If I could photograph one thing for the rest of my life, over and over again, it would be this. Married for 66 years, with 5 children, 13 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren, Anne and James lead a legacy….
My friend Anne, (one of the granddaughters of Anne and James) flew me out to Cleveland, then drove me to a small town called Niles, Ohio to document the lives of this beautiful couple. Where do I even begin? I was so honored to be in the presence of a man who served our country for 11 years (he was in the first division of the Airforce during WWII), and a women who has an attic completely devoted to her sewing and a basement, to her canning. Anne and James lived in Japan to help rebuild the country after the war, where Anne delivered her own baby and removed her own tooth with sewing scissors (now, that’s the kind of woman I want to become). Today, Anne and James are still completely in love and share the most magnificent tomato garden that I have ever seen. When they took me outdoors to see this little piece of heaven, I saw them magically become 30 years younger. Spending time with Anne and James was medicinal. It was a glimpse of a future that I hope to one day have…