Dear friends and family,
It is with a great deal of relief that we mark the approaching end of 2020. For us, as for just about everyone on planet Earth, 2020 has been a year filled with struggles, frustrations, uncertainty and sadness. But it has not been without its moments of fun, and joy, and hope.
A lot of the good stuff for us came in the first three months of the year. Ben and Lisa made a spontaneous visit out here in California to see us in January, to help Pat celebrate her birthday. Then we flew to Texas at the end of January to be there for some work being done on the house that we own and were renting to Ben and Lisa. David performed in a few murder-mystery shows. At the beginning of March, we went on a Star Trek cruise which was a great time.
Just before we left on the cruise, news of the coronavirus was starting to get a lot of attention, and we worried a bit about how that would affect the cruise. We got through the cruise with no problems, but within a few days after getting home, things started shutting down. Two other cruises that we had planned were canceled. A play at Theatre 40 that David had started rehearsals for as assistant director was put on hold, with rehearsals moved to Zoom. We still hope to produce the play eventually but no dates are known. In other words, our lifestyle, like the play, was put on hold.
But we have adapted. David and Pat have both been taking lots of online classes. Pat has been taking multiple Spanish classes as well as literature classes (in English and Spanish!). David has been taking a variety of acting-related classes. We go for walks in our neighborhood every day, sometimes twice a day (when the days are longer and warmer). We eat at home a lot more, with occasional take-out meals from our favorite local restaurants. We have frequent video chats with Ben and Lisa which are always enjoyable. We have found a routine which fits us pretty well.
Speaking of Ben and Lisa, they have had a milestone of their own. They bought a house in Plano, TX and moved in a few months ago. Now that they have vacated the house in Grapevine, we are having it renovated in preparation for selling it. The work should be done shortly and the house will be going on the market within the next couple of weeks. If you know anyone who might be interested in a newly updated house in a wonderful neighborhood in Grapevine, TX, please let us know!
We had been making some plans to travel to Plano to visit Ben and Lisa for Christmas, but the pandemic here has reached historic levels and we decided to wait until a better time to make that trip. We are continuing to take all the right precautions to keep from getting sick and to prevent any possibility of us catching the virus and spreading it to others. Our health overall has been good this year and we intend to keep it that way.
We hope that all of you are staying safe and healthy, and that we all will see better days and weeks and months in 2021. Please keep in touch!
