By Thursday 03/26/20 most of the snow had melted and it looks like we may be coming out of winter finally!

Sue just can't wait — she's already out digging in the dirt and there's still a couple of inches of snow over most of the yard!

On the town community page, there was a request out this time for folks to put bears in their windows for parents to drive their kids past for something to do while we are all being asked to shelter in place with the COVID-19 virus ramping up all over the country. Sue grabbed my childhood bear, Beauty, and put it between one of the front windows. I hope some kid got a kick out of it!

The medal Beauty has pinned to his chest is from a 1963 sailing regatta race that my dad and I placed in sailing our 12 foot Penguin class sailing dingy, Ding—Ho.

Me hiking out crewing for my dad sailing Ding—Ho in some cold weather Monroe Harbor, Chicago, IL.

My dad and I had many wonderful experiences together sailing in Chicago's Monroe Harbor in Ding—Ho. It was our form of communication. These times in our boat formed memories that I have always remembered and always will.

The picture shown was taken of us one cold winter day in Monroe Harbor when I was about 10. In the distance to the right, you can see Chicago's Adler Planetarium.

I can remember having to shovel a path through the snow to get to the boat where we pulled it up onto the dingy floaters by the Columbia Yacht Club. We would sail around ice ringed bouys. We sailed in snow and sleet storms. As long as the wind wasn't too strong to create danger, we would sail.

In fact, I strongly suspect there isn't a month of the year that I didn't sail Ding—Ho in. And Chicago winters are something to behold! No matter how hot or how cold... my dad and I would be out in Ding—Ho.

We considered our lunacy a badge of honor, much to the dismay of my mother. Mom just shrugged it off with a smile when we would come home with tales of the day's adventure.

Friday the 27th, the weather was so nice that Sue and her friend Gail met up down at the beach in Rye to walk. Because of the COVID-19 worsening situation, they kept far apart, and were careful not to interact with anyone else.

As you can see, it was really windy at the beach, and Sue is struggling against it, gripping her pull over

Sue captured this terrific picture of of the waves crashing against the rocks with Whaleback Lighthouse off of Portsmouth Harbor in the background.

Things are getting so critical with COVID-19 that the governor has ordered a shelter in place order starting at midnight until May 4th I think it is....

This will be the last venture down to her happy place at the beach for Sue for a long time, so I'm glad that it was such a beautiful day for her.