When school let out for the Summer, Sara and the kids and I drove up to Georgia. Our only stop on the drive was a rest area on the Turnpike. Surprisingly (because Florida), about 80% of the people inside had masks on. It was my first encounter with a lot of people indoors since quarantine began and my anxiety was high.

Mom, Dad, and Granny were leaving the lake to go back home that day, but they stayed for a few hours of overlap after we arrived. We spent time on the dock in our first socially distanced family get-together.

Sara and the kids stayed for a week. I stayed for what has ended up being an indefinite visit.

When lockdown began and everyone couldn’t get haircuts, I decided to grow my hair out with them. I’ve been cutting my own hair since college so I could have just continued doing that. But I’d been wanting to grow it out, and since I wasn’t around anyone I could get through the awkward growing out phase in private.

My beard was the first to go. I got tired of it and had to shave.

Sorry about the mustache - it’s not all glamour around here.

When the beaches opened back up we decided to show up really early one day to beat everyone else there. We had about an hour of playing before the crowds showed up and we left. And the surf was way too rough to go swimming - pictures somehow never depict this, but the waves were breaking at my chest height.

But that hour was beautiful.

This was our first time leaving the house to do something in almost 2 months.

Sara, Lillie, Holden and I picked up food and found a secluded spot at the back of a parking lot by the Intracoastal to eat. The kids played on some rocks. We saw a few people walking on a trail nearby. It was nice to get out of the neighborhood.

I lived with Sara and her family while I was in Florida.

This wasn’t my first time living with them for a while, the last time being during part of my year off. When I arrived in March I overheard Holden say “Dad! Uncle Brian is home!”. ❤️

I felt incredibly lucky to have been with family through the beginning of lockdown.

This was taken on Easter. We had a quarantine egg hunt with the neighbors: they hid eggs in our yard for the kids to find. Then we hid eggs in their yard.

This was our last trip to the beach before they were closed.

What this picture doesn’t show is that Holden’s face was painted like a tiger. I think by Lillie.

Palm Beach County schools closed on March 16, extending Spring Break by one week. School was then virtual until Summer. New York restrictions began on March 17. All beaches and non-essential businesses in Palm Beach County were closed beginning March 19.

On March 8th I flew from Atlanta to West Palm Beach to spend what I thought was going to be 3 weeks in Florida. Some people were already wearing masks at the airport, even though at this point we were being told that masks didn’t do anything. Had my flight been even a couple of days later I probably would not have taken it.

A Winter escape is normal for me; the season hits me pretty hard (depression etc). It’s amazing how much of a mental shift takes place when I leave the cold darkness for sunshine and warmth. Walking outside without having to suit up feels like a luxury. Swimming in the ocean is a delicacy.

I was supposed to be in Florida for a few weeks of working remotely then I’d be back to NYC for Spring. The universe had other plans. Cases in NYC rose quickly. Lockdowns began. I didn’t get on my return flight at the end of the month. I had my first encounter with a “it’s no worse than the flu” person.

Shortly after this picture was taken an iguana fell from the palm tree above me and barely missed my head.

From Georgia I drove to Alabama to spend a week with Price and Sydney. I worked remotely that week then we went for a hike over the weekend.

The bottle of hand sanitizer on my backpack was purchased from a nearby CVS which had already imposed a limit of 1 per person. I’d be flying to Florida the next day.

This is my family sporting our finest loungewear.

After the training in Atlanta we got together for a weekend to celebrate Price’s birthday.