Family Events and Travel
Before the spread of Covid-19, we were invited to Ursinus College, my Alma Mater, where we met and shared a meal with recipients of our scholarship program for budding Neuroscientists. Each of these students will be receiving our support for a second year.
The pandemic so limited socialization that the summer was better spent at Bergheim rather than restricted to an apartment at The Highlands at Wyomissing. The pictures to follow are taken with the iPhone XS.
We left for Bergheim on April first and spent 7 months there, undertaking various repairs and a major landscape refresh.
Repairs included replacing sections of rotten log with left over vernier that came with the stand alone garage which was “stick built”.
We invited the family for a day of “painting” the gambrel ends facing the driveway – the surfaces which have the most sun exposure. That evening we all went out to The Settlers Inn for a family supper.
We upgraded the patio lighting to permit expanded entertaining, repaired the storage electric heating system and installed wi-fi addressable thermostats and ambient temperature monitoring.
We have planted varieties of plant material for their shapes, heights, colors and textures throughout the seasons. Most recently we’ve planted yellow and red stemmed dogwoods which with the red berries on the deciduous holly provide winter color. This last landscape image is our view during happy hour at the end of the work day.
We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to be active and separated from close contact with possible viral sources.
As for everyone, our travel was limited to a few days with long time friends on Lake Winnepesaukee which afforded Antje, Laz, Demetri, Alex, and Katie recreational activities on the lake.
Finally, our summer began and ended with a whole family supper to celebrate birthdays. This one in November was for Mason, Peter and Amy, appropriately socially distanced.
As I review this section, we have learned that, in response to a spike in viral infections, the state has been more restricted in social interactions. Our traditional New Year’s Eve dinner at The Settlers Inn has been canceled, but we will spend the week between Christmas and New Year at Bergheim, alone.
