14 Comments
Aug 18Liked by Erik Hogan

Hot dogs and candy rings, imagining their happiness. So much touched them and you, giving back to each other. I peeked at your photograpy, stunning! You captured your surroundings with such visual skill and natural beauty. Not ever landing in Honduras, I do remember the kindness there through several episodes of Noraly, Itchy Boots, in YouTube season 6. Might offer another view.🙌

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I'll check it out! Thanks CJ!

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Aug 18Liked by Erik Hogan

What an endurance event. Mixing concrete by hand is no joke, I’ve done it. And the materials, including the cinder blocks, are always too far from the place you need them to be.

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For sure! But, it was really cool to see the house eventually start to take shape!

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I'm telling you, those buzzards would've been there for me lol. I can't imagine hard labor at those temps.

The photos tell almost the whole story. Isn't it crazy how rudimentary their building style is and can be?

Amazing journey, Erik 👏

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It is rudimentary, but amazing at what can be done with just know how and some basic materials! I'm tempted to build a second house in my backyard! 😁

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It could be your office and mad scientist studio 😁

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Haha! Perfect!

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Great write up Erik. I enjoyed reading that the whole experience ends up leaving you with more questions than answers - refreshing honesty in a world where everyone seems to pretend to have the answer to everything. Good to see your portrait and still life photos too!

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Thanks! I got some great feedback with the portraits. I’m thinking of leaning into that genre a bit more and see where it goes.

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Erik, what a fantastic experience, and such a well told story. Thank you for sharing.

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Thanks! It really was an amazing trip and I learned a lot from it. I brushed over it in the series, but I learned a lot about photography, too!

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Aug 27Liked by Erik Hogan

Erik! I am so behind on reading your pieces aaaaah! I loved reading about this: all the hard work, the kiddos, and even the sicknesses you guys faced! My favorite I think was the foot washing ceremony. I always loved the inherent servant-heartedness associated with this gesture, especially back in the ye Olde days, when peoples feet really were nasty, having traveled long distances in just...sandals. (Though not covered with animal waste!) And the fact that Jesus washed feet a few times as well - so humbling and gentle and caring - is just such a beautiful thing to me.

I also love, as always, your brief commentary at the end, where you said you came in search of adventure and you received more. You weren't there to change anything (Sometimes it seems people go to third world countries to inflict their view of life onto the locals...) but just there to serve.

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Thanks Niki, your comments are always so on point! I still think I would have opted out of the foot washing, if I could have. But it was a good feeling to be part of something with a larger significance than me. I'm glad you liked the essay!

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