Still quiet on the Southwestern front...

I’m writing my pandemic update from my apartment balcony as it’s absolutely BEAUTIFUL in AZ this time of year. See sunset photo for reference.

Thank you all for all the love and support surrounding Match Day!! Obviously, it was not what we initially envisioned, but it was still a great celebration! Thank you to The Borings for setting up the livestream and The Di Nolfis for throwing one heck of an Extreme Match Day – Home Edition. Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital here I come!!!

I will start my residency July 1^st, but will be moving to Santa Barbara by early June for orientation and to get settled. General surgery residency looks very different right now as all elective surgeries have been cancelled to preserve PPE. The beginning of my residency will not be as I expected, but that's okay.

My final two rotations have been cancelled and all clinical requirements are now via Zoom lectures, so I spend most days at home listening to older attending physicians shout, “Can you guys hear me?” over Zoom. Aside from my remaining curriculum, I (and every fourth-year med student) have been spending time reading up on all things COVID-19, as becoming a doctor during a pandemic will be quite the challenge.

Luckily living alone simplifies self-quarantining, and I’ve been trying to keep myself busy. I recently finished Outliers by Gladwell and am in the middle of Michelle Obama’s book. Mom and I have been doing crosswords together over the phone and I’m catching on some binge-worthy tv shows.

Hope everyone is staying healthy, safe, and sane!

Jocee

It's all quiet on the Southwestern front...

Thanks to all that were able to tune in to see the excitement of Jocelyn’s learning where she was going to spend her residency.  We are so proud of her accomplishments and as always, we look forward to what tomorrow brings for her.  We are so grateful to Brian and Nani for making that event possible.

Then came Saturday..

Then came Sunday...


Here is a meme we found that sums up how slowly time passed this weekend!

What a strange weekend we just experienced.

Over the weekend, we learned of a distraction on Netflix  called “Tiger King”.  There’s reality TV and then there’s this!  Holy Cow, to sum up, neither one of us will be raising big cats in Oklahoma!

 (4 stars)

We did make a trip to downtown Gilbert via bike (as normal weekend plans usually dictate) and it is a ghost town.  Luckily we are having great weather so we were able to support a local restaurant by getting  takeout and had a picnic in the park.

Today we are both back to work.  C is working from home and has plenty to do.  K is reporting to work as usual but the entire agency has taken a cut in hours/pay.  Arizona considers A New Leaf part of essential services so we will stay open for the foreseeable future.

Our 401Ks are rapidly turning into 201Fs but on the bright side, C scored a 4 pack of TP today!!!

Many chapters are being read and crossword puzzles completed. 

Most of last March we were apart and this March we are mostly together so that’s a nice turnaround!

hope you are all well and happy!

LOVE YOU ALL!

K and C

Update from the Commonwealth of Virginia

All,

Theresa and I are doing fine.  While we'd like to be spending more time with family and friends, we've been following rules about staying home, which really hasn't been too difficult.

Theresa has been enjoying her retirement by reading, exercising, and painting.  (See an example of her work below.)  I've been exercising, working in the yard, and going through boxes in the garage hoping to recycle, donate, or get rid of stuff we no longer want or need.

We've been playing games and Theresa has been crushing me in Ticket to Ride Switzerland.  We filed our taxes today and we're glad to finish that task.

We had our planned Baltic Sea cruise cancelled, which was disappointing but probably the right thing to do. We'll get a voucher to use on a future cruise.  Let us know if you want to consider joining us.

We had a first yesterday when we watched a recorded version of Sunday Mass.  There are no public celebrations of Mass in our diocese so the viewing was the next best thing.  We missed vising with friends before and after Mass.

I'm guessing that most if not all of you have received an invitation to participate in the 2020 Census.  I encourage you to do your part, but I can't guarantee that you will receive a Census 2020 T-shirt.

Please stay safe. Love, Don and Theresa.

Dear Family,

The Pandola family is hunkered down like the rest of you. Tom and I have been self quarantined for a while now. We try to go for walks everyday. We had good weather this weekend and there were a lot of people out walking as well. Everyone was very considerate and practiced social distancing.Steve and Laurel and the girls have been staying in at home in Incline. As you heard Brian is in Cambria and Tony at his house in Espanola.

Mom/Grandma is doing okay but is definitely finding the situation hard, as we all are. The staff is great and is doing their best to keep the residents safe. They have been bringing treats and visiting a couple of times a day to check in with everyone.

Since no one can enter the senior living facility, they have a drop off at the front door where a staff person comes out to bring the items to the resident. Today we will drive over and drop off some things Mom needs. I have one of Mom's very large photo albums that covers several years of pictures. I am going to drop that off as well. I think that will take up a good part of her afternoon going through it and reminiscing.

Ditto to all that Molly said about Jocee's match day. We LOVED being a part of it remotely. We cannot thank Brian and Adriana enough for letting us experience that joyful moment! Congratulations Jocee and welcome to California!

You all are in our prayers! We love and miss you all, Carol and Tom

Pandemic March 2020

Hello!  (I haven’t figured out how to post photos yet, sorry)(added by Sue)

Sande and I are employing self quarantine at his house in Cambria.  I don’t believe any of the cooking pots or pans have  ever been used.  But, it’s great.  We are taking the dogs for a 1 hour walk throughout our Cambria neighborhood  every day.  We saw Joe Burdullis yesterday and talked from the street up to him on his deck. I apologized that, because of the situation, we couldn’t be spending more time together (not). We don’t go to Fiscalini to walk because there’s lots of people and dogs there and it’s hard to keep the recommended six feet social ( now called physical) distance.  Sande and I are playing cumulative score Scrabble (one game per day) and I won my first game today (out of 6 games total). I’m losing by 338 points. 

Brian is next door at Sisters also self-quarantining.  We talk outside maybe once or twice a day, maintaining our six feet.

Matt is at MoJo self-quarantining with his dog Cyrus. He’s off all next week, but Roger’s Gardens is currently still open. So, I’m not sure how long he will be here, but if the nursery closes, he can stay as long as he wants.  Mark is self-quarantining at Newgate Rd.  He checks in with me at night and we yak about day’s events. He may come to the beach at some point, but not sure exactly. 

Brian, Sande, Matt and I have a Qwirkle tournament ( one game daily) that we play online via the app.  First one to win 3 games, is champion. We just started yesterday and Sande was the winner.  We are going to try an Oh Hell! app that looks promising.  Will let you know. 

 Super proud of and excited for Jocelyn. Loved tuning in and watching firsthand.  So nice to have Nani and Brian know how to set that up.  I had tears running down my cheeks when she said “Cottage”.  Our dog, Caramel, was hoping she got Cottage,

All my work has been canceled. My next date is April 29 in Las Vegas...highly doubt it will happen.  We two are doing fine, spending more time together than ever. I told Sande I might have to sleep  by myself in the spare room here,  just to maintain some sense of normalcy. 

Hope everyone checks in and gives a status. 

xoxo

M

Where were you during the pandemic of 2020?

Hello all,

Thought this might be a good way to keep in touch during this challenging time.  I'm curious to know how everyone is doing...who is working from home, who is quarantining, is everyone in your house healthy...?  What are you doing to keep busy?  What books/tv shows/films do you recommend?

Plus, I could really use some pics and videos of the little ones.  They bring a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. I have not been able to figure out how to upload a video, but maybe some of you will have better luck.

Before I catch you up on what is happening chez Lambeth, a big congrats to Jocelyn.  👏🍾🥂So excited that you got your first choice!  Of course, how could there be any doubt.  I'm thinking there are several programs who had you at the top of their list and are disappointed that you won't be working with them.  You're amazing and we're so proud and happy for you.❤️

Doug and I are both healthy. And while the epicenter of the virus is only 2 hours away, there has been only a couple of diagnosed cases in our county.  Of course, that is likely due somewhat to the fact that not much testing hasn't been done.

Social distancing is not much of an issue for us as that is our normal lifestyle 😁. Unfortunately, I was not prepared for the level of hoarding, so had to go out a couple of times before I could finally find what we needed to keep us out of the stores for an extended time.  Even so, i was not able to buy any sugar.  It's possible that we may not be able to keep feeding our hummingbirds, which would be a shame because they rely on us ( ok, Doug. I don’t do anything but enjoy them). Some have been here all winter!

Now that I finally got all the essentials, we are in full hunker mode at our house.  Have to say if you have to shelter in place, this is a fine place to do that.  Right now I'm sitting on the couch and watching bald eagles through the living room window.  It's pretty cool.

Doug has been spending a great deal of time working in the yard.  It's a very big yard, that hadn't really been maintained for several years, but it's starting to look really good.  Spring in just barely starting, so most of the trees are still bare.  It’s going to look really good once everything is leafed  out.  Last month Doug finished building all the raised beds for the garden.

Doesn't it look great?  I've planted a few cold weather things, but it's really too early to plant most things.  If you look closely, you can see our “orchard” to the far left.  We should be getting some blossoms on the trees soon!

I have been planting flower and veggie seeds in the greenhouse.  Doug built this cute little structure for me over the winter.

I planted some spinach, kale and lettuce in a rain gutter inside the greenhouse (Pinterest has some great ideas!) and they are doing well.  Everything else is a long way from being edible.

We have both been reading a lot.  If you're in need of a book recommendation, here are a few:

1.  I'm sorry I'm late, I didn't want to come - an introvert’s year of living dangerously, by Jessica Pan.  If/when the reunion happens, I think this would be a great group discussion book.  It's extremely well written and very funny.
2.  An interesting/disturbing choice to read during a pandemic is The Girl with all the gifts by M.R. Carey.  It's a post apocalyptic novel after a pandemic that creates zombies.  Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea, but it's really well written and Doug and I both really liked it. There is a movie of it which I think has just been released or will be soon.
3.  If you're interested in a page turner, Before I sleep by S J Watson, is a good one.
4. Memoirs of an imaginary friend by Matthew Dicks.  I read  this a year ago and I know I’ve recommended it to some of you,  but it bears repeating.  The author creates a wonderful world of imaginary friends.  I really enjoyed it.

As far  as tv shows,  I highly recommend Broadchurch on Netflix.  There are 3 seasons of 8 episodes each.  Really good.

At this time, it doesn't seem likely that the reunion will happen - but I'm not ready to give up hope just yet.  Maybe something miraculous will happen.

Guess that's about it.  I love you all and I hope you are all doing well.  And I really hope someone else will post.  Really, if you’re stocked up on toilet paper, what else do you have to do?

Sequim Summer Spectacular 2020

Doug and I are very much looking forward to hosting the next family reunion June 18-20.  To help you plan your trip, I’ve put together some notes.  I’m posting it on the blog so whether you’re an early planner or a last minute planner, the information is right at your fingertips.

I’ve tried to make this as clear and concise as possible, but am happy to answer any questions you may have.


Travel
You may want to access this map as you plan your travel route.  It shows Seattle and the surrounding areas - including all the ferry crossings, their schedules and fees.
WA State Ferries Route Map


Folks traveling from Phoenix, SFO, Denver or LAX can fly into either SeaTac or Everett (Paine Field).  Everett is a much smaller airport, so flights are limited, but it would certainly be less hectic than SeaTac.

From SeaTac:
We are about 2 hours from SeaTac, assuming you don’t arrive during rush hour.  There are several routes to get here from there.

 For those planning to rent a car:

1. The most direct is probably driving south through Tacoma before heading northwest to Sequim.  There are no ferry crossings.
2. Drive to the downtown ferry and take the ferry to Bainbridge Island
3. Drive to the downtown ferry and take the ferry to Bremerton (not the most efficient...if you're at the downtown terminal, it makes more sense to go to Bainbridge Island)
(Note: the downtown ferry terminal is in the midst of being rebuilt, so it'll be a bit of a zoo if you choose to go there.)
4. Drive north to Edmonds and take the ferry to Kingston (highly recommended for the best views of the Olympics and lovely drive through Port Gamble)

The downtown ferry is near Mariners’ stadium, in case attending a Mariners game is part of your travel plan. Looks like the Mariners are at home 6/16-24.

If you are not planning to rent a car:

1. There is a door-to-door shuttle from SeaTac that costs about $60/person one way.  It’s super easy, but only does a few runs/day and you need to make your reservations at least a week in advance.  Rocket Shuttle.
2. There is a shuttle that will take you as far as Poulsbo, which is about 50 minutes from our house.  You cannot make reservations from the Seattle Airport, but it runs hourly, so there is more flexibility with your flight times.  Be forewarned that it may make several stops before you get to Poulsbo.  We are happy to pick folks up in Poulsbo if that schedule works best for you.  Cost is about $30/person one way. Kitsap Airporter
3. You can take the train from SeaTac to downtown (Pioneer Plaza or University Street), and then make your way to the downtown ferry terminal or you can get a ride service to take you to the downtown ferry – it's a little over a half-mile.  You can take the walk-on ferry to Kingston which is run by Kitsap county and we would pick you up in Kingston  https://www.kitsaptransit.com/service/fast-ferry. The downtown area is a bit sketchy so I don’t recommend walking through it with luggage.



FromPaine Field in Everett:
1. If you plan to rent a car, you would drive to the ferry terminal at Edmonds – which is approximately 10 miles – and take the ferry to Kingston.
2. If you don’t want to rent a car, you could get a ride service to the Edmonds Ferry terminal and we can pick you up in Kingston – which is about 45 minutes from our house.

When considering return flights to either airport, we strongly suggest that you do not plan to leave from Sequim to catch an early morning flight.  The traffic in Seattle is legendary and road work or an accident could cause you to miss your plane.


Lodging

Summer is a busy time in Sequim, so we recommend that you make accommodation reservations early.  We do have one guest room in our house.  It’s available to whomever requests it first.  It’s a queen sized Murphy bed with a brand new and comfortable mattress.


Camping
If you have a camper or travel trailer, we do have a parking spot with power.  Depending on the size of your rig, we might be able to get two vehicles in there, but it would be tight.  You are also welcome to sleep on a lounge outside.  The nights are mild and the stars are spectacular.  We even have a bathroom directly accessible from the backyard. Of course there is always the chance of rain…

There are two campgrounds that are relatively close.  Sequim Bay State Park is less than a mile from our house.  It’s a nice campground, but it is very close to HWY 101, so would likely be a bit noisy.  Reservations are strongly recommended.  Sequim Bay State Park

Dungeness  County Park is about 10 miles from our house.  Located on the Dungeness Spit, it would have no traffic noise.   Again, reservations are recommended . Dungeness County Park

Both campgrounds have gates that prevent you from getting in after dusk/10p.m.  This could be an issue if you’re in the middle of a good discussion or a hot card game.  Remember, it doesn’t get dark here until after 10 p.m. in June


Hotels
There is a nice Holiday Inn Express that is within 4 miles.  Breakfast is included and they have a nice rooftop deck and a Tesla charging station.  The Red Lion is about 5 miles away.

There are several other hotels in town, but they are a little further away from us.   We do NOT recommend the Sequim Bay Inn.  It’s close and inexpensive, but it’s pretty dumpy. (Or was when we stayed there a couple of years ago.)

VRBO
There are lots of VRBO and Air BNBs in town.  I found a number of VRBO that are within just a few miles of our house.

This one is super close to our house
4 bed/3 bath


We’ve stayed in this one  about 2 miles up the road which is very comfy.
2 bed/1 bath

These two are on Sequim bay and would be close to each other:

2 bed/1.5 bath

2 bed/1 bath


These two are next to each other:

3 bed/2 ba

studio


This one is near the Marina – a little further away than the others.
3 bed/2 bath


For the couple looking for a romantic getaway.
loft

If you want to consider a different place, send us the link and we can do a drive-by.



ACTIVITIES

There are lots of things to do in this area if you have a little extra time before or after the reunion.

Seattle – the Mariners, Pikes Market, the Space Needle….Seattle is a cool city with lots of things to see and do.

Port Townsend is a cute and artsy Victorian town that is about 30 miles from us. Fort Worden, an old army base, is there and also the Marine Science Center which has a cool aquarium.    There is a campground and vacation rentals.  There is also a  ferry connection from Port Townsend to Coupeville on Whidbey island.

Whidbey Island is quite the tourist place and there is a great bluff hike in Coupeville.  You can also drive from Coupeville to Anacortes  (or vice/versa).  You can access all the San Juan islands from Anacortes.  Reservations are required for the ferry ride between Coupeville and Port Townsend during the summer and probably from Anacortes to the San Juans.  You can also reach Whidbey from Mulkiteo.

Marrowstone Island is about 45 minutes from us – accessible by bridge – no ferry required.  It is also close to Port Townsend.  Fort Flagler an old army base that is now a state park- sits at the tip of the island.  It’s a cool place with great history and great views.  There is a campground there or you can reserve one of the old officer houses.  We’ve stayed in one of the old officer residences and it was very nice.

Olympic National Park can be accessed in several areas near to us and it extends to the rain forest on the western coast.  You can day hike, backpack, climb, etc.  You may want to travel all the way to Neah Bay just to say you’ve been to the westernmost point in the contiguous U.S.

The Canadian city of Victoria is on Vancouver Island and is accessible by ferry from  Port Angeles.  Package deals are available through the ferry site.  We are about 30 minutes from Port Angeles, so you could make a stop in Victoria on either end of your trip.  Be sure to bring your passport.  


I know this is a lot of information, but I hope it helps with your trip planning.  Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions.  So excited to see everyone!