Dusanka's House

One day in late May 2015 our neighbor Dusanka Ilievski asked for a ride to the Greek Store on Culver Avenue to purchase some Feta cheese for a large-scale cooking project. Unbeknownst to Dusanka, I photographed the cheese-buying adventure with a wearable GoPro camera, and produced a picture book entitled Giant Buckets of Cheese. The book was a big hit with Dusanka and her family. So she asked me to do another book about her house and gardens, which she meticulously maintains with the...
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One day in late May 2015 our neighbor Dusanka Ilievski asked for a ride to the Greek Store on Culver Avenue to purchase some Feta cheese for a large-scale cooking project. Unbeknownst to Dusanka, I photographed the cheese-buying adventure with a wearable GoPro camera, and produced a picture book entitled Giant Buckets of Cheese. The book was a big hit with Dusanka and her family. So she asked me to do another book about her house and gardens, which she meticulously maintains with the help of her son, Stefan. Dusanka requested that, unlike in the first book where I photographed her mostly from behind, this new book contain only pictures of her facing the camera. I agreed to her terms, and we scheduled a photo shoot on Monday, July 27. Dusanka moved into her house at 140 Parkwood Avenue with her husband, Zivan, and three children around 1980. She is not sure of the date, but her son, who is now 48, was around 13 years old at the time. Stefan had two older sisters, Nada and Liljana, who both now reside in Canada near Toronto. Dusanka has lived alone in her house since her husband died in 1999. She knows that eventually she will have to sell the house and move in with her son and his family. The thought of leaving makes her sad. That's why she wanted me to make this book, so she could remember her beautiful house after she has moved.