Mourning and then moving on
Tom Eblen columnist Lexington Herald-Leader
August 27, 2008
How do you mourn the loss of a historic building or a favorite nightspot?
That's what artist Bruce Burris wanted to know last month when he sent out a call for mourners.
Burris asked how people would like to mourn the demolition of 14 old buildings on the downtown Lexington block being cleared to make way for the CentrePointe development.
Sound a little goofy? That's what I thought, too.
However, Burris got 18 proposals from people who wanted to mourn the buildings, which included Morton's Row, built in 1826 and one of Lexington's oldest commercial structures, and the century-old building that housed The Dame, a popular music club.
One of Burris' ongoing art projects is called Greengrief. Its mission is to provide "compensation to mourners for grieving, praying, singing and for giving thoughtful consideration and sincere apologies to our Earth for the environmental and cultural devastation wrought by us humans to it in the Commonwealth of Kentucky."
Usually, Burris said, Greengrief doesn't focus on real estate development, or even large sites of destruction, such as strip mines. It looks at small places where human activity has hurt the environment — such as Wolf Run Creek along Southland Drive. "Little projects that hardly no one notices," he explained.
CentrePointe wasn't a typical Greengrief project, but after hearing a lot of people upset about it, Burris said, "What the heck?"
He chose three mourners from the 18 applicants, each of whom will receive $100 from his pocket to help fund their projects. They're now seeking the necessary city permits for their events, which are all planned for Sept. 12 and 13.
"The three of them are very different. And not anything like what I expected, either," said Burris, who operates the Latitude Artist Community on Saunier Alley, which works with adult artists who have disabilities. "I really couldn't decide, so I just went for three."
Jenny O'Neill, an English teacher at Tates Creek High School, decided to apply right before the Aug. 1 deadline. She's writing a historical novel set in Lexington in 1833, when the oldest of the recently demolished buildings were in use. She also was touched by the destruction of The Dame, because her three children — ages 30, 28 and 22 — all loved to go to shows there.
"I was so angry about the way this thing (CentrePointe) has come down," she said. "But anger is one of the stages of grief. And I'm in grief. We were so insensitive to our history, and our young people."
Her idea is to have a public funeral at 10:45 a.m. Sept. 13 in Phoenix Park. She will ask those who come to write about what they'll miss most about the block the way it was. "I'm giving people a way to grieve in a public way for what they've lost," she said.
O'Neill plans to ask those who attend to then walk three times around the block — the first time expressing their grief, the second time in silence "in respect for what has died," and the third time with music. She hopes to recruit some musicians who will begin by playing a dirge, then end with New Orleans-style jazz. "That's the time for moving on," she said.
Lyndsey Fryman, 26, of Paris, has a much different plan, scheduled for noon on Sept. 12.
"Dressed in Victorian-era mourning clothing, I will create a dollhouse-size replica of the buildings during that time," she wrote in her proposal. "I will walk around the block while creating paper flowers on stems and other mementos that will be left as I pass the replica ... . The arrangement will hopefully evoke symbolic attachments to the process of mourning (being a form of memory), and a spiritual rebirth of those things gone."
Fryman said she comes from a military family, so has lived many places. "I have a great appreciation for this history and the architecture that has been lost," she said. "It was part of history, a part of Lexington."
Brittany Clark, 23, who works for a marketing company, hopes to re-create one last '80s party like the ones she enjoyed at The Dame. She hopes to begin this one at 1 a.m. Sept. 13 in Cheapside Park.
Clark says she went to the Dame once a week for more than a year. "It was a very big part of my life," she said. "It was a dive bar. It wasn't the same genre of people you run into at other bars. You ran into people from all different groups. I was more comfortable there than anywhere else."
She also is angry about the way CentrePointe was sprung on the public. "I felt like everything was done in the worst possible way," she said. "No one took any time to listen to anyone. I wanted to let people know how I felt about it."
It should be an interesting weekend.
Reach Tom Eblen at (859) 231-1415 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 1415, or at teblen@herald-leader.com.
Showing posts with label GreenGrief. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GreenGrief. Show all posts
Wednesday
GreenGrief Louisville Courier-Journal 8/1/08
Louisville Courier-JournalMourners wanted: Whole historical block to die soon
By Diane Heilenman • August 1, 2008
Lexington artist Bruce Burris sent me copy for an unclassifiable ad. It goes like this:
"Help Wanted: Mourner.
"GREENGRIEF The Kentucky Mourning Project provides compensation to mourners for grieving, praying, singing and for giving thoughtful consideration and sincere apologies to our earth for the environmental and cultural devastation wrought by us humans to it in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
"Mourner Wanted to grieve for loss by demolition of irreplaceable historical/cultural and architecturally unique block in downtown Lexington Kentucky (the Dame block), to apologize for our culture's sad lust for profit and to offer prayers of healing and hope.
"Mourner is asked to articulate these expectations while walking around the block for a period of one hour … during a weekday on a date yet to be decided in August/September 2008.
"Honorarium: $100.00.
"Location: Lexington, Kentucky.
"To apply: No more than 100 words on what mourning means to you and why you would like to mourn for the loss of this cherished block.
"Deadline: August 1, 2008.
"Applications/information by e-mail only ELandFGallery@yahoo.com."
Now for the backstory.
It's architecture.
Burris said the proposed CentrePointe tower in Lexington is a bigger ecological/cultural disaster than he usually tackles with mourners. He likes "pint-size, overlooked ecological disasters," such as streams bordering shopping malls. However, the controversial $250 million project -- a 35-story hotel, retail, condo and office complex due for completion in time for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, requires destruction of an entire city block.
It's architecture.
Burris said the proposed CentrePointe tower in Lexington is a bigger ecological/cultural disaster than he usually tackles with mourners. He likes "pint-size, overlooked ecological disasters," such as streams bordering shopping malls. However, the controversial $250 million project -- a 35-story hotel, retail, condo and office complex due for completion in time for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, requires destruction of an entire city block.
Late last month, while Burris was composing and preservationists were asking Fayette Circuit Court for a temporary injunction against razing the structures (they lost), the University of Kentucky College of Design held a marathon two-day design session, inviting architects from Los Angeles, Chicago and Kentucky to work with UK students on what turned out to be exciting alternatives.
After publication of the designs, some 1,500 people weighed in on their favorites, and the demolition controversy is shifting to a controversy over the public's right to have something to say about the design of a project receiving public funds. It has sparked a notion for an international competition by Lexington Vice Mayor Jim Gray.
Burris said his project floats outside all these bits of breaking news. He said he would have hired a mourner with or without demolition because the project has a negative cultural and environmental impact and also, he confessed, "another part of this is a reflection/exploration on various ways/means of ritualized mourning, which is something that is just darn interesting."
GreenGrief Ace Weekly 8/13/08
GreenGriefAce Weekly August 13/08
Applicants selected to mourn for Dame Block
---------
In April 2005, the Courier-Journal (that would be the daily
newspaper in Louisville) published a story, “Mourning
walk—Lexington artist hires an apologist for urban sprawl.” In the article, Katya Cengel wrote, “How do you go
about hiring a mourner? Do you ask friends for references,
wait for a sign from above, or place a classified advertisement
in Lexington-area newspaper Ace Weekly? If you are
Bruce Burris, you do the latter. For several weeks this year,
the artist from Lexington ran a classified that offered applicants
$100 to ‘mourn for loss of natural habitat, meditate on
the reasons for its destruction, apologize for our culture’s
behavior and offer prayers of healing.’ More than 30 people,
mostly women, applied. Some sent poems, some sent manifestos—
way over the 100 words Burris requested—and some
asked paranoid questions, like ‘Who are you working for?’”
The article went on to detail the designated mourner’s walk
out at Beaumont Circle.
---------
Earlier this summer, Burris took out a similar classified in
Ace, reading, “Help Wanted: Mourner. GREENGRIEF The
Kentucky Mourning Project provides compensation to mourners
for grieving, praying, singing, and for giving thoughtful
consideration and sincere apologies to our earth for the
---------
In April 2005, the Courier-Journal (that would be the daily
newspaper in Louisville) published a story, “Mourning
walk—Lexington artist hires an apologist for urban sprawl.” In the article, Katya Cengel wrote, “How do you go
about hiring a mourner? Do you ask friends for references,
wait for a sign from above, or place a classified advertisement
in Lexington-area newspaper Ace Weekly? If you are
Bruce Burris, you do the latter. For several weeks this year,
the artist from Lexington ran a classified that offered applicants
$100 to ‘mourn for loss of natural habitat, meditate on
the reasons for its destruction, apologize for our culture’s
behavior and offer prayers of healing.’ More than 30 people,
mostly women, applied. Some sent poems, some sent manifestos—
way over the 100 words Burris requested—and some
asked paranoid questions, like ‘Who are you working for?’”
The article went on to detail the designated mourner’s walk
out at Beaumont Circle.
---------
Earlier this summer, Burris took out a similar classified in
Ace, reading, “Help Wanted: Mourner. GREENGRIEF The
Kentucky Mourning Project provides compensation to mourners
for grieving, praying, singing, and for giving thoughtful
consideration and sincere apologies to our earth for the
environmental and cultural devastation wrought by us humans to
it in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Mourner wanted to
grieve for loss by demolition of irreplaceable historical/cultural
and architecturally unique block in downtown Lexington
Kentucky (the Dame block), to apologize for our culture’s sad
lust for profit and to offer prayers of healing and hope.
Mourner is asked to articulate these expectations while walking
around the block for a period of one hour (noon to 1pm)
during a weekdate yet to be decided in September 2008.”
---------
In August, three mourners were selected. Lyndsey
Fryman, Brittany Clark and Jenny O’Neill’s mourning proposals
were selected from the eighteen submitted.
(And once again, Louisville’s Courier-Journal covered it.
Diane Heilenman’s story was published August 1,
“Mourners wanted: Whole historical block to die soon.” It’s
in their online archives.)
The designated mourners’ proposals are re-printed
below.
--------
Brittany Clark wrote, “Mourning has taken on an entirely
new meaning for me following the announcement of the
loss of the Dame block. It engulfs utter despair and sorrow
for the city—for my friends—for myself—for generations to
come. Not only was this block historic and beautiful; it was
also the heartbeat of the city. It was a common union among
the masses of individuality. It united even the oddest of pairs.
When your hearts beat the same pulse, no other differences
matter. I will forever long for that connection, like a soul
searching for my matching pulse.” Clark has included plans
for her mourning project on her facebook page.
--------
Jenny O’Neill wrote, “I am truly aggrieved by the callousness
of the Webb brothers and the cupidity/stupidity of
our civic leaders who have—with the exception of Jim
Gray—just gone along. I am mourning—for the loss of our
past, for the greed that drives so much of our decision making,
and for the lack of vision and concern for the generations
to come that CentrePointe reflects. I too am fascinated by the
process of mourning—both the individual and the societal.
CentrePointe is urban mountain top removal.”
---------
Lyndsey Fryman wrote, “Everything has a history, traditions,
cultures people and even places. For this reason I have
a great interest in this project. To mourn something that has
been lost traditionally has been our societies way to cope
with death, and give memory to the deceased. These mourning
rites embedded in our culture would allow one to ceremonially
satisfy the concept of separation and bring together
the community for the support of the griever. As an artist I
have a great respect for these historic practices; particularly
for the Victorian era which incorporated an element of creation
in mourning art. I find it interesting the downtown
Lexington block which was demolished, lived through such
an era and beyond. And through its time experienced traditions
come and go, wars in and outside our country, the
beginnings and endings of lives and finally its own. Some
would say is strange to grieve something opposed to someone,
it is unheard of, why do it? For me, it is a loss of life, or
loss of a chapter of history in Lexington, or even a loss of a
block that represents the down town Lexington commercial
and entertainment community at its beginnings. Now that it
is gone, this history has no rent, it is irreplaceable and the
future of it is dead. The rubble which remains, lies as a body
of the deceased, no longer holding its eternal spirit only at
this funeral, it is the enjoyment and profit of the people in the
community. By 2010 that history will not be known by those
who visit the CentrePointe Hotel, and the cultural scene that
was once indigenous to the people of Lexington will no
longer be as it was. My intentions would be to give memory
to the block by paying tribute through mourning in the
Victorian manner. It seems fitting being the block was a witness
to the era. And during my performance I will grieve the
loss of history, but cope though constructing a memorial from
what is left of the once living block. Although my performance
would be temporal, my hope is the memory of the
remains will keep the spirit alive.” ■
--------
The Kentucky Mourning Project events will occur on Friday
and Saturday, September 12th and 13th at the CentrePointe site.
For more information and to contact mourners: Bruce Burris
ELandFgallery@yahoo.com
it in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Mourner wanted to
grieve for loss by demolition of irreplaceable historical/cultural
and architecturally unique block in downtown Lexington
Kentucky (the Dame block), to apologize for our culture’s sad
lust for profit and to offer prayers of healing and hope.
Mourner is asked to articulate these expectations while walking
around the block for a period of one hour (noon to 1pm)
during a weekdate yet to be decided in September 2008.”
---------
In August, three mourners were selected. Lyndsey
Fryman, Brittany Clark and Jenny O’Neill’s mourning proposals
were selected from the eighteen submitted.
(And once again, Louisville’s Courier-Journal covered it.
Diane Heilenman’s story was published August 1,
“Mourners wanted: Whole historical block to die soon.” It’s
in their online archives.)
The designated mourners’ proposals are re-printed
below.
--------
Brittany Clark wrote, “Mourning has taken on an entirely
new meaning for me following the announcement of the
loss of the Dame block. It engulfs utter despair and sorrow
for the city—for my friends—for myself—for generations to
come. Not only was this block historic and beautiful; it was
also the heartbeat of the city. It was a common union among
the masses of individuality. It united even the oddest of pairs.
When your hearts beat the same pulse, no other differences
matter. I will forever long for that connection, like a soul
searching for my matching pulse.” Clark has included plans
for her mourning project on her facebook page.
--------
Jenny O’Neill wrote, “I am truly aggrieved by the callousness
of the Webb brothers and the cupidity/stupidity of
our civic leaders who have—with the exception of Jim
Gray—just gone along. I am mourning—for the loss of our
past, for the greed that drives so much of our decision making,
and for the lack of vision and concern for the generations
to come that CentrePointe reflects. I too am fascinated by the
process of mourning—both the individual and the societal.
CentrePointe is urban mountain top removal.”
---------
Lyndsey Fryman wrote, “Everything has a history, traditions,
cultures people and even places. For this reason I have
a great interest in this project. To mourn something that has
been lost traditionally has been our societies way to cope
with death, and give memory to the deceased. These mourning
rites embedded in our culture would allow one to ceremonially
satisfy the concept of separation and bring together
the community for the support of the griever. As an artist I
have a great respect for these historic practices; particularly
for the Victorian era which incorporated an element of creation
in mourning art. I find it interesting the downtown
Lexington block which was demolished, lived through such
an era and beyond. And through its time experienced traditions
come and go, wars in and outside our country, the
beginnings and endings of lives and finally its own. Some
would say is strange to grieve something opposed to someone,
it is unheard of, why do it? For me, it is a loss of life, or
loss of a chapter of history in Lexington, or even a loss of a
block that represents the down town Lexington commercial
and entertainment community at its beginnings. Now that it
is gone, this history has no rent, it is irreplaceable and the
future of it is dead. The rubble which remains, lies as a body
of the deceased, no longer holding its eternal spirit only at
this funeral, it is the enjoyment and profit of the people in the
community. By 2010 that history will not be known by those
who visit the CentrePointe Hotel, and the cultural scene that
was once indigenous to the people of Lexington will no
longer be as it was. My intentions would be to give memory
to the block by paying tribute through mourning in the
Victorian manner. It seems fitting being the block was a witness
to the era. And during my performance I will grieve the
loss of history, but cope though constructing a memorial from
what is left of the once living block. Although my performance
would be temporal, my hope is the memory of the
remains will keep the spirit alive.” ■
--------
The Kentucky Mourning Project events will occur on Friday
and Saturday, September 12th and 13th at the CentrePointe site.
For more information and to contact mourners: Bruce Burris
ELandFgallery@yahoo.com
Lexington artist hires an apologist for urban sprawl, Louisville Courier- Journal 2005
The Louisville Courier-Journal March 20, 2005
Mourning walk
Lexington artist hires an apologist for urban sprawl By Katya Cengel
LEXINGTON, Ky.
How do you go about hiring a mourner? Do you ask friends for references wait for a sign from above or place a classified advertisement in Lexington-area newspaper ACE Weekly? If you are Bruce Burris, you do the latter. For several weeks this year, the artist from Lexington ran a classified that offered applicants $100 to "mourn for loss of natural habitat, meditate on the reasons for its destruction, apologize for our culture's behavior and offer prayers of healing.
"More than 30 people, mostly women, applied. Some sent poems, some sent manifestos -- way over the 100 words Burris requested -- and some asked paranoid questions, like "Who are you working for?" Then there were those, like Annette, who sent resumes."When I looked into it, it is a profession, and I thought he's paying me to do a service so I'll apply with a resume," said Annette, a 47-year-old Lexington-area administrative assistant. On it, she listed crying and gnashing of teeth, wailing and indignation (as needed) and outrage (as warranted) as her qualifications. Under "experience," she mentioned mourning the loss of a loved one and sprinkling wildflower seeds on an industrial park."Like you would hire a maid to clean out the fireplace, they are hiring me to perform a service," she explained.Putting tree hugging and sorrowful silence on a resume is usually not advised.
But then mourning the loss of natural habitat near an office complex is not a usual job description. And deciding to offer a mourner's job after noticing a sad circle of grass while driving to the dentist is even less run-of-the-mill. But then Burris, 49, who co-owns an art program and is a founding member of the environmental arts collective EcoLifeForce, never claimed to be typical. He also never claimed to be a great environmentalist -- his family is in the construction business -- or a spiritual guru. But that doesn't mean he can't apologize for urban sprawl -- or at least hire someone to do it, he says. Someone like Annette, whose resume showed a mix of hilarity and sensitivity that Burris said, was perfect for a mourner hired to apologize to and mourn for the Earth."I hope there is this possibly larger force -- which I don't believe in -- that's going to feel somewhat better about the people that have harmed it," said Burris.
Although Burris hired Annette to mourn the 54-acre Beaumont Circle -- a patch of land soon to be developed near the Beaumont Centre, a residential, retail and commercial complex in Lexington -- he said the ritual could have been done almost anywhere."Whoever is developing it doesn't seem to be any better or worse than the rest of us," said Burris.Actually, Haymaker/Bean Commercial Real Estate, which is developing the area, was recognized by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County government two years ago for improving the local environment. "I've developed this whole 705 acres (Beaumont Centre), and I'm very conscious of the environment," said Haymaker/Bean agent Tim Haymaker. "We've planted seven or eight thousand more trees than were here when we started."Haymaker said Beaumont Circle would be filled with office buildings, townhouses, restaurants and plenty of pedestrian walkways, similar to one that now stretches around the circle.
The one Hook, Burris, his 6-year-old son, Doug, and his wife, Robynn Pease, walked around on a recent windy and cold Saturday morning. But before setting out, Hook transformed herself into "Ash the Weeping Woman." In the parking lot of the shopping complex, a Supercuts hair salon in the background, Hook slipped fingerless black lace gloves over her hands, then placed a black hat and a black mourning veil over her short dark hair. From head to toe, she was dressed all in black -- her blue eyes barely visible under the veil."I was trying to find something Victorian, because Victorians were obsessed with death," said Hook. "But many Victorian outfits tend to drag, so I went with Edwardian, because it's rainy."Although hiring people to mourn has been typical of various cultures at different times, it is hard to find examples of people being hired to mourn a piece of land bordering a strip mall and office complex. Hook looked, she said, but the paid mourners she read about were mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman society and in the Bible -- long before office complexes and Applebee's restaurants existed.In some cultures, Hook said, mourners were paid to mourn in public, while the family mourned in private. "One reference I read said you could call it performance art," she said.That is probably what you would call Hook's half-hour-plus walk. It began around noon with Hook boldly striding across the street to reach the island of land for which she was mourning. A few minutes later a young EcoLifeForce member wearing Ugg-like boots and carrying a video camera ran circles around Hook, documenting her performance.
"Some cultures believe when a strong spirit passes that it takes a strong wind to carry the spirit away," said Hook, the wind whipping her veil around her face. "So I find it rather fitting that this wind came up about the time we decided to do this." She took a few more steps."I'm trying not to step on worms," she added. The life of an environmental mourner is filled with obstacles.As Annette finished, her head bowed toward a cluster of what looked like sewer pipes on the grass, she uttered one last silent prayer, then left to buy her husband lunch.
___________________________
Mourning walk
Lexington artist hires an apologist for urban sprawl By Katya Cengel
LEXINGTON, Ky.
How do you go about hiring a mourner? Do you ask friends for references wait for a sign from above or place a classified advertisement in Lexington-area newspaper ACE Weekly? If you are Bruce Burris, you do the latter. For several weeks this year, the artist from Lexington ran a classified that offered applicants $100 to "mourn for loss of natural habitat, meditate on the reasons for its destruction, apologize for our culture's behavior and offer prayers of healing.
"More than 30 people, mostly women, applied. Some sent poems, some sent manifestos -- way over the 100 words Burris requested -- and some asked paranoid questions, like "Who are you working for?" Then there were those, like Annette, who sent resumes."When I looked into it, it is a profession, and I thought he's paying me to do a service so I'll apply with a resume," said Annette, a 47-year-old Lexington-area administrative assistant. On it, she listed crying and gnashing of teeth, wailing and indignation (as needed) and outrage (as warranted) as her qualifications. Under "experience," she mentioned mourning the loss of a loved one and sprinkling wildflower seeds on an industrial park."Like you would hire a maid to clean out the fireplace, they are hiring me to perform a service," she explained.Putting tree hugging and sorrowful silence on a resume is usually not advised.
But then mourning the loss of natural habitat near an office complex is not a usual job description. And deciding to offer a mourner's job after noticing a sad circle of grass while driving to the dentist is even less run-of-the-mill. But then Burris, 49, who co-owns an art program and is a founding member of the environmental arts collective EcoLifeForce, never claimed to be typical. He also never claimed to be a great environmentalist -- his family is in the construction business -- or a spiritual guru. But that doesn't mean he can't apologize for urban sprawl -- or at least hire someone to do it, he says. Someone like Annette, whose resume showed a mix of hilarity and sensitivity that Burris said, was perfect for a mourner hired to apologize to and mourn for the Earth."I hope there is this possibly larger force -- which I don't believe in -- that's going to feel somewhat better about the people that have harmed it," said Burris.
Although Burris hired Annette to mourn the 54-acre Beaumont Circle -- a patch of land soon to be developed near the Beaumont Centre, a residential, retail and commercial complex in Lexington -- he said the ritual could have been done almost anywhere."Whoever is developing it doesn't seem to be any better or worse than the rest of us," said Burris.Actually, Haymaker/Bean Commercial Real Estate, which is developing the area, was recognized by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County government two years ago for improving the local environment. "I've developed this whole 705 acres (Beaumont Centre), and I'm very conscious of the environment," said Haymaker/Bean agent Tim Haymaker. "We've planted seven or eight thousand more trees than were here when we started."Haymaker said Beaumont Circle would be filled with office buildings, townhouses, restaurants and plenty of pedestrian walkways, similar to one that now stretches around the circle.
The one Hook, Burris, his 6-year-old son, Doug, and his wife, Robynn Pease, walked around on a recent windy and cold Saturday morning. But before setting out, Hook transformed herself into "Ash the Weeping Woman." In the parking lot of the shopping complex, a Supercuts hair salon in the background, Hook slipped fingerless black lace gloves over her hands, then placed a black hat and a black mourning veil over her short dark hair. From head to toe, she was dressed all in black -- her blue eyes barely visible under the veil."I was trying to find something Victorian, because Victorians were obsessed with death," said Hook. "But many Victorian outfits tend to drag, so I went with Edwardian, because it's rainy."Although hiring people to mourn has been typical of various cultures at different times, it is hard to find examples of people being hired to mourn a piece of land bordering a strip mall and office complex. Hook looked, she said, but the paid mourners she read about were mentioned in ancient Greek and Roman society and in the Bible -- long before office complexes and Applebee's restaurants existed.In some cultures, Hook said, mourners were paid to mourn in public, while the family mourned in private. "One reference I read said you could call it performance art," she said.That is probably what you would call Hook's half-hour-plus walk. It began around noon with Hook boldly striding across the street to reach the island of land for which she was mourning. A few minutes later a young EcoLifeForce member wearing Ugg-like boots and carrying a video camera ran circles around Hook, documenting her performance.
"Some cultures believe when a strong spirit passes that it takes a strong wind to carry the spirit away," said Hook, the wind whipping her veil around her face. "So I find it rather fitting that this wind came up about the time we decided to do this." She took a few more steps."I'm trying not to step on worms," she added. The life of an environmental mourner is filled with obstacles.As Annette finished, her head bowed toward a cluster of what looked like sewer pipes on the grass, she uttered one last silent prayer, then left to buy her husband lunch.
___________________________