Moving Day
The concrete box is finally placed into the grave and now it’s time to set-up the casket lowering device. Again, nothing modern about this gizmo. Keith pulls out wooden planks from his truck to lay on the ground, and then various metallic pieces that he assembles on the planks, around which he winds his blue webbing, upon which the casket will be placed. This all takes a long time. Not long as in Mack time, but long by any other standard.
Finally, it’s time to move my father to his final address. We all walk over to the back of the van and Jim, the grave digger, reaches for the latch. I stop him.
“You’re like me, Jim, behind the times. Watch this. With my remote I press one button and up goes the rear door, and if I press this other button out shoots the casket.â€
I thought that was one of my weaker lines, but Diane tells me dour Jim guffawed. Before that he’d been all business, though somewhat too content, we thought, to let Keith do most of the shoveling.
Two things about these photos. There may be too many, but I find the images iconic, or maybe they just mean too much to me to cut out. Also, I’m not comfortable being in so many of these photos. I’m usually the picture taker, the controller of my image, but both Diane and Peter were snapping away, so here I am. Obviously, this story is a much about Peter and Diane (and many, many others) as it is about me.
I didn’t add captions because I consider them unnecessary. After the windmills comes the town of Latham. If you click on the lower right corner of each full-sized image you’ll navigate in sequence.
Next: Peter adjusts Mack’s hat.
That is some big sky out there. Wonderful pictures. Very peaceful.
Diane, you look nice and warm. And those are perfectly acceptable funeral/mourning colors, I don’t care what you say.
Comment by Jen — February 12, 2007 @ 1:42 pm
Reminds me of the movie In Cold Blood…not the cemetery, the town.
Comment by LaRad — February 12, 2007 @ 1:47 pm
How about the people milling or laying about? Cold and colder blood.
Comment by michael — February 12, 2007 @ 1:53 pm
The images are indeed iconic. (Yard Decoration for Sale, included). The streets seem empty of people. Only the grave workers and family appear. It’s a very focused story in photos.
Comment by rakkity — February 12, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
And some mighty red earth, too … ! Whodathunkit?
Your red is a perfect complement, Dinae (and some much needed relief … ). But why the fancy lowering device, when I figure the same gantry crane could’ve been used? Seems to me Mack would’ve appreciated the simplicity. But I guess if you’ve got such a device, there are only so many opportunities to use it, and it IS more graceful …
I hear these pictures — I can’t explain it, but the story’s so “there” there are background sounds for me … No words, just sounds. Maybe it’s how still and otherwise empty all else is.
Comment by el Kib — February 12, 2007 @ 5:25 pm