Josie draft june 2020

[a425couple]

June 2022
Dear Josie,

I am very sorry it has been so long since I last wrote to you. It seems
like lately I have more problems trying to get anything good completed,
especially when it comes to writing.

Congratulations on finishing 5th Grade. I hope you are enjoying your
school break. Are you using your pool a lot? From what I hear on the
news, you have hat a lot of real hot days, over 100 degrees. Up here we
have had very frequent rain (over 5" in May, and so far already over 3"
in June) and even getting to 70 degrees has been rare.

Grannie Marie and I have been on a huge and very impressive trip. we
went to Egypt, Jordan and Israel. I thought of you often when we were
in Egypt because Tracy showed that for a couple of Halloween's you had
dressed like an Egyptian. I also think I remember that I gave you a
book showing some ancient Egyptian treasures.

Anyway, we bought you a few gifts. Perhaps to let you dress like an
Egyptian, here is a headscarf with it's headband. And an Egyptian made
bracelet. I thought of you and your interest in birds as soon as I saw
the model of the wall carving that had a person in gold with two
sweeping wings. To help your reading you can use these three bookmarks
made of real Egyptian pipiarus (that was used before paper was
invented!) that include Queen Nefertiti, Cleopatra, and a Court. And
just for fun, here is a laughing Egyptian camel. We hope you enjoy them
all.

I see on Facebook that you got sidelined a bit with Covid. I did also!
The USA was requiring a Covid test before we could fly back. So we got
tested, and I tested positive. The Israeli government required we get
moved into a special Covid hotel and kept in isolation for a week. They
delivered 3 bag meals (pretty strange and 'iffy!'). I never had any
symptoms. They said after 7 days of isolation, I was officially clear
to fly home. We heard that way over half of our group got Covid, either
there, or upon return home.

So anyway, yeah, after we were whisked away just after the stroke of
midnight from our free room and board place (not to mention all the
cucumbers and cans of tuna fish and various cheeses we cared to eat) we
ended up, instead of some Middle Eastern airline, going onto Lufthansa.
Deep sigh of relief, thinking normality would return. So on the way to
Frankfurt Germany, they fed us,,,, a cheese sandwich (on rye bread,
cheese, an orange cheese spread, a bit of pickle paste) OK, they claim
the Germans love their cheese sandwiches. Oooookay. Later, on the next
flight, we got a meal, and then 4 hours later, another identical cheese
sandwich. As we were descending into Seattle, clugishness was gathering
in my ear canals. So after all that, I'd gotten a cold!!! I had a less
than ideal week. Also some for Marie, not real sick, but below ideal.

After being gone almost a month, our dogs Pooka and Bilbo were SOOO
happy to see us! Also Elora, and Bear, and Deirdre.

We love you, Grany and Grampy