
In January I was very busy giving tours of Kent Monkman’s Shame and Prejudice exhibit. It was one of the most popular shows the Winnipeg Art Gallery has hosted during my eight years of employment there. I toured hundreds of people through the exhibit– high school students, members of my church, business people, seniors groups, teachers, scientists, friends, government workers, college students, university students, social workers and regular gallery visitors.
In February we were in Phoenix Arizona and had a great time hiking, golfing, swimming and sight-seeing with friends and family. A highlight for me was seeing the musical Beautiful about the life of recording great Carole King.
In March due to the pandemic we were back home in Winnipeg, broken-hearted over a cancelled family vacation in Arizona with our children and grandchildren and isolating in our apartment. For weeks we ventured out only around sunset for walks on the almost empty streets near our home.
By April we had our bikes ready to hit the road and we bundled up in layers and broke our isolation each day with cycles that were several hours long. We found lots of cool places in Winnipeg we had never visited before including an alleyway full of Arctic wildlife.
By May restrictions had lifted enough that I could start visiting my Dad outside at the assisted living building where he makes his home. The isolation of the previous months had taken a heavy toll on him.
In June golf courses had re-opened and Dave and I began a weekly ritual of inviting another couple for socially distanced golf games and then enjoying a meal together on an outdoor patio somewhere.
In July we were invited to an alternate Winnipeg Folk Festival celebration on a prairie farm and I walked the maze our hosts had cut into the field behind their barn.
In August we celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary. I found some old slides at my Dad’s and had them scanned into photos. I discovered many pictures I wasn’t even aware existed including this one of us setting off on our honeymoon in 1973.
In September we spent a couple of beautiful days on Hecla Island with friends, hiking, golfing and exploring.
In October we did a tour of a very unique exhibit of paintings by Van Gogh.
In November we went on so many wonderful wintery hikes on Winnipeg trails and Dave introduced me to the joys of his new birding hobby. We were so excited to welcome a new granddaughter Nora Dot to our family.
In December I packed up gifts with pictures of stockings and sent them off to our children and grandchildren in Saskatoon and delivered actual stockings to our children and granddaughter in Winnipeg. Christmas would be celebrated via Zoom and FaceTime.
On one of his recent radio shows my son said that someday in the distant future we will think about 2020 and say to people………”Remember the year of the pandemic?” We might have to jog our memories to bring it to mind. I hope that’s true. There were some good things about this year but I have no desire to have another one like it. I hope at least the last half of 2021 will be a brighter and happier time and that by 2022 my year-end review might once again be filled with images of personal visits and interesting adventures with family and friends, reviews of plays and concerts, and rich travel experiences.
Other posts………….