We have been taking the Coronavirus and Covid-19 Pandemic seriously and as of March 16th we have decided to self-isolate.

Obtaining good information about the pandemic is critical. In this age of distrust, personality politics and lack of investment in our institutions, it is important to cut through the noise to determine what is really happening.

Here are some sources which we have been using:

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. The World Health Organization’s information source.
• Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Great graphic map of the current extent of the pandemic.
• Coronavirus Dashboard. Just the data. A great dashboard, compiled using BNO, WHO and CDC data, by two Washington State High School students.
• Tracking COVID-19 in Texas. Good source of information from the Houston Chronicle on the current state of the virus in Texas.
• Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve”. Great simulations that show why self-isolation, or extreme social distancing is the best preventative action against the pandemic.
• Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now. A long article that needs to be read carefully and heeded to the greatest degree possible. It is, at this point, the single best overall summary of the prospects of what we are facing with regard to Covid 19 and what we can and should do about it that I have read so far. The article is not political in any way and is blame-neutral and only deals with (in essence) the “math” of what has happened and what is happening along with some advice. Read and heed.

The last article provides this advise:

• The coronavirus is coming to you.
• It’s coming at an exponential speed: gradually, and then suddenly.
• It’s a matter of days. Maybe a week or two.
• When it does, your healthcare system will be overwhelmed.
• Your fellow citizens will be treated in the hallways.
• Exhausted healthcare workers will break down. Some will die.
• They will have to decide which patient gets the oxygen and which one dies.
• The only way to prevent this is social distancing today. Not tomorrow. Today.

Extreme social-distancing seems to be the best tactic for this global pandemic, but what is the exit strategy?

In March, I rode KBiK up to Meridian in north central Texas to camp at Fergie’s family ranch near Cranfills Gap where he was sponsoring the ST-Owners RanchSTOC IX event.

As always, we had riders from all over the US attend this event.

On Friday, a few of us rode out to the Regency Suspension Bridge on the Colorado River just north of San Saba. This bridge is the last wooden suspension bridge still in use in Texas.

See all the pictures from RanchSTOC here

In early March, Kathy and I traveled again out to west Texas to visit the White Shaman Preserve which is one of the most pristine examples of paleo-Indian rock art in the lower Pecos area. Earlier in the year, we had toured the rock art in Presa Canyon, which joins up to Seminole Canyon west of Comstock, Texas.

After staying overnight in Del Rio, we drove out to Seminole Canyon State Park and hiked the Canyon Rim to the Presa Canyon overlook.

We did not have enough time to hike all the way along the Canyon Rim trail to the Rio Grande where it is possible to see the Panther Cave rock art site. We plan to do the full hike when we come out to Big Bend in December.

After lunch, we joined Aimee Sapna, our tour guide from the Witte Museum, and the rest of the group at the White Shaman Preserve.

We drove along a dirt road for about a mile and then hiked down to the rock shelter where the rock art was created.

The White Shaman Preserve is a small rock shelter compared to others we have visited but the artwork is incredible. It is an absolutely stunning composition of anthropomorphic shapes, symbols and figures. Our guide explained the meaning of the rock art as first theorised by Dr Carolyn Boyd.

While taking pictures of the rock art, we listened to our guides describe the various theories of the artwork.

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It was an amazing experience which we thoroughly enjoyed. We look forward to visiting other paleo-Indian rock art locations in the lower Pecos area.

After leaving the White Shaman Preserve, we drove down to the boat ramp on the Pecos, and then up to the overlook, to view the impressive bridge where US90 crosses the Pecos River.

See all the pictures from our adventure here!

Our 2020 Lemoncello production made from our home grown lemons is now ready for distribution!

If you don’t want to drink it when, mixed with aloe vera gel, it makes a great handwash!

A new month and on the first day we are up at 5:45am on a Sunday (groan!) to participate in the Houston Terry Fox Commemorative 5K walk.

Okay, we are retired so every day is a Saturday, so I should not complain! It was a great day for a short walk along White Oak Bayou from Stude Park. Nice and cool with temperatures in the mid 60’s with overcast skies.

We met the Canadian Consular General from Dallas who we hope to see again on Tuesday evening when we shall see “Come from Away” again at the Hobby Center.

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February was a busy month for us.

We really enjoyed David staying with us on his short break between finishing his assignment in Birmingham, UK and moving to Chicago, IL for his next project.

We hope to visit David in Chicago before he moves on to Virginia Beach in May.

I was not able to do all the motorcycle rides that I had planned as we had the joy of looking after our granddaughter Evie after Charlotte was admitted to hospital in anticipation for the birth of the twins!

Evie showed me how to enjoy KBiK!

February 12th was a special day with the birth of the twins, Flynn and Georgina. Charlotte recovered quickly and we hope to welcome Flynn and Georgie home in March!

In February we had a great time hosting the 40 year reunion for RCMP Troop 11 in Houston, TX. Kathy was able to meet up again with some of her RCMP Troop members from all over Canada. We stayed at hotel near Discovery Green in downtime Houston so we able to easily enjoy city attractions.

On Wednesday we took the Metrorail train down to the Museum District and enjoyed a special Exhibit of Norman Rockwell’s art work. After lunch at the MFAH we walked through the Cullen Sculpture Garden before taking the train back to the downtown area and the hotel.

In the evening on Wednesday, we enjoyed the Manager’s Complimentary Reception at the hotel, after which we had dinner at Hearsay on the Green.

On Thursday, we went for lunch at Jackson St BBQ, a traditional Texas pit BBQ.

After lunch we walked down to Allen’s Landing and then along Buffalo Bayou to Sam Houston Park.

In the evening we enjoyed the Manager’s Complimentary Reception at the hotel, after which we had dinner at Saint Arnold’s Brewery

On Friday we drove south to League City to spend the whole day at Space Center Houston. We enjoyed the tour of NASA’s Johnson Space Center visiting the Houston Control Center, the Astronaut Training Center and Rocket Park.

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On Friday evening we enjoyed traditional south Louisiana seafood dinner at the Ragin’ Cajun.

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It was a very enjoyable reunion.

We just loved looking after our granddaughter Evie this week

Our second son, David has spent the last three years working in Europe. Two years in Paris working at L’Oreal’s headquarters and then a year in Birmingham, England working for Jaguar-Land-Rover. We are very happy to welcome David back to Texas!

Last weekend I rode my 2015 BMW K1600GTS motorcycle (KBiK) out to the hill country to participate in the ST-Owners WinterSTOC III event in Medina, Texas. We stayed again in a very comfortable cabin at the Hill Country Resort and Event Center just north of Medina.

We enjoyed riding two of the Three Sisters; TX 336 and 337. We did not ride the third Sister, TX 335 because the low cloud and misty rain turned the road wet making the twisties a bit more treacherous.

The Three Sisters are probably the best roads in Texas for motorcycle riding.

It was an enjoyable weekend of riding and being with a few close friends.

I have enjoyed organizing and riding in the WinterSTOC event in 2019 and in 2018.

All my WinterSTOC III pictures are here!