Our Pandemic Summer

The last time I shared with you, I was bringing you along on my family's trip around the world through reflections and photos from each location. We got as far as Singapore, and then the pandemic hit. I took a break from my posts. It didn't feel right to talk about travel while we weren't traveling. The posts will be picking up from where they left off soon to finish the trip we completed that brought us on a full lap around the world. My family and I are really missing the adventure of traveling right now, but I'd like to share with you what we've been up to during this time of pandemic while we're not traveling internationally.

Summertime is when my family likes to do the bulk of our traveling. With our children out of school, we love to take the opportunity to spend time exploring the world together. Last summer we traveled to 5 continents, and made memories that will last a lifetime. But this summer, our plans for travel have drastically changed from what we had originally planned. A trip to Ireland in celebration of my husband’s 40th Birthday was cancelled by the airline. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting travel around the world, it was time to make some decisions about how we would make the most of our summer.

(Celebrating my husband's 4th of July 40th Birthday at the "COVID Cabin.")

When the pandemic first started affecting the FM area, my family really hunkered down. We have a family member in the high-risk category due to asthma, and there were quite a few question marks about COVID-19. Our family spent most of our time at home for the first three months. We made a point of trying to go for nature walks on a regular basis, and had fun exploring our community’s many Park District hiking trail options. Seeing how much our children enjoyed being out in nature made my husband and me start thinking about traveling to the lakes area of Minnesota as a destination option for the summer.

My family was very fortunate to have an opportunity cross our path to rent a lake place from some friends of ours for the summer. We’ve affectionately been calling it the COVID Cabin. I’m a “glass is half full” kind of person, and to me this was an opportunity to still spend time away with my family even though we weren’t able to do it through extensive travel. Our little trips to the cabin have become a highlight of our weeks.

In the beginning of my family’s pandemic summer, weekends at the cabin were filled with fishing adventures. There also is a beaver that likes to go fishing right by the dock, and doesn’t seem to mind if we’re there or not. We’ve watched baby turtles head down to the water from the cabin, held toads, and gone for numerous walks along the country roads. Recently, we’ve moved into boating, jet skiing, tubing, and other water sports as well.

(A baby turtle we rescued who was stuck in the mud. He needed a little bath, and then we sent him on his way.)

While my family and me still have a strong desire for exploring more of the world through traveling, we’re so thankful to have been able to enjoy these mini trips together to and from the lakes. Even If travel is limited during this time of pandemic, just taking a day trip to explore a nature preserve you haven’t visited before can go a long way to help quench your desire for travel. Take care everyone!