March 2021 Circumbits

Mar 012021

Let’s Spring Forward!

Thanks to Jennifer Teague (Washington DC Chapter) for this photo.

The cold, icy, snowy weather has added to the misery of the pandemic in many parts of the United States. We can look forward to nice Spring weather and, hopefully, the easing of the pandemic. Some Circumnavigators are returning to international travel now that vaccinations are available. Please let us know by email if you are traveling or plan a foreign trip.

Report from UK Chapter

Chapter President Helen Jenkins announces exciting news that distinguished author and travel writer Andrew Eames will be the guest speaker for the House of Lords dinner in London on December 9. However, the guest list is already fully booked for the event. This is encouraging news that Circumnavigators are beginning to return to normal activities. Members who are not signed up can go on the reserve list by contacting Helen (via Tracy at headquarters ).

Club Update

The long-awaited Order of Magellan event, honoring film maker Ken Burns, is still on hold until Mr. Burns feels comfortable with doing large events. We will keep everyone posted. The Club’s Annual Meeting will again be done virtually via Zoom. It will be held in mid-May with date and time to be forthcoming.

Photo Exhibit Presentation

The top photos in the 2020 Photo Exhibit/Contest were reviewed on a lively Zoom presentation. In most cases, the photographers were able to provide insight into their photographs and answer questions from members. We recommend that Circumnavigators take a good look at each photo by clicking on the Photo tab at the top of this page and going to 2020 Photo Contest.

Scuttlebutt

NASA’s “Perseverance” landed on Mars right on schedule on February 18. Amazing pinpoint technology. Canadians Henri and Natasha van Bentum signed up to get “Boarding Passes” for this mission, which launched in July 2020. Their names — along with one million other people — are engraved on a super-memory-stick so their names are now on Mars! Note the other fun bit—more than 313 million frequent flyer miles!