100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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The virus thing is somewhat refreshing in a few ways. One way is that even though I have seen many different things in my life our current situation is proof that there is still novelty ahead. A year ago, this seemed only theoretically possible. And we are still figuring out what "this" is. It will be a long time before we sort out what is happening now. The technical, the social, the panic, the contrived, the realities, all to be sorted out in good time. I gather very little news. I don't need the analysis, speculation, politics or panic mongering.

We have been into our food stores. The oldest item so far is some frozen chicken soup Angie made in 2014. It was interesting to figure out what we cooked and how back then. We were saving it just for today. It was delicious served in bowls I remember my Mom getting in the early 1970s.

We have been spending more time in the nice chairs (we never used to use much) on the front porch as a lot more folks walk by. But mostly, it has been about projects. I am fixing everything that is broken and improving and cleaning everything that is not broken. The master bathroom is coming along with the unexpected challenges and mitigations. Vlad started the project last year with demolition. The bath is getting a shower stall, large corner tub, new framing/entrances, walls, drywall, electric, and plumbing of course. I am also putting in an electric radiant heated floor for the first time. I enjoy the work, but I am slow...

Vlad created a two color mulch design for the front garden. I will be showing off my electronics bench soon. I have started actually fixing radios again. Much fun, but sorting through the components seems endless. I sold a few Nixie tubes on ebay today for over $100.

Happy Easter!

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