My Dad, who is 95, went into an assisted living/retirement facility in March, the same week the governor shutdown all visitation in and out of assisted living facilities. It was a prudent and necessary action, but it’s been very hard on Dad and our family as a whole. The first few months, no in-person contact was allowed at all. We’ve talked on the phone, zoomed on the computer, exchanged emails, but the lack of physical contact has been painful, particularly for Dad. Starting in June, short (half hour) socially distanced visits could be scheduled once a week on the patio just outside the facility. I’ve made it up there a few times, but not nearly as much as I’d like.

One meaningful way we’ve found of connecting is through pictures. I’ve been scanning old family photographs and sending them in emails. It gives us something to talk about and helps trigger good memories. One thing that’s always been special to Dad has been his cars. His Dad (my grandfather) had a car dealership and service station for many years and as a teenager my Dad helped in the shop on weekends. In fact, he started driving when he was 13 to assist with pickup and deliveries. He says he could barely see over the steering wheel. For as long as I’ve known him, he’s taken exquisite care of his cars. Almost every Saturday included washing and/or working on car(s) in some capacity.

Sometime after entering assisted living, Dad reluctantly relinquished his car keys. As you can imagine, that was a hard decision. But with the combination of the lockdown and some health concerns, he wasn’t permitted to drive anyway. When he found out our son was looking for a car, he decided to gift his most prized possession to Quinn. Though we were willing to buy it, he wouldn’t accept anything for it. And though several years old, his Ford Taurus still looks and drives like new. (Quinn is a big fan of the heated seats.) Below is a pair of pictures I sent Dad a while back. The first is Dad in his first car after he got married and the second is a similar picture of Quinn in the car Dad gave him. He loved it.