Those three little dots. So much in those three little dots.
There’s so much to say about 2020, and yet, it really doesn’t need to be said. We’ve all lived it. We’ve all experienced it. We’ve all had our own triumphs and tragedies.
As 2020 was coming to a close, I found myself reflecting on the year a lot. Interesting that I was looking back more than forward. Also interesting that I saw my year as a series of photos. So, here it is. My year in review. I think this might become a permanent feature.
2020 – My Year in Photos
JANUARY – a cold and kind of dreary walk through Parc Andre Citroen
JANUARY – a quick visit home from Paris to visit family and friends and a side trip to Joshua Tree National Park
JANUARY – Back in Paris for less than 48 hours, then on the Eurostar to London to visit friends and see Phantom of the Opera at the original West End theater
JANUARY – Pont Mirabeau, a bridge from 1897 against the modern skyline of the 15th arrondissement.
FEBRUARY – The Louvre, it’s cold but people are still out and about doing people things
FEBRUARY – The Louvre, a few tourists doings touristy things
FEBRUARY – a winter walk through Montmartre
FEBRUARY – a break in the weather so I can actually play photographer
MARCH – Dave and Clarice visit! We did a lot in an unexpectedly short week.
MARCH – Visitors! Dave and Clarice came to visit and we really didn’t know it was the last possible chance
MARCH – serious lack of people on Tour Eiffel; a little bit nice not dealing with crowds but a lot bit scary
MARCH – Stay home orders in Paris. Very few people out and fewer still moving about
MARCH – Mad dash home from Paris; packed up an entire apartment in 4 hours, grabbed a taxi, flew home on a nearly empty Air France A380 and arrived at an eerily empty LAX
APRIL – home, safe and sound on our mountainside but reaching for comfort and some semblance of life before – Nespresso to the rescue!
APRIL – business first! Mask production starts
APRIL – Still reaching for something, anything…to comfort and to remind us to keep living – a motorcycle to the rescue!
APRIL – despite an upended world and life, nature still delights
MAY – Shaver Lake – Socially and physically distancing, the motorcycle offers short day trips and an escape from isolation
MAY – flowers in Shaver Lake
MAY – another distraction, the deck garden, natch
MAY – home improvements (around the world!) begin. Goodbye popcorn ceiling!
JUNE – another motorcycle trip up Beasore Road; this 1950s bridge is gone now, it’s being replaced with a new and improved model
JUNE – short camping trip to Hope Valley and a nice hike to Frog Lake
JUNE – Camping trip to Hope Valley and a drive around Lake Tahoe. Tahoe was super crowded and we didn’t get out of the car until we found an empty turn out
JUNE – Motorcycle ride to the Crane Flat Entrance, lovely ride but the park is closed
JULY – Comet Neowise! A much needed break and distraction, Neowise was a welcome sight in July. Photographed from my back yard.
JULY – Comet Neowise! Photographed over Mono Lake
JULY – A short trip to the east side with my friend Dana – we were treated to amazing sunsets on Mono Lake
JULY – it was a great idea to go photograph the Port of Stockton – a port in the middle of California! But security didn’t allow us to get close, so we photographed interesting port buildings along the river instead
AUGUST – marked the beginning of a long, hot, smoky and devastating summer in CA.
AUGUST – a camping trip to the central coast was absolutely destroyed by an unusual storm that ignited 650 wildfires across the sate.
AUGUST – Asilomar State Beach
AUGUST – another short camping trip to Point Reyes National Seashore
SEPTEMBER – march of the mantids! Every year, the mantids arrive at our windows during mating season.
SEPTEMBER – Smoke from the Creek Fire along HWY 41
SEPTEMBER – Smoke from the Creek Fire in Yosemite Valley
SEPTEMBER – pandemic, fires, debilitating smoke and now the death of RBG. Attended a vigil at our local courthouse.
OCTOBER – Photographed a wedding. It was weird and a little bit scary, when I usually find photographing weddings joyful
OCTOBER – Life goes on. People get married.
OCTOBER – the hike that wasn’t. Wanted to hike to Clouds Rest but the smoke was still bad. A visit to the east side instead, and a coffee.
OCTOBER – smoke in the atmosphere from the hundreds of fires has a small upside – beautiful sunsets
NOVEMBER – fall color in Yosemite along the Merced River
NOVEMBER – a birthday visit to Yosemite, finally clear skies and beautiful fall color
NOVEMBER – we’ve had our house near Yosemite for 11 years and this was our first ever visit to Hetch Hetchy
NOVEMBER – we lost Mark to COVID-19. It’s a devastating loss. Mark was kind, generous, funny, and warm. We’ll miss him but his smile and laughter will always be in our hearts and memories.
DECEMBER – winter weather rolling in
DECEMBER – a sun halo on a hike near Feliciana Mountain
DECEMBER – another motorcycle ride up Beasore Road – this time to a winter wonderland
DECEMBER – Frosty leaves in Yosemite NP along the Merced River
My 2020 Photo of the Year
I think this might also become a permanent feature!
Of all the photos I took in 2020, I think this one is the quintessential image of a year defined by a pandemic. A friendly wave hello, from over there. His hand on this side of the window, but he is on the other side of the window. His face, with just a hint of a smile, is a little bit lost in the glare. Barriers. Separation. Isolation. Reticence.
A COVID Hello
Looking Forward
We are at the brink of a new year. I have no illusions that when the clock marches on to January 1, 2021, that we’ll get to say goodbye to 2020 and all of its baggage. And even though there were a lot of things that made 2020 a rough year, there were some very good things about it too.
The start of a new year is powerful, nonetheless. It’s a time when we reflect on the past and hope for the future.
So…here’s wishing that the new year will bring you joy, peace, and happiness. I hope 2021 will bring you more love, prosperity and positivity. I hope your triumphs are many and your tragedies are few (and limited to things like you forgot to charge your phone or there’s a hole in the bottom of the trash bag). And I wish you good health and all the best in the new year.
Happy New Year!
NOTE: Does this post look different to you? It should, and no, you’re not crazy! It was recreated from memory because I switched web hosts and lost the original post. Boo.
