Bob Dylan said it first, and seldom have the great man’s words been more prophetic.
“You ain’t a-goin’ nowhere.”
As we approach the second summer of the pandemic that just will not end, it looks like none of us will be going much further than a trip to the grocery store. If it’s still open. The US border is closed. Even BC doesn’t seem to want us right now. This time a couple of years ago my wife and I were in Phoenix. A year or two before that we took a drive to Vancouver. Not this year.
We already know you don’t have to go far to have fun. In the past we’ve enjoyed the occasional trip to Leduc. Yes, really. They have nice walking paths, interesting shops and a pub we like going to when it’s open. Ahh, pubs. I remember pubs. But until the restaurants are running normally again, even a trip like that seems more effort than it’s worth.
But you know, it could be worse. We’re usually blessed with a decent amount of sunshine in this part of Alberta, which goes a long way toward making things seem not that bad. At our house we have a deck that faces south. We have a barbecue, and lawn chairs, and a cooler and a fire pit.
With that in mind, Lil C and I are planning ourselves a summer of fun right here in Drayton Valley. A trip to Mexico is very much out of the question, but we may be able to make it as far as the Brazeau Dam. Yes, I know it’s not the same, but in the right conditions if you close your eyes and squint, it’s the next best thing. There is sun. There is sand. There is water. It’s like Cancun, but without quite so many drunk Canadians.
So we’re staying put and making the most of what we have. My grandson has a metal detector I’m secretly dying to try out. Buried treasure in Rotary Park seems … unlikely, but a few dollars worth of assorted change would brighten up an afternoon and potentially pay for a couple of ice creams. And if we find more than that, maybe I’ll buy one for him too.
My other grandson and his sister are now old enough to kick a ball or build a sandcastle. I’ve never really seen the point of babies. They basically just lie there leaking out of both ends. But toddlers are an absolute hoot to be around, especially if someone else is responsible for cleaning up afterwards.
And I might make the effort to teach Lil C to play golf. The problem is that I’m nowhere near good enough at the game myself to teach anybody anything, except how to repair a divot and the best place to look for lost balls. But still, it’s a possibility, although there’s the danger that she might turn out to be better at it than I am and then we’d have to get divorced.
So maybe golf’s not such a great idea. But we’ll come up with something else. We’re only limited by our imagination.
My point is that it won’t quite be the summer we might have hoped for; but life’s what you make of it. And time at home doesn’t mean we can’t find a way (or lots of ways) to enjoy ourselves.
I hope you can too.
