The plan has always been for a 10-15 year long would-tour - longer if we’re both still able to travel fully (after which, we’ll be on “The World”)!
The tour is on hold since even when you can travel to where you want to go, and don’t get stuck with a 14 day quarantine, 95% of anything we’d want to do/see in each country is shut down anyway. Which renders it a bit pointless.
So, right now we’re still in Seattle. Traveling as much as is practical/sane. With a lot more time in the water and in the woods/wilderness … away from people. And working on my own projects and playing a lot of chess.
Since Seattle’s deterioration is accelerating, increasingly rapidly at that, and is in very poor shape as it is (probably not coming back for years, if ever) we’re leaving WA entirely come New Year - almost certainly for Florida (for maybe a year while things settle down), but quite possibly outside of the US entirely.
We’re still planning our climbing expeditions … global situation permitting of course.
So, yes, the way the year went was very different to what I expected, even after the start of the pandemic. But we’ll adopt, adapt and overcome … as always.
heck, I would wait to see if this stuff slows down or the people give a crap and follow directions. As a resident of Fla, have been here for 65+ years, you got those that seem to care and then you have those that think they are super human and don’t give a crap, the big reason we have high numbers. .
For so many of us this year went sideways, my favorite message from what you said, “ But we’ll adopt, adapt and overcome … as always.”
If I could give this more ‘s I would! Happy to see you posting more on the forum, missed you, always love your knowledge, personality and James Bond living on a yacht lifestyle cheers to you good sir @Torq . May your outdoor and on the water adventures bring you great joy Ian!
The only caveat being that if other countries ban US visitors, then it’ll could wind up being a few thousand acres in Montana …
I am not, personally, unduly concerned by the current situation in Florida. That has more to do with personal circumstances, which renders it largely immaterial, than anything, and isn’t meant as a dismissal or point of argument/debate.
A decade or two ago I had an online friend who lived on Hawaii’s big island and ran a dolphin research center. He devised a way for the dolphins to play music by swimming through beams of light. They loved it. For me, that would beat Florida.
I was recently in Florida and the mask rate was 20% at best. The heat makes masks unbearable, and the infection rates are similar in Texas and California. I won’t comment on the efficacy, but the evidence isn’t encouraging.
Florida at least has nicer winter temperatures, water sports, and a Cracker Barrel restaurant on every corner! Bliss. Utopia.
Florida Man found buried under pile of electronics and headphones
Police were called to an upscale residence after a Florida Man ™ was found buried under a large number of electronics. The local sheriff said, “looked as if this huge pile of stuff fell over and buried him alive. I’ve never heard of any of this stuff, most looks pretty boring but they have these weird Norwegian names or something.” Police confirmed he was wearing long rectangular headphones that fanned out like a butterfly.
I am very lucky in that I am much more concerned about whether any Florida jewelers will be able to secure me a Rolex GMT Master II with a ceramic Pepsi dial in a timely fashion, or whether I can locate suitably convenient available moorage, than I am the face-fabric-wearing behaviors of various random potential plague-bearers.
Can’t remember if I ever told you about this related (mis)adventure. A few years ago I was ski touring from a sailboat in Arctic Norway (Finnmark to be precise), I caught a ski on a sharp rock hidden by thin snow, and smashed my right shoulder on ice. Had to be dragged down hill on a rescue sled by my companions to a waiting ambulance (Norwegian SAR is awesome!). After getting patched up (long story), I had to spend one week on the sailboat while my buddies had a great time climbing and skiing. Most of the books were Norwegian, but there was a long English sail-and-climb epic by BIll Tilman. After reading it, my pain felt pretty trivial
Nice to know that the Norwegian’s have all their shit in one sock when it comes to SAR!
I know I’ve been in situations where I thought the world sucked, and I was in a lot of pain, and then looked at what some other people have endured and realized I was really just being a bit soft.
It wound up being a lot more to write up than I originally anticipated. The first part is over 4,000 words, and covers everything except detailed speaker-listening and speaker-comparisons (which will come a little later).
‘s I would! Happy to see you posting more on the forum, missed you, always love your knowledge, personality and James Bond living on a yacht lifestyle 
cheers to you good sir 