The Holidays in 2021 returned to something more normal even though there was a surge in COVID-19 due to new variants. Even though our travel plans went on as planned more closely resembling our past holiday seasons, COVID-19 did have a role. We went to Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving and did our Christmas with my parents there over that weekend. I also took the opportunity to hunt. I had high hopes but things didn't quite turn out. I made a second trip later in the season and then returned again after Christmas to partake in the late season archery opportunity with my Excalibur Bulldog 440 Crossbow.
The intro is some photos highlighting the time and was created using Motion 4 on a Macbook. I decided to go with holiday colors, the standard red and green for the main title. I wanted the colors to alternate which took a little extra work and layering but I think it turned out ok. I also used Motion 4 on a MacBook to create some animated map files to overlay on some of the travel videos.
https://youtu.be/_JSgzqHikV4
https://youtu.be/_JSgzqHikV4
Thanksgiving, Hunting, and Northern Christmas
11.24.2021
I took half the day off of work and we drove to Pennsylvania on Wednesday November 24th, 2021 so it wouldn't be too awful late when we arrived. We brought Stein with us and that adds a level of anxiety to the trips. He seems to not do so well when we enter Pennsylvania. I don't know if its the elevation change and/or the windy roads but he seems to get car sick. He begins to have diarrhea and foams at the mouth. We hoped some items be bought at Pet Supplies Plus might help but it didn't seem to have any positive effect, unfortunately. This is likely his last road trip with us for that reason.
As we drove, during a break I opened up a bottle of Mountain Dew Gingerbread Snap'd that we bought and gave it a try. It definitely had a gingerbread taste. It was ok. We took the route that has us go into New York state as it is less time from the highway to my parents house hoping that would be helpful. As we drove, we had to move over for police activity. It appeared a deer had been hit and injured. The officer looked like he was preparing to execute the deer. We had a deer cross in front of us later as we were going through the hills off the highway. There was snow on the ground. We were able to arrive before midnight. The driving and weather conditions were ok.
11.25.2021
On Thursday November 25th, 2021, we were back to a more regular Thanksgiving for the first time in some years. COVID-19 didn't interfere nor did any children have playoff football to cause a cancelation! We had Thanksgiving at my cousin Brynne's house. They had recently gotten a meat smoker so we had smoked turkey. There weren't quite as many of us this year...some cousins weren't able to make the trip or families had other plans. But it was good to hang with those who were there. The usual watching of football, talking hunting, and card games occurred. I'm not sure if the usual cheating happened.
11.26.2021
On Friday November 26th, 2021 I had to take the car to get inspected. After that ordeal (and it always is an ordeal due to my father), I stopped at some sporting goods stores to try to find some broadheads for my Excalibur Bulldog 440 crossbow. I came to realize the blades I had didn't simply connect to the tips I already had. No stores in the area sold the brand I hoped to get so I got something else. It will work. I also decided to go into the woods to check on my hunting spots and perhaps hunt squirrel if there were any to hunt. It began to snow pretty heavily while I was out there. I felt this was a good thing as it makes for better sightlines while hunting. I went to discharge my crossbow and the string snapped. While I didn't yet have a replacement nor the tools necessary to restring it.
11.27.2021
On Saturday November 27th, 2021, the deer season opened for rifle hunting. We didn't get out there as early as I would have liked. I waited on my father who took a bit longer to get ready. Despite the snow making for better sightlines and walking in to find a lot of fresh tracks around and actually in the spot I built up to be something of a blind, the day was not a successful one. I didn't see deer until the early afternoon. A small group began walking in downhill from where I stood. They stayed a fair distance away and in brushy areas where I didn't feel comfortable taking a shot. Eventually I assume they picked up my scent or saw me and got spooked and ran off. I didn't see anything the rest of the time in the woods.
11.28.2021
On Sunday November 28th, 2021, I was back in the woods to hunt. This allowed me to miss the awfulness that was the Steelers game that day. The snow was more crunchy this morning and I spooked a deer as I walked in. It was still pretty dark and hard to see at that point anyway. After maybe an hour in the woods a couple deer came into view near where the group I saw the day before moved through. I was just about to have a cup of coffee when I saw them. I set the cup down and tried to crouch enough behind the blind I built to not be as noticeable. It seemed one of them did notice me but didn't seem to get too spooked at that point. They continued to move and went into an area I couldn't see them very well so I anticipated where I thought they may reappear. They did not reappear for some time and so I let my guard down just a little bit. I was looking back to where they had been to see if they were moving back that way then I noticed movement to the side of my vision. I turned my head and a deer stood broadside downhill. They had finally come out of the thick brush but not quite where I had anticipated! I tried to maneuver myself in a way to get a shot but it was too late. I had been spotted and the deer ran off up the hill and I was unable to get a shot. I did not see any more deer the rest of the time.
Back at my parents house, we had our Northern Family Christmas. We gave my family their gifts and opened ours while there was football on television. It was a good time and everyone seemed satisfied with their gifts. Elphie got a pair of pants that ended up being way too big. This was the only problem gift ha! I got a new string for my crossbow but needed to get a tool to help me be able to restring it. I also got a few other things to help care for the crossbow so it will hopefully last a long time.
11.29.2021
On Monday November29th, 2021, I went hunting for a third day. I hunted alone as my father didn't apparently feel like going out. I tried a different area of the woods hoping to see a little more. I started near where I had shot a buck in 2014. I didn't see anything moving through the morning. I decided to move to where I shot a buck in 1994. I still didn't see anything moving the rest of the day. There were tracks...just no deer for me to see.
11.30.2021
I took half the day off of work and we drove to Pennsylvania on Wednesday November 24th, 2021 so it wouldn't be too awful late when we arrived. We brought Stein with us and that adds a level of anxiety to the trips. He seems to not do so well when we enter Pennsylvania. I don't know if its the elevation change and/or the windy roads but he seems to get car sick. He begins to have diarrhea and foams at the mouth. We hoped some items be bought at Pet Supplies Plus might help but it didn't seem to have any positive effect, unfortunately. This is likely his last road trip with us for that reason.
As we drove, during a break I opened up a bottle of Mountain Dew Gingerbread Snap'd that we bought and gave it a try. It definitely had a gingerbread taste. It was ok. We took the route that has us go into New York state as it is less time from the highway to my parents house hoping that would be helpful. As we drove, we had to move over for police activity. It appeared a deer had been hit and injured. The officer looked like he was preparing to execute the deer. We had a deer cross in front of us later as we were going through the hills off the highway. There was snow on the ground. We were able to arrive before midnight. The driving and weather conditions were ok.
11.25.2021
On Thursday November 25th, 2021, we were back to a more regular Thanksgiving for the first time in some years. COVID-19 didn't interfere nor did any children have playoff football to cause a cancelation! We had Thanksgiving at my cousin Brynne's house. They had recently gotten a meat smoker so we had smoked turkey. There weren't quite as many of us this year...some cousins weren't able to make the trip or families had other plans. But it was good to hang with those who were there. The usual watching of football, talking hunting, and card games occurred. I'm not sure if the usual cheating happened.
11.26.2021
On Friday November 26th, 2021 I had to take the car to get inspected. After that ordeal (and it always is an ordeal due to my father), I stopped at some sporting goods stores to try to find some broadheads for my Excalibur Bulldog 440 crossbow. I came to realize the blades I had didn't simply connect to the tips I already had. No stores in the area sold the brand I hoped to get so I got something else. It will work. I also decided to go into the woods to check on my hunting spots and perhaps hunt squirrel if there were any to hunt. It began to snow pretty heavily while I was out there. I felt this was a good thing as it makes for better sightlines while hunting. I went to discharge my crossbow and the string snapped. While I didn't yet have a replacement nor the tools necessary to restring it.
11.27.2021
On Saturday November 27th, 2021, the deer season opened for rifle hunting. We didn't get out there as early as I would have liked. I waited on my father who took a bit longer to get ready. Despite the snow making for better sightlines and walking in to find a lot of fresh tracks around and actually in the spot I built up to be something of a blind, the day was not a successful one. I didn't see deer until the early afternoon. A small group began walking in downhill from where I stood. They stayed a fair distance away and in brushy areas where I didn't feel comfortable taking a shot. Eventually I assume they picked up my scent or saw me and got spooked and ran off. I didn't see anything the rest of the time in the woods.
11.28.2021
On Sunday November 28th, 2021, I was back in the woods to hunt. This allowed me to miss the awfulness that was the Steelers game that day. The snow was more crunchy this morning and I spooked a deer as I walked in. It was still pretty dark and hard to see at that point anyway. After maybe an hour in the woods a couple deer came into view near where the group I saw the day before moved through. I was just about to have a cup of coffee when I saw them. I set the cup down and tried to crouch enough behind the blind I built to not be as noticeable. It seemed one of them did notice me but didn't seem to get too spooked at that point. They continued to move and went into an area I couldn't see them very well so I anticipated where I thought they may reappear. They did not reappear for some time and so I let my guard down just a little bit. I was looking back to where they had been to see if they were moving back that way then I noticed movement to the side of my vision. I turned my head and a deer stood broadside downhill. They had finally come out of the thick brush but not quite where I had anticipated! I tried to maneuver myself in a way to get a shot but it was too late. I had been spotted and the deer ran off up the hill and I was unable to get a shot. I did not see any more deer the rest of the time.
Back at my parents house, we had our Northern Family Christmas. We gave my family their gifts and opened ours while there was football on television. It was a good time and everyone seemed satisfied with their gifts. Elphie got a pair of pants that ended up being way too big. This was the only problem gift ha! I got a new string for my crossbow but needed to get a tool to help me be able to restring it. I also got a few other things to help care for the crossbow so it will hopefully last a long time.
11.29.2021
On Monday November29th, 2021, I went hunting for a third day. I hunted alone as my father didn't apparently feel like going out. I tried a different area of the woods hoping to see a little more. I started near where I had shot a buck in 2014. I didn't see anything moving through the morning. I decided to move to where I shot a buck in 1994. I still didn't see anything moving the rest of the day. There were tracks...just no deer for me to see.
11.30.2021
On Tuesday November 30th, 2021, we drove back to Chicago. We tried again to make it as comfortable for Stein as we could but he didn't do well. We decided he wouldn't go on road trips with us anymore. As we drove, we captured a nice sunset as we entered Indiana.
https://youtu.be/fquqroeVEpk
December In Chicago, Hunting
12.01.2021
https://youtu.be/jKfVML1J_HE
https://youtu.be/eF7sZF4zKwY
https://youtu.be/fquqroeVEpk
December In Chicago, Hunting
12.01.2021
https://youtu.be/jKfVML1J_HE
https://youtu.be/eF7sZF4zKwY
https://youtu.be/IHmrRROgofc
On Wednesday December 1st, 2021 after my first day back to work, I went to Subterranean for a Holiday show featuring Grave Robber and First Jason with Cannibal Apocalypse opening. The show was also a toy drive. Leper was also meant to be on the bill but they were unable to make it on time. The show was surprisingly in the upper, larger room. The Castros were still in town and, since they were now staying at J.P.U.S.A. temporarily, they rode out with Leper to the show. So another evening of bonus hangs! It was cool catching up with Shawn and Andy from Grave Robber as it had been some years since I had seen either of them. It was my first time seeing First Jason and that was interesting. I captured "Gramma Got Half Eaten By A Zombie" from Grave Robber's set. I used my Canon Rebel T6s with the Audio-Technica AT-8024 microphone for both video and photos.
Since posting the videos in December 2021, and after I began to write this blog, I was given a Copyright Takedown Notice on YouTube regarding the Cannibal Apocalypse video. After trying to seek a resolution that would allow it to remain on YouTube it became clear that having the video removed meant more to the person who filed the complaint than it meant for me to keep it online. I complied and removed it. It seems some unfortunate events left a damaged relationship with a former member of the band who claims to have some sort of writing copyright credit with that song and a few others and so this person will do all that they can to have any such content that involves his work be removed.
On Wednesday December 1st, 2021 after my first day back to work, I went to Subterranean for a Holiday show featuring Grave Robber and First Jason with Cannibal Apocalypse opening. The show was also a toy drive. Leper was also meant to be on the bill but they were unable to make it on time. The show was surprisingly in the upper, larger room. The Castros were still in town and, since they were now staying at J.P.U.S.A. temporarily, they rode out with Leper to the show. So another evening of bonus hangs! It was cool catching up with Shawn and Andy from Grave Robber as it had been some years since I had seen either of them. It was my first time seeing First Jason and that was interesting. I captured "Gramma Got Half Eaten By A Zombie" from Grave Robber's set. I used my Canon Rebel T6s with the Audio-Technica AT-8024 microphone for both video and photos.
Since posting the videos in December 2021, and after I began to write this blog, I was given a Copyright Takedown Notice on YouTube regarding the Cannibal Apocalypse video. After trying to seek a resolution that would allow it to remain on YouTube it became clear that having the video removed meant more to the person who filed the complaint than it meant for me to keep it online. I complied and removed it. It seems some unfortunate events left a damaged relationship with a former member of the band who claims to have some sort of writing copyright credit with that song and a few others and so this person will do all that they can to have any such content that involves his work be removed.
12.02.2021
On Thursday December 2nd, 2021, there was a holiday party at Cornerstone Community Outreach where I work. I captured a quick clip of this.
12.09.2021
12.09.2021
On Thursday December 9th, 2021, while on my commute to work, I was delayed slightly by the car in front of my suddenly stopping on Damen. They stopped to take a picture of a fence on a property that likely had been hit by a car. There was another fence not far up the road that suffered the same fate. This one gets hit a lot as it is at an intersection. The problem for the vehicles that are going through these fences is that the surround lower ground and the cars usually end up in a hole.
12.10.2021
On Friday December 10th, 2021, I took half the day off of work and drove back to Pennsylvania to hunt on the last day of the rifle season. Unfortunately the weather wasn't looking good. During the drive, I encountered some dense fog at the Indiana/Ohio state line. It had appeared someone drove through the bar at the toll booth and broke it as well. In Ohio, I passed a proudly anti-vax trucker who displayed it on the back of his truck. In Pennsylvania, I kept some footage of Christmas lights as I made my way to and into Warren. I included the red light sign wishing "Merry Christmas Happy New Year" in Warren.
12.11.2021
On Saturday December 11th, 2021, I hunted alone again. My father took his mom to Florida. I got into the woods well before daylight and set up where the deer I saw the first couple of days seemed to be going. I believe I should have had a chance that day. Fairly early, I was looking at something that caught my attention up on the hillside when two deer came toward my from that hillside but were below where I was looking. I tried to in position to shoot and hoped the deer would move a certain way. Unfortunately they noticed me and quickly ran off before I could take the shot. In hindsight I had a pretty good opportunity there and I wish I would have taken the shot. Not long after this I saw deer moving on the opposite side of me but couldn't see them well enough to feel comfortable with the shot. It rained fairly heavy at times throughout the day and got very windy. Trees were falling and branches. One came down and went right into the ground near and stayed sticking straight up. As the wind picked up I decided to start walking around. I hoped the wind might cover my noise and scent. I found sign of a buck near where I had been hunting. This was a fresh rub that wasn't there before when I was hunting. I saw a few more deer toward the end of the night while I was soaked from the rain. They ran off in front of me staying far enough out that I couldn't get a shot. It seemed my hunting season in 2021 was not a success.
12.12.2021
I left Warren on Sunday December 12th, 2021 to head back to Chicago. Unfortunately, I hit some traffic from the Browns game that had ended. As I slowly maneuvered through the traffic, I captured the sunset. At a rest stop still in Ohio, there was a cat wandering around. After getting into the Chicago area, I stopped to run the car through a car wash.
12.15.2021
On Wednesday December 15th, 2021, I decided after work to go to the Christkindl Market in Wrigleyville. It was very warm and again windy. They decided that they would be shutting it down early. Apparently the same decision was made at the Lincoln Park Zoo regarding zoo lights. I went there looking for Christmas Soda and Schokokusse - marshmallows on wafers covered in chocolate. I also hoped to get some poutine. Neither the Sweet Shop nor the Dmen booth were there for me to achieve either goal. Afterwards, I drove through Wrigleyville capturing the decorated bars with the CrossTour CR-900. I then drove through downtown on Michigan Avenue capturing the lights through there and at Millennium Park. I also captured some lights in Brighton Park.
12.16.2021
12.11.2021
On Saturday December 11th, 2021, I hunted alone again. My father took his mom to Florida. I got into the woods well before daylight and set up where the deer I saw the first couple of days seemed to be going. I believe I should have had a chance that day. Fairly early, I was looking at something that caught my attention up on the hillside when two deer came toward my from that hillside but were below where I was looking. I tried to in position to shoot and hoped the deer would move a certain way. Unfortunately they noticed me and quickly ran off before I could take the shot. In hindsight I had a pretty good opportunity there and I wish I would have taken the shot. Not long after this I saw deer moving on the opposite side of me but couldn't see them well enough to feel comfortable with the shot. It rained fairly heavy at times throughout the day and got very windy. Trees were falling and branches. One came down and went right into the ground near and stayed sticking straight up. As the wind picked up I decided to start walking around. I hoped the wind might cover my noise and scent. I found sign of a buck near where I had been hunting. This was a fresh rub that wasn't there before when I was hunting. I saw a few more deer toward the end of the night while I was soaked from the rain. They ran off in front of me staying far enough out that I couldn't get a shot. It seemed my hunting season in 2021 was not a success.
12.12.2021
I left Warren on Sunday December 12th, 2021 to head back to Chicago. Unfortunately, I hit some traffic from the Browns game that had ended. As I slowly maneuvered through the traffic, I captured the sunset. At a rest stop still in Ohio, there was a cat wandering around. After getting into the Chicago area, I stopped to run the car through a car wash.
12.15.2021
On Wednesday December 15th, 2021, I decided after work to go to the Christkindl Market in Wrigleyville. It was very warm and again windy. They decided that they would be shutting it down early. Apparently the same decision was made at the Lincoln Park Zoo regarding zoo lights. I went there looking for Christmas Soda and Schokokusse - marshmallows on wafers covered in chocolate. I also hoped to get some poutine. Neither the Sweet Shop nor the Dmen booth were there for me to achieve either goal. Afterwards, I drove through Wrigleyville capturing the decorated bars with the CrossTour CR-900. I then drove through downtown on Michigan Avenue capturing the lights through there and at Millennium Park. I also captured some lights in Brighton Park.
12.16.2021
I had to make a quick run to the Post Office in Uptown during work on Thursday December 16th, 2021. As I walked I saw a memorial posted for a homeless man named Paul who had frequently been on the Uptown streets. Apparently he had been hit by a car and killed...though I am now seeing he may have actually survived.
12.17.2021
On Friday December 17th, 2021, I went downtown during my lunch break to go to the Christkindl Market at Daley Plaza. I had confirmed that the Sweet Shop was there. I was able to purchase a couple boxes of Schokokusse and a couple cases of Christmas Soda. After work, I captured some of the city lights on my way home before departing for the south for Christmas with Elphie's family.
https://youtu.be/0wMM3qjut0s
Southern Christmas
12.17.2021
12.17.2021
On Friday December 17th, 2021, I went downtown during my lunch break to go to the Christkindl Market at Daley Plaza. I had confirmed that the Sweet Shop was there. I was able to purchase a couple boxes of Schokokusse and a couple cases of Christmas Soda. After work, I captured some of the city lights on my way home before departing for the south for Christmas with Elphie's family.
https://youtu.be/0wMM3qjut0s
Southern Christmas
12.17.2021
We headed south in the evening. It was very rainy the entire time we drove. As we left the Chicago area in Indiana we encountered a vehicle which had been involved in some sort of accident and left cones scattered all over the highway that it had apparently been transporting. We passed the windmills and through Indianapolis where I captured the Children's Hospital all light up for Christmas. As we left the Indianapolis area, we encountered a car that appeared to slip off the road. We arrived in the Cincinnati area around 1am. I captured the lights coming into the neighborhood where the Sheehy's live. As is usual, Donna was still up and active so we hung out for a while before getting some sleep.
12.18.2021
12.18.2021
On Saturday December 18th, 2021, we hung out with Lisa. The Sheehy's had a family Christmas gathering but it was closed to folks outside the family due to COVID-19 concerns. We ended up going to Uptown to get dinner at Island Frydays and drinks at The 86. Unfortunately, the Humans weren't available to connect with but it was my first chance to go into the new building since The 86 moved from the location they were in when I was involved. I tried some of the dark roast while there and it was quite good! We made a trip to Meijer later to get some Christmas stuff for Elphie's family. I was going to try to return a jug of oil but the service desk had closed. After calling it a night, I captured Christmas lights leaving Lisa's neighborhood and entering the Sheehy's once again. We chatted a bit with the Sheehy's before getting rested for the next leg of our drive.
12.19.2021
Before leaving on Sunday morning December 19th, 2021, I decided I had to capture the "Anti-Monkey Butt" canister and the shower curtain prominently featuring Bob Beeman at the Sheehy's house. As usual during the drive, I captured the "Y'all" in Florence as we left the Cincinnati area. As we crossed into Tennessee, we stopped at the rest area for a bit, using the restroom. There was no Santa this year to see as there has been in year's past. There were quite a few decorations throughout though. Elphie got re-acquainted with her favorite snowman decoration! I decided to capture the Stinking Creek Road sign and the remnants of an abandoned amusement park then the large cross as we drove further into Tennessee using the CrossTour CR-900. We decided to stop at a Bojangles somewhere in Tennessee for lunch. After crossing into North Carolina, we entered the first of the two tunnels very slowly. It turned out there was construction on the other side so traffic was being made to exit then re-enter the highway and therefore we encountered a backup and slow traffic. Due to this I guess, people decided to honk their horns all through the tunnel! I decided to keep the entirety of this and do it in split screen from both the front and back cameras. The second tunnel I sped the footage up and left it as just the one screen. As we continued, I decided to keep the footage of the full moon coming out of the clouds. We decided to pull off near Tryon to see the light display at the Equestrian Center. We decided not to drive through it this time but we drove by it and I pulled off down the road a bit where we could overlook it and shot footage from there. We arrived at our destination in Gastonia, NC around 9pm. This time around, we were staying in an AirBnB.
12.20.2021
On Monday December 20th, 2021, we found out that Elphie's brother-in-law had COVID-19 and likely that meant their entire household had it. I guess it worked out that we stayed in an AirBnB rather than our usual stay at their house! We had plans to take Elphie's nephews to a movie. We ended up taking the one not in that household and one of his friends. While we figured things out, we saw a crew paint a fire hydrant. After the movie, we stopped in a thrift shop then got dinner at Dynasty Buffet, A Chinese buffet. After we took the kids home, we drove to the Hot Spot in South Carolina for the cheaper gas.
12.21.2021
On Tuesday December 21st, 2021, we visited with Elphie's mom and had our Christmas gift exchange. Afterwards, we went to R.O.'s BBQ for dinner then drove through the McAdenville Christmas light display. It took us about two hours to make our way through it...most of that time was waiting to get to the beginning of the display. It was fun anyway...the majority of the additional soundtrack was added in there.
12.22.2021
12.19.2021
Before leaving on Sunday morning December 19th, 2021, I decided I had to capture the "Anti-Monkey Butt" canister and the shower curtain prominently featuring Bob Beeman at the Sheehy's house. As usual during the drive, I captured the "Y'all" in Florence as we left the Cincinnati area. As we crossed into Tennessee, we stopped at the rest area for a bit, using the restroom. There was no Santa this year to see as there has been in year's past. There were quite a few decorations throughout though. Elphie got re-acquainted with her favorite snowman decoration! I decided to capture the Stinking Creek Road sign and the remnants of an abandoned amusement park then the large cross as we drove further into Tennessee using the CrossTour CR-900. We decided to stop at a Bojangles somewhere in Tennessee for lunch. After crossing into North Carolina, we entered the first of the two tunnels very slowly. It turned out there was construction on the other side so traffic was being made to exit then re-enter the highway and therefore we encountered a backup and slow traffic. Due to this I guess, people decided to honk their horns all through the tunnel! I decided to keep the entirety of this and do it in split screen from both the front and back cameras. The second tunnel I sped the footage up and left it as just the one screen. As we continued, I decided to keep the footage of the full moon coming out of the clouds. We decided to pull off near Tryon to see the light display at the Equestrian Center. We decided not to drive through it this time but we drove by it and I pulled off down the road a bit where we could overlook it and shot footage from there. We arrived at our destination in Gastonia, NC around 9pm. This time around, we were staying in an AirBnB.
12.20.2021
On Monday December 20th, 2021, we found out that Elphie's brother-in-law had COVID-19 and likely that meant their entire household had it. I guess it worked out that we stayed in an AirBnB rather than our usual stay at their house! We had plans to take Elphie's nephews to a movie. We ended up taking the one not in that household and one of his friends. While we figured things out, we saw a crew paint a fire hydrant. After the movie, we stopped in a thrift shop then got dinner at Dynasty Buffet, A Chinese buffet. After we took the kids home, we drove to the Hot Spot in South Carolina for the cheaper gas.
12.21.2021
On Tuesday December 21st, 2021, we visited with Elphie's mom and had our Christmas gift exchange. Afterwards, we went to R.O.'s BBQ for dinner then drove through the McAdenville Christmas light display. It took us about two hours to make our way through it...most of that time was waiting to get to the beginning of the display. It was fun anyway...the majority of the additional soundtrack was added in there.
12.22.2021
On Wednesday December 22nd, 2021, we stopped by Krispy Kreme to get some donuts for the quarantined household. We also had dinner with Elphie's cousin at their house which was decorated nicely for Christmas.
12.23.2021
The plan for Thursday December 23rd, 2021 was to take all the nieces and nephews to Tony's Ice Cream and Kate's Skating Rink. Unfortunately the quarantined household was deemed infected with COVID-19 that morning as verified by tests so we took the remaining niece and nephews. I was happy about the option to rent roller blades so that what I used. It has been some years since I skated and while I was able to catch on ok, I wasn't as steady as I used to be. Elphie's niece pushed me to make me go faster and down I went! Afterwards, we got some food at Waffle House as it was about the only option open for indoor dining at the time.
12.24.2021
12.23.2021
The plan for Thursday December 23rd, 2021 was to take all the nieces and nephews to Tony's Ice Cream and Kate's Skating Rink. Unfortunately the quarantined household was deemed infected with COVID-19 that morning as verified by tests so we took the remaining niece and nephews. I was happy about the option to rent roller blades so that what I used. It has been some years since I skated and while I was able to catch on ok, I wasn't as steady as I used to be. Elphie's niece pushed me to make me go faster and down I went! Afterwards, we got some food at Waffle House as it was about the only option open for indoor dining at the time.
12.24.2021
Friday December 24th, 2021 was Christmas Eve. Usually it is spent at Elphie's sister's house but the COVID-19 quarantine meant that plans had to change. Elphie's brother invited us over for a steak dinner and we did some gift exchanging there. I gave Elphie her bobble-head Jesus she wanted though first I gave her a Buddy Christ instead as a joke. I got some pajama pants with the Golden Girls on them.
12.25.2021
We got up before sunrise on Christmas Day - Saturday, December 25th, 2021 to get back over to Elphie's brother's house for the kids to open their presents. Usually Elphie sleeps on the couch by the tree at her sister's house on Christmas morning so she's able to wake up for the festivities and I stay in the bedroom and sleep. I had to get up and drive us due to staying at the AirBnB. I was able to take a little bit of a nap on the couch, at least. We had Christmas outside on the porch at Elphie's sisters house due to COVID-19. Later, we went back over to Elphie's mom's for dinner and to hang out for Christmas. We made plans to go to church with her the next day.
12.26.2021
On Sunday December 26th, 2021, we went to church at Crowder's Mountain Baptist with Elphie's mom as we planned. Elphie's grandma goes there too and she hadn't seen her in several years so it was nice for them to catch up. I captured a clip of the morning worship. We went back to our AirBnB to rest a bit and met our host for the first time. He was a very nice guy and I think his space would be great for anyone looking to use it. Later in the afternoon, we visited with Elphie's friend Rich for a while. Along the way we went to Blackwoods in King's Mountain to try to get a Cherry Lemon Sundrop but it wasn't open. We decided to get dinner at the Sake Express. I figured I'd order off the sushi menu but it wasn't available. I decided to go to Taco Bell instead.
12.27.2021
We headed back north on Monday December 27th, 2021. On our way out of town, we stopped for R. O.'s BBQ. We also tried Blackwoods again but again, it wasn't open. We made our drive to Cincinnati without issue and arrive in the evening. We made a stop at Meijer so I could load up on Ale 8-One before settling in at the Sheehy's for the night. As usual, we sat and talked with the Sheehy's for a bit before going to bed. We informed them of our COVID-19 exposure. I also informed work and took the rest of the week off as a precaution.
12.28.2021
12.25.2021
We got up before sunrise on Christmas Day - Saturday, December 25th, 2021 to get back over to Elphie's brother's house for the kids to open their presents. Usually Elphie sleeps on the couch by the tree at her sister's house on Christmas morning so she's able to wake up for the festivities and I stay in the bedroom and sleep. I had to get up and drive us due to staying at the AirBnB. I was able to take a little bit of a nap on the couch, at least. We had Christmas outside on the porch at Elphie's sisters house due to COVID-19. Later, we went back over to Elphie's mom's for dinner and to hang out for Christmas. We made plans to go to church with her the next day.
12.26.2021
On Sunday December 26th, 2021, we went to church at Crowder's Mountain Baptist with Elphie's mom as we planned. Elphie's grandma goes there too and she hadn't seen her in several years so it was nice for them to catch up. I captured a clip of the morning worship. We went back to our AirBnB to rest a bit and met our host for the first time. He was a very nice guy and I think his space would be great for anyone looking to use it. Later in the afternoon, we visited with Elphie's friend Rich for a while. Along the way we went to Blackwoods in King's Mountain to try to get a Cherry Lemon Sundrop but it wasn't open. We decided to get dinner at the Sake Express. I figured I'd order off the sushi menu but it wasn't available. I decided to go to Taco Bell instead.
12.27.2021
We headed back north on Monday December 27th, 2021. On our way out of town, we stopped for R. O.'s BBQ. We also tried Blackwoods again but again, it wasn't open. We made our drive to Cincinnati without issue and arrive in the evening. We made a stop at Meijer so I could load up on Ale 8-One before settling in at the Sheehy's for the night. As usual, we sat and talked with the Sheehy's for a bit before going to bed. We informed them of our COVID-19 exposure. I also informed work and took the rest of the week off as a precaution.
12.28.2021
We drove from Cincinnati to Chicago. We had to take a detour part of the way because of significant delays showing on the GPS. We stopped at Meijer again for groceries.
https://youtu.be/GoPUtroEqJo
New Year's And Hunting
12.29.2021
I decided if I had to quarantine due to exposure, I was going back to Pennsylvania to try to hunt deer during the late archery season. As I left Chicago on Wednesday December 29th, 2021, I saw a building burning from the highway. Near Cleveland, there were some icy conditions which seemed to result in one driver hitting the median. I made it to Warren and stopped at Wal*Mart to get an archery tag so I could hunt in the morning.
12.30.2021
On Thursday December 30th, 2021, I decided to set up where I had the deer come in close to me. I also found that I was permitted to hunt squirrel during this time and I did take a shot at one. I missed low and got the bolt stuck in the tree. I was able to break off the fiberglass part but the tip was embedded in the tree. I had some deer move in later in the afternoon and once again they got pretty close to me, however I could not get positioned to take a show.
12.31.2021
On Friday December 31st, 2021, I set up in the same spot. I didn't really see much of anything until the end of the day when it began to get too dark. The deer didn't come all that close either. That evening I hung out at my parents house. Their cat Charlie was playing with its ramp toy so I decided to capture that. I went to bed before midnight eastern but decided to Facetime Elphie since she stayed back in Chicago so we could spend the New Year's moment together.
01.01.2022
I went back out to hunt one last time (I figured) on New Year's Day - Saturday January 1st, 2022. It was expected to be a rainy day so I set up up the hill under a Hemlock as I did on December 11th, 2021. It was a different spot though. I hadn't tried it really throughout the season and figured I'd try something new. I saw a couple turkeys walk through downhill from me. I hadn't seen any turkeys in some years though it is evident that they are around. Later in the day I tried walking around through the brushy areas to try to see if anything would move and to perhaps get some ideas of other areas to try in the future. I got soaked through. I had to end up drying my clothes after getting home because they were so wet.
01.02.2022
After watching the Pittsburgh Penguins game, their first in a couple of weeks due to a COVID-19 pause, I drove back to Chicago empty handed. I figured my hunting season was over. During the drive, as I got closer to Chicago, the roads in Northwestern Indiana seemed to be pretty slick. I saw a number of vehicles, including transfer trucks off the road or spun out. I made it through without any real difficulty but keep alert to the conditions and the other drivers.
Our Holiday season was a somewhat back to normal but not entirely. COVID-19 had its impact again and we adjusted accordingly. It was a good season though which allowed for a couple nice breaks from work and our regular life.
Additional soundtrack includes "Thanksgiving?" by Beast, "Give Thanks" by Black Violin, "We 3 Kings" by Leper, 1914 (Shadows Of Christmas)" by Bridge Shadows, "O Come O Come Emmanuel" by Shiro, "Walking In The Air" by Sound Of Ceres, "Winter Winds" by L'Ampersand, "Joy" by The Blamed, "Snoopy's Christmas" by 2Minute Minor, "Wiley Clause Jam" by The Uh Ohs, "Silent Night" by Knotts, "Gloria (An Echoing Refrain And Reply)" by Jackrabbit, "Gloria" by Josh Garrels, "Gabriel's Message" by Jars of Clay, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Kevin Max, "What Child Is This" by Insomniac Folklore, "Last Christmas" by The Dollyrots, "Mele Kalikimaka" by One Eighty, "Winter Wonderland" by Citizen Shade, "Go Tell It On The Mountain" by The Blind Boys Of Alabama, "Litany For Christmas" by Jess Strantz, "In The Bleak Midwinter" by Il Neige, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Andrew Belle, "O Come O Come Emmanuel" by Rhett Walker Band, "Christmas All Summer Long" by Deer Tick, "It's Always Christmas At My House" by Huntingtons, "Bubblegum Christmas" by The Prettybads, "Christmas" by Dead Artist Syndrome, "A Solis Ortus Cardine" by O Savage Spirit, and "Auld Lang Syne" by Why?
Filmed using a Canon Rebel T6s with an Audio Technica AT8024 microphone, iPhone 6 and 8, and CrossTour CR-900 by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Titles, maps, and other animations created using Motion 4 on a Macbook by Joel A. Swanson. Edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson.
https://youtu.be/GoPUtroEqJo
New Year's And Hunting
12.29.2021
I decided if I had to quarantine due to exposure, I was going back to Pennsylvania to try to hunt deer during the late archery season. As I left Chicago on Wednesday December 29th, 2021, I saw a building burning from the highway. Near Cleveland, there were some icy conditions which seemed to result in one driver hitting the median. I made it to Warren and stopped at Wal*Mart to get an archery tag so I could hunt in the morning.
12.30.2021
On Thursday December 30th, 2021, I decided to set up where I had the deer come in close to me. I also found that I was permitted to hunt squirrel during this time and I did take a shot at one. I missed low and got the bolt stuck in the tree. I was able to break off the fiberglass part but the tip was embedded in the tree. I had some deer move in later in the afternoon and once again they got pretty close to me, however I could not get positioned to take a show.
12.31.2021
On Friday December 31st, 2021, I set up in the same spot. I didn't really see much of anything until the end of the day when it began to get too dark. The deer didn't come all that close either. That evening I hung out at my parents house. Their cat Charlie was playing with its ramp toy so I decided to capture that. I went to bed before midnight eastern but decided to Facetime Elphie since she stayed back in Chicago so we could spend the New Year's moment together.
01.01.2022
I went back out to hunt one last time (I figured) on New Year's Day - Saturday January 1st, 2022. It was expected to be a rainy day so I set up up the hill under a Hemlock as I did on December 11th, 2021. It was a different spot though. I hadn't tried it really throughout the season and figured I'd try something new. I saw a couple turkeys walk through downhill from me. I hadn't seen any turkeys in some years though it is evident that they are around. Later in the day I tried walking around through the brushy areas to try to see if anything would move and to perhaps get some ideas of other areas to try in the future. I got soaked through. I had to end up drying my clothes after getting home because they were so wet.
01.02.2022
After watching the Pittsburgh Penguins game, their first in a couple of weeks due to a COVID-19 pause, I drove back to Chicago empty handed. I figured my hunting season was over. During the drive, as I got closer to Chicago, the roads in Northwestern Indiana seemed to be pretty slick. I saw a number of vehicles, including transfer trucks off the road or spun out. I made it through without any real difficulty but keep alert to the conditions and the other drivers.
Our Holiday season was a somewhat back to normal but not entirely. COVID-19 had its impact again and we adjusted accordingly. It was a good season though which allowed for a couple nice breaks from work and our regular life.
Additional soundtrack includes "Thanksgiving?" by Beast, "Give Thanks" by Black Violin, "We 3 Kings" by Leper, 1914 (Shadows Of Christmas)" by Bridge Shadows, "O Come O Come Emmanuel" by Shiro, "Walking In The Air" by Sound Of Ceres, "Winter Winds" by L'Ampersand, "Joy" by The Blamed, "Snoopy's Christmas" by 2Minute Minor, "Wiley Clause Jam" by The Uh Ohs, "Silent Night" by Knotts, "Gloria (An Echoing Refrain And Reply)" by Jackrabbit, "Gloria" by Josh Garrels, "Gabriel's Message" by Jars of Clay, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" by Kevin Max, "What Child Is This" by Insomniac Folklore, "Last Christmas" by The Dollyrots, "Mele Kalikimaka" by One Eighty, "Winter Wonderland" by Citizen Shade, "Go Tell It On The Mountain" by The Blind Boys Of Alabama, "Litany For Christmas" by Jess Strantz, "In The Bleak Midwinter" by Il Neige, "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" by Andrew Belle, "O Come O Come Emmanuel" by Rhett Walker Band, "Christmas All Summer Long" by Deer Tick, "It's Always Christmas At My House" by Huntingtons, "Bubblegum Christmas" by The Prettybads, "Christmas" by Dead Artist Syndrome, "A Solis Ortus Cardine" by O Savage Spirit, and "Auld Lang Syne" by Why?
Filmed using a Canon Rebel T6s with an Audio Technica AT8024 microphone, iPhone 6 and 8, and CrossTour CR-900 by Elphie and Joel A. Swanson. Titles, maps, and other animations created using Motion 4 on a Macbook by Joel A. Swanson. Edited using Final Cut Pro on a Mac Mini by Joel A. Swanson.
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