The Times, They Are a-Changin’

Travel has been different for us during the pandemic. We’ve not flown anywhere since before it started. Our first trip almost a year into it was 2 nights in Bryson City, North Carolina, where we stayed at an awesome secluded cabin with a jacuzzi. Other than a hike in the Great Smokies on the way back, we really didn’t do much besides relaxing and taking in the mountain air and scenery. A few months later, we drove down to St. Augustine for a few days. Oh wow, that sand felt so good underneath my feet! It’d been too long for a beach lover, like me, to miss out on that heavenly feeling. Every evening we had cocktails on the patio while I photographed traveling birds. That was always followed by a dinner out somewhere or another, and then a moonlit walk on the beach, still licking our lips from whatever delicious buttery seafood dish we’d been lucky enough to devour that night.

In September, we braved traveling with our dogs (both terriers so they’re a bit crazy) down to Savannah for a couple of nights. We stayed at the famous Thunderbird Inn, an animal-friendly motel with a total retro vibe. A “Moon Pies on your pillow” kind of place. Unfortunately, it rained a lot. But we made the most of our trip just lounging around with our dogs, watching TV and playing games. A month or 2 later, we took another long weekend trip to one of our favorite places, what’s quickly becoming our “home away from home”, Chattanooga. All we did there was eat, go to IMAX movies, eat some more, walk around some, eat some more, and then eat a little more. Need I mention that Chattanooga has really great restaurants?

So even though 2021 was not a year of big travel for us, I think we made out pretty well!