Niagara Falls, New York during the Pandemic

 It seems that people are still out and about, but NOT at the Falls!

We were there today and saw the least amount of visitors to the internationally-famous Niagara Falls during the daytime hours! As you can see in this image, at the far left are the walkways in the Niagara Falls State Park. This is Prospect Point of the park, and before the pandemic, this would be packed with wall-to-wall people. Well, the fireworks has been canceled due to the huge crowds that gather and wait for hours to see the free fireworks. The night illumination lights are still lighting up the waterfalls each night, so you can see the colorful designs each night. 

If you do come to the Falls, please wear a mask and practice social practicing!

Just Another Upper Niagara River Sunset

Yup, it's just yet another sunset. We are used to this color of gold....  

I am just so lucky to always be in some fabulous locations with awesome clouds and sunsets!

Back out in the Public Again

It felt so strange, to be pulling up to a restaurant and going INSIDE to dine!! 

We went to a local Longhorn restaurant yesterday. The parking lot was filled with reserved parking spots for those getting curb service for their food takeout, but saw many other numbered parking spots, for unknown reasons. It was a big parking lot, only used by Longhorn, so I just circled around and picked a spot that was completely unmarked. We had NO idea if I should call first or just go in, and since I saw some others already park and go in, we did too!

Of course we had our masks on, and the front doors were displaying signs of mandatory facemasks use, but we have been to many other places with similar signs, but while inside the facilities, you would see people with NO masks walking around. What good is having a sign stating wear a facemask or you will be denied entry, then seeing people inside NOT wearing masks with no problem or concern by anyone?

So we were shown to our table, but saw many tables marked not for use, to keep customers' distances apart. 

The floor was very slippery, as if there was a thick coating of either car oil or soap. The man who showed us to our table joked how so many people - as we were - expressed concern or indecision about coming out, and had even asked us if this was our first dining out since the pandemic started. We said it was, and reassured us with "No worries, everyone has been kinda wondering what to do after they walk in!".

The food of course was excellent as always. We always share a single order of their Parmesan Crusted Chicken with a side of the oven-baked sweet potato, and the chicken is so tender and so full of flavor you could cut it with your eyes!

Delicioooous!!

It was great to eat out again, but not a problem with us. We both enjoy cooking, and take turns cooking. Sheila is a fantastic cook, and we both do not eat red meat.

At almost 2 in the afternoon, there were few people in the huge dining area. Most were single older men - whom Sheila and I joked that they were just tired of cooking for themselves for the past few months!

Have you gone out in your area yet to support your local businesses and enjoy a dine-in meal at the same time?

It must be Western New York because

It just snowed so much it was a white-out for a few minutes, then it was ice-pellets for another few minutes, and all this with high breezy winds past 20mph, and now it's sunny! 

Yes, it must be western New York in May, and day 71 of the New York State (NYS) pandemic!!!

Sheila has finished more masks, sending 120 facemasks to a Veterans Hospital in the Bronx last week. She's still thinking of doing more facemasks, though she's taking a break for now.

Sad Sign and Current State of the World

Social distancing works. Wearing masks while outside works. Stopping the spread only works if everyone is responsible enough to recognize the virus threat and take a personal stand to stop the spread with simple means any and everyone can do. 

Anyone who thinks it's funny to cough in public places as a joke, and to get together with friends and act as if nothing is happening on a global-scale, is not only fooling themselves, but is a serious threat to everyone, including their "friends" and themselves. 

Social distancing works ONLY if everyone practices it. If everyone stays disregards that contact distance, then it's not social distancing; it will be ineffective and will just give everyone in those groups a greater threat of infection.

You can laugh all you want, if and after you and your friends get infected. If you are wearing a mask but your partner, spouse or children are not wearing a facemask, what good is that? Is your life or the life of your children or loved ones so insignificant that you do not require them to use a facemask? 

You are outdoors. Perhaps at a store buying food, or in a public park. Somehow and unknowingly, you get infected. You do NOT know you are infected yet. You visit some friends and spend some time together. 

Your friends are now possibly infected. Each one of you and your friends go elsewhere - not knowing each have been exposed and possibly infected - and individually visit some other friends. 

Now each of you have possibly infected others!

How long will this cycle of seeing, visiting others, and possibly infecting still more people, before you actually begin feeling the symptoms and go to a hospital before it's confirmed you are infected, and now have possibly infected a huge group of people, who will continue to meet up with many others, and based on your initial infection, will expose others?

A lot to laugh about. What friend exposes others, strangers, family members, friends, and more with a very deadly virus, and laughs about it because they think it is all a joke?

What a great joke!

We are ALL in this together! Unless we ALL work to stop the spread, then we all will suffer in one way or another!

On the other hand, the skies are bluer, there are much LESS jet-trails above, and the streets aren't as crowded with cars as before!