Texts at Dawn

Shortly after the pandemic began, when we all decided to stay home for two weeks to "flatten the curve", I stopped taking classes and working out on the cardio equipment at my gym and switched to taking classes in my living room and walking outside. After walking alone for a few weeks - I'm pretty sure I was completely caught up on all of my podcasts - my mom and I started walking "together", meaning we tried to leave our respective houses around the same time (bright and early, usually when it was still dark outside) and then called each other once we were on the road. 

Over the course of the last year we've talked about almost every topic imaginable, from family and friends...to work and school...to politics and religion...to kittens and weather. We've also talked about things, people, and situations we saw while walking, but since we weren't seeing the same things, sometimes we'd take and text pictures of that to which we were referring. And then I saved them all (or at least most of them), as something of a diary of our year of walks.

In no particular order, here are a few of my favorites (most of which were taken by her, as her walk routes are prettier than mine) - the best of our "texts at dawn" and a true silver lining to this pandemic.

A few of my pics were taken out the car window when dropping off Will at early morning sports practices. I'd send them to her once I'd driven home and headed out to walk.

Did I mention my mom is hardcore? She braved 
negative degree temperatures, blizzards, and ice MANY
times. She even walked through frostbite on her toes. 

This is my dad's expertly shoveled sidewalk...

...and this is the neighbor's sidewalk.
He takes shoveling VERY seriously.

Outside the hospital where she used to work...

Geese are mean and scary.

Can you see the rainbow?

In less than a month we get to walk together in person - we get to see each other for the first time in person - in 18 months. I'm sure we'll take a few pictures that day too.