Day Eight
Washington, Vermont
Sleep was elusive for both of us last night. We were wide awake by three am, achy, chilled and worried that the virus had stowed away in the messy back seat of the Nissan. It was still parked in our muddy “dooryard” as we say here in Vermont.
We have no real symptoms. No fever, no dry cough or sore chest. I can still hold my breath, even while squeezing my nose, for a full 25 seconds. No cheating!
I think we are just exhausted. We caravanned another 100, mind-numbing miles this morning, returning the rental to the ghost town they call Burlington Airport, BTV in airline parlance. There were airplanes but no people. No cops telling me to move my truck away from the curve. No TSA guys hanging by the young girl at coffee cart. No baggage handlers.
Moving full circle, there were no baggage handlers because there was no baggage. And there was no baggage because there were no people.
The was a solitary, helpful clerk at the Hertz counter. You have to go to the counter at BTV, no returning the rig in the garage as is common in larger cities.. The clerk could not have been nicer. She never even checked our car for damage. She asked for the mileage and did not check to see if the gas tank was filled. They did not try to charge us for returning the car to BTV and not Boston as planned.
Full disclosure, there was no damage, about 3,500 miles on the trip meter and a full tank of low test. I do not believe there was a virus riding in the back. But then I am not an epidemiologist. It may still be there.
But the best part: she reduced the overall rental fee by about $100 because we returned the car early. I have done this before and always paid full freight.
Shout out to Hertz.
In an earlier post I grumbled that that social distancing has halted hugging. I am not a huge hugger but I like the contact with close friends and family. I did not hug my sister and ill brother in law in Winston Salem or my son in Harrisburg. It was a colossal bummer..
My brilliant Thai daughter in law in Boston has a suggestion that I think Americans should embrace in these no hugging times. We should “Wai” each other!
The “Wai” in Thai culture is a formal looking bow, hands pressed together, fingers toward the heavens in from of your body as if in prayer. There are nuances I once knew. You ”Wai” an elder differently than a friend, for example. It is a wonderful greeting, a sign of respect that conveys joy. It is a hug without the touching
And can be done from an appropriate social distance.
Finally for today, we are famous. The TV news piece on our journey that I mentioned earlier in the week aired on WPRI-TV, the CBS affiliate in Providence. Full disclosure our youngest son is a crack investigative reporter there. The video broadcast and online print version of the story can be found here.
https://www.wpri.com/news/street-stories/a-3400-mile-journey-through-a-country-in-crisis/
Washington, Vermont
Sleep was elusive for both of us last night. We were wide awake by three am, achy, chilled and worried that the virus had stowed away in the messy back seat of the Nissan. It was still parked in our muddy “dooryard” as we say here in Vermont.
We have no real symptoms. No fever, no dry cough or sore chest. I can still hold my breath, even while squeezing my nose, for a full 25 seconds. No cheating!
I think we are just exhausted. We caravanned another 100, mind-numbing miles this morning, returning the rental to the ghost town they call Burlington Airport, BTV in airline parlance. There were airplanes but no people. No cops telling me to move my truck away from the curve. No TSA guys hanging by the young girl at coffee cart. No baggage handlers.
Moving full circle, there were no baggage handlers because there was no baggage. And there was no baggage because there were no people.
The was a solitary, helpful clerk at the Hertz counter. You have to go to the counter at BTV, no returning the rig in the garage as is common in larger cities.. The clerk could not have been nicer. She never even checked our car for damage. She asked for the mileage and did not check to see if the gas tank was filled. They did not try to charge us for returning the car to BTV and not Boston as planned.
Full disclosure, there was no damage, about 3,500 miles on the trip meter and a full tank of low test. I do not believe there was a virus riding in the back. But then I am not an epidemiologist. It may still be there.
But the best part: she reduced the overall rental fee by about $100 because we returned the car early. I have done this before and always paid full freight.
Shout out to Hertz.
In an earlier post I grumbled that that social distancing has halted hugging. I am not a huge hugger but I like the contact with close friends and family. I did not hug my sister and ill brother in law in Winston Salem or my son in Harrisburg. It was a colossal bummer..
My brilliant Thai daughter in law in Boston has a suggestion that I think Americans should embrace in these no hugging times. We should “Wai” each other!
The “Wai” in Thai culture is a formal looking bow, hands pressed together, fingers toward the heavens in from of your body as if in prayer. There are nuances I once knew. You ”Wai” an elder differently than a friend, for example. It is a wonderful greeting, a sign of respect that conveys joy. It is a hug without the touching
And can be done from an appropriate social distance.
Finally for today, we are famous. The TV news piece on our journey that I mentioned earlier in the week aired on WPRI-TV, the CBS affiliate in Providence. Full disclosure our youngest son is a crack investigative reporter there. The video broadcast and online print version of the story can be found here.
https://www.wpri.com/news/street-stories/a-3400-mile-journey-through-a-country-in-crisis/
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