What a year 2020 has been! I am afraid that at the least the beginning of 2021 is going to be a continuation and quite possibly a bit worse until the virus vaccination is widely distributed. Theresa and I, have essentially isolated ourselves from family and friends since March 2020. However, with quite a bit of planning, we were able to at least enjoy a few family gatherings, while appropriately distanced and/or masked up.

On the other hand, we did not distance ourselves from nature. We spent considerable time hiking on trails of various nature preserves, sanctuaries, and parks. We either “re-discovered” places where we previously hiked or discovered new places that we have failed to visit in the past. So, even if we were not able to participate in many activities that we wanted to…we did have a very enjoyable past several months.

We are making plans for continued hikes in the months ahead too. Many of our “evening hikes” were just down the road where we live…but those walks were almost always memorable too, as we captured many sunset pictures, discovered new plants and animals right here in our own “neighborhood.”

I decided to put together a video that captures some of those special moments with family and in nature, which can be viewed below. These pictures are not in any particular order, but just random snapshots of fun memories during the year 2020. I have not identified within the video where the pictures were taken, but several of those special places include lands that are managed by the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, Albany Pine Bush Commission, West Boggs Park, the City of Albany, NY, Rensselaer Land Trust, Schenectady County, NY, John James Audubon State Park, and several other locations as well.

Anyway…here is wishing you a great 2021 and no matter what… I hope you will get outdoors and discover and enjoy nature. The video below is just under 5 minutes in length…hope you don’t get bored!