I planned to leave Nashville for the 9.5 hours of driving time to get to DC at 10 AM. I was late by 30 minutes but I will return to a clean condo on May 3rd so I think it will be worth it.
I dropped some perishables off at my son’s so he took the photo. It was a beautiful day and I arrived in DC at 930 PM ET – 10 hours after I left. I love car trips and with a hybrid, 5 hour energy and healthy food I can eat as I drive I can took 3 10 minute breaks. Driving along I-81 along through the Shenandoah Valley today was magnificent with the Eastern Rosebud trees budding along the way.
I listened to The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr. While I was immediately drawn into the novel, the narration would benefit by longer pauses and better deliniation between chapters/characters. I got a bit confused more than once. It may be a novel that is better to read than listen to. The portrayal of a community of slaves on a Mississippi cotton plantation from multiple perspectives is intriguing. I may listen to it again later in my journey to make sure I learn as much as I can.
There was a lot more traffic on the beltway than 6 months ago – seemed pretty typical for 9 PM on a Friday pre-pandemic. When I got on city streets, I immediately noted two people walking alone on the sidewalk with masks on. People in the DC Metro area (including Maryland and Virginia) took precautions much more seriously than TN last summer and this seems still to be the case. In Nashville people are still masking indoors but it would be a rare occurrence for someone to be walking alone outdoors with a mask on.
Fingers crossed that Vaccinations BEST Variants and our gradual return to “normalcy” continues. I would like our new normal to include voluntary use of masks as a norm during cold and flu season. Masks no longer look odd.
Tamara Unleashed 