I left the garage and had a chance to get out to see our programs! I have been in Davis regularly for the last 5 months and even traveled for work a limited amount. However, the President's Advisory Commission meeting, that included the Lindcove Citrus Tasting, was more like ‘old times' than any other experience over the last 18 months. I had no idea there were so many varieties of citrus. I had previously thought that ‘Satsuma' was the variety of mandarin, but it turns out there are over a half dozen varieties of the Satsuma mandarin. Despite all of the new flavors tested and different types of citrus that included limes, kumquats, oranges, and grapefruit, my favorite citrus remains the Chandler pomelo.
The fact that we were all masked throughout the day didn't stop lively discussion whether on the bus, walking through the Woodlake Garden, or visiting booths hosted by our academics. It was so nice to get an update from Konrad about his barley research, learn from Karl about the outcome of his deficit irrigation work with wine growers, and see Joy's soil settling demonstration. Thanks to Michael and Ruth, and the Lindcove team, I left with the makings for a couple new recipes. The ginger, baby bok choy, and lemongrass were perfect for a red curry lemongrass soup. The Buddha hand didn't go to waste either, becoming a citron pound cake. The fridge is full and I had a taste of the most rewarding part of the job. Thanks so much to Karmjot, Ashraf, and their teams for all of the work to make it a great day for all who participated!
Things are slowly getting back to more like pre-COVID time. During my recent days in Davis, I can hear voices of others throughout the building. I would never have thought about that before COVID; now it is such a welcome sound. I, as much as anyone, appreciate the benefits of not having had the commute, especially on high wind days like we had this week. On the flipside, the work feels different when it is all completed from my garage office; it is not as engaging and somehow disconnected from the value of our programs. I, too, look forward to in-person interviews and hallway conversations. Twenty months of this mode is long enough. However, this doesn't mean I will let down my guard on safety precautions. We remain in a difficult time and we are all tired of the pandemic conditions. It is hard to believe that this week last year the first COVID vaccine was administered in the U.S. No question, we have come a long way and have so much for which to be grateful. There are good times ahead!