How I spent the summer of 2020

Usually schoolchildren write an essay on the topic “How I spent the summer” in September, but I wanted to remember the last season on the eve of spring. Probably because we are all waiting for this wonderful period of time. We dream, plan, save money for upcoming trips and entertainment.

The summer season in the middle zone of our vast Motherland lasts about 5 months. It really happens differently. May and September can be very warm or very cool. Therefore, we enjoy every day with good, warm weather. Summer, like 2020 itself, presented everyone with a bunch of surprises. For many, all their plans were disrupted and they had to quickly adapt to new conditions on the fly.

How to spend time in the summer without going far

I’ll start my memories with the only sad moment when the coronavirus canceled our cruise in May. Everything would be fine, but I planned to celebrate my anniversary on this voyage. A nice company gathered, luxury cabins were bought, but alas! Our sea cruise to the Greek islands from Venice, like many others, was cancelled. It’s a shame, annoying, but okay.

Knowing full well that it was unlikely to be possible to travel abroad, we decided to make full use of the beauty of our native land. And at the first opportunity we went on a river boat for a walk along the Volga, Samara-Shiryaevo. If you haven’t read it, here’s a reason for you.

A little later we decided to meet with the team of our InCruises club in Togliatti on the banks of the Volga. I also wrote about this meeting earlier. We had a great time, swam, danced, took part in competitions and of course a delicious lunch. We had a great time just 100 kilometers from Samara.

Nearest bodies of water near Samara

Perhaps, we have never gone on vacation in nature as much as in the summer of 2020. As a rule, there are four of us, all in the same composition as on the last cruise around the Indian Ocean islands. Me, Svetlana, Gennady and Ekaterina.

We chose several lakes not far from Samara and regularly went there to sunbathe, swim and even catch crayfish.

Almost no trip was complete without crayfish.

Gena is a big fan of this business, however, he is also an avid fisherman.

Gennady’s car

Gena’s car is perfectly suited for driving on dirt roads, the seating position is high. And in general, this is a whole house on wheels. Over the years of operation, the owner has poured his soul into the improvement of his car. You can find anything in it, from fishing gear to luxury audio equipment.

Our beloved dog «Max» always with us!

The only exceptions were a boat trip and a trip to Tolyatti.

And he is always ready for nature.

Hunter!

And how he loves to swim… It’s inherited from him.

«Duckling» his hunting specialty. When hunting, he must get wounded animals from water bodies.

So swimming is in his blood.

We couldn’t do without delicious kebabs, summer vegetable salads, fruits and berries. In nature, the smell of a fire, fresh air and good mood significantly enhances taste and appetite.

And in the evening there were crayfish. Many thanks to Gene for capturing them!

I also had a lot of time to hone my photography and video shooting skills. This is my old hobby. There are wonderful landscapes of lakes and forests all around. I had great pleasure walking and photographing the nature around me.