
Ruth & I learned last evening that yet another acquaintance is moving during the pandemic. That brings the total of recent movers in our lives to 6. This virus has certainly not kept us stationary, and several of these movers, like the one we learned about yesterday, are moving a great distance. We hope we’ll be able to maintain a relationship with most of them, but the reality of life is that often we lose track of people after they move. Mike & Sandy, my cousin Tom, and Steve & Diane come to mind.
Donna lost her husband Jack, whose friendship we miss, just before the pandemic made social gathering a no no. Last evening she emailed us that she has bought a house in Buckeye, AZ and would like to get together before her big move. It will be a mixed-emotions gathering.

My brother Jim moved from Tacoma, WA to Oakland, CA about a month ago. Ruth & I really miss not being able to visit him and learn even more about Washington’s 3rd largest city, and we certainly miss not being able to entertain him in Camas. Our first trip after we start planning travel again will surely be to Oakland to see him, so get ready for blogs about California’s 8th largest city. Oakland and the City by the Bay have been the settings for several socially important movies and books recently, so I look forward to new material from both and seeing him.

We just learned also that our friends who owned a vineyard, Ed and Diane, have sold it. We have really enjoyed testing Ed’s wines over the years and vicariously learning about owning a vineyard through them. Luckily, they are staying local, so we’ll be able to see them more often than we will see Buckeye Donna after gatherings become possible again.

The other recent movers include our son, who has moved from St. Louis to Denver for business reasons. Denver, which we have been to many times, will be high on our list of places to visit soon. Oakland Jim, for example, used to live there. We have heard of people who are moving away from Portland, OR to get away from the troubles. One gentleman has moved from The Rose City to the other Vancouver, the one in Washington State called The Couv by locals to avoid confusion, to escape the expected drop in property values. Ruth & I drove through Portland yesterday, and it’s a tragic mess.
Hank