On 9/11 I visited Tempe Town lake to see the flag memorial, one of the largest in the country, and I was struck by how many items were left behind at the base of many of the flags. According to one worker, only one flag belongs to a native Arizonan, but clearly there are many connections that I don’t understand. This morning at 6 a.m. the tear down of the memorial began and I decided to photograph the items that were left at the bases of the flags, or tied to them. These ranged from flowers, to photographs and in some cases ribbons showing who were first responders. One flag had a photograph and small stuffed tiger and it makes me wonder about these mementos and those who came and left them behind.

I also photographed the tear down of nearly three thousand flags, which couldn’t have been possible without the hundred plus volunteers that materialized seemingly out of nowhere before 6 a.m. and had every flag down and packed before 8 a.m.