For me, life has always been about getting out. I live where I live so I can enjoy the outdoors. We have a small place that serves as a base camp to get out. We don't spend much time at home. There's not much to do here. And with two young kids, they get pretty wound up and there's constant noise.

There's no backyard. No place to kick a ball around, or play catch... without going to the nearby park, which is going to be closed now that the weather is nicer.

The winter was wet. Too wet to get out. Often not cold enough for snow in the mountains. We've already been inside for far too long.

DNR, state and county parks are all closed. At least when I had a job I could also focus on work some, but now I don't even have that.

If I could go to another place and avoid all this, I would.

Thanks for listening.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/10/2020 10:13PM by M A V I C.

You can't go outside at all? We've been going on recreational bike rides and walks. Parks are open to run around in, but the play equipment is all off limits. Bring your own ball and glove or whatever and stay away from everyone else.

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C(-)ris
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C(-)ris
You can't go outside at all? We've been going on recreational bike rides and walks. Parks are open to run around in, but the play equipment is all off limits. Bring your own ball and glove or whatever and stay away from everyone else.

We can go outside, but there's no where to go. The only safe place for the kids to ride their bikes, nearby, is the park. But it's too busy so they're going to put police around it to keep people out.

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People got to parks to get OUT.

Officials decide there are too many people there so they close parks.

Now all those people who need to be out have fewer places to go so there are even more people in the remaining parks. SURE

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M A V I C

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C(-)ris
You can't go outside at all? We've been going on recreational bike rides and walks. Parks are open to run around in, but the play equipment is all off limits. Bring your own ball and glove or whatever and stay away from everyone else.

We can go outside, but there's no where to go. The only safe place for the kids to ride their bikes, nearby, is the park. But it's too busy so they're going to put police around it to keep people out.

My partner watched them put up the barriers at the park across the street from her school. They block the parking lots since Greenlake Park is closed. Now people are parking in the BIKE LANE!!!!!!!!!!!!! How effing entitled are these people? Still gathering in the parks in groups way too close.

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“A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand.” Seneca the Younger

The police have no duty to respond. See Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005) or Warren v. District of Columbia[1] (444 A.2d. 1, D.C. Ct. of Ap. 1981)

Judge Lee wrote that “we cannot jettison our constitutional rights, even if the goal behind a law is laudable." 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

[www.youtube.com]

Hang in there! People everywhere are going stir crazy and forgetting spacing rules outside. Forcing closure of public spaces. We just have not figured this out. Yet.

you need a Zorb! 2 birds, one stone

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********************************************
“A sword never kills anybody; it is a tool in the killer's hand.” Seneca the Younger

The police have no duty to respond. See Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005) or Warren v. District of Columbia[1] (444 A.2d. 1, D.C. Ct. of Ap. 1981)

Judge Lee wrote that “we cannot jettison our constitutional rights, even if the goal behind a law is laudable." 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

[www.youtube.com]

I’m managing, but sad about all the recreational stuff I can’t do. Parks and boat launches are closed (weird since they opened fishing season in a staggered way). I would never take a bike on my local roads... only trails, and mine aren’t really doable at home. Wildlife management areas are open, for now, but also crowded. I’ve been on a few hikes in remote parts of those, and have still seen people. Of course, none of them ditch themselves into the thorns and ticks to allow me space - only I do that, over and over.

Here, the bike paths are open, and packed! How do you stay away from people on a bridge or boardwalk? I agree that the more places we close, the more will be overcrowded. Heck, when we walk in our very quiet neighborhood, we have to cross the street about 10 times in 3 miles because others are walking, too. Before, you’d never see anyone in those 3.5 miles. Again, it’s always us who crosses the street.

Spring is my favorite. I’m looking at a land trust or two tonight, that should be pretty unknown...

I was thinking, I really wish I had a climbing wall, zip line, or something like that. I have plenty of outdoor chores to do, but it’d be amazing to have something really fun I could play with!

Yes, there's a lot of contradictory decisions to make out there. We're supposed to not go to our cottage so we don't take the virus up to that area. But we are encouraged to get fresh air and go to parks if we want to hike, kayak, etc.. As Recipe says, how do you stay away from others there? Especially if they aren't wearing masks or gloves.

My wife and I talked about going up to our cottage for a few days to "get away from it all". We thought we could pack up everything we need and our car would be able to get up and back on one tank of fuel, so we wouldn't need to go to a store or gas station. We would be able to stay at the cottage without getting anywhere near anyone else. But if I got pulled over, I could just say that we were going to the park!

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You still here?

Disclaimer: This post is checked for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Any attempts at humor are solely the responsibility of the author and bear no claim that any and all readers will approve or appreciate said attempt at humor.
My name is DP, and I approve this message.

"Show me the man and I’ll show you the crime."- Lavrentiy Beria

We aren’t allowed to leave the state, and we’re within 20 minutes of 2 other states! We normally go to hike, paddle, etc.

Masks and gloves are a constant when we are out of the house.

I see major pillow fort board game tournaments in your life?

I have a 1000 piece puzzle going, and just finished a hard 500 piece one... that does sound good, but I really love adventurous active outdoor stuff. I also have more hours of work than I can fit into a day, plus a lot of ambitious cooking projects, but... I want fun!

....sale of jigsaw puzzles have sky rocketed.......

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_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!

At least we're not stuck in an attic.

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Central VA

You might gas up the car and plan on day outings, going farther way to places more open and available. Where would that be? Beats me, but they exist. Easy to find? Dunno. Is this a practical, desired, or possible alternative to the neighborhood park? Maybe not. Just an idea, however, since you sound very hemmed in.

This will require different levels of creativity and sacrifice for everyone. Learning new things, taking up new hobbies.

It sounds like Mavic lives in a place with too much population density to get out without encountering too many people. I've been wondering what people in places like NYC or Tokyo are doing not to get stir crazy.

I live in the SoCal 'burbs and there's enough space for me to take 2 walks a day and that gets the wiggles out. We have a small backyard and a trampoline so that gets some of the wiggles outta the kids as well. I think of the 1.7 acres we had when I was growing up and that would be paradise right now...

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CJsNvrUrly
At least we're not stuck in an attic.

....Flowers in the Attic......

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_____________________________________

I reject your reality and substitute my own!

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Lew Zealand
It sounds like Mavic lives in a place with too much population density to get out without encountering too many people. I've been wondering what people in places like NYC or Tokyo are doing not to get stir crazy.

I live in the SoCal 'burbs and there's enough space for me to take 2 walks a day and that gets the wiggles out. We have a small backyard and a trampoline so that gets some of the wiggles outta the kids as well. I think of the 1.7 acres we had when I was growing up and that would be paradise right now...

He'd have to weigh in on that. When we lived in the Seattle area the world was our oyster, full of beauty in every direction so long as you could drive TO it. For example, the Greenlake area was wonderful, but not when you lived in Everett and had to slog through traffic, and for what, a park and some nice shopping? We loved IKEA, but that was a serious commitment of an hour each way from where we were.

Now, of course many "standard" (public or quasi public) locations will be closed of course, so I am no longer aware of what the practical alternatives may be. That's why the earlier comments about jigsaw puzzles and so on are no joke: We're gonna have to reinvent ourselves to a certain degree to make it through all of this.

Well the good news MAVIC is the parks will reopen Monday morning. And the smaller neighborhood parks are mostly still open if you want to kick a ball around or something.

Seattle is closing more than a dozen of the city’s largest and most popular parks for the weekend because officials are worried about people crowding into the parks to enjoy the pleasant spring weather and spreading the novel coronavirus to each other, Mayor Jenny Durkan said Thursday.

The city will close 15 parks Friday at 11 p.m. and keep them closed until early Monday morning, Parks Superintendent Jesús Aguirre said in an online news conference with Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best.

The weekend closures will apply to these parks, including the beaches at those along the water: Alki, Arboretum, Cal Anderson, Carkeek, Discovery, Gas Works, Green Lake, Golden Gardens, Kubota Garden, Lincoln, Magnuson, Seward, Volunteer, West Seattle Stadium and Woodland.


I honestly don't think closing parks helps that much. I walk at Lincoln nearly every day and I have not seen people violating social distancing. I wish they would focus instead on what is happening inside businesses like Lowe's. They are still letting a lot of people in at once. I wish they'd say, you only come in if you're wearing a mask over your nose and mouth and we're letting 50 folks in at a time, with 6 feet between carts at checkout. I know they're trying but it's still crowded in places like that.

I totally agree. I’ve seen idiots on bike paths and on beaches, but the more of the big outdoor spaces are off limits, the more crowded the rest will be. We all need exercise and fresh air - maybe a change of scenery every couple of weeks.

The pictures of our local Lowe’s and HD make me crazy. To me, that sort of shopping is the most unnecessary and risky thing we are doing in great numbers. Obviously, you get a pass if there’s a hole in your roof or your fridge dies. I’d love to see masks required for entry, at least. I haven’t seen many in stores wearing masks (no store employees). I adore shopping (not the clothes kind, food and stuff I actually need) but I’m only going to any store when I’m totally out of something I NEED - which isn’t often.

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CJsNvrUrly
At least we're not stuck in an attic.

As always, maintaining proper perspective is important. Thanks for the gentle reminder.

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It is what it is.

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RecipeForDisaster
The pictures of our local Lowe’s and HD make me crazy. To me, that sort of shopping is the most unnecessary and risky thing we are doing in great numbers. Obviously, you get a pass if there’s a hole in your roof or your fridge dies.

THIS!!!
I am glad I am not the only one who feels this way

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

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CJsNvrUrly
At least we're not stuck in an attic.

Our nephew was. He contracted covid-19 and because their attic is finished like a room he was exiled up there until he was fully recovered and no fever for the required days following.

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DP
Yes, there's a lot of contradictory decisions to make out there. We're supposed to not go to our cottage so we don't take the virus up to that area. But we are encouraged to get fresh air and go to parks if we want to hike, kayak, etc.. As Recipe says, how do you stay away from others there? Especially if they aren't wearing masks or gloves.

My wife and I talked about going up to our cottage for a few days to "get away from it all". We thought we could pack up everything we need and our car would be able to get up and back on one tank of fuel, so we wouldn't need to go to a store or gas station. We would be able to stay at the cottage without getting anywhere near anyone else. But if I got pulled over, I could just say that we were going to the park!

I'd do that. Then you can "social distance" and take a break.

Quote
cbelt3
I see major pillow fort board game tournaments in your life?

We've already been doing that. Fortunately, the kids are taking it better than I. They do get a lot of screen time.

Quote
deckeda
You might gas up the car and plan on day outings, going farther way to places more open and available. Where would that be? Beats me, but they exist. Easy to find? Dunno. Is this a practical, desired, or possible alternative to the neighborhood park? Maybe not. Just an idea, however, since you sound very hemmed in.

This will require different levels of creativity and sacrifice for everyone. Learning new things, taking up new hobbies.

We're not supposed to do drive very far. That said, I think it's crazy. Instead of spreading people across thousands of square miles of parks, they're packing them into a handful and then saying "stay 6' apart". If we're supposed to stay away from people, they should let us do that.

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CJsNvrUrly
At least we're not stuck in an attic.

I presume you're referring to Anne Frank. There's a good model of the living conditions here. People often confuse "attic" with "annex" and also that it was her diary that was hidden in the attic. [en.wikipedia.org]

The area to the right is the "annex". You can see the bookcase on 6 that concealed the entrance to it. Even still, yes, things could be worse. That said, their enemy was known and visible. In our case, we're not seeing any reduction in "the curve" from previous measures, and that suggests this "stay at home" order isn't helping.

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deckeda

Quote
Lew Zealand
It sounds like Mavic lives in a place with too much population density to get out without encountering too many people. I've been wondering what people in places like NYC or Tokyo are doing not to get stir crazy.

I live in the SoCal 'burbs and there's enough space for me to take 2 walks a day and that gets the wiggles out. We have a small backyard and a trampoline so that gets some of the wiggles outta the kids as well. I think of the 1.7 acres we had when I was growing up and that would be paradise right now...

He'd have to weigh in on that. When we lived in the Seattle area the world was our oyster, full of beauty in every direction so long as you could drive TO it. For example, the Greenlake area was wonderful, but not when you lived in Everett and had to slog through traffic, and for what, a park and some nice shopping? We loved IKEA, but that was a serious commitment of an hour each way from where we were.

Now, of course many "standard" (public or quasi public) locations will be closed of course, so I am no longer aware of what the practical alternatives may be. That's why the earlier comments about jigsaw puzzles and so on are no joke: We're gonna have to reinvent ourselves to a certain degree to make it through all of this.

I think people who live in high density areas where there's not a lot to go to outside of the density are fairing better. In our case, yes we have high density right here, but we get out all the time. Lakes, rivers, sound, ocean, mountains, beaches, ferries, snow...

I need exercise. I need to get out. I physically and mentally need it.

Quote
Lemon Drop
I honestly don't think closing parks helps that much. I walk at Lincoln nearly every day and I have not seen people violating social distancing. I wish they would focus instead on what is happening inside businesses like Lowe's. They are still letting a lot of people in at once. I wish they'd say, you only come in if you're wearing a mask over your nose and mouth and we're letting 50 folks in at a time, with 6 feet between carts at checkout. I know they're trying but it's still crowded in places like that.

I don't think it helps either. There's one trail I would go bike on, it's 20+ miles long. When I go, there will be at most 20 people out there. 1 person per mile. Instead, Seattle Parks literally told me to go to the Burke Gilman trail. Really? I didn't even bother because literally hundreds of thousands of people use that.

They closed the trails where I can get thousands of feet away from people, and leave the ones open where I can only get inches away from hundreds of people.

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