails at the wildlife refuge and went into town for food and trinkets. It was a nice quiet start to the week. Then all of the sudden everything began to change. We watched the news and saw on social media that the virus that was a world away had now made its way to America. We still were not very worried because we were pretty isolated, and either were hiking outside on trails with little activity or tucked away in our cabin playing games and hanging out. Then cases started to explode, the economy started collapsing, people were getting sick everywhere and no one knew what to do. We went into a restaurant in town and did not know how to act; we were all rubbing germ-x all over ourselves and keeping our distance as best we could. At this point we still figured it would all blow over after a few weeks. As our spring break drew to a close, our school let out a statement that we were not going back the next week. This was exciting news and I figured it was all just a precaution and I would be back in class the week after with all of this just a big laugh and some extra time off. Boy was I wrong. On the drive home my dad, who is a semi-prepper, was coming up with all sorts of scenarios and making plans for if the world collapsed but it honestly still felt like we were only entertaining ourselves. As we rolled back into my town, it looked like a beehive had exploded. People were driving crazy, every gas pump was full, and the Walmart was almost wiped out. That is when it started to sink in that things might be worse than I first thought. Then the first deaths started getting reported and it really seemed serious. I never went back to a high school classroom. My whole life changed from that point on. My first 2 years of college seemed almost fake and as of right now I have had COVID 3 times; the original, delta, and omicron. My family has also had it multiple times. We were some of the lucky ones to make it through with no lingering problems and for my older family members, with their lives. It is now April 2022 and things have finally started to go back to somewhat normal, but another wave could happen at any time. Corona Virus has changed our world and is going to be with us forever. -
2021-10-07
Vacation in the Pandemic
This audio recording describes a vacation my family and I took during the pandemic. A lot of the attractions were closed due to the virus, so we had to find other things to do while maintaining safety protocol (social distancing, masks). It was frustrating but we managed to still have fun. -
2021-06-20
The Best-Laid Plans Go Awry but Mojitos Soften the Blow
The pandemic torpedoed a very important trip for me – a trip paid for by my place of business to attend a conference in London and give a presentation on an archival project and connect with fellow librarians. I intended to bracket my trip with a visit to Ireland, the home of my ancestors, and conduct some genealogical research. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I probably won’t be working at my current workplace when the next conference is held (once every three years), so I don’t expect to have the opportunity to get a free trip to a lovely part of the world from them in the future. And I need to have boots on the ground to conduct more research: following up on facts and documents my family has shared with me and which I wanted to confirm or debunk during my research in Ireland. So my genealogy work has stalled as well. There hopefully will be opportunities in the future to visit the UK, to conduct research in Ireland, and to attend conferences, but the perfect combination of all of these that had been arranged for summer 2020 is lost forever. Since I live in a very hot locale during the summer months, and count on getting out of town to maintain my sanity, I wasn’t able to create a staycation to counteract the lost of this trip and vacation—unless you count being huddled in the coolest room in my home with my feet in a kiddie pool sipping mojitos and reading travel and Irish history books to be an acceptable alternative. Although, come to think of it, those mojitos were pretty good. -
2020-11-14
Maggie's Covid Experience
Maggie shared a condensed version of her experience with Covid-19 with me. Among her experiences she had to quarantine during her birthday, cancel vacations, and work life was disrupted. She was able to turn these negatives into positive experiences that enriched her life none the less. Maggie- "When it comes to Covid-19 it has affected me in both positive and negative ways unlike most people who I feel like it’s only brought negative outcomes. My roommate left our place for months during the start of Covid. I had to cancel my trip to Florida because family I was visiting has Lupus and we couldn’t risk it. My summer job was not going to start till end of July when it usually starts at the beginning of May. Luckily, we started Memorial Day weekend. Once work did resume it was hard because we didn’t have a full staff and the new regiments were hard at first to get used to but the positives things that came out of it, during the summer where I work were usually working 60+ hours and never really get any downtime except at night but I became closer to my island family because we’d close a couple days a week due to lack of workers which meant we all could become closer and hangout with each other. I spent more time on the lake this year than I ever had. I became closer to a lot more people than usual and even despite Covid it was one of my favorite summers. With summer over and jobs being hard to find I am now traveling the NE states going from national park to national park while practicing social distancing and Covid procedures. So for me it’s brought me closer to myself and created stronger friendships." -
2020-11-06
Vacation Visits
I had the most gracious and welcoming hosts on my trip to Alaska. I barely knew them aside from our communications over a horse I’d sold them and they invited me to visit, stay, and spend some time exploring the great outdoors of Alaska on horseback with them. After we finished one of our rides, we came across a group of people from the inlands of Alaska. None of this group had ever been on a horse, let alone seen one up close. The horse I sold proudly stood there while each kid took a turn sitting in the saddle and getting a taste of what being horseback was all about. It was one of my most proud moments of this great big mustang gelding that I tamed, broke, started, trained, and put out into the world to make it a better place. -
2020-10
Vacation and Covid
Here is a picture of my husband on a short trip to North Carolina. It was the first time that we had gone anywhere outside of our town in 7 months due to quarantine. We wore our masks at all times except when we were by ourselves. Here he is enjoying the small river we stayed near. -
2020-09-21
Visiting Derry, NH
This photo is from the three days that my friends and I spent in Derry, New Hampshire at the end of September. Because all of us were home for either the year or for the semester, we all realized that being at home was getting a bit restless, so, the four of us decided to pay a visit to my friend Michaela's house up in Derry and visit. There was a weird sense of deja vu for me since I was born there and there were places that I could still remember going to with my family. This photo was taken in the sunroom, a place where two of us often did homework, while the sun was rising on our second day. Right after this, we went back to sleep until our classes stop and Abbie, despite having the idea, did not make it out of bed for this. -
2020-10-29
Airlines Conduct Tests to Prove that COVID-19 Spread is not High in Airplanes
United Airlines, Boeing and the Defense Department conducted tests to gauge the risk of getting infected with the coronavirus on a plane. They used a mannequin that would use a spray to stimulate a cough. They concluded that the spread of infection is not high. However, the test failed to test many other factors, such as the patient turning their head to the side to cough, coughing while walking around the cabin, and other common locomotions of airplane passengers. Thus, the test was inconclusive, and seems like a desperate effort for the airline companies to get their customers back. -
2020-10-27
Kim Kardashian Receives Backlash over COVID-19 Vacation Tweet
Celebrity Kim Kardashian West (@kimkardashian) posts a tone-deaf tweet about vacationing for her 40th birthday. This was not well received by the public, as it was viewed as overly privileged and offensive to the many people out there struggling to make ends meet during this pandemic. This tweet has sparked many parody memes mocking Kim's tweet. -
2020-10-27
Bahamas May Delay Planned November 1 Reopening
Will The Bahamas open up for those much needeed tourist dollars? -
2020-10-01
Should I Go Home?
COVID-19 has created a situation like no other. You can honestly go and study abroad. With all classes being online and there being no in-person meetings you could pack your bags and study wherever there is WIFI. Ironically this also proves risky. Going to places that have high-risk family members is difficult. I could go visit my grandma in The Bahamas, but what if I bring COVID... It's interesting seeing how countries and managing their own issues of travel. Countries like The Bahamas that are dependent on tourist travel, are desperate for a time of reopening, often crafting plans that allow travel. -
2020-10-23
Travel During Covid
Travel during Covid what mostly like any other travel, just with a mask, and people didn't actually want to sit right next to you waiting to board the flights. The actual flights were different, though. The seats were not filled unless you were a member of a party travelling together. That being said, my first class ticket as a single travelling passenger with no other members of my party allowed me to have a full row to myself unlike most flights where everyone is seated in close proximity whether you know the passengers seated next to you or not. It was actually nice in terms of people respecting personal space. -
2020-10-19
As we approach the holiday travel season, is it safe to travel yet?
Many people travel during the holidays but COVID-19 has affected how people view traveling. Many people are being cautious about traveling and looking for alternatives to air travel such as road trips and "staycations". Others wonder when air travel will return to its previous state before COVID-19. -
2020-10-01
Roadtrip
This is a picture of my husband from our trip to Chimney Rock, North Carolina. We had not left our city of Charleston for months due to Covid, but decided to take a small trip for my 30th birthday. The entire time we were playing tourist, we wore our masks and did our best to social distance. In the area we stayed, there were signs everywhere that explicitly said, "You must wear your mask" or "Masks are required". However, many people chose not to wear them or had them on incorrectly. It was a little odd being around so many people during this time, but we made the best of it. -
2020-10-06
Snowbirds are going to Vancouver Island due to US-Canada Border being closed
Because Vancouver Island has the most moderate and mild weather in Canada during winter, Canadian snowbirds flocking there to avoid the harsh winters. This is due to the United States-Canada border being closed to tourism due to Covid-19 concerns. Many of these snowbirds are from Northern BC or the Prairies. -
2020-08-07
CDC Rates Cruise Ships for Sanitation and Cleanliness
Cruise ships are bustling cities. Lido decks are a din of conversation over food, and while most cruise ships suspended buffets years ago, passengers still share access to, among others, refillable water stations, cookie baskets, and salt and pepper shakers. Tables are close together and guests stand closely in line. While hand sanitizer stations are dotted throughout common areas, cruise ships with so many people in such close quarters, are difficult places to prevent the spread of aerosol, airborne virus’ like Covid-19. Now that cruise ships, and world health organizations, have had time to assess the risk they are developing new protocols to help making cruising possible again when it is safe to do so. The United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed the Vessel Sanitation Program, which is now shifting to include Covid-19 health protocols. Ships receive a surprise inspection from the CDC where they evaluate the following areas: medial facilities, potable water systems, swimming pools and whirlpool spas, galleys and dining rooms, child activity centers, hotel accommodations, ventilation systems, and common areas of the ship. At The Points Guy blog, they outline how the program works and how future cruisers can use the CDC data to inform the health and safety of their future vacation. -
2020-07-03
Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 112
With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. Another puzzle complete on Day 2 of our get away. A puzzle to match his shirt! -
2020-07-02
Another Day, Another Puzzle - Day 111
With calendars cleared as a result of shelter-in-place orders we have had more time to enjoy some of our family's favorite past-times. Cards and board games that were collecting dust have made their way out of cabinets. But what we've spent more time on than anything is puzzling. While each member of our family will puzzle here and there, our 5 year old son is a constant at the puzzle board. His attention and focus to puzzling is way beyond his years. Puzzling has given us the gifts of togetherness, joy, and consistency during these uncertain times. A family member that lives nearby was out of town so we decided to pack up for a little get away. The change of scenery was incredible on so many levels. We also scored access to a new collection of puzzles. We started with a small 200 piece puzzle within 30 minutes of arriving! -
2020-07-05
Where to Vacation
Social Distancing has been the name of the game since day one; even as doctors and health professionals have struggled to understand the virus, staying six feet apart has always been a recommendation. As the President has flouted the rules of the CDC, Department of Health, and others people have grown angrier and have began to place a greater amount of blame on him. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #ThisYearMySummerVacation. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it describes the anger that people feel towards the President over his handling of the coronavirus -
2020-07-05
Summer Vacation Plans
The coronavirus did not magically disappear by the Spring, and it doesn't look like the Summer heat is gong to make it go away any faster. In the tweet, we can say that for many people a summer vacation isn't going to be possible. Doctors and medical professionals are but some of the few people that are gong to be working hard through the summer to ensure that we are at least prepared come the Fall. This item was added TAGS v6.1.9.1. I originally searched under the hashtag #thisyearmysummervacation. Within that search, I have chosen to add the following tweet because it speaks towards a changed summer atmosphere for everyone bit especially medical professionals who are not going to be able to get a break.