Well…what else can I say? What an unprecedented time to be alive. I never would’ve seen this coming after my last trip to Montreal (last blog post) when the restrictions were just being instituted, but here we are. With all this travel on hold and a bit more time on my hands, I figured I needed to post some sort of update as to what’s been going on these days.
Besides working my spec engineering job from my comfy desk at home, I have been spending most of my time getting healthy. I have been trying my best to eat well, exercise more (which is undoubtedly tougher with gyms closed), and abstain (mostly) from alcohol. I can honestly say I have been doing well with each. I feel very good and have cut a decent amount of weight. I’m actually excited to run again for the first time in forever. Having a couple aches and pains here and there but nothing too excessive, especially for how much exercising I’ve been doing.
Olivia and I have spent a decent amount of time at our apartment in Raleigh, but we have also been fortunate to escape to my parent’s beach house on a frequent basis. The house is on Harbor Island at Wrightsville Beach, NC–an incredible spot on the sound with a dock and 22′ boat.
That in itself is plenty to keep us occupied; not to mention the kayaks, paddle-boards, floats, bikes, and other fun beach toys also at the house. It is one of my favorite places to be, and perhaps one of the most incredible sunsets of anywhere in the world. I may be a bit biased.
We had a nice family weekend two weeks ago when my dad was honored for a lifetime achievement award in his field of Radiology. Unfortunately, we had to miss out on what was looking to be an incredible trip to DC for him to accept his award at a national convocation, but we’re hoping the trip is just postponed for a year and he can partake in 2021. Instead, we had an awesome weekend at the beach with the whole family (most dogs included, were missing one). They had a nice online awards ceremony for my dad and it was great for us all to be together for it. I know he really enjoyed the weekend, as well he should because that is a hell of a recognition.
Back in Raleigh, my group of friends have been going through some random phases of new activities. The first lockdown trend is/was the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare release. Towards the beginning, we pumped some time into this multiplayer, sometimes having up to 6 in a party at one time. It was such a blast–an excellent reminder of the heydays of gaming in high school and college. We still play every now and then but not nearly as religiously as those first few weeks.
The next trend we’ve picked up has been roller hockey. We’ve skated about 4 times now and most of our group has picked up a pair of wheels by this point. We play at Marsh Creek Park (sketchy), mostly on the weekends. The rink is nice enough but I finally gave in an purchased a 60″ net with shooter tutor. We typically just play ODR style with small sized goals, which is a good time all the same. I used to skate so much in school as I lived adjacent to the on-campus roller rink, so I’m glad my buds in Raleigh finally got into it. I also enjoy not playing goalie for once, as I am a pretty decent forward. It’s a good time (and workout).
In addition, I’ve been trying to play as much golf as possible; getting psyched for an upcoming CGA event with my dad. We have played a father-son tournament in Pinehurst for the last 3 years, so we’re excited to get back down there on July 17th.
Other than that, I’ve been spending a lot of time at home with my two girls Olivia and Eleanor. Olivia graduated from college herself back in early May and we had a nice virtual celebration for her as well. Ellie is growing like crazy, swimming for the first time, and just being an all around awesome puppy. It’s been so great being able to stay at home with her. All in all, it’s been a nice period for me, and a time I’m sure I’ll be asking to get back to once this situation has played out and we’re back to normal (whatever that normal may be).
The last thing I’ll sign off with is my most recent (but definitely not the first) lockdown purchase: a GoPro Hero8 Black and a DJI Mavic Mini. They have just arrived in the mail and I am so excited to test them out. I will report back on how I like them, with plenty of footage to follow I’m sure.
I hope everyone is staying safe and sane! I’ll be back soon with a review on my recent tech gear. In the meantime, feel free to check out some more lockdown pics below. Stay tuned!
– Walker
Texas-Ranger Travels 