View out over the lowered ramp of a landing craft at Utah Beach towards bronze soldiers walking up the sand, Fujifilm X-T2

Utah Beach, and the road to Strasbourg

Last of three, and the one that surprised me. I went to Utah expecting the American story and came away with a French one, and I didn’t work that out until I got the pictures on a screen and started reading the writing on things. Two armies, two months apart, same sand.

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Church of Sainte-Mère-Église with the paratrooper effigy and parachute on the steeple, Fujifilm X-T2 XF18-55mm

Sainte-Mère-Église

Forty minutes up the road from Pointe du Hoc, and a completely different kind of remembering. At Pointe du Hoc it’s in the ground. Here it’s on the houses, on the church, in the street names — and on a black plaque outside somebody’s front door that took me a while to properly read.

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Pointe du Hoc

Back to Normandy after seven years, and this time west into the Manche. I got out of the car at Pointe du Hoc at twenty to four and back into it at Utah just after seven. This is the first of three posts from that one afternoon — craters, concrete, and about six hundred thousand other visitors a year.

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Roses planted along the base of a textured concrete casemate wall, Merville Battery Normandy, Canon 6D Mark II

Normandy, 1944 — All Sixteen

Two trips, seven years apart, and I only worked out this week that they were ever the same project. Sixteen photographs between Pegasus Bridge and Utah Beach, all in black and white now, all live in the shop.

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Monochrome panorama of the Merville Battery casemates across open ground, Canon 6D Mark II 16-35mm, Normandy

The Merville Battery

I went to the Merville Battery in August 2019, between Pegasus Bridge in the morning and the war cemetery at Ranville in the afternoon. I wrote about both of those and never wrote about this, and the photographs sat on a disk for seven years. This is the part of that day I had let go of.

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Haven’t Forgotten About You

I know it’s been quiet here, but that’s just the natural rhythm of accumulating material before bothering to process it properly. Jardin Extraordinaire, Voyage à Nantes, a zoo visit, and Normandy have all given me photographs and notes. New posts are coming soon.

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A Pilgrimage to Mont Saint Michel: A Journey of Faith and Endurance

Embarking on a nostalgic pilgrimage to Mont St. Michel, I overcame physical challenges with unwavering determination. Praying amidst the breathtaking scenery, I found solace and witnessed a divine encounter. Despite exhaustion, the spiritual rewards far surpassed the trials, showcasing the power of faith and the human spirit. This journey left a profound and lasting impression.

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Honfleur at night

Honfleur, a picturesque town in Normandy, is the birthplace of composer Erik Satie. Its charm attracts Parisians and art lovers, with galleries and a connection to renowned painters. The town offers culinary delights like Camembert and Calvados. A peaceful night stroll around the old harbor provided an opportunity for photography, showcasing Honfleur’s beauty.

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Les Braves sculpture with memorial flags along the beach behind, Omaha Beach, Normandy

Omaha Beach, Normandy

Omaha Beach, a critical D Day landing site, witnessed the immense sacrifice of the 1st and 29th Infantry Division of the US Army. General Bradley nearly abandoned the operation due to heavy casualties. Today, American families visit as a form of pilgrimage, while the nearby American War Cemetery stands as a somber reminder of the price of warfare.

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