Next Wandering Postponed

Posted on March 4, 2020 by vanbraman

Unfortunately my next wandering has been postponed. I was scheduled to fly to Sydney, Australia two weeks from now, but after careful consideration my trip has been postponed.

Sydney Australia, Farthest distance?We were already being asked to evaluate upcoming trips to see if they were critical and to also avoid any large meetings.

Macquarie Church of Christ, Eucalyptus Tree, AustraliaI of course have been monitoring travel risk and things had been looking OK. However, yesterday when I checked the news I started to see some startling articles about the area of Sydney I would be in.

Meriton, North Ryde, Australia, Serviced ApartmentI would have been staying at the Meriton by Macquarie Centre in North Ryde.

The first article was about a doctor at a hospital only about three miles away who had contracted COVID-19 and had seen patients while contagious. Walk to Work, Macquarie Centre, Sydney, AustraliaNext was an article about an old age home just a little more than a half mile away where a care giver had tested positive.

In the day since one patient of the old age home has passed away and another has tested positive.

macquarie university, North Ryde, Australia, New South Wales, MetroI would have also been just across from Macquarie University where a day care center has been shut down because of exposure to the virus.

Also a lecturer from the university contracted the virus on a trip to Iran. However, he had not been on campus since his return.

bus stop, macquarie centre, North Ryde, Shopping CentreThe shopping centre is also a major transportation hub with buses coming from all over the area.

During my trips to Sydney most of my meals are taken at the centre and there would be a elevated risk of community exposure. Even though I stay in a serviced apartment and could cook my meals there, I would still have to go shopping.

I have seen videos from stores that I know well with people stocking up on essentials in case they need to isolate themselves at home.

There are videos of empty shelves and people with overloaded carts full of just toilet paper. It was so bad that they have put limits in place as to how many rolls of toilet paper people can buy.

With all of this going on the decision was easily made that I will postpone my trip to Australia until later in the year.

Please keep my friends and colleagues in the Macquarie area in your prayers as they go through this stressful time.

Steven

 

Posted in Australia, Culture, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Super Tuesday

Posted on March 3, 2020 by vanbraman

Today was Super Tuesday which meant it was time to go to the polls in California.

In the past Californians voted near the end of the primary election season, but now they vote earlier.

Polling Place, Election Day, American Flag, Poll TimeOf course, there are other local offices on the ballot as well as a proposition to vote on.

I started my day by stopping at the polls to vote this morning. I wanted to make sure that I did not have any delays getting home from work and miss voting.

I did have to figure out where to go vote. I used to vote at the place pictured above, but they changed locations this year. Since I moved to California, this is the fourth different location. That is not too bad for 19 years.

Old Voting Machine - Goldwater - Johnson - Presidential ElectionWe no longer have these really cool mechanical voting machines. Instead I voted on a touchscreen which then printed out a ballot. I could have just filled out a ballot by hand, which most people were doing.

Going to the polls reminded me of going with my parent to Evans Junior High school to cast their vote. I remember going behind the curtain of the machine with them as they made their selections and the sound the machine made.

Wapello County Court House, Ottumwa, Iowa - Chief Wapello - Statue - Native American StatueI remember going with my Dad one year to the courthouse to watch the election returns. That was the year that my Dad ran for mayor of Ottumwa, Iowa. He did not win, but I remember a lot of things about the campaign, including helping paint sign boards for our old blue truck.

Left or Right - Vote RightMy Dad was a member of the American Independent Party and ran for State Representative and later State Senator in Iowa in the late 60’s. He didn’t win, but did help bring awareness to some of the issues. He was also a Presidential Elector in 1972 for John G. Schmitz.

Today I still believe in many of the values of the American Independent Party, especially the principle that government’s powers must be carefully divided and limited.

Election Stickers, I voted, primary election, electionsJust now I added another sticker to the collection on my bedroom mirror. We need to make sure that our voice is heard during each election.

I have watched a bit of the Super Tuesday election coverage tonight and the picture is getting a bit clearer.

Steven

 

Posted in California, Culture, Memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment