We’ve been “stay at home” for just about a month … except for a couple of trips to re-supply fresh produce. Then the weather got real nice, making it that much harder to just walk the neighborhood.
Staying distant as possible, we took a road trip to the Prineville Reservoir. Mostly we just wanted to see what was and what was not open.
Turns out the BLM has gated off the places with parking lots. Campgrounds were closed to camping and the signs said to keep socially separated.
That wasn’t a problem. Tip found a spot to cool down and roll in some dirt.
Yeah, he needed that!
The drive didn’t really cover much distance, but it did wonders for our spirits.
There are lots of places you can go and still be more than six feet … just have to be careful about parking at trail heads, boat landings and campgrounds.
Surprisingly, there are few people at the Sunriver Nature Center during the week, so it has become a great morning destination when the neighborhood walk starts to get a bit stale.
Today we start our third week of quarantine with a bit of social distancing at the hardware store … masks on.
I’ve managed to get a couple dozen spring patterns tied, euro-nymph and dry fly. Now to start on the summer collection of caddis, stoneflies, and terrestrials.
I love our quiet moments at home, but really miss our adventures on the road. I knew we would go stir crazy without some way to get out and move. Our gym is off limits, so walking the neighborhood is our best bet. 
Luckily, we have lovely trails through forest and high desert just outside our home. 
For better than a decade we’ve kept an emergency supply pantry, as well as a stocked freezer, extra fuel, water and paper product. Prepped? Maybe. But for us it was the memory of how fast the Mount St Helen’s eruption made a mess of life in the PNW and the threat of Mt Hood’s regular awakenings. This global pandemic thing wasn’t even on my radar.
Thank goodness for Tip’s exuberance. 
If social distancing means avoiding people (and for the most part it does) we’ve been doing that for years.
We live in a neighborhood where folks lift a hand in greeting and pause to visit. I love how friendly everyone is. That said, we do have a terrible time remembering names … we usually recognize people by their dogs. “Oh, there’s the guy with the old dog that sits on the bench.” We always stop to visit, but now we do it from across the field. 
We are ready for months of isolation, quarantine and social distancing.
The yearly holiday letter is a bit like fruit cake … many of us actually like the stuff. This type of Christmas card allows the author a chance to measure the past year. Milestones do have a certain appeal, letting people know what you’ve been up to and acting as markers to stop-overs in a trip around the sun.
Thanks to all the folks who left comments as they stopped by our web page and to everyone reading this post, we wish you the best of the holidays and joyous travels in the coming year.