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

Us on our last day there Polaroid photos

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 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 more comfortable.

Heading to Heath, Texas

We 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, which I bought 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 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.

Me working using the ottoman as a desk:

Me working remotely using the ottoman as desk

Andrea doing her homework remotely:

Andrea doing her homework remotely

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:

Gambit relaxing outside during his last days Polaroid photos

Lucy in her kennel:

Lucy in her kennel

My mom visiting us with her dog Pebbles:

My mom with pebbles hanging out with us Polaroid photos

My mom chillin’ on the couch:

My mom chillin on the couch

Mike, Andrea, Coral, and Cove visiting us:

Mike, Andrea, Coral, and Cove visiting us

Andrea taking a nap:

Andrea taking a nap Polaroid photos

Our last photo with Gambit right before we had to take him to the vet to put him to sleep due to him having a kidney disease, we shared his story here: Our Miniature Pinscher, Gambit, Was Diagnosed With Fanconi Syndrome

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

The coffee bar and mugs we used every morning:

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:

A beautiful blooming Magnolia flower Polaroid photos

Their swimming pool and deck we enjoyed:

Their swimming pool and deck we enjoyed

A Polaroid selfie of us both shortly before we left:

Polaroid photos selfie of us both shortly before we left


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