And the last lady said "HMMMMMM..."

Here it is. The final piece of the Family Reunion puzzle. I send this knowing how dangerous family reunions can be. How fragile families are when mental illness intrudes. Let's hope this family was storybook happy, but let's admit it...probably not.

This little lady with the "Hmmmmmmm..." look on her face is what holds it all together for me. She's got her own story going on. Is she thinking, "Hmmmmm...do I put carrots or parsnips with the rabbit?" Or is she thinking, "Do I tell my husband I'm leaving him for the shoe salesman before or after the pie?" She's the only one not in the moment. And she's probably the glue that held the family together. We'll never know. She's a vernacular photography mystery. You'll bring whatever story you want to her.

And now finally, the entire photo. See, I told you...nothing to see here. Keep moving. Just a group of people standing in front of a house. I will dig out one of them sitting on steps and post at a later time. Right now I'm feeling my own angst over a friends family. A family that I imagined would have ended up happy, but instead is in painful turmoil. Mental illness has far reaching tendrils. Yes, the pain is lessened the farther distance you are from the center of it, but it still shadows all who come into contact with it.

THE BUNNY that came to the Family Reunion.

There was a bunny at the reunion. A sweet big eared bunny. Now was the bunny a pet or dinner? I know, horrible thing to say, but when you see the final shot tomorrow you might understand why I'm thinking this.

Putting the pieces together it seems to me that this nice man with the bunny might be the father of the little boy with the cat and married to Zevon. Perhaps he's also the father of the young Sophia. All guess work. No truth to anything I say. Just blather.

The man with the bunny is the star today. Tomorrow the last face and the whole picture. I know, you couldn't be more bored.

ZEVON RELATIONSHIP at the Family Reunion?

I said the other day that Warren Zevon might show up at the Family Reunion. Bet you weren't expecting this. Now, maybe it's just me. Maybe others don't notice the Zevon look, but you won't convince me otherwise.

And notice the apron. She's the other person wearing an apron. An apron with pockets! Do love those pockets. Good place for storing bits of flour, hairpins, recipes torn off the sides of cans. Apron pockets. A repository of everything kitchen.

Now, are the pieces starting to fall together for you? You can see the little boy with the cat. Think this was his mom? You can grab all the shots and put the puzzle together.

Only two more people to go. Today the winner of the Warren Zevon contest shines.
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Tattered and Lost volumes 1 to 7 available at Amazon.

THE YOUNGEST at the Family Reunion

This is the youngest member at the family reunion. I imagine he was doted on by aunts and uncles. Grandmother probably made him something special to eat, even though she kept telling him to stop running in and out of the house slamming the screen door. Did he live at the house or was he just visiting? I'm guessing he lived there with his parents and grandparents. A country boy. Where did he go when he grew up? Did he leave the farm? Move to a big city? Go to war? Marry and have a family thus making the family reunions even larger? Is the young Sophia his sisters or a cousin? There are no answers. Nothing was ever written on the back of the snapshot. None of the snapshots of this reunion have anything written on them.

The boy and his cat are the star for today.

Granny or Auntie? The FAMILY REUNION CONTINUES

Now I don't know if this kindly lady is a granny or an auntie to the crowd that has gathered. She is one of two who prepared the food. One of two wearing an apron. I'm imagining it was a good big country table full of farm fresh foods, lovingly prepared. Everyone went home or to bed with a full stomach. Okay, maybe they had to use Pepto-Bismol. Maybe they weren't good cooks. But she looks like she would have been a fine cook. A really fine maker of pies and cakes. Probably never used a recipe book her entire life.

And aprons. I miss aprons. All the pretty colors. The fun pockets on the front. I still have one hanging in the kitchen that belonged to my maternal grandmother. I wear it when I bake because...ummmm...I have a tendency to get flour everywhere. I'm talking from my face to the souls of my feet and on every visible inch of the kitchen. People have to come in wearing toxic waste suits to clean-up when I'm finished.

Today it's her day to shine. She's the star.

The YOUNGEST FEMALE at the reunion

I believe this young lady is a daughter of one of the people in the line-up, but I'm not sure. Could the one from yesterday be her sister? Or was she her mother? It's always interesting to look at facial structure trying to figure out which person fits in where. And is the reunion progresses there will be more questions. Which ones the grandma? Is the man a son or a husband or both? And what about that rabbit? Pet or dinner?

More to come tomorrow.

Oh, and I forgot to ask, did anyone get a slight Ingrid Bergman vibe from yesterday's lady?

HOLDING UP HER END at the family reunion

Like I said yesterday,

it's an ordinary photo. Nothing much going on. Just a bunch of people standing in front of a wall. They look no better or worse than probably dozens of shots you have of your own family. That is... unless someone decides to dissect your family with a scanner, exposing the thoughts and expressions of each member as the shot was taken. Is this cruel? Am I reading too much into it? Or am I just having a little fun? The game is on. More tomorrow.

By the way, nice dress and thanks for holding up the other end of the line.

The FAMILY REUNION

I'm going to give you pieces of the whole. Not everything at once. Basic reason is it really isn't a very interesting photo. A group of people standing in front of a building. But individually, I get a kick out of it.

It appears to be some sort of family reunion and I'll be doggone if I don't keep finding photos of this same group at the flea market and antique store. Now, this is the most interesting of all I've found. You'll have to take my word for it. You'll see as the Family Reunion unfolds. Some of the other shots they're just sitting on steps and not all of them are in the shot.

Today I introduce you to Grandpa. I don't know if he's grandpa. Haven't a clue as to who he is or where it was taken. He could just as easily be the elderly uncle or a neighbor or a shoe salesman the family really really liked. If you prefer the shoe salesman idea just go with it.

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Just wanted to direct your attention to a new photography blog I've posted in the left column. It's called One Man's Treasures and has some really interesting work. Well written and insightful.