A very COVID Christmas

In which I become a pandemic statistic.

The view from my sickbed with a breakfast Mike made for me.

If you had asked me, even two weeks ago, if I would be sitting on a windswept beach, alone with my dog, watching stormy brown waves on Christmas Eve, I would not have believed you.

This was supposed to be the post-Covid gathering we went home for: a housewarming for our daughter's new place in San Francisco and our one-year-old granddaughter’s first real holiday with her own gift stocking.

I looked forward to hugs, and games,  the smell of baking in the air. music and lights all around, in a house filled with the noisy conversation of family as we all reconnected.

Instead, on 12/14/21 I became a statistic. I joined the millions of people all over the world who’ve had COVID-19. The holiday was canceled and we went into total quarantine.

This newsletter, Passages, is not just about camping and travel. Passages is about living in changing times, and the experiences and forces that shape us. as seen through my small lens of experienc…