Jan 28, 2016
Mothman statuette, Point Pleasant, West Virginia and discarded scrap wood in the Bones and All workshop, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Photos copyright Pat Jarrett, all rights reserved.
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Mothman statuette, Point Pleasant, West Virginia and discarded scrap wood in the Bones and All workshop, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Photos copyright Pat Jarrett, all rights reserved.
Teapots and other ceramics seen through the frosted window of the Honey Haus in Helvetia, West Virginia.
Photo copyright Pat Jarrett, all rights reserved.
On Saturday evening, I found myself in a white-out blizzard, driving up steep and curvy West Virginia back roads. Normally, I would have admitted defeat and turned back. But I kept going, propelled up the mountain by thoughts of the unique Mardi Gras foods and festivities that awaited me in an improbable-seeming Swiss village at top.
Owing to both this seclusion and the continuous preservation efforts of determined locals, Helvetia has retained much of its Swiss character and traditions over the years. Witness the historic and charming Alpine-style buildings — some of which date to the town's founding. There are the Cheese Haus and Beekeeper Inn, and the town's only restaurant — The Hutte (pronounced HOO-tay) — which serves traditional Swiss-German fare. And the celebration of this heritage culminates in the yearly pre-Lenten festival, Fasnacht.
Swiss Village + West Virginia + Mardi Gras Feast = Fasnacht
Photo credit: Pat Jarrett for NPR
Pat Jarrett, from The Micropolitan Manifesto
When I went back to Ohio to fly with mom to Portland I didn't realize how much had been taken out of Grandpa Harry's house. There are a few things, but the shadows remain. Shadows of a generation born, raised, baptized, fed, schooled, supported, argued with, celebrated, reconciled and moved away swirl in the home. This before and after show where grandpa sat on the couch and wore a mark in the carpet, the first photo was shot in 2007, the second one days ago in 2014.
Currently a selection of these photos from my project, When Are You Coming Home? about my grandpa and his last days are on display at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center in Newport News until October.