Belonging Awkwardly

Abstract

In 1996, Virginia farmer Lee Gavras shot a personal video of his dam under construction.¹ In one scene, Lee’ssisters stroll on the nearly complete dam wall. Behind the camera, Lee narrates:

Check out this dam, boet [buddy] — too good. [Intoning] It’sa dam of note! One day [the sisters] ... will have their little cottage here, coming on their yearly annual holiday at the dam, the family dam ... Look at all those birds on the dam wall there, on the side of the bank: those two birds [the sisters] and the birds, the white birds [referring to what appear to be great white egrets, Egretta alba] ...