Maple Tree
Finally, some fall colors!
This Morning
Sunrise Over Wright Quad
Woman and Child
Carte de visite, 4 x 2 1/2 inches, H. Eilmann, Flensburg.
At first glance, I thought this woman looked dead. She certainly looks odd. I think part of it is the paleness of her irises. The curling of her hands also seemed strange, but after looking at other portraits from that time, it’s clear that this was a common pose for women. Even so, the position of her left arm, behind the girl, seems stiff and awkward. It’s not a conventionally “pretty” portrait, but I think it’s an interesting one.
Great Grandma Nell
Nell (Basquille) Thompson, Atlanta GA, circa 1930
I stayed home sick today. I still feel kind of crappy, but I managed to get another eight letters transcribed, so it wasn’t a total loss. I also have a pot of vegetable soup cooking that I plan to add dumplings to. It smells amazing. I should work on NaNoWriMo, so that I don’t get behind, but I’m not sure I feel like it. A nap is sounding good, though.
At the Beach
Left to Right: Sterrett Pooser, Margaret (Basquille) Pooser, Dot Coleman, and Frank Coleman
“Pablo Beach FLA”
WWII Letters
I’ve been working on putting together a mini-website for the letters I got from my aunt. I’m conflicted about them. On the one hand, they’re an amazing little time capsule from World War II, but on the other, there’s a lot of racist language in them that I’m not comfortable with perpetuating. I think, though, that the letters’ historical value outweighs the racism (and other -isms I’m sure I’ll encounter as I work on transcribing them).
I also have trouble with the glorification of killing and the military industrial complex, so it’s difficult for me to warm up to “characters” who inhabit that world. I believe deeply in the importance of pacifism; war is never the answer. And so, the whole project is problematic for me for a whole lot of reasons. That doesn’t mean I don’t think it’s worthwhile, though.
At this point, my plan is to just transcribe the letters. I don’t think I’ll scan them and put the images online, though I do want to include any items contained in the envelopes (photos, newspaper clippings, etc.).
Angel
Evergreen Cemetery, Mantorville, Dodge County, Minnesota
Outhouse
Evergreen Cemetery, Mantorville, Dodge County, Minnesota
I’m always amused when I see an outhouse in a cemetery, so when I do, I have to photograph it. This one had a row of headstones lined up in front of it, like an audience.
3 1/2
Once upon a time, we lived in an old farmhouse in Rushville. We just rented the house. The farm itself was run by an old guy named Henry. Henry had a grey horse that I found absolutely irresistible. I remember getting up in the mornings, dressing myself, and running outside to stand on the fence, so that I could pet the horse and feed him an apple or carrot.
Old Letters
My aunt gave me a big box of letters. They were written by a Marine during WWII to his girlfriend (later wife). I spent this evening putting them in order, so that I can start reading, scanning, and transcribing them. These are from the earliest group, written in 1942.
red paper boat 