The first ever New Year’s Eve ball drop happened in 1908, falling from a flagpole atop the New York Times building. It’s an event that was at one time on my bucket list, but any more we try to avoid large crowds especially with Covid threats. It’s better to watch it on TV, as if I could actually stay up that late any more. New York City is once again part of our travel plans for next year, as we make our way to Maine – the last stop on my 50-state quest. This is, of course, if I can cross- off Alaska in September as planned. Once again, Covid might be a factor in taking this cruise, As a far as NYC, it used to be a quarterly business stop, but we haven’t been there September of 2018.

We have friends in White Plains, New York that we’ll stay with when we take this drive next year, and hopefully Broadway will be back in full swing by then. The journey will probably include a stop at my wife’s brother’s house near Clemson University, more time in Hilton Head, Washington, Philadelphia, and Boston, with different stops on the way back. The Basketball Hall of Fame, The Atlantic City Boardwalk, a Philly Cheese Steak, and Bar Harbor are a few of my priorities on this 3,500-4,000 mile drive up the East Coast.

We did get our second  Covid test at Walgreen’s. The first was a saliva test at a nearby outdoor park with thankfully negative results. Yesterday’s was a nasal swab while sitting in our car in the drive thru, a much better set-up than standing in the hot sun surrounded by a number of people hoping for negative results after testing positive. We should be notified today. The day ended with a pleasant sunset picnic on the beach, while today I get my first acupuncture treatment on my hip in a series of six. I already had a chiropractor visit on Monday, adding to the list of medical procedures this week. “See me, feel me, touch me, heal me!”