 Francesca and Dan on Antiqua in 2020  Francesca and Dan October, 2022 in Laughlin, Nevada |
| Francesca and Dan |
| On Life and Love after 50 eNewsletter February 3, 2023 Stranded in Antiqua By Columnist Tom Blake |
| Stranded in Antiqua The June 12, 2020, eNewsletter featured Champs Dan, 75, and Francesca, 73, an unmarried couple in a committed relationship, who met on Match. com in 2018. See their picture above. In that eNewsletter, Francesca wrote, “We happen to be ‘stranded’ in Antigua (because of Covid), with the only airport having been closed for some time. “Antigua (a Caribbean island) is undoubtedly the best place to be stranded, but home calls us. (Burbank, California-me; Lake Arrowhead, California area-Dan).” I asked Francesca in 2020 if she’d share her and Dan’s “being stranded” experience with our Champs. She agreed. Francesca said, “When we realized we weren’t going home in April as planned, we didn’t have to change our accommodations. We were able to pay rent on a month-to-month basis. We’ve had to stay more than an additional two months. “Dan has a small medical billing business; he can take his work with him as long as there’s wi-fi and Internet, which I can use. It’s been an adventure here. “For the last three years, Dan has rented a one-bedroom apartment in Antigua during the winter months. He lives in the San Bernardino Mountains and likes to get away to a warm climate, away from the snow and ice. “Dan arrived in Antigua in mid-January, with a return ticket to LA on April 8. For the past two years, I’ve joined him for the last month of his stay. I arrived on March 4, planning a month of enjoying the island and relaxing on the beach. But then COVID-19 came along, and things changed. “In late March, to contain the virus, the Antiguan government closed all entry points to the island, including the one and only airport. They then put into place numerous severe restrictions, the most difficult of which was a 24-hour curfew where we couldn’t leave our hotel except for trips to the grocery store. We couldn’t go to the beach. Antiguans boast that they have 365 beaches; every one of them was closed. “It was rough going for a while. Especially hard was that we have a beautiful little beach within a 15-minute walk from our place, but we couldn’t even ‘visit’ it, let alone enjoy swimming and snorkeling. Eventually, they lifted the curfew hours; but it was in effect from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. We were able to visit our beach and swim and snorkel as much as we wanted. “We still had inconveniences with groceries and such. We’re in a ‘hotel,’ but it’s really an apartment complex, with 10 one-bedroom apartments, each with a full kitchen. We didn’t have too much trouble with groceries when I first arrived. The closest grocery store is about a mile away. We don’t have a car, so I used to walk there every few days to pick up a couple of things that we needed. It was a nice walk and good exercise. “Then, it got tough. Getting groceries became a major planning event. We couldn’t walk there anymore; the only way to get to the store on foot was a 3.5-mile trek one-way. Since we didn’t have a car, we paid Mr. Hunt, the maintenance man at our hotel, to drive us to the store. We could no longer decide on the spur-of-the-moment to go pick up a few things.” “At one point during our stay, the grocery stores were only open from 7 a.m. to noon, so we had to make sure we got there early. The first time I went to the grocery store when those hours were in effect, there was a huge line of people waiting to get into the store. They were letting in only a few at a time, and they were giving out numbers. “Some people waited three hours to get in. I had been told there was a ‘senior line,’ so I played the senior age card and had to wait only about 10 min. “However, and I didn’t know this at the time, they had placed a limit on how long you could be in the store. About 10 minutes into my shopping trip, a burly security woman walked around the store yelling that we had only five minutes left of our 15-minute allotment. At that point, I ran around the store trying to pick up as many items as I could from our long list. What an experience! “In 2019 when I was here, we went out to restaurants and enjoyed the island reggae, but, of course, this year’s been a different story: no restaurants or bars are open. The good news is that takeout became available, and they’re planning on reopening restaurants and bars next week. Masks and social distancing are required, of course. “We initially thought that running out of prescription medication was going to be a problem, but it has turned out to be easier than we expected, and it’s been a real eye-opener. There’s a little pharmacy in town where luckily, we’ve been able to get most of our medications, even the prescription meds. For the most part, you don’t need prescriptions here, and the meds cost a fraction of the cost back in the States. “Antigua seems to have the virus under control now because the restrictions have been so effective. There were only 25 confirmed cases in all and only three deaths. They confirmed recently that there is only one active case on the island. That person is currently hospitalized but will soon be released. The threat of exposure is low, but, of course, when we’re in public, we still need to wear masks and maintain social distancing.” “If someone tests positive, they’ll be isolated. If they test negative, they will be able to go to their hotel, but they will have their temperature taken every day to ensure they aren’t symptomatic. The government is also planning on randomly re-testing those who tested negative. “Dan and I are looking forward to getting home, but we’ll miss this island. I will particularly miss that beautiful little beach near us.” I asked Francesca in 2020 how the extended, confined stay affected their relationship. She replied, “As with any couple living in close quarters for any length of time, we had our moments. Thankfully, this apartment is a one-bedroom. However, the relationship is stronger. The quarantine allowed us to have more adventures together in a very different place. We’ll always have those memories: swimming out to our special beach, savoring Caribbean dishes we’d never heard of, and much more. And we’ll smile. “We hope to come back next year, but (said with a wink), maybe not for such a long time.” “With the airport finally reopened, we flew back to Los Angeles, yesterday. Nearly 3 years later an update on Dan and Francesca I had been wondering how the relationship faired after being confined with each other for a couple of months. Are they still together? Dan is now 78 and Francesca is 76. Francesca emailed an update last week, “One wonderful, joyous day last October, 39 dear friends, and family helped us celebrate our marriage. It took place in Laughlin, Nevada on a large ‘steamboat’ slowly sailing down the Colorado River, with everyone enjoying dinner, dancing, and lots of drinks!” Wow, that’s good news for two of our Champs! Today’s story explains the two photos shown above. I love the one on the right side of their special day. |
Tom Blake PublishingDana Point, CAtompblake@gmail.com click on link below toFinding Love After 50 website Connect With Me On Social Media |
On Life and Love after 50 