It's been a long few months since we last posted to the blog. Like everyone else in the country and indeed the world we have been going through dramatic and unexpected changes and events. After we were unable to go on our European trip on March 16th we stayed in LA at an Airbnb and try to plan our next steps. Things happened every day that changed our plans and ideas. We ended up staying in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles which is where I lived for several years so it was nice to be somewhere familiar, but we realized quickly that we needed to come up with a place to stay for at least a month or more. Not the best time to not have a permanent home.
We moved to Palm Springs on April 4th and we have been very blessed during this time. My cousin offered us his condo that he uses as rental income. In April the city had shut down all hotels and any Airbnb type rentals. We were concerned that this might not work out but we did not have a whole lot of other options.
We moved into the condo and were given a variance by the city of Palm Springs the next day to be allowed to stay there. It has really been a Godsend, literally, during this time to stay at a beautiful spacious condo in quiet and peaceful PALM SPRINGS.
When we first got here it was quite locked down and there was not much to do, we entertained ourselves by bird watching on our porch and adding a hummingbird feeder and bird-feeder to the condo. Ken also really enjoyed practicing with his new camera and taking pictures of the birds. If you've never been to Palm Springs it's surrounded by a mountain range and we have enjoyed beautiful sunsets and some snow in April on the very top of the mountains. We were also able to reconnect with some former colleagues of Ken's who live in Palm Springs it was wonderful to spend time with them.
We tried a few drives into the desert going to Joshua Tree National Park (which was closed) and also a little western town outside of Palm Springs. We were very happy when the pools in our complex opened a few weeks ago and we were able to sit out and swim. Just recently the Palm Springs restaurants opened with some restrictions and for the first time in two months we were able to go out to dinner.
We are ready to move on and are eager to get back to traveling and exploring. We have mixed feelings of course the condo has been such a safe respite for us during this time, we will miss it.
We will be driving to Northern California to see Ken's Dad for a few days then back to LA to regroup and hit our storage unit for a two week trip to Austin, Texas. We are going to fly to Austin so we will report on what it's like to fly now. Austin has been on our list for future possible retirement cities so we're going to spend a few weeks exploring Austin and San Antonio.
I know for myself this time in the desert has been stressful but has also so deepened my prayer life and helped me remember that I need to rely on and trust in God for absolutely everything.
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