Escape from New York – New Hampshire

After months of lockdown due to the coronavirus, we were all getting a little more than antsy. We did take a short day trip to Westport, Connecticut, at the end of May, but that was a bust because almost the entire town was closed down except for a Starbucks that had a table outside in the parking lot to serve customers.

Doing our research, we were looking for a place that was not too far from home but also mostly open. Maine, Connecticut, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts were not options because of restrictions in place those states, but we found that New Hampshire had hotels operating, restaurants open for dining, and stores open for shopping.

We looked at the Lakes Region and found a nice hotel right on Crescent Lake in the town of Wolfeboro. We checked the cases of the coronavirus virus and number of deaths in that county, and the statistics were astonishing – 69 cases (total) and no deaths. Our family members all agreed that this would be our destination.

We left early in the morning on a lovely but hot New York day. Leaving the city was a little slow, especially with a fifteen-minute traffic jam on the Throgs Neck Bridge – but we faithfully followed directions spoken by Siri on one of our phones so that bridge was the best option – and then once we were in Westchester the traffic flowed smoothly.

The ride up north was a pleasant one. Beautiful scenery abounded on both sides of the road, and time for conversation was joyful since we are all not usually confined to one space for such a long time at home.

When we entered New Hampshire, the thing that struck us most was the forests on either side of the road. At home we have regular trees, but there we witnessed giant ones – especially tall and thick evergreens reaching toward the sky. I closed my eyes and imagined what the forest must have been like before they put the road through there.

Mill Falls Waterfall

Once we reached the Lakes Region – there are 273 lakes and ponds in the area – we were impressed with its beauty and simplicity. The towns we passed through were all small, quaint, and well maintained. Houses ranged from stately manors to small capes, but it seemed that most homes had generous amounts property around them no matter what their size. 

When we arrived at Crescent Lake Inn, we were immediately pleased to see that the hotel was exactly as advertised – right on the lake! Our room was spacious and well appointed, including a kitchenette that was very useful throughout our stay.

       

Beautiful Crescent Lake

Having a view of the lake from our room made us all happy. We had a back door that we could utilize to walk down to the lake. The lake was crystal clear, coolly refreshing, and the private beach offered cabanas to shield us from the sun. The only drawback was that, because of the virus, we were unable to use the canoes and kayaks on the lake.

        
We brought flotation devices and there was a platform about 20 yards away from the beach to which we could swim, climb upon, and rest in the sun. My kids loved swimming out to it and jumping off it into the clear water. Standing on the beach, the lake reflected the green trees around its perimeter and the blue sky above it. With a gentle breeze flowing off the lake, it was a perfect and relaxing setting.

Wolfeboro is a nice, quiet town. We happened to be there for the Fourth of July weekend, so some places were closed for the holiday. Many restaurants were open for outside and inside dining. Social distancing was practiced in all the establishments we visited, and most people were wearing masks as were we. A number of stores were opened for shopping as well, but everything – including restaurants – closes early (like 9-10 o’clock).

One day we drove all around the biggest lake in the region (and New Hampshire) – Lake Winnipesauke (The Smile of the Great Spirit) – and it is a lovely ride that took us a few hours because the lake is 72 square miles, but we also made a couple of stops along the way. Our first stop was in the town of Meredith. It was a much busier place than quiet Wolfeboro, and everything seemed to be open.

We got some shopping done there, and we discovered that it was home to Bob Montana, the creator of the Archie comic book series. A monument to Montana stands in the town, and next to it a statue of Archie sits on a bench next to the monument, and during these times it is wearing a mask.

Once we left Meredith, we continued our trip south along the lake to go back to the hotel, but we stopped to eat lunch in a place that was right on Alton Bay. It offered a beautiful waterfront setting for lunch with a view.

Lake Wentworth

On another day we did go to Lake Wentworth – yet another beautiful lake in the region. The water was crystal clear, and the beach was a little busier because it was a public beach, but there was still plenty of room for everyone to social distance and enjoy the water. This beach also has public restrooms for beach goers.

Most of the rest of our time was spent in either the town of Wolfeboro or on that pristine beach at our hotel. Fourth of July was nothing like it is back home – we saw only a few bottle rockets and a couple of Roman candles go off over the dark trees in the distance. All large fireworks displays were cancelled because of the restrictions in place.

On the way home, we all wished that we could have stayed longer. I think the best way to judge a vacation is feeling like we wanted to spend more time in a place. If we can’t wait to go home, that tells us something else about where we were staying.

The Lakes Region of New Hampshire is a lovely place for a family vacation, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to relax and enjoy time with the family. It is very quiet and peaceful, and that is one of its major strengths.

It was really wonderful to get out of New York after being locked down for what seemed like forever. I wish we had time to explore more of New Hampshire – even to get to its ocean shoreline area – but we all agreed on the car ride home that we wanted to go back. We saw some lovely houses on Crescent Lake, and perhaps one day we will go there and stay for good. It seems like an ideal place in which to live.

Coronavirus – MLB Will Have a 60-Game 2020 Season!

 

There is joy in Mudville – Major League Baseball will rise from the ashes of the coronavirus and, like a sports phoenix, will have a shortened regular season of 60 games.

The Major League Baseball Players Association has agreed with Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s plan for the shortened season. There had been a rather contentious back and forth between MLB and the MLBPA in recent weeks, and hopes seemed to fade that a deal was possible.

The good news is that players finally accepted the plan that includes provisions for the safety of the players as they return to the field. Spring training – or really summer training – will commence on July 1^st, and the season will start around July 23 or 24^th according to the plan.

While the shortened season may not be everything fans want – attendance at games is probably not going to happen – it does give us baseball. A summer without baseball is like Christmas without Santa Claus, and we all need a little “Ho-ho-ho!” right now considering the grim months that we have lived through after the shutdown due to the coronavirus.

The Mets Winning 1969 World Series

As a seriously addicted New York Mets fan, I have been relegated to watching reruns of games on SNY – despite knowing the outcome of the games – because I need something to fill the void. It has been fun in a way watching the old games, especially the World Series games, but it's just not the same knowing the outcome. 

This is vitally important for kids as well as adults. I know my own family has felt deprived of many things during this unprecedented time. My kids lost the end of school, swimming, time with friends, and so much more. The ability to watch baseball again is the prescription for their recovery from the void in which they have been forced to live.

Is this solution perfect? No, far from it, but it is better than nothing. There are many things to think about; however, the joy of seeing live baseball outweighs them all.

Besides being happy for myself, my kids, and all fans, I am happy for the players because they will not lose an entire season. Yes, their statistics are going to be compromised, but at least they will be able to put up some numbers instead of none at all.

Hopefully, this is a good sign that we will have other professional sports in the future. I know there have been conflicting stories about whether we will have National Football League games this year, but this news is encouraging and paves the way for football, hockey, and basketball in the months ahead.

Enjoying a game at Citi Field

Yes, it really sucks that I can’t take my kids to a game and buy some peanuts and Crackerjacks, but at least we can watch the games on TV. It will be kind of surreal to see Citi Field and other venues empty during games, but maybe they can add “fan sound” to the audio just as old comedy shows had a laugh track.

As of now, I am happy that we will have a baseball season, and many people I know (including my kids) are happy too. It will be so wonderful to be able to say “Play ball!” and see my Metsies on the field once again. Lets Go Mets!

 

Coronavirus – Memorial Day

The coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic, or whatever you want to call this horrific plague, has taken Memorial Day from us. Jobs, school, entertainment, love, and life itself – these are the many qualities of life this damn thing stole from us. On this day it deeply hurts many people because it is a day that we honor those who lost their lives in service of this country, and it feels like it can’t be done in a proper way.

American graves in Normandy, France

A year ago, we had vibrant parades filled with pageantry and music, honoring those brave men and women who died for their country. Now, we are forced to have virtual ceremonies. A few places in the greater New York area are holding car parades – but social distancing is expected of the spectators, making this a shadow of what it used to be.

In past parades there were always vehicles that were in parades. This allowed older veterans to participate, to wave to the crowd, and be a part of the event. This sort of elevated them and put a spotlight on them. But the school marching bands, the Boy and Girl Scouts, organizations, and businesses cannot march as the used to do.

People went to beaches this weekend 

Whatever way it is done is compromised now and, while I still think it is better to do something than nothing, it is not the same, and sometimes it feels like nothing is ever going to be the same.

Yesterday, beaches across the country were packed with people – many not social distancing or wearing masks. Bars in New York City were open for drinks to go (although Mayor de Blasio said police would shut them down), and people socialized outside these establishments, some without masks. I kind of understand that because it is hard to sip your drink with one on, but maybe they are getting a little too close to people who are not in their immediate family. 

People drinking outside of NYC bar

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, and people who have been cooped up since the middle of March are starting to break. What has been evident so far this weekend is that many people are not worrying about any guidelines and trying to have a good time. Hopefully, this doesn’t come back to haunt them.

In my family’s case, we will watch the car parade – just as we have watched the real parade in the past. Later on, we will not be having our usual big family barbecue, but our immediate family will cookout and eat outside and play some music, staying safe in the process.

I will talk – as I do every year – about the brave people in our family who served in the military. My children’s great grandfathers, grandfathers, uncles, and cousins fought in wars from the Spanish American War to Afghanistan. Thankfully – in some kind of miracle – all of them came home.

My father visiting grave of friend
who died in WW II

I will remind the kids that my father – whom they lovingly called Papa – was wounded in World War II, and he was considered a disabled American veteran. Unfortunately, he knew friends who never made it home, and he was always grateful that he survived had a full life, a family, and career.

That’s the saddest part of Memorial Day for me. All the markers in every American military cemetery are not just resting places of a American heroes – it is a reminder that those people had stories and people who loved them. They are people who didn’t get to come home, to maybe become scientists or doctors or police officers or engineers, and do something amazing to help society. They also didn’t have a chance to have children who maybe grew up to change the world.

So, this Memorial Day, no matter how compromised it might be, take the time to celebrate the holiday by remembering those who served. Think about all those who were lost in order for us to continue to live freely in the country that they died for.

What we owe them can never be paid, but they didn’t go into the service for compensation. They did it for love of their country and the people whom they loved. In honoring them, let us never forget them and what they did for all of us.

Coronavirus – Saying Goodbye to School

This week we had to say an official “Goodbye” to the school building for the 2019-2020 school year. My son’s principal sent an email message that we could come up this week to get any of his work and books and materials left in the classroom.

I made an appointment that fit into my online working schedule, but as I later found out it would be during one of his scheduled online classes. At first, he seemed unhappy about not being able to come with me, but then later on he seemed okay with it.

When I drove over to the school, the first thing that struck me was how easy it was to park. It is never easy to park in the streets near that building, but today I had my choice of where to park right across from the building.

Putting on my virus gear of face mask, gloves, and sunglasses, I got out of the car, ran up the steps, and rang the bell. Once inside, everything was dark, with only patches of light from the open classroom doors illuminating the hallways.

I signed in at the office and then went upstairs to my son’s classroom. The walls in the hallways were totally bare, and usually during the school year the walls are filled with blazing colors and examples of the students’ projects, work, and art.

As I walked down the hallways, the heft of the silence weighed upon me – making me think that school is not supposed to be like this. A school should be filled with happy and noisy kids. The building must be grieving the premature loss of the children – it’s going to be a long, lonely summer for it.

I went into his classroom and noticed the teacher’s beautiful decorations hanging in eerie silence. The students’ work was piled upon their desks. I went to my son’s desk and collected his art work and other materials. I looked up and noticed the daily classroom calendar stopped on March 12 – his last day of school because of the coronavirus.

I kept thinking about all those days between then and now, and what would have happened in that classroom if there had never been a virus that stopped the world – all the interactions, the conversations, and the hands-on experiences that have now been declared forbidden in this hands-off world.  

As I left the building, I looked back one last time, and it was the saddest sight ever. A school building with no students is sadder than a Christmas tree put out on the curb in January.

When I got home, I gave him his materials and he smiled when he remembered a project he did or a piece of art that he enjoyed making. For a moment he seemed lighthearted, but then he looked at the clock and had to get ready for his next online class.

While working in their Google classrooms or Zoom meetings, students of all ages have had to adjust to the online world in ways they never expected. They see their friends’ faces in brief glimpses, as their teachers do their best to adapt their lesson plans to online instruction.

For my kids, this online learning has been going on since March 16 – so we are past the two-month mark here. I am pleased to say that they have adapted pretty well, despite a glitch here and a link that won’t open there. This is new territory, so it seems like the teachers know that sometimes things won’t work, and everyone will have to go with the flow.

Yet this is not schooling – it is a semblance of schooling. People are talking about what will happen in the fall, and some say that we will go back to the building and others think we will not. All I know is that if we can’t go back to a normal school routine, schooling as we used to know it will be over.

Yes, we will have to deal with it, but there are going to be many empty school buildings, and students’ worlds will be inextricably altered. Will they learn? Probably. Will the quality of the education be the same? Probably not.

They may get all the information they require and be able to pass their tests and move up to the next grade level, but that personal interaction will be gone. The way teachers get to know students will be much different, and the continued burden on parents who have to work will be incalculable.

So, this week we said “Goodbye” to the school building for this school year. I am just hoping it’s not goodbye for forever.

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The Coronavirus Crisis — Why am I Writing a Novel About This Time?

* This article first appeared on 'Medium.'

I am writing a novel entitled ‘Love in the Time of the Coronavirus.’ The title is inspired by the book written by the great Gabriel Garcia Marquez — ‘Love in the Time of Cholera.’ I even start the book with a quotation from Marquez’s book: “One could be happy not only without love, but despite it.” After that, the story becomes distinctly mine.

Is It a Love Story?

Yes, but there are many different types of love depicted in the book so far. There is the love between mother and son, father and son, father and daughter, brother and brother, and friend and friend. Are there any romantic stories? Yes, there are two of them. Writing about love when two people meet and cannot be intimate is an interesting challenge.

So, why am I writing this book?

Reason One

The first is that I did not start out to write a book about the crisis. I wrote a short story set at the very beginning of this time — it takes place on February 29, 2020. Back then we were all (or at least I was and the people I knew) living in ignorance, and you know that they say “Ignorance is bliss.”

That story is set in a bodega in Brooklyn, and the characters that inhabit it are ones that I am comfortable with because I’ve used them before. The neighborhood, the people, and their interactions all come from what I know. Hemingway said write about what you know — in his case like war, guns, bullfighting, fishing, and so on — so I felt very comfortable in this world.

I shared the story on a couple of workshop sites online, and I got some nice feedback. As luck would have or not have it — I’d rather not have the book if the virus had just gone away on March 1st — the crisis started to escalate as I wrote another short story involving the same characters from the first story. It is about an unemployed guy extorting money from people in exchange for not infecting them. Once again, I shared this story on the workshop sites and got great feedback.

One of the readers said, “You should turn this into a book.” I thought about it, and I liked and didn’t like the idea. I had just written a novel last year, and I was going to take a year off and just write articles and some short stories, all of which I look at as light and enjoyable writing. Novel writing is heavy lifting — another observation from Hemingway that flows through my brain!

Reason Two

The second reason I wanted to write the novel was because I had these stories, and they are dated as the crisis evolved and exploded. I got the idea to make this book into the journal of a writer who is living through this crazy time, and so I take my beloved — I mean that I love them — and familiar characters and bring them on this journey through the crisis.

As of today, I finished writing a chapter that takes place on April 27, 2020. Sometimes a chapter takes place a day after the previous chapter, but other times I let things settle a bit, allow my characters some space to live — or die as in the case of two characters thus far — and then I proceed to move forward. I actually started writing the chapter on that day, thus getting the weather right and also the actual events happening in the real world, but I can rarely finish a chapter in one calendar day, so I am trying not to rush anything for the sake of time frames.

Reason Three

The third reason why I am writing this novel is because I have always wanted to write historical fiction, but I never had enough nerve to try it. I have friends who write amazing historical fiction, but besides being in awe of their craft, I am humbled by their attention to details of the time and place, of an era that they painstakingly researched to get right.

Writing this book may seem like an historical fiction cop out to some of you, but I figured I can get the historical fiction thing under my belt by living through the events that I am putting into the book. So, there are names of real people appearing in it — NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, NYS Governor Andrew Cuomo, and Dr. Anthony Fauci to name a few — and when one of the character’s wives gives him a death stare because he talked when Dr. Fauci was speaking, well you get the idea.

The Need to Be Respectful

The final reason I felt compelled to write this book is a need to be respectful of the people involved on the front lines. There is a doctor and a first-responder in the story, and since I know doctors, nurses, and first-responders living through this crisis here in the New York City area, I felt a need to depict their heroism and selflessness. Since I also know people who have lost someone to the virus, I wanted to be sure to chronicle the suffering that they are experiencing.

How and When Will It End

One of the things about this book that is most daunting is that once I got started on it, I made a promise to myself that it would end when the crisis was over — what has been called Phase Three. Many of these characters are suffering in some way, and I want to get them to the place when they don’t have to suffer anymore. I am not sure how or when it is going to end, but none of us do.

Someone who has read some of the chapters mentioned something interesting to me. Though I have a couple of antagonists in the story, my friend didn’t recognize them as such. She said I had the greatest antagonist of all — the virus itself! I hadn’t realized it, but now I know that she is right, and like the iceberg that sank the ‘Titanic,’ I am going to try to make the most of it.

Should I Publish the Book as a Series?

This same person suggested that I publish the book in installments, but I don’t like that idea. She felt I should get at least some of the story out now when interest may be highest. My problem with that is that once I’m done writing a book, I want to go over it again and again to make connections and smooth out the story. I can’t do that in installments. I loved to hear what readers think about installments in the comments.

So, there you have it — the reasons why I am writing a book set in the time of the coronavirus. Where it is going depends on where the story takes me and the world takes us, but that is kind of like life itself. I am enjoying writing this book a little more each day, so does that sound like heavy lifting? I don’t think so anymore.