So, I was out for a walk.......

[islandguitar]

and as I headed up the street, I see Richard, my neighbor just a few houses away checking his mail. Richard is late 70's and really a hoot....big 'ol beard....he plays Santa at Christmas during the holiday. If he's out, we'll always catch a few words of "how's it going". Richard's wife is out there too, just a few feet away doing yard work. Richard's wife....kind of intense, let's say.

Thing is, Richard is kind of a "lean in close" kinda guy and so I know what I might be headed for as I approach. Sure enough, he moves closer....I take a step back.....a second later, I say, "Ah, Richard, I'm doing the 6 foot thing, ok." Just as I'm saying this, his wife is yelling: "Richard, back up, Richard back up!! "
It was really a very funny moment! Just thought I'd pass it along.

True to his spunk, Richard says, "Ah.....I'm clean as a whistle".....Uh huh.......

[ManyMartinMan]

I'm not surprised. I bought a guitar from a guy last week and as we agreed to the amount, I half-way reached out my hand to shake on it. I pulled it back quickly and we both laughed. Habits are hard to shake.

[Joe Beamish]

Totally. Several days ago, out on a walk, I had to remind my wife not to pick up the offered frisbee from a woman’s dog who had spotted us and trotted over to amicably place it at her feet. By now, I can sense that my wife and I, and the people in our neighborhood, are getting more used to social distancing, as a matter of course. But it’s super weird.

[Brucebubs]

I saw my girlfriend at the supermarket.
Couldn't kiss her.
My wife was with me.

[Cabarone]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I saw my girlfriend at the supermarket.
Couldn't kiss her.
My wife was with me.

Hahahaha..."Here's to our wives and girlfriends...may they never meet"...

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I saw my girlfriend at the supermarket.
Couldn't kiss her.
My wife was with me.

Bruce's responses always make me feel better about the universe.

[Scott O]

Originally Posted by Pura Vida

Bruce's responses always make me feel better about the universe.

Yeah, but his poor wife and girlfriend!

[ziapack]

Yea, I'm a hands on kind of guy, kind of hard to rewire the brain 60 years into the game.

[difalkner]

Our band is meeting on Wednesday nights to record songs to be played back Sunday morning for our Pastor's live message. There are only 5-6 of us in the band and we keep our distance on the stage.

However, there are also 5-6 in the media booth area about 75' away and one of the guys, in his mid to late 70's, likes to get close when he talks. I walked back to the booth after our recording session and kept about 20' away from them but the old guy began walking toward me and I had to keep backing up. He laughed and said all this is not necessary so I just turned and walked away.

He has coffee several times each week with some of his older friends and they think nothing of it, life as usual. I don't get it - these are otherwise smart men. Oh, well... I'll keep my distance, thank you very much!

David

[Silly Moustache]

Nanny-Jane and I have just got back from a 2 hour walk.

We are no longer allowed to drive to the nearby beaches or woods etc., so decided just to walk into town to visit the glorious cathedral grounds - shut!

Everything is sooo quiet! Sunday p.m. is usually a very busy shopping day - we saw three or four shops open - because they were selling food. Staff members standing outside managing a "one in - one out" policy.

We met a chap walking his ...cat! Yup, he lets his cat wander around the city centres on quiet days - now every day is a quiet day.

We could however access the city walls and a small park where the Normans built a small castle which is now just a largish "lump2 of soil wih a nice flat top for the kids to play on.

Around the walls and the park are lots of sign boards with time lines of the city.

The city first closed the gates in 1348 and again in 1666 because of the "great plague". We no longer have gates, just junctions called Northgate, Southgate, Eastgate, and Westgate.
It was very surreal to see normally perpetually busy roads and car parks empty (one large one had one old small car parked right in the centre - unoccupied but with the engine running. Maybe he was charging up a flat battery!
Silent streets usually bustling, and some closed shops suddenly stripped of stocks and other looking as of they had been abandoned in haste with till open and ID cards thrown on the floor - I'm guessing the staff had been laid off suddenly.

Of course others were out walking too, but everybody was sociable and careful to keep as far apart as possible.
we went out in high winds but clear blue skies, at one point we thought about taking our coats off as it was so ht and came back in a hail storm!

Strange times! Keep safe everyone.

[J Patrick]

My wife and I walk daily....these days we walk up nearby Mt Angel to a beautiful monastery that looks out over the beautiful Willamette valley with 360 degree views...on clear days we can see Mt Hood..Mt St Helens..Mt Adams and Mt Rainer....we don’t have to worry about close contact with others though because we have our German Shepherd Roy with us....he’s a sweetie pie of a dog but most folks are cautious and keep a safe distance....

[Mbroady]

Was out on a hiking trial the other day with the wife and 3 year old daughter. It’s a popular water fall hike but not a lot of people out and about. However, we came across another family of 4 coming the opposite direction. We all stopped around 20 feet from each other and instinctively looked around to see if there was some room to get off of the somewhat skinny path. They had more room to navigate away from the trail (around 15 feet) and allowed us to pass, as we exchanged greetings.

The new normal

[MChild62]

Back in February, when most people here in Florence were still business as usual despite the infected regions in the north of Italy, I didn't want to seem unfriendly. So I invented the excuse that my employer had asked employees not to shake hands with anyone even outside the office. A few people rolled their eyes but most took in stride and even seemed relieved.
What was a little fib back then is now reality. So let's say I was just telling the truth a couple of weeks early.