Polaroid Photos From Our Shelter In Place Time During COVID-19

Me working remotely using the ottoman as desk
Me working remotely using the ottoman as desk
Andrea doing her homework remotely
Andrea doing her homework remotely

These Polaroid photos document our lives as COVID-19 started breaking out around the US. Dallas County was the first county in Texas to issue a shelter-in-place order on March 22. My wife and I live in a fairly large apartment complex in an area called City Place which is located near downtown Dallas. When we heard about those orders and the spread of the virus we thought it would be best to leave the city if we could.

My brother and his wife went to Oklahoma to stay in a cabin they had been building. They went there to get away and finish the construction of it so it was ready to rent when things got better. Their main house is really nice and located in the countryside of Heath, Texas. They offered their house to us to stay in during the shelter-in-place orders so we could be safer from the virus and be more comfortable.

Heading to Heath, Texas

We really appreciated the offer and took them up on it. We packed up a month’s worth of clothes and stuff and headed out there with our two dogs. I brought my original and still working Polaroid SLR 680, I bought it at an estate sale years ago, and several packs of Polaroid photos. The Polaroid camera was for us to casually document this COVID-19 shelter-in-place experience together.

We arrived there Monday evening on March 24th and ended up staying there for 6 weeks until May 5th. That short time ended up being very eventful for us. Our beloved dog Gambit sadly started getting really sick to the point we had to put him to sleep. I also was laid off due to the impact COVID-19 was having on my company. Fortunately, though, they gave me a three-week notice and that was enough time for me to find another job to start just as my other one ended.

Trying To Stay Busy

We did quite a bit of stuff to keep us busy during the downtime. Things like working on the landscaping, cleaning the house, and watching movies. It was a very interesting and memorable experience that I’m glad I documented with these Polaroid photos.

Gambit and Lucy taking a bath
Gambit and Lucy taking a bath
Gambit relaxing on the couch
Gambit relaxing on the couch
Andrea watching TV with Lucy on her lap
Andrea watching TV with Lucy on her lap
Gambit relaxing outside during his last days Polaroid photos
Gambit relaxing outside during his last days
Lucy in her kennel
Lucy in her kennel
My mom with pebbles hanging out with us Polaroid photos
My mom with pebbles hanging out with us
Mike, Andrea, Coral, and Cove visiting us
Mike, Andrea, Coral, and Cove visiting us
My mom chillin on the couch
My mom chillin on the couch
Andrea taking a nap Polaroid photos
Andrea taking a nap
Our last photo with Gambit
Our last photo with Gambit
Gambit's last photo before we put him to sleep
Gambit’s last photo before we put him to sleep
Our coffee bar and mugs we used everyday
Our coffee bar and mugs we used everyday
The gloves I wore when doing landscape projects
The gloves I wore when doing landscape projects
A beautiful blooming Magnolia flower Polaroid photos
A beautiful blooming Magnolia flower
Their swimming pool and deck we enjoyed
Their swimming pool and deck we enjoyed
Polaroid photos selfie of us both shortly before we left
Polaroid selfie of us both shortly before we left
Us on our last day there Polaroid photos
Us on our last day there


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