Marilyn

At the speeds you travel on Oregon highway 26 it is easy to miss Marilyn’s descanso, despite the size and the fact that it’s sort of carved out into the hillside. We ended up seeing it too late and so I had to park and walk back up against the flying traffic.

I am pretty sure my wife hates this project.

Marilyn and her passenger were killed when they crossed over the center line and collided with a pickup. The folks in the car they hit appear to have survived, thankfully, but Marilyn did not.

She was twenty three.

The article says that “speed is being investigated as a contributing factor” which, all things considered, doesn’t surprise me. So many of the memorials I photograph are for late teens or twenty-somethings who make poor driving decisions, speed just being one of them.

Her descanso is nice and sort of spread out over a handful of little pieces. Flower baskets, religious icons, plaques …

Of course, and I say this lovingly and without prejudice, no memorial to a Latino or Latina appears to be complete without an empty bottle of beer. On this point, Marilyn is covered.

Rest in peace, Marilyn.