Day 3 of 6 Day Visit to Dad - Stacks

These piles in an extra bedroom is made up of neatly folded sweaters, often cashmere, and books. I estimate that these represent 1/20th of similar piles in every room of the house. Here also and out of sight is an old bicycle trainer and hung from the handlebars are at least one hundred pairs of slacks, all in cleaner bags. The floors in every room have stacks of books, more or less arranged by categories; there are many doubles of some titles. The stacks and piles of junk food is also staggering.

I have a friend whose mother had rooms full of unopened gifts and clothing from a very nice Seattle department store. So ? this collecting and accumulating by older people is not unusual. I suppose it comes from a need to be safe and secure in a home, a home that really is not very safe and secure with age-related vulnerability. It is all very sobering.

I know an artist whose work in museums is of stacked blankets. Somehow these stacks and the varied values when shot in black and white express something very poignant for me.