Dear Diary 2020

😅 Bwahahaha! Totally worth the short read!

Dear Diary 2020 Edition,

In January, Australia caught on fire . I don’t even know if that fire was put out, because we straight up almost went to war with Iran . We might actually still be almost at war with them . I don’t know, because Jen Aniston and Brad Pitt spoke to one another at an awards show and everyone flipped the crap out , but then there was this thing happening in China, then Prince Harry and Megan peaced out of the Royal family, and there was the whole impeachment trial , and then corona virus showed up in the US “officially,” but then Kobe died and UK peaced out of the European Union.

In February, Iowa crapped itself with the caucus results and the president was acquitted and the Speaker of the House took Ten. Whole. Years. to rip up a speech, but then the WHO decided to give this disease a name COVID-19, which confused some really important people in charge of, like, our lives, into thinking there were 18 other versions before it, but then Harvey Weinstein was found guilty , and Americans started asking if Corona beer was safe to drink , and everyone on Facebook became a doctor who just knew the flu like killed way more people than COVID 1 through 18.

In March, stuff hit the fan . Warren dropped out of the presidential race and Sanders was like Bernie or bust , but then Italy shut its whole country down , and then COVID Not 1 through 18 officially become what everyone already realized, a pandemic and then a nationwide state of emergency was declared in US , but it didn’t really change anything, so everyone was confused or thought it was still just a flu , but then COVID Not 18 was like ya’ll not taking me seriously? I’m gonna infect the one celebrity everyone loves and totally infected Tom Hanks , get y’all to close all of the schools so y’all can appreciate teachers for once (because you can’t teach them anything other than how to use a touch screen ) close down all of salons so you can’t get your hair or your nails done , everyone had to work from home and attend Zoom meetings in their underwear. The DOW took a crap on itself, and most of us still don’t understand why the stock market is so important or even a thing (I still don’t), We were then all introduced to Tiger King and the ONE thing we can all agree on this year, Carol totally killed her husband ..... whacked him! And then Netflix was like you’re welcome, and we all realized there was no way we were washing our hands enough in the first place because all of our hands are now dry and gross and were all searching for lotion now.

In April, Bernie finally busted himself out of the presidential race , but then NYC became the set of The Walking Dead and we learned that no one has face masks , ventilators, or toilet paper, or THE FREAKING SWIFFER WET JET LIQUID, and by now our outgrowth is showing, so there’s a shortage on box hair dye and all of our hair dressers are like, NO DONT DO IT!!! But, then Kim Jong-Un died, but then he came back to life … or did he? Who knows, because then the Pentagon released videos of UFOs and nobody cared, and we were like man, it’s only April….

In May, the biblical end times kicked off, historical locust swarms, we learned of murder hornets and realized that 2020 was the start of the Hunger Games . However people forgot to let us know. people legit started to protest lockdown measures with AR-15s, sports events were cancelled everywhere. But then people all over America finally reached a breaking point with race issues and violence. There were protests in every city ,which was confusing to some of us because people were definitely gathering in crowds of more than 10 and for sure closer than 6 foot away from each other. Those people must have forgotten about the pandemic called COVID Not One Through 18. Media struggled with how to focus on two important things at once, people in general struggle to focus on more than one important thing. A dead whale was found in the middle of the Amazon rain forest after monkeys stole COVID 1 Through 19 from a lab and ran off with them, and either in May or April (no one is keeping track of time now) that a giant asteroid narrowly missed the Earth .

In June, science and common sense just got thrown straight out the window and somehow wearing masks became a political thing, but then everyone sort of remembered there was a pandemic, but then decided that not wearing a mask was somehow a God given right (still haven't found that part in the bible or even in the constitution). then scientists announced they found a mysterious undiscovered mass at the center of the earth, and everyone was like DON’T YOU DARE TOUCH IT, but then everyone took a pause to realize that people actually believed Gone With The Wind was like non-fiction, but then it was also announced that there is a strange radio signal coming from somewhere in the universe that repeats itself every so many days , and everyone was like DON’T YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO COMMUNICATE WITH IT but then America reopened from the shut down that actually wasn’t even a shut down, and so far, things have gone spectacularly .... not that great . All of the Karen’s came out at once, and people started tearing down statues. Everyone is on Facebook arguing that masks kill because no one knows how breathing works , but then Florida was like hold my beer and let me show you how we’re number one in all things, including new Not Corona Beer Coronavirus. Trump decides now is a good time to ask the Supreme Court to shut down Obama Care because what better time to do so than in the middle of a pandemic , but then we learned there was a massive dust cloud coming straight at us from the Sahara Desert , which is totally normal, but this is 2020, so the ghost mummy thing is most likely in that dust cloud. We then learned of meth-gators , and I'm like that is so not on my flipping 2020 Bingo card can we use it as the free space?? Then we learned that the Congo's worst ever Ebola outbreak is over , and we were all like, there was an Ebola outbreak that was the worse ever? ....... and don’t forget we just discovered FLYING SNAKES! , seriously! FLYING SNAKES!!!!

So here comes July…. at this point we are over it, just tell us what’s next .... Aliens? Zeus? Asteroids? Artificial Intelligence becomes self aware? Can it just be something cool or fun for once? Maybe even a good laugh, like hahaha April Fools! We all actually wouldn’t mind that joke at this point. But No joke.. Kanye West announces he is running for President

I have no idea who wrote this. This doesn't even cover what is happening in Canada!! OMG...what's happening in Canada? Also, why didn't I know about the whale in the Amazon? Or a few other things because I just can’t keep up anymore! But I’m sharing it because as long as we make it through 2020, I really want this to pop back up in the memories a few years from now.

Independence Day Woes

So this is the most impressive instance of illegal fireworks I’ve ever experienced outside my windows. The entire neighborhood is lit up and the shock waves are strong enough to shake my walls. Maybe because very few sanctioned fireworks shows are occurring tonight. I imagine a bunch of my neighbors running up to Wyoming to buy mortars, Roman candles, M-80s - you name it, they’re exploding it. And of course, with no representation from the fire department on site. I've always loved fireworks, the closer and louder the better, right up until the illegal ones burn down my house, which almost happened a few years ago. 

It's a good thing my little dog Mandy does so well with it, but she was still ready to bolt to anywhere else, when I took her out to go before bedtime. The neighbors started lighting off firecrackers, and all she could do, was drop to the ground, and run in any direction as fast as she could. I now understand how even well-behaved dogs go missing during these times. I had to chase her down, and carry her inside. Maybe it will quiet down after midnight, so my dog can relieve herself in the yard without being literally scared sh*tless. I've always loved fireworks, but after 13 years with this sweet little rescued dog, I really appreciate those whom it hurts. It’s too bad we can’t celebrate winning a war, without waging a little war of our own, against our poor defenseless pets.

I agree, of course July 4th is the day to celebrate the signing of our Declaration of Independence from King George III, and to honor all the lives that were lost, fighting for our freedom during the war that followed. There are also, of course, other ways to celebrate, without blowing things up - maybe an awesome family meal and a great movie afterwards - just a thought, considering current times. I don't expect all "red-blooded Americans" to eliminate fireworks from our July 4th experience, but it would be nice, if we didn't try to burn up our neighbors' houses doing it. It's bad so many public displays were canceled, mostly because of COVID-19, as that drove a lot more people to set off their own illegal fireworks. Instead of joining in the sacrifice to help stop the rapid spread of the disease, I'm confounded to witness so many people simply rebelling against the few common sense guidelines.

Boxes!

So. Many. Boxes! In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, my sister jetted out to Florida, to help deal with our late father's possessions. She had an almost-constant stream of text messages and photos going with family members, while she went through Dad's things that were laying around, and also when she opened box after box of our grandmother's and great-grandmother's things that were stored in Dad's inaccessible hallway. I tried to resist taking very much, but still, over the past two weeks, I've received enough boxes from her, to fill up the one side of my garage that has no cars.

Rotten luck

We were walking. Just walking. Doing what we've been doing most days, since Jennefer's employer folded because of COVID-19. Jennefer went to her treatment, then we made ourselves coffee and breakfast, and headed out for our usual 4.5 mile walk from the house, looping around through Ketring Park and around its lake, then heading over to Sterne Park, before the hike up the hill to home. Just after we got to Sterne Park, we got into an intense conversation about how walking faster would be better exercise for Jennefer, and suddenly she stepped in a pothole and twisted her foot badly. We stopped for awhile, to give her time to sit in the grass and assess the damage, and she decided she wanted to continue walking up the hill to home, since she had an appointment coming up. She was in pain and walking with a pronounced limp. We got home OK, and then she called and found out her appointment was the next day, so we hadn't needed to rush, oh well. Her foot didn't get any better overnight, and was still very painful the next morning, so we took her to Urgent Care after her treatment, and after an X-Ray, they diagnosed her with a fractured metatarsal. We are feeling overwhelmed by all the challenges that 2020 is throwing at us.

ATC Zero Events

Things sure are different out there. Since we’re laying low most of the time, we don’t get to personally experience all the weirdness. I just ran across this writeup on ATC Zero events (unexpected total closures of Air Traffic Control facilities, when COVID-19 gets into them), and some tips for how a pilot can minimize the impact to their flying.

SR-71 Blackbird Adventure

I just finished another X-Plane flight simulator flying adventure, this time flying the SR-71 Blackbird ultra-fast-and-high spy plane, to Seattle, Denver, Honolulu, Okinawa, and Anchorage, before returning home. 

What a rush! This plane goes much higher and faster than anything else I've ever flown, real or simulated, while at the same time, having some of the oldest, least-intuitive, gauges adorning the instrument panel, and requiring a quirky technique, and a lot of manual effort, to fly.

Here are links to all the flights in this short adventure. At the bottom of each post, you'll find links to "Newer Post" and "Older Post", in case you'd like to jump directly from one flight to the next, without coming back to this list. I hope you enjoy!

Learning the SR-71

Denver to Seattle, WA

Seattle to Denver

Denver to Honolulu, HI

Honolulu to Kadena AFB, Okinawa, JP

Okinawa to Elmendorf AFB, Anchorage, AK

Anchorage to Buckley AFB, Denver, CO

Cleaning out Dad's home

My younger sister saw that "Florida is opening up," and immediately booked a series of airline flights, to go clean out our father's place, which has been piled high with boxes and other paraphernalia for many years. I'm torn -- I wanted to be there with her, but we suddenly learned we have a serious medical issue in our household, so I'm staying here to provide emotional and logistical support. She's already been out there for a week, with a friend who traveled to keep her company. She's sending lots of photos of his things to family members, so we can decide if we want anything. Such an emotional time, and also a big physical commitment for her to be there by herself, now that her friend has headed back home.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

So, it's officially cancer. Jennefer noticed her throat seemed dry and a little sore, at the end of last year. She attributed it to Denver's usual dry winter air, but it didn't get any better over time. She got in to see her primary care doctor, and they found a hard spot on the side of her neck. A visual exam didn't uncover anything, so they ran an ultrasound, but that didn't find anything either. Finally, a biopsy of the lymph node on that side found Squamous cells, which don't belong there. They didn't know where the cells came from, so they did a chest X-Ray, which showed her lungs clear. Then finally, a PET scan of her head and neck area found something in her throat near her voice-box. We just got back from the head and neck surgeon, and learned the likely treatment plan will skip surgery to save her voice-box, and concentrate on 35 radiation treatments, and 7 chemotherapy infusions, over 7 weeks, starting as soon as practical. They have to work with her insurance, to approve the treatments first.

Adventure in the Baron

I just finished another flying adventure in the X-Plane flight simulator, this time flying the Beechcraft B58 Baron to airports in Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, before returning home.

Here's a link to my first blog post of the trip. Look at the bottom of that post, for the link that says "Newer Post," which will take you to the next post in the series for this adventure. After viewing all those posts, you'll end up at the trip summary. Have fun!

Quote for Dad

It's been four weeks since my Dad died. My heart still hurts when I think of him, and especially his efforts to stay in touch, in the last few years. His eyesight was failing, but my home phone number was one of the few he made every effort to remember, and he would call almost every morning, and often would leave a message, since we would already have hurriedly left the house, to beat the breakfast crowd at our local restaurants. Now, every time I look at my answering machine, it gets me. If the message waiting light is blinking, I momentary wonder if he left a message, and get a pang when I realize it can't be true. If it's not blinking, I am reminded with a pang, that he will never again leave one of his cheery good morning messages.

My cousin posted this quote in his honor. She thought he had read it aloud to her once, and I believe it, since I found a copy in his files. Attributed to Hunter S Thompson:

“Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘Holy shit…what a ride!'”

Symptoms updated

A bunch of symptoms that we've all already heard of, have now been added to the official CDC list of COVID-19 symptoms:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell

Reopening the USA

It’s so “exciting” (confusing? maddening?) to hear about all the people in government that are making, and in some cases already executing, plans to “reopen” our communities to the spread of COVID-19. Not sure what supporting data they’re using, other than the desire to get out and have the “freedom” to transmit the virus at will. I just realized this morning, that COVID-19 has already killed way more people in the USA (42,500) in just the past month, than the Flu killed (34,200), during its entire 2018-2019 season. Those two numbers alone should give some sense of the higher lethality of COVID-19. And of course, the COVID-19 number is still increasing rapidly. The good news is, social distancing and other measures appear to be helping, and the curve appears to have stabilized into linear form, with deaths still holding below 2,000/day, arguably a number the hospitals can handle...? RIP y’all. The rest of you, stay safe out there! In other news, our President announced yesterday, that he wants to suspend immigration into the USA.

Moved COVID-19 References

Instead of collecting them under "Sites of Interest," I've moved all the COVID-19 links I've accumulated to a separate page, and setup a single link under "My Pages."

Here's a humorous new word definition for these trying times:
COVIDIOT: A new term for our COVID-19 times, defined as someone who ignores the warnings regarding public health or safety during the pandemic . . . stubbornly ignores social distancing protocols, even gathering to protest them, thus helping to further spread the disease . . . hoards groceries, depriving others of vital supplies . . . likely hasn't a clue about the actual disease, its lethality or transmission rate

US COVID-19 cases pass 650,000

We are well past 650,000 COVID-19 cases and still climbing rapidly, according to WorldOMeter.com. The good news, is that the number of new cases each day is now hovering around 30,000, which means the case number curve is now mostly linear, instead of exponential, as it was earlier. It feels intuitively obvious, that we can attribute the leveling-off of daily new cases, to the preventative measures everyone is supposed to be taking, such as washing hands to protect ourselves, wearing homemade or even improvised masks to protect others, staying at home except for essential activities, and social distancing when out and around other people.

HTTPS Redirection

I just tried turning on HTTPS redirection for this (Blogger-supported) site of mine, and discovered it broke the KristanAndSumner.com URL, so I changed it back. It would made your connection more secure, by switching you to an encrypted connection, even if you used the insecure http:// to get here, instead of https://, but I guess my KristanAndSumner redirect doesn't support that. If you were all to switch over to using the KSHushing.blogspot.com URL, it would work just fine. Since I don't know who's using which URL, I'll leave it alone.

Aha! I figured out a way. I configured my KristanAndSumner.com DNS redirection, to forward to https://kshushing.blogspot.com. Success!

Obituary for Sumner K (Bud) Hushing

Sumner K (Bud) Hushing, 100 years and 9 months old, died unexpectedly late Tuesday night, March 31, 2020. He was able to continue living comfortably in his home to the end. He is survived by his children Otamay, Sumner III, and Mikele, his grandchildren Brighton, Tyler, and Dorothy, his great-granddaughter Alice, and his close companion of 28 years, Adele Siegel.

Sumner was born in the Panama Canal Zone to Sumner and Anne Hushing, who quickly nicknamed him Buddy, to avoid first name confusion, and he embraced that nickname until the 1980s. Bud grew up in Litchfield, IL, and Alexandria, VA. He learned the value of honest work, as he washed dishes in his parent’s restaurant in Carlinville, IL.

He earned a law degree from Catholic University in Washington, D.C. in May 1941, after three years of night school. Shortly after World War II began, he joined the Navy, starting out as an Ensign. He worked in the Navy Code Room in 1942, was later assigned to an anti-submarine ship in Boston harbor, and subsequently served on the U.S.S. Zircon, patrolling and escorting merchant ships between New York and Guantanamo. He later found it interesting to reminisce that one such ship was named the Pan Am, a name that had so much significance to him, later in his career.

Sumner spent much of his life flying, and it began in the Navy, after he requested flight duty — something he had always wanted. He learned to fly in Stearman biplanes at a small Texas airport between Dallas and Ft. Worth. He was transferred to Pensacola, FL to finish basic, intermediate, and advanced flight training, and earned his instrument qualification. He spent some time training in the PBY-5 non-amphibian seaplane. He transitioned to the Vega Ventura PV-1, and spent many hours acquiring necessary experience in the Florida Keys area, before he was transferred to Morocco, where he flew the Vega Ventura on long range antisubmarine patrols. He once mentioned that their mission was to fly outbound 4 hours, stay on station 1 hour, then try to get back — with a theoretical 9.5 hour fuel endurance. Fuel exhaustion, and failure to get back to base, was always a risk that weighed heavy on their minds, especially when the winds changed.

After the war ended in 1945, Sumner joined American Export Airlines in New York, using his celestial navigation skills on their long over-water routes.

When he was flying out of New York’s Idlewild (now JFK) International Airport, Sumner met his soon-to-be wife Dorothy in 1946, at a restaurant during a fuel stop in Reykjavik, where he asked a pilot friend to introduce them. It wasn’t long before they were married and starting a family. Their daughter Otamay, son Sumner III, and daughter Mikele were born in a conveniently spaced succession, averaging four years apart.

AEA merged with American in 1948 to become American Overseas Airlines, and then merged with Pan American World Airways in 1950. Early during that period, Sumner was proud to say he participated in the Berlin Airlift.

In 1959, Sumner took advantage of a work opportunity, to transfer to a long-term assignment flying from San Francisco International Airport, and he and Dorothy, with their three children, moved to Palo Alto, CA.

While living in Palo Alto, Sumner joined the Palo Alto Elks Lodge, an organization dedicated to helping others. He also became a lifetime member of the American Legion. He participated in leadership of Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts for several years. He and Dorothy were members of Grace Lutheran Church. He invested in several local Bay Area businesses, and became long-term friends with their owners.

Sumner remained with Pan Am, flying such aircraft as the Douglas DC-4 and DC-6, the Boeing B-707, B-720, B-727, and finally captaining the large long-range B-747, until he reached the FAA-mandated retirement age in 1979. As a Pan Am pilot, he served on many overseas temporary assignments, often bringing his family with him to such widespread places as London, Paris, Tokyo, Tehran, and Tahiti. The Tokyo assignment included some above-average risk, as Pan Am was flying servicemen to and from Vietnam at the time. When he wasn’t on temporary assignment, he preferred to bid for Pan Am’s round-the-world routes, which took him away from home for weeks, but also gave him similarly long periods at home between trips.

Sumner and Dorothy were divorced in the early 1970s. After the divorce, Sumner tried living in Tahiti, Sydney, Honolulu, and Napa. For a short time in the late 1970s, Sumner was married to Joanne, who worked with Weight Watchers in Honolulu, and she joined him in traveling the world. After he and Joanne separated, he moved to West Palm Beach for a short time, before acquiring his residence in North Palm Beach, where he lived for 35 years.

Not long after Sumner settled in North Palm Beach, his brother Bill, also a Navy veteran, moved into a neighboring residence. Over the next 30 years, they participated in business ventures together, had overlapping circles of friends in the Palm Beach social life, and had frequent morning coffee chats, until Bill died in 2015.

Sumner developed an interest in personal computers, and spent many hours learning about them, by working in a local computer repair shop. He became fast friends with the shop owner Mike, and they kept that common bond going for several decades. He was known as a computer expert among his group of seniors.

Sumner was an active member of several social groups in the Palm Beach area, including the Pundits, the Navy League, and the American Legion.

An outspoken and dedicated conservative, Sumner never backed down from a good argument, a trait which skipped one generation, but landed squarely on his eldest grandson, who named his law firm in Sumner’s honor.

Sumner met Mac and Adele Siegel in the early 1990s. He remained respectfully admiring of Adele, but after Mac died, they became close friends, and when Adele’s mother was on her deathbed, he promised that he would keep Adele safe. That was all it took for them to become inextricably intertwined for the rest of his life. They had a busy social life in the Palm Beach area. They also took many driving trips around the United States, to visit friends and family. They both loved the widely varying geography of our country, and meeting new people along the way. They also loved telling corny jokes, and teasing new friends into guessing his age — even at age 93 on his last cross-country driving trip to Denver, no one dared guess any higher than 70.

Sumner loved to play tennis for exercise and fun, playing with other airline employees at layover hotels around the world, throughout his aviation career. He brought his usual concentration and sense of competition to the game, and he regularly won games against young men half his age. He continued his tennis activities, playing with Adele and friends, often at the BallenIsles Country Club where they were practically fixtures. Perhaps because of this regular exercise, or just some wonderful genes in his family, he stayed in surprisingly good physical condition for most of his life. He played tennis until his early 90s, when he decided that his degrading balance was making it too risky.

He also loved restoring and driving fast cars, starting with old Porsche 356 models in Palo Alto, and moving on to the beloved Mazda RX sports cars he drove in the Palm Beach area, until he reluctantly quit driving at 98 years old.

Sumner spent his last few years in a well-established and comfortable routine, enjoying his small morning meal, checking email, making phone calls (he called his children nearly every day), attending the occasional group meeting, party, or gala, driving over to visit with Adele for dinner and TV in the evening, and driving home in time to avoid the raising of the drawbridge near his home — the clockwork timing of the drawbridge over the IntraCoastal Waterway was a significant factor in his schedule. He was a safe driver almost to the end — he only stopped driving 16 months before he died. He was sad that many of his friends died before him, but he had a few loyal friends that would come visit, and accompany him to places like Guanabanas and Duffy’s, his favorite restaurants.

At the end, Sumner passed away quickly, at home, and not alone, just as he had wished. It’s interesting to note, that he was born during the 1918 N1H1 Spanish Flu Pandemic, and died during the 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.

A celebration of his life will be held at a future date (to be determined), for any survivors of the ongoing apocalypse. In lieu of flowers, please send 2-ply toilet paper. P.S. He also had a great sense of humor.

Poem for Dad

My Dad learned to fly in the Stearman biplane, flew the Vega Ventura from Morocco, on antisubmarine patrols during WWII, and retired as a Pan Am 747 captain. I'm sure he passed a lot of flight check rides along the way. I was so proud of my father-pilot, that I became a private pilot myself. I found this poem that he had saved, and I suspect he would be happy to hear it one last time - especially with all the politically incorrect references. It’s called...

THE LAST CHECK RIDE

I hope there’s a place way up in the sky,
where old flyers can go on the day that they die.

A place where a guy can buy a cold beer,
for a friend and a comrade whose memory is dear.

A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread,
nor a CAA/FAA type would ‘ere be caught dead.

Just a quaint little place, kind of dark, full of smoke,
where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke.

The kind of a place where a lady could go,
and feel safe and protected by the men she would know.

There must be a place where old flyers can go,
when their flying is finished, and their airspeed gets low.

Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young,
and songs about flying and dying are sung.

Where you’d see all the fellows who’d flown west before,
and they’d call out your name, as you came through the door.

Who would buy you a drink, if your thirst should be bad,
and relate to others, “He was quite a good lad.“

And then through the mist, you’d spot an old guy,
you had not seen in years, though he taught you to fly.

He’d nod his old head, and grin ear to ear,
and say, “Welcome, my son, I’m pleased that you’re here.“

For this is the place where the true flyers come,
when their journey is over, and their war has been won.

They’ve come here at last to be safe and alone,
from the government clerk, and the management clone,
from politicians and lawyers, the feds and the noise,
where all hours are happy, and they’re all good ole’ boys.

You can relax with a cold one, maybe deal from a deck -
this is heaven my son… You’ve passed your last check!

— Author unknown

Rest In Peace, Dad - you’ve earned it!

US COVID-19 cases pass 522,000

4/11/2020 1pm. Well, with all our denial and misbehaving, we've managed to get the USA ahead of all other countries on the planet in documented deaths caused by COVID-19. Italy used to head the list, but now USA is on top. Our total cases has now risen above 522,000.

The really good news, is that the number of new US COVID-19 cases has been flattening out over the past few days. So even though the number of infections is still shooting up, at least it's not going faster and faster (not accelerating). So the more we wear our masks, wash our hands, and stay away from other people, when we're out of the house, the better it will be for all of us. Let's all be safe out there!

Day 7 after Dad died

Today is day 7 since my Dad died. There’s a certain heaviness of heart, to knowing that my last surviving ancestor is gone. I realize life goes on. But I still check my answering machine too many times during the day, to see if he left us a message, while we were out. And I get another lump in my throat, when it occurs to me, what I’m doing, and that there will never be another one of those cheery messages waiting to be played. I can't yet bring myself to get rid of my written list of phone messages from the past month - most from him.

US COVID-19 cases above 350,000

Yesterday’s graph of the number of US cases of COVID-19 shows the number of cases is still increasing at an alarming rate, and has passed 350,000. With all the social distancing that many of us are practicing, and the rest of us are supposed to be doing, I am very much looking forward to seeing some progress (lessening) in the COVID-19 infection rate.

My Dad died Tuesday night

My Dad, Sumner (Bud) Hushing, died late Tuesday night 3/31/2020, in his home in North Palm Beach, FL. I've started work on my version of an obituary for him, which is somewhat therapeutic for me, even though it may not be used, since my sister says she is already a half dozen handwritten pages deep, into one of her own. After being home from his hospital-ER-rehab tour since late January, he was feeling stronger and sounded cheerier over the phone every day, so this sudden event was a surprise, although not entirely unexpected, considering his age and fragility. There is no indication that COVID-19 had anything to do with his death. Here's a photo of him, addressing everyone at his 100th birthday dinner party last June.

US COVID-19 cases above 94,000

There are now over 94 thousand (according to worldometers.com) documented active cases of COVID-19 out there, and the number of infected people is still climbing exponentially. The Colorado governor issued a "Stay At Home!" order starting March 26, which still allows people to get out for essential activities such as grocery shopping and walking for exercise. I would love to see some evidence that our social distancing approach is helping, but understandably with the long incubation period for this disease, we shouldn't expect to see a reduction in the numbers for weeks - or never, if enough people aren't actually practicing it.

Landon Spradlin Died from COVID-19

We knew there would be stories like this, didn’t we? Even though I had not previously heard of him, I‘m truly sad to learn (from a Newsweek article) that Landon Spradlin, a 66-year-old pastor and traveling musician, has died from COVID-19. I see the picture of this guy in the article, and he looks fairly young and healthy for 66 years old. 

This man earlier claimed COVID-19 was being hyped by the liberal press, to do damage to President Trump’s reputation. I wanted to learn more, so I went to his Facebook page, and found the meme he had posted, with totally bogus numbers and message, claiming that the H1N1 swine flu was far more lethal than COVID-19, and also falsely claiming that the previous administration didn’t take it seriously.

Facebook, which is now doing independent fact checking (which infuriates people who propagate their own agendas by spreading lies), had flagged the graphic as being untrue. They also referenced a very informative article, that explains why you can’t compare a disease which is barely getting started here (and still spreading like wildfire), with a disease that has completely run its course, and was 10 times less lethal.

Y’all be safe out there, please! Wash your hands! Don’t touch your face! Keep your distance!

And please, let's all cross–check our facts, before sharing any memes, *especially* if they really ring a responsive chord in you. Take a deep breath, and realize that fact checkers are not the enemy, simply because they find that something we believe in strongly, is false. Maybe we should research it more deeply, and try to identify and reconsider a false belief to which we may have been clinging.

COVID-19 cases increasing exponentially

I hope everyone is making a valiant effort to shelter in place, or at least continuing with spatial distancing, even if your local government isn’t (yet) mandating this action. The number of document COVID-19 cases in USA is approaching 10,000, and is still increasing exponentially, with the number of new cases also almost doubling each day. This chart of USA cases (from worldometers.info) only shows confirmed cases, and is woefully inadequate, since 1) with fast-moving numbers like these, it’s guaranteed to be obsolete long before you see it and 2) It doesn’t represent all those infected people out there who aren’t showing symptoms yet, but are still out and about, transmitting it to other people. I couldn’t believe all the crowds of kids on Spring Break, that I saw on the news this morning. They all will be going home to their local schools, communities, and families. Oh, boy. Y’all be very careful out there!

Here's an interesting fun fact, if you didn’t know it, from the World Health Organization article that describes the naming: the name for this disease is COVID-19, which stands for “Corona Virus Disease 2019.” The name for the virus itself is SARS-CoV-2, which stands for “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.” There is a preference to use the disease name COVID-19, because using the virus name SARS-CoV-2 can cause unnecessary anxiety for some populations, especially in Asia, which was worst affected by the SARS outbreak in 2003.

Visiting Dad!

We just got back from visiting my Dad in Florida for a week. It was very nice to have both flights go very well. I enjoyed watching some more downloaded episodes of my favorite (new to me) Netflix show.

Dad was in rehab, after a series of mishaps that resulted in multiple circular trips to ER, hospital, rehab, and home. On this visit, we caught him at the rehab place, where they were caring for him, until his multiple wounds could heal enough, and he could get strong enough, for him to go home safely. He wasn't happy about being there, but he responded well to the assertion that he needed to get stronger, and heal his wounds, before going home  I'm not posting any pics of Dad, since he looks pretty crummy right now.

We stayed in a hotel practically next door to Dad's condo, which made it very easy to stop in there every day, and try to help out with a little cleanup effort. We were also very close to our favorite breakfast place, that serves up some delicious red, white, and blue pancakes, and it was such a treat, to be able to stop there every day for breakfast.

We went out to eat for every meal, and since I'm not posting any Dad pictures this time, I'll just include a few photos of our delightful views at the various nice restaurants where we went. 

We enjoyed the pleasant Palm Beach climate, after leaving the sub-freezing Denver area behind. Here's a photo of our view from the patio at Hangry Grill at lunch one day with Adele. This place was fairly new, with a very knowledgeable and friendly owner, and lots of vegetarian and vegan menu options.

We enjoyed some delicious seafood dinners - including a visit to the Waterway Cafe, one of my favorite dining experiences close to  Dad's condo, and also not far from his Rehab place. We were visiting Dad for his 80th birthday, so many years ago, and I still vividly remember having the most delicious piece of Key Lime pie there, while watching the various sailboats and motor yachts passing by on the adjacent waterway.

The Seasons 52 restaurant was another fun dinner experience, just catty-corner across the PGA parkway's bridge from the Waterway Cafe. I caught this pic of the beautiful sunset, while the drawbridge was going up. In all my years of visiting Dad, this drawbridge over the Intracoastal Waterway, with its very predictable schedule, has practically run Dad's life, since he had to drive across it, every time he went to visit Adele, and again, every time he went back home. I've always thought of watching the bridge cycle as a fun experience in the past, but this trip, after unexpectedly losing 10-15 minutes to the "bridge up" event several times in one day, I was starting to get a sense of why Dad always made such a big deal, about leaving at the right time to miss it.

After a few days, my sister decided to join us, after I reported on Dad's not-great condition in rehab. Of course, we also visited with Adele at her rehab place every day, and took her out to lunches and dinners as often as we could. I snapped this photo of us, in front of the nice fountain outside the Brio Cafe at the Gardens Mall, not far from Adele's current residence.

We had an amazing dinner at Firefin Grill with Adele, the night before we left. Our table had a large aquarium, with a half-dozen Lionfish swimming around, and an eel peeking out from behind the rocks and coral. That brought back some great memories, of scuba diving in Tahiti, and seeing Lionfish in the wild, on the outer edge of the protective reef around the island.

Our dinner at Firefin was delicious! We ordered the Raw Bar Sampler, and it was all delicious. I loved the crab, oysters, and shrimp cocktail. I've never been able to eat Lobster, but they said they loved that, too.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, we were back at Fort Lauderdale airport, waiting for our flight back to Denver. We tried eating at Rocco's Tacos, and loved it.

Mesmerica 360!

Jennefer signed us up for James Hood's Mesmerica 360 Denver show at the Gates Planetarium in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science! We really enjoyed the show - the music and the projection! They didn't allow photos during the show, so this image is a snapshot I took, of the constantly-changing ceiling projection before the show.

This ancient mammoth was guarding the corner of the DMNS building, and provided us a nice frame, with the view of the tall condominium across the park in the background.

We enjoyed the view of downtown Denver, looking across Denver City Park, as we were walking out after the show. We don't get to this area very often at night, and it's a beautiful view.

Christmas with family

My niece Dorothy, Jennefer, and I visited my little sister and her family in Atascadero for Christmas! Here's a watercolor-filter of a photo I took in San Luis Obispo, shortly after we arrived, and were already out and about, in search of coffee and Christmas gifts. The miniature palm tree provided a stark contrast to the snow and ice we had left behind in Denver.

My little dog Mandy was a well-behaved traveler, as usual. She curled up in her pet carrier at my feet, and slept through most of the trip. She also used her pet carrier as her home away from home, throughout our visit.

Bob's big pre-Christmas present to all of us, was an afternoon zip-lining adventure in Santa Margarita! It was pouring rain in the morning, and we all expected it to be canceled, but they said they were going, rain or shine, so we showed up, wearing the best clothes we could find, for rain and mud. They were ready for us, with waterproof boots and jackets to borrow. The group before us came back soaked to the bone and shivering, but the rain stopped and the sun came out, just as our shuttle bus left the office for the adventure site. The bus driver gave us a wonderful tour of the central California hills, and we wended our way through the vineyards and cow pastures. We all had a wonderful zip-lining adventure! The worst weather we saw, was a bit of fog and mist, which I thought made it even more fun. There were several (I think six) separate zip-lines. We zipped down the first line, then hiked up to the next launching station, and rode down that one, and so on, until we got to the last station, where the bus picked us up again, and took us back to the office.

Several of us went to see the new Star Wars movie, "Return Of Skywalker." Everyone had their own opinion. I enjoyed it a lot, but I learned a long time ago, to suspend my disbelief, if I want to enjoy a Star Wars movie.

Jennefer and I stopped at the Que Pasa Mexican Cafe by the theater, for a nice warm dinner after the show. When Bob and Dorothy found out we were there, they jumped back in their car, and came back from the house to join us. We enjoyed the fun holiday decorations and our family's company! 

Marissa and Brighton hosted a delicious Christmas Eve dinner at the house they bought late last year, just a mile or so from where they had been renting. They had done an amazing job, of getting it ready for themselves, and for their traditional family dinner. I was so caught up in enjoying the evening, that I didn't take any pictures of their perfectly-furnished and decorated home, oops!

We spent a wonderful Christmas morning with sister's family at her house! My niece Dorothy came with us from Colorado, my two nephews Brighton and Tyler were there with their wives Marissa and Annalisa, Marissa's mom Jodi, my grand-niece Alice!

Jennefer and others helped Mikele prepare an amazing Christmas dinner. Even her cat Misha poked her head into the event.

On the day after Christmas, Bob took the three of us Coloradans to "The Great American Melodrama" in Oceano, which has gotten to be a fun holiday tradition for us. They always have done a serious version of "A Christmas Carol," but they also do several other skits, that are usually very humorous and enjoyable. We all enjoyed it! I was coughing a little during the show, and realized that my throat was a little ticklish. I was hoping it was just something in the air, but alas, it was the harbinger of another of my traditional post-holiday colds. Bob bought us dinner at Old Juan's Cantina, a Mexican place nearby in Oceano, which we had never tried, and enjoyed quite a lot. We had a bit of an adventure getting there and back on highway 101, as CalTrans had closed the I-5 highway that day, due to heavy snow in the Grapevine Hill area, and a lot of that traffic had moved over to 101, and brought it almost to a stop. My Waze driving app helped me find some very effective routes to avoid a lot of that traffic.

On our last day there, we woke up to find the previously sparsely-populated parking lot full of cars, several of them running, in the cold moist early morning. I realized that some of those people jammed up on highway 101 the day before, had finally decided to spend the night in Atascadero, on their way to/from their various post-holiday destinations. It felt a little like the moment just before the Le Mans car race, with the puffs of steam coming out of a bunch of cars, and people scurrying around the parking lot, throwing their last few possessions into their cars, in preparation for jumping back onto the highway for the last part of their race (oops, I mean journey) home.

We met a few of the family, for one last delicious breakfast at our favorite place there, "Country Touch Cafe," before hitting the road for the airport. Just driving the short distance from the motel to the restaurant was interesting, with the 30 degree 100 percent humidity generating thick fog all along El Camino Real through the middle of town. It was burning off quickly, so this photo doesn't really do it justice.

We had an uneventful flight home, with Mandy being her usual calm traveler self. We were a little surprised, to see so much snow on the southern Sierra mountains, but it all made sense, when we remembered the news stories about everyone's holiday adventures on the highways.