September 2020 - Around the World with Marty Essen

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Monthly archives for September, 2020

Sunset on the Zambezi

September 30, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3385: Sunset on the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe.

Trump lost ground bigly

September 30, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Last night’s presidential debate was hard to watch, but from a strategic point of view it was a thing of beauty. Donald Trump had set-up Joe Biden to be a senile old man, just as he had previously set-up Hillary Clinton to be a woman with Parkinson’s Disease. That Biden more than held his own […]

Humpback whale

September 29, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3384: Humpback whale, photographed along the coast of Antarctica.

The coyote would have been better

September 28, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3383: This coyote didn’t pay any federal income taxes for ten years—just like Donald Trump. While both creatures are opportunists, with limited vocabularies, one thing is for sure: the coyote would have been a much better president.

Owl at my window

September 27, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3382: A great horned owl, perched just outside my second floor writing room window.

Making the most of the Trump Pandemic

September 26, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

I feel almost guilty saying it, but Deb and I have adapted quite well to life in the year 2020. While we mourn the massive Trump-induced deaths, racial injustice, out-of-control cops, and the slow murder of our planet, curling up in a corner and whimpering isn’t our style. We’re doing what we can to bring […]

A painful Amazon welcome

September 26, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3381: I had wanted to visit the Amazon Rainforest ever since I was a kid. So when Deb and I traveled there for an adventure to be included in my first book, “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents,” I was excited to head out on my first Amazon […]

Winter deer

September 25, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Iceberg ahead!

September 24, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3379: “Captain! We must turn the ship. There’s an iceberg ahead.” “The iceberg is a hoax.” “No! I see it right there!” “Stay the course.” (Photographed off the coast of Antarctica)

Even Canada . . .

September 23, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3379: Deb and I had talked about going to Bonaire this fall, but Donald Trump decided that 200,000 COVID-19 deaths were a small price to pay if he could fool enough people into thinking things were fine and reelecting him. As an alternative, my wife and I also thought of […]

Muskrat

September 22, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3378: Muskrat, photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.

The barred owl

September 21, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3377: Several years ago, I was on a college speaking tour in New York. One of my weekend “filler” engagements was at the Tanglewood Nature Center in Elmira. After my show, I got to hold this gorgeous barred owl.

Howler monkey stare down

September 20, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3376: Howler monkey, photographed in Costa Rica.

Dealing with GOP bullies

September 19, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

People write me whenever newspapers publish my guest columns. Sometimes I get hate mail; other times I get thank you notes. When my most recent column ran (in six newspapers so far), I received a note from a man with a PhD who claimed to be a liberal. He said that he usually enjoyed my […]

Rainforest night hikes

September 19, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3375: Whether Deb and I are in the Amazon Rainforest or the rainforests of Australia, Central America, or Asia, we always head out on night hikes. The first time we did that, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but after that such hikes became travel highlights. After all, at night […]

Z wall of zebras

September 18, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3374: Z wall of zebras. Photographed in Zimbabwe.

I miss live music

September 17, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3373: I miss live music! This is Grace Potter, photographed at the Wilma in Missoula a few years ago. The next concert I plan to attend is Nightwish at the Wiltern in Los Angeles at the beginning of October 2021. Will October 2021 be too soon? I guess it depends […]

Three our of four ain’t bad

September 16, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3372: Soon fall will be here; then a new president; then the end of the COVID-19 pandemic; then the Minnesota Vikings will finally win the Super Bowl. . . . Okay, maybe not that last one.

The intrepid wife

September 15, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3371: Book reviewers frequently call Deb my “intrepid wife.” This photo from Belize captures that thought.

Arctic scenic

September 13, 2020 Written by Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #3369: For this photo, I am standing on a hill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, looking south toward the Brooks Range and the Jago River. Thirty-five miles to the north is the Arctic Ocean, and a day after taking this photo, Deb and I would begin a canoe trip […]