In January and February 2020 I found myself taking the hour-long trek southwest to Houma to shoot portraits at a medical office there. They were early morning shoots so the trip there was dark and dreary, but on the way back I made a point of taking some photo stops in the swampy and forgotten-feeling surroundings. During the first trip, on the recommendation of the barista at the Downtown Jeaux coffee shop, I took a quick visit to the Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge.