Photos

Today is Memorial Day in the US.

I know there's a lot of technical issues with this shot, not the least of which is overexposure. But this is really more about the place, with this photo.

This is Lippstadt church, in Warrenton, Missouri, in the central US. It remains the little one room church in the woods, with a pot belly coal burning stove, same as when it was built in 1853. As you might notice, the name of the church matches the name of a city in Germany. Most things in this area correspond to something there. My family name among them. The family names on all of these headstones too.

I grew up in this area. All of my family and their families before mine grew up here. My aunt's farm was right on the other side of the fence from where I was standing. They lived here and they died here. People who were born here still spoke German until my parents generation, even though they were in the states for generations before. But more importantly, they were good, quiet people who worked hard and cared for their families. And this spot is where my grandparents are today. Great aunts, uncles, cousins too. I miss them.

Memorial Day, 2007