Good-bye 2020!

 Hey, 2020 ....... I wish I could say it was nice knowing you; but it wasn't.

For the most part this was NOT a fun year. Yeah, there were some good times and some highlights, but if my 2020 was a sports highlights film, it'd probably last under a minute.  Not to say that I'm not grateful. I am - but not to 2020. So instead of droning on and on with negatives, let's just say that .........

I'm grateful to God that my family has been preserved from COVID. Even though my wife is a nurse and has seen many patients with the virus, she has been spared. Just goes to show that PPE and a lot of prayers on her behalf work!

I'm grateful that I am considered an essential and that I have worked throughout. Except for our annual summer vacation in July, I did not miss a day of work. For that I am grateful, even though a lot of those days were hard on this body and sapped me of any reserve energy to engage in Amateur Radio - even on the weekends. I spent most of those trying to recuperate from the previous work week!  Most days this year, I was in bed by 8:00 or 9:00 PM - the "advantage" of approaching "old manhood". Ergo, my participation in the QRP Fox Hunts has been virtually nil this year. While the Hounds and Foxes are busy pounding out exchanges, I'm typically already sawing wood at start time.

So for 2021 - my wishes - hopefully we'll see:

More Hamfests - 2020 robbed us of those. They fell like dominoes - one after another right before our very eyes.

A little more spare time and energy in which to pursue portable ops and some POTA activations in the coming year.

Better weather on key weekends. Both FOBB and the Skeeter Hunt were marred by wetness from the sky in 2020. Can we please have better weather on those two weekends for 2021, Lord? Please?

As above, a little more energy and spare time to get a few kits built. I still have that QCX+ for 20 Meters that I haven't even opened yet. I'd love to get that started soon. I royally screwed up my QCX 40 by working on it when I shouldn't have. Building a kit when you really should be resting is not a good idea - and it showed. In 40+ years of Amateur Radio and kit building, this was my first and most disappointing utter failure.

The chance for our beloved radio clubs to actually meet in person once again. These ZOOM meetings are okay as far as they go; but it would be nice to actually get a chance to see good friends again - in person.

Field Day! Good ol' Field Day like it's supposed to be ....... out in a hot tent, staying up all night, swatting at mosquitoes and other nasty bugs - pounding brass to the point where I hear it in my sleep for the entire next week. I never thought I'd miss Field Day - the REAL thing -  as much as I did this year!

VE Exams being conducted back to where we used to ...... inside a building and not outside in a parking lot.  Our situation worked well, mind you, but we were dependent on good weather and no matter how well things went, they were still a challenge. At least when you're inside a building, you don't have to worry about strong breezes or gusts of wind blowing papers around all creation.

Not Amateur Radio related ....... but I'd love to be able to go back into a sit-down-eat-indoors restaurant. I never thought I'd miss that as much as I do. Not that we did it very often pre-2020, but I do miss the times that we were able to.

I hope and pray that 2021 is a better year for all of us - from this blog to God's ear - or eye, whichever.

Happy New Year's Eve!

72 de Larry W2LJ

QRP - When you care to send the very least!