Are there words that can describe 2020? Plenty of negative ones come to mind, like “Why can’t you wear a mask?” But I am staying positive and sharing images of hope and healing—and planting more trees.

The presidential election is over. Vaccines to treat the virus are on the way. There’s a vaccine for racism—the Black Lives Matter movement. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline has been abandoned. Virginia passed the most sweeping environmental laws in its history.

In this post, I list some memorable quotes, share some photos, and reflect on this most unusual year.

Quotes of the Year

“If you have been to Wuhan, China, report immediately to your health care professional.”—Monitors at the Houston International Airport on our arrival from Trinidad, January 19

“Not guilty.”—US Senate, on President Donald J. Trump’s impeachment articles, February 5

“The trail is not land.”—US Forest Service lawyer before the Supreme Court of the United States in the US Forest Service v. Cowpasture River case, February 24

“People don’t make that distinction in real life.” —Justice Elena Kagan, responding to the above statement, February 24

I’m old enough to remember when Ruby Bridges, a 6-year-old Black girl, was escorted by US marshals to an all-White school during America’s desegregation in 1960. Pictured below is Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first Black woman to be elected to the office, walking with Bridges’s shadow. Thank you, Bria Goeller for this brilliant image.

En Pointe in Black Tutus

Richmond, Virginia, was the capital of the Confederate States of America and hosts Monument Avenue, where five statues of Confederate heroes once stood. Four were removed in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. His murder reignited the Black Lives Matter movement that seeks to remove symbols of hate and racism. One Confederate statue remains, that of Robert E. Lee. Its removal is in legal question. Two 14-year-old ballerinas, Kennedy George and Ava Holloway, made history at the statue on June 5 as the world watched the American reaction to Floyd’s murder and the fate of symbols of hate.

My COVID-19 Pandemic Picture Pick

My father turned 96 this year. His assisted living facility has been in lockdown several times because of the coronavirus pandemic. My brother, Charlie, arranged for the Virginia Tech Hokie bird to visit outside Dad’s window and took this picture. My father served our country during World War II. After the war, he returned to Virginia Tech to finish his degree. He was a cheerleader in 1950 when the school was all-male and all-military.

The Appalachian Trail May Not Be Land But the Atlantic Coast Pipeline Is Dead

We lost the US Forest Service v. Cowpasture River  argument in the Supreme Court of the United States because, according to the court and Dominion Energy, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail “is not land.”

We lost that argument, but on July 5 Dominion Energy abandoned the Atlantic Coast Pipeline. They still lacked eight permits and, claiming “unforeseen legal challenges,” the bullying, billion-dollar, corporate giant gave up. Our long-awaited miracle had arrived.

Pictures of Healing

This year was a big year for us in farming. We are involved with three farms in Virginia. One along the Middle River, another we call the Swoope Cattle Company Northern Division, and the one we bought in Churchville. We left Hoffman Farms last year in September, moved our herd to the Northern Division farm, and waited for the right farm to buy. A miracle appeared—the former Galen Back farm in Churchville was for sale just 9 miles north of our home.

The new farm in Churchville is along Whiskey Creek, a tributary of the Middle River. Jeanne liked the barns, I liked the soils—it has two of the Shenandoah Valley’s best soils, Bookwood and Shenval. Find your soil here.

These are our heifers enjoying the pastures on our farm along the Middle River and getting a kiss from the Princess of Swoope.

Pictures of Fun

In January we had no idea that our trip to the Caribbean would be our last travel adventure for the year.  I had never heard of COVID-19. We flew to the British Virgin Islands, chartered a 44-foot catamaran sailboat, and circumnavigated the island of Tortola in seven days, logging 126 nautical miles. Crew: Jeanne, Bill and Gaye Reid, Margot Taylor, Jane Hruska, Philmore Francis, me.

Trinidad, Port of Spain

After our sailing adventure, we flew to Trinidad. One of the most spectacular birding experiences I have ever had is seeing a roosting site for the Scarlet Ibis in the Caroni Swamp of Trinidad. At dusk, thousands of these birds come to roost for the night.

“If you save your own backyard, then you start to save the world,” wrote the late Winston Nanon, the man who saved the Caroni Swamp and the bird that became the national bird of Trinidad—the Scarlet Ibis.

Tobago

Our last place to visit was the island of Tobago. Here, we hired a guide to take us to the uninhabited island of Little Tobago. We hiked to the top of the mountain to see the nesting site of the Red-Billed Tropicbird.

When the pandemic is over we will visit family and one day return to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

We flew back to the United States from Trinidad to the international airport in Houston, Texas, on January 19. As we walked through security, the messages on the monitors overhead read, “If you have been to Wuhan, China, report immediately to your health care professional.” Little did we know how serious that message was.

Hope For Us All

In 2021 the pandemic will be over, and Joe Biden will become the president of the United States. Let’s hope that unity can be restored and the flames of racism extinguished, that people get back to work, and that we can once again enjoy the company of our family and friends.

Many thanks to the nurses, doctors, and hospital workers on the front line of the war on the pandemic. Thanks also to the election officials and poll workers who kept our election free from fraud and abuse.

Happy New Year and may it bring you good health, prosperity, and a more sustainable environment.