Cambridge, 2014

The current news on the continued spread of covid-19 now makes it very clear that we will be masking and isolating for the foreseeable future. Combine this with the EU not letting americans in, and we have a recipe for not travel.

So today I thought I bring you a few more photos from 2014, when the world was more innocent...well at least less contagious.



I hope you linger over these images as I do. The statue of Newton in the Trinity College Chapel, above, is an iconic stop for all of us who have a soft spot for science. While in England in 2014, I also took the JMU students to the Royal Society where we saw Newton's death mask (there's that word again). I realized at the time that the students didn't have the same experience there as I (entirely different context for them), but even they were a little awed by the things we saw there.

Sitting by a (the?) bridge over the Cam river, even in the winter, is a peaceful place. This time of year it is cold enough that there are no crowds and you have the serenity of the river and the lawns nearly to yourself.

The resurgence of the virus has both of us worried anew. We are all getting older and, like some you gentle readers, we are moving further into the "at risk" age range. This makes it harder to consider travel. On some days, even leaving the house feels riskier than we care to explore.

This breeds ennui and robs us of the desire to get off the couch and do something. Anything. This is part of the reason that you get so many repetitive photos posted here. The other big reason is, of course, that nothing much is open. For example, the Lake View Cemetery is only open on weekends and for the 8th or 10th consecutive weekend it is raining off and on.

I assume that you are all feeling much the same way. We are long past the "cabin fever" itch to get out and often lost in "what's the point" of getting up.

But, do not fear. All is not lost. Chins up, one foot in front of the other, we are moving towards the rest of our lives and it will not all be spent sitting here. We will travel again one day and this blog will again bring new things for you to see.

We will get through all of this. Together. I found inspiration in this segment of  Young People's Concert by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. Up until about 16:30 in the video or so is a short lecture that Leonard gave about choice, democracy, and music. I found it very appropriate to the world in which we live today. Especially the part about the "gift to choose wisely". So many people today seem to lost (or never had) this gift.