Not to put too fine of a point on it, but 2020 sucked. I know, I know, it sucked for absolutely everyone, some more than others. But, no Schneiduk PigFish wrap up of 2020 can start by saying anything other than “2020 sucked.”
Final Thoughts on 2020
Posted in Colombia, Ecuador, Final Thoughts, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, United States
Tagged nature photography, street art
3 Comments
Besthoff Sculpture Garden in City Park
Well, we did it. We got off the couch, turned off Hulu/Netflix/Amazon Prime/ESPN+/Peacock, grabbed our hand sanitizer, put on our three-layer masks, and made our way to the Besthoff sculpture garden in City Park. Two outings in one week. Will wonders never cease?
Posted in Louisiana, United States
2 Comments
Celebration in the Oaks
Whooo hooo! We actually got out of the house and did something. What a novelty!
Anyway . . . we rented a car and, after spraying half a can of disinfecting spray all over the interior and then wiping the car down with disinfecting wipes, we made our way to Celebration in the Oaks, a holiday lights festival in City Park. According to the signs at the entrance, there were over one million lights.
Thoughts on the U.S. election
We woke up the morning of the election terrified for the soul of the nation. We were depressed and disheartened. But, we had a teeny, tiny bit of hope. As the election returns slowly trickled in election night, and our stomachs twisted in knots, that hope was squashed like a bug on a windshield. As the days went by, and as mail-in votes were counted, that hope slowly unfurled and tentatively poked its head back out and looked around. And, finally, on a dreary Saturday morning, we heard the news we had been waiting for — Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won! It was a time for ugly crying by me (tears of happiness and relief, releasing a level of stress I didn’t even know I was carrying) and laughing and catching up with like-minded friends and drinking bubbles. For a brief moment, we (and people all around the world) celebrated the end to a long national nightmare.
Posted in United States
1 Comment
We survived our first hurricane
So, when we moved to New Orleans, we knew hurricanes might be a problem. Little did we know a strong category two hurricane would blow through shortly after we arrived…
Continue readingTraveling during covid
Minneapolis in winter is cold and snowy and so very, very dark. As it became clear that we weren’t going to be able to leave the U.S. due to covid anytime soon, it also became clear we were going to have to find a place to spend the winter and that most definitely wasn’t in Minneapolis.
I know, I know, some of you are asking yourselves why we felt we couldn’t leave the U.S. when Mexico and a handful of other places are allowing in Americans. Hello? Remember the worldwide pandemic? Anyone? We recognize that we are on the extreme end of the spectrum, but we don’t feel like anyone should be traveling around the world (or even around the country) for fun during a pandemic (or eating indoors or visiting museums or going to bars or going to the movies or having family reunions, etc., etc.). Is that bad for the travel and hospitality industries? Yes, of course. You know what is even worse? Prolonging this virus because people won’t do what it takes to get the virus under control. And, when we read posts from stupid Americans specifically looking for places outside the U.S. where mask rules are not being enforced so they could vacation without being “inconvenienced” and posts from stupid Americans that refused to follow quarantine rules in places like the U.K., that pretty much sealed the deal for us. We had to find a place in the U.S.
Posted in Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Tennesee, United States
Tagged nature photography
6 Comments
Final thoughts on Minnesota
We’ve made our way out of Minnesota. Spending a winter in the dark, cold, snowy climate just so wasn’t in the cards for us. So, we found a realtor in New Orleans and booked ourselves an apartment for six months. More on that later. For the time being, here are some thoughts on our time in Minnesota.
Franconia Sculpture Park
Franconia Sculpture Park
So….we are complete covidphobes. We haven’t done anything fun other than take a walk since we arrived in the U.S. in March (our walks are the only thing preventing the covid 15 from turning into the covid 20). But, we took a baby step into the real world this week and visited Franconia Sculpture Park.
Skallagrim by Peter Lundberg at Franconia Sculpture Park.
Yet another Covid update
So . . . that is all for now folks . . . we are all out of travel stories. We’ve been stuck in the U.S. since March, first in rural Wisconsin and then in Minneapolis. And, in light of covid, we plan to stay in Minneapolis for the time being (at least until October….after that, who knows). And, in light of covid, we aren’t doing much of interest in Minneapolis — we still haven’t even been to a restaurant believe it or not.
As far as places to be stuck, Minneapolis isn’t half bad. Our apartment is reasonably comfortable and only two blocks from a Whole Foods (which, thankfully, enforces the mask rule). We can get curbside pick-up of pretty much everything we need (except Charmin). The city is full of walking paths and bike paths and parks, so we can take a walk nearly every day and still socially distance (although, we do tend to avoid walking on the weekends if the weather is nice as things get a bit too crowded then).
Posted in Minnesota, United States, Wisconsin
6 Comments
Final thoughts on Ecuador*
Oh Ecuador, we barely got to know you. Although we had planned to spend a full two months in Ecuador, our trip got cut short due to covid. But, that doesn’t mean we don’t have thoughts. Because we always have thoughts. About just about everything. So, here goes.
A penguin on our Los Tuneles day trip.
Posted in Ecuador, Final Thoughts
Tagged galapagos islands, isabela island, nature photography, quito, san cristobal island, santa cruz island
2 Comments
