New neighbors, vaccinations, care homes, upcoming trips and remembering absent loved ones

This first week of June finds much of the world still in turmoil from a global health crisis. While those of us in West Michigan have fared better than many, there has been little cause for celebration. And just when we thought the bad news, political, social or otherwise, would not cease we woke up the other day to find new neighbors have moved into our little corner of the planet. 

On my own and with no approval from anyone else, I've decided to call our pair of Sandhill cranes Bob and Carol. What they call each other is unknown. Whether Ted and Alice will make an appearance remains uncertain. 

Anyway, they've been hanging around feeding for the past several days. The belief shared by most of their neighbors is they have built a nest in a nearby tree line.

In other news, Susie and I are now fully vaccinated and the wearing of masks in most venues is now optional for those of us who've had "the jab." Susie's mom is doing fine in her care home. Located about 2 miles from us, we've been locked out from visiting inside for more than 14 months now but word is that will change soon. The home had one staff member test positive recently, and we had to put off planned inside visits. We anticipate they will likely begin next week (barring any new positives of course). 

The good news is we've been able to take my mother-in-law outside. She's been over for dinner several times and we actually took her to visit family members buried at Woodlawn and Plainfield Township cemeteries, followed by  a family get together at nearby Clear Bottom Lake for Memorial Day.

It's been over a year-and-a-half since we traveled overseas. In fact, our one and only trip since the onset of the pandemic was to Mackinac Island for a few days. We had planned a trip to the Grand Canyon last year but had to cancel for obvious reasons.  

Anyway, the hope now is that we will be able to give a Grand Canyon visit one more chance this year, probably in early November. As for Europe, we're now talking about a sojourn of two or three months beginning in April of 2022, but haven't got to any serious planning yet. Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, Netherlands and ending in Paris is what we're tossing around right now all via rail with short-stay apartments. Stay tuned!

John VandenBerg and his wife Marian and Tunis Vandenberg (far) in Woodlawn

Marian and John Ten Have in Plainfield Cemetery

Oh, and speaking of cemeteries. . . 

La Douleur/Grief by Marcel Grouillet, division 2, Pére-Lachaise Cemetery

Update from Grand Rapids

It’s spring here in West Michigan and this old man’s fancy turns to travel. Aside from our brief foray to Mackinac Island last fall, we have stayed close to home since the beginning of the Great Pandemic of 2020, a health crisis that remains largely unabated into 2021 I should add. But both of us are now fully vaccinated (Pfizer, if you must know) and this coming week we plan to test the waters with a road trip back east to visit family and friends. More of that shortly.

This spring has also seen a slight relaxation on the restrictions in care facilities, which prompted us to bring Susie’s mother to our home for my birthday last month — a real treat for us all. Then for Mother’s Day Dick and Dorothy drove out from Massachusetts to spend a few days. We brought Bernice here for dinner and a couple of lunches during that time and a couple of rousing games of Scrabble were played as well.

Back to the future: This week we leave for New York stopping in Prattsville to have lunch with the Archers before pushing on to Douglas, Mass and D & D’s home. Friday we plan to drive into Providence to visit old haunts and to see Lee F. for late lunch and wind up with dinner at Andrea F.’s place. Lee worked with Susie at Hope Artiste Village and Andrea and I worked together at Johnson & Wales. D & D will join us at Andrea’s for dinner.

Saturday, D, D, Susie and I drive to Portland to meet Joyce, Susie’s sister, for lunch. Then it’s back to the Boston area and hopefully grab a cup of coffee with Uncle Frank.

Sunday we’re off to Vermont, stopping at The Clark in Williamstown, Mass. (we have advance timed tickets for 12 noon) before driving up Route 7 to Rutland for a couple of nights. That evening we will meet up with some members of our old wine group for dinner and the next day Susie reconnects with some of her colleagues and friends from her hospital days.

From Rutland it’s off to Watertown, New York, for a couple of nights with the MacDonalds before heading back to Grand Rapids.

Stay tuned!

Ernest Caillat monument in division 2 of Père-Lachaise Cemetery; designed by the French art nouveau architect Hector Guimard (1867-1942), who designed many of entrances to the Paris Metro.