It’s become a habit of mine to take portraits of good and honest working people who come through my life. If you are like me, you are dependent on people to fix things when they break, to tend trees and patch up barns and put up gutters and fix broken well points and take care of the farm when we are away.

Cassandra has come into my life in two ways – her full-time job is at the Cambridge Valley Vets, she is a steady and competent force there. While Maria is in India, Cassandra has been coming to the farm in the mornings to help with the farm chores and give me a head start on my writing.

She brought her husband George over the other day, he is an arborist and I asked him to take a look at our apple and birch trees.  He thinks they can live a good while, but need some help. It was good to hear an expert say that, Maria and I are very fond of these trees.

I was struck, of course, by their open faces, full of character and connection. I think of a young version of the famous American Gothic portrait, I am always looking for couples like that.

I welcome George and Cassandra into my life, and of course, into the life of the blog, since this is where I share my life. I so love taking these portraits, they capture a part of the American character, often overlooked and forgotten. There is no mass media out here, and they will never come here unless an airplane crashes in our midst. So we have to notice our own.