I have recieved a lot of mail in the a last week urging
me to continue on with my project.. Here are a few exerpts
9/17
>John,
> It was weird. Last night I came home late and I was
looking for these photos I had taken last year of the WTC
from a series I had done on the Brooklyn Bridge. I felt
like someone had died and I was poring over old letters
to find details about them. Instead I came across these
photos -- I still haven't been able to find my Brooklyn
Bridge series.
>I used to run on the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a cool
game, created totally by surprise. I'd run towards Brooklyn
and forget about Manhattan for a few minutes then I'd turn
around to go back across the >bridge and see the brilliant
Manhattan skyline in all its glory.
> I and a friend used to call the Towers the guardians
of the city, standing tall and shining in the night. It's
like two old friends are gone. It's really strange. Of course,
that doesn't compare to the fact that 5,000 old friends
of the city are really gone.
> Mary Huhn
>Hey John,
>Crazy past week we had my friend but I hope this
email finds you well. I read your last entry into your travelogue
with concern and amazement. I guess we will all have those
stories of what we were doing when tragedy struck America
.
>I was standing at a bar on a Carnival FUN Ship
celebrating my honeymoon somewhere in the Caribbean. My
wife and I just wanted to go home to be with family and
friends from that point on .
>We are now back and happy to be home. I hope you
made it back safe and sound as well. You are still invited
to Hampton Virginia if you make it back this way.
>You should continue your journey across this great
country we call home. You would miss a great opportunity
to document the images and feelings of the people you might
meet on your travels in these tragic but historical times.
>P.S. She loved the album "How
To Belly Dance For Husband" from your life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sean
>>John:
>> I read your account of the terrorist attack on
NY with interest. I think you had the right idea, going
back to Iowa to regroup. I also appreciated your feelings
about people who are taking unfair advantage of this crisis,
and who don't seem to grasp the horror and the pain.
>>I've been thinking about what you wrote: "How
the hell was I supposed to talk about this project when
people where dying in NYC and DC? How could anybody sit
and listen to me talk about my salt shaker in Portland,
Maine? My project seemed so completely inconsequential."
>> I understand what you mean. My friends and
fans are used to me being enthusiastic about totally inconsequential
stuff just because it makes me laugh. It makes them laugh,
too. Last week, I emailed my list of people (80+ or so)
with the thoughts that are now on my web site. What I wrote
was much different than what they're used to reading from
me, and I got a great response. When I went to Virginia
for a couple of days this weekend, people came up to me
and hugged me and told me that they found my words helpful.
>>Yet this week, I want to get back to talking
about Big Heads and Tacky
Treasures. How do I make the transition, and how will
people react? Does this make sense to you?
>>What I'm trying to say is, don't give up on
your project, because the fact that you're driven to do
it is what makes you who you are, much more than all that
stuff you auctioned off.
>> Incidentally, while hanging out in the mountains,
I started thinking that I should try to unload some of my
stuff in case I decide that living just outside Washington,
D.C. isn't the most sane thing to do any more.
>> Have a peaceful day,
>>Julie
>Hi John,
> Just read your dispatch of your NY experience.
I'm happy to hear that you escaped from such a horrific
event. I have a son traveling in Germany but haven't heard
from him since Tues. I'll be happier when I hear that he
is ok as well.
>Take good care of yourself. I'll be watching for
your reports when you are able to travel again. It's O K
to do your own thing and live your own life. Don't let maniacs
take your joy. One of you balances out all of "them".
>>Good luck,
>> Regina
