Dogsblog: Strange Times

Well 2020 started out normally enough for us . In Mid February we took our 7th Joe Bonamassa cruise. This one starting once again from Miami and going to Nassau Bahama. We were aware of the existence of the Novel Coronavirus when we left but at that time there were no travel restrictions, and the outbreak was still confined mainly to China, and just beginning to show up in Italy. The cruise line was checking to make sure that no one had any recent travel to China, so we felt it was safe to go. We had an uneventful flight stopping briefly in Atlanta on our way to Miami

And it's always nice to leave the wet cold Northwest in the middle of winter, to get a little break in warm and usually sunny Florida. A nice man from Austria took this picture of us on Miami Beach,

Before we set out on one our Bonamassa cruises we always like to have one free day in Miami or Tampa when the Cruise starts from there. We have always enjoyed walking all over South Beach in Miami, and one of our favorite place is Lincoln Ave, which is a pedestrian Mall that goes for many blocks, and is full of interesting stores and great restaurants. This year they also had a temporary exhibit of sculptures by an artist by the name of "Botero". Very interesting stuff, a few are pictured below. We also saw on Lincoln Ave a beautiful great egret wading in a fountain

The night before the cruise left we had a get together with fellow cruisers at a bar in little Havana. Before we went to that we had dinner in a very authentic Cuban Restaurant. Here's Marlene toasting with a special drink.

So on Feb. 18 we sailed out of Miami on our way to Nassau. Before we got to Nassau, we had one day at sea, and because this was a Joe Bonamassa cruise, it was day and most of a night filled with great music, as is always the case on these cruises.

They always have a "Sail Away" Party when the ship leaves Miami with lots of music as we leave. Obviously this was before "Social Distancing"

Of course, Joe Bonamassa is the highlight of the musical entertainment, and he has two complete shows himself, plus he joins in with various other groups during the cruise. There's music of some kind going on virtually all day and well into the night.

We had been to Nassau one other time, but we enjoyed our time here this time much more than before. Mainly because this time we booked a non ship excursion through Trip Adviser. It was a walking, "Taste of Nassau" tour which concentrated on eating and drinking, with a big dose of history and other interesting sights.

The nice thing about this tour is that it took you off the beaten bath to authentic eateries, that tourists don't often find. Below is a plate of fried Conch, plantains, rice, and the little square is Bahamian Macaroni and Cheese.

The Governors Palace

A new friend Marlene made

Our Tour guide

When we got home on Feb. 22, things were beginning to change, and within a couple of weeks signs like those above were common

Being retired, staying at home because of Corona Virus was not a huge change for us, however we had to stop our volunteer activities at both the Portland USO and the West Columbia George Humane Society, and our only out of the house time has been our morning walk, which is usually about 4 miles though lightly populated area. We limit our shopping trips to usually once a week. The picture below was an early morning opening for people over 60 at our local Safeway. We soon realized that it was better to just go sometime in the middle of the day rather than during these special hours.