Settling In

The boat is unloaded, the food inventoried and put into bins. We cut back on the amount of food we take each year, based on how much we used the prior winter. The job of unloading has therefore become easier every year. If we go to the Bahamas again next winter we will take even less food. We were grateful to have some food left over to hold us over until we could purchase food but we were completely out of fresh vegetables. We were also looking forward to buying food for meals that are different from our boat meals. While at anchor in Solomons waiting for storms to pass, George downloaded the Walmart groceries app and started a list for curbside pickup. We have a Walmart in our town and, although we don’t normally buy our groceries there, we had heard last summer how convenient it is to shop that way. The first step is to schedule a pickup time. The first available time was two days away (Friday) so we chose an 8-9 am slot. We were able to add to the list up until Thursday night. On Friday morning George received a text that our order was ready. We drove to Walmart, texted we were on the way, parked in one of the curbside spots, and used the app to tell them which spot we were in. A masked worker brought the groceries out and loaded them in the trunk. Is was very easy. Walmart was out of some of the things we ordered but we still considered it to be a convenient option while social distancing. Later in the day we picked up vegetables I had ordered online from a local farm stand. I did have to stand in line at the pickup window but I stood 6 feet behind the person in front of me and was wearing a mask. While waiting I saw a person I knew who didn’t recognize me in my mask.