Posts From The Wild Side, Finding Laughter in the Middle of a Pandemic

In the Spring of 2020, the pandemic was changing lives all over the globe and politics was tearing families and friendships apart. The CDC was telling us to stay home and not socialize with people outside of our households. Restaurants and businesses were closed, groceries were being delivered to closed doors, and hair salons were a no-no. My thought was, if I can’t get my hair done, eat out, and shop, who even WANTS to go out? With that in mind, what does a person like me do in the middle of a pandemic? Well…they take down the tents, load up the animals, and move the circus that is their life to the sunny state of Florida, that’s what?

With my camera in tow, I spent my pandemic days outside in the sunshine and warm weather where masks weren’t required and social distancing was guaranteed. I made friends and photo subjects out of animals and birds, the likes of which I had never seen before! There was Beaker the Pelican, Chomp Chomp, the alligator that I met completely by accident, and Walter, the Great American Egret who I met as a tiny, fuzzy- headed, and pistachio-legged little fella with a fear of nothing? This crazy crew is still entertaining me through the lens of my camera along with a slew of other characters you will meet on the pages of this book. Turns out they are all just as neurotic, overly sensitive, sarcastic, and hilarious as every friend I’ve ever had in life. Who knows, you might even recognize someone you know too.