52/52:13
Hello from the road! I write to you from I-90, headed West, en route to Williams Bay, Wisconsin to visit Mark Duran--one of a handful of veterans who shared their story of recovery from TBI, part of the Slow Healing project. For the past week I have traversed, for the first time, parts of the American South, just below the Mason-Dixon from Texas to North Carolina, and now northerly through Ohio and the American Midwest. This week's image comes from Virginia, along the Northern edge of the Bible Belt.
Not unlike places along the I-5 corridor in Washington State, it's not surprising to see, amongst the rolling hills of the Appalachians, clusters of small crosses, dominated by a 50-meter stark white cross proclaiming salvation and the coming of Christ. Though unlike Washington state with the highest percentage of non-religious people, the Bible Belt states, consisting of the Southern states of the midwest and the entire South, are dominated by the socially conservative evangelical Protestants. The region, where Christianity pervades the local culture and politics, is home to the religous right and Christian Warrior bootcamps such as the Bob Jones University. I cannot speak of any personal experiences, or observations to confirm this phenomenon, however while filling up at a gas station I did come across what appeared to be six orange safety lights lashed to the grill of a Ford F-150 in the shape of a cross.
This image was taken on a Canon EOS 5D and a Canon 24-105mm f/4.0L lens.
Check back again next week Wednesday for the 52/52 picture of the week!