I got my great-grandfather’s soil today with my life partner and one of my very best friends, Jose Faus. We couldn’t get as close to the site as I would have liked, but we made due.

The collection process was more comical than profoundly emotional. It’s already becoming a memory I’ll cherish for that very reason. Between Jon and Jose, I know two of the best men in the world. Who else would let me drag them around Oklahoma like this to gather soil?

Images: 1. Jose and me together at the rental house. 2. The secondary marker for the battle where my great-grandfather was injured, pictured with a cat who came to greet us.