With on final work day before my trip began, I knew I had to be productive. In anticipation, I was awake at 0615 (before alarm) and started teleworking. At 0800, I ate breakfast at Kim and David's (they were still staying out on the Eastern Shore). Otherwise, I continued to telework until 0930, when I departed Falls Church so I could visit my dentist. Outside, it was clear and sunny, with temps at 73 F. I headed towards Alexandria, following back roads through fancy neighborhoods. For some reason, there were lots of strange Google Maps directions but the end result was that I arrived at my dentist's office at 0955. This visit didn't require a lot of extensive work but I was very glad to have an appointment before I departed for my trip. After getting finished and saying goodbye to Richard, I left the dentist's office at 1045. Hoping to get some outdoor exercise before sequestering myself back inside, I drove to nearby Green Spring Gardens and, starting at 1055 began a two mile walk. There was a lot of "Spring Cleaning" and gardening going on (the "FROGS" were out in force) but the trails were mostly clear of other people. I was surrounded by countless Spring blossoms and the loud songs of many birds. The shade of the trees made mostly shielded me from the warm sun. Finished with my walk by 1145, I drove to a nearby bank and got cash for my trip - during my last cruise, the ship ran out of small bills for tipping the tour guides but I'm ready this time! At 1155, I began my drive back to Kim and David's house (far less confusion on the routing). Arriving just before 1230, I resumed teleworking - I did take one more break in the early afternoon to eat lunch. Starting at about 1430, I started working intermittently so I could sort through a lot of my personal items that were scattered around in the Subaru (and roof top carrier). Kim had graciously granted me an area where I could spread out the contents of all my bags - this allowed me to assemble a cohesive group of personal items for my vacation. Ultimately, I managed to get mostly packed by the time it got dark and I had time to do some repacking of the car. Once I felt like I was at a good place, I returned my focus fully to telework (I had monthly reports to complete, some out-of-office tasks and communications with colleagues). At 1835, I officially finished up my work week and month. I spent several more hours finalizing packing, making dinner, doing laundry and wrapping up personal projects that will be on hold for the next month (some more website updates, Notre Dame volunteering, calendar updates and itinerary updates for my daughters). At 2130, I was ready to wind down for the night. Before going to bed, though, I did some reading, Duolingo and puzzles - later, I watched new episode of a streaming service series. The lights went out at 2300. Vacation, here I come!
