Where Time Stands Still
The Yoder family, an Old Order Amish Family, is one of about 50 in Mays Lick in a community that has been growing since 2004. Old Order Amish typically reject most modern technology, like computers, tv’s, and iPhones. These decisions are led by elders and bishops at church, and later made into a group decision by all the men. Kids speak solely Pennsylvanian Dutch until they reach first grade when they begin learning English, but continue to primarily speak Pennsylvanian Dutch within their community, throughout their lives.
A Thursday morning for the Yoder Family might look like this— The kids are sprawled out on brown couches that circle the living room, while Sam cooks waffles in the kitchen. They got up at 5:30 before the sun so they have to plug DeWalt batteries into each light fixture, due to their lack of electricity. Each battery is charged throughout the day through the solar panels on their roof, something that is very common among Amish families. After the family indulges in a plate full of waffles and coffee ice-cream, they’ll migrate to their family room to say a morning devotion spoken in German, ending with the family kneeling on the ground with their backs turned to the middle of the room for their morning prayers. Diann and the kids will then begin cleaning the dishes from breakfast, while Sam goes into his shop to begin work for the day.
While Yoder family members may turn away from typical means of modernity, they have discovered a deeper truth in a slow-paced life in Mays Lick, where they are surrounded by animals, open fields, and the richness of family.
Clothes hang to dry on a line ouside the Yoder’s house on Oct. 22 in Mays Lick, KY. Without the typical convenience of electricity, they aren’t able to wash and dry their clothes mechanically.
Diann Yoder, 29, cut and sewed matching blue clothing for her family, with her daughter Katelyn, 2, in her lap in Mays Lick, KY. Diann’s mom gifted her children a dark blue fabric for this year’s Christmas dresses and shirts, a tradition that she keeps each year.
Sam stops at the People’s Bank in his buggy on his way to take hot lunch to his childrens’ school on Oct. 23 in Mays Lick, KY. Buggys are legal on the highway, but typically hug the shoulder of the road.
Diann Yoder joins a game of softball outside of her kids two-room schoolhouse on Oct. 23 in Mays Lick, KY. The Yoder family, an Old Order Amish Family, is one of about 50 in Mays Lick in a community that has been growing since 2004. Old Order Amish typically reject most modern technology, like computers, tv’s, and iPhones. These decisions are led by elders and bishops at church, and later made into a group decision by all the men. Kids speak solely Pennsylvanian Dutch until they reach first grade when they begin learning English, but continue to primarily speak Pennsylvanian Dutch within their community, throughout their lives.
The Yoder’s house in the waking sun on the morning of Oct 23 in Mays Lick, KY. Sam often picks up odd jobs, including installing and fixing solar panels to substitute for modern electricity, which are placed onto the roof of their home.
Trust the Land
Ellie Costello, a 38 year old female farmer, has been trying to find farm land to own for the past 9 years.
As a young, first-generation female farmer, Ellie has faced the growing challenges of entering the industry and affording land. However, in the past year, Ellie took on the challenge when land formerly owned by Clark Fork Organics was purchased by Trust Montana, a statewide community land trust. Ellie was able to lease this land, and since then, she and her small team have been growing Trust Land Farm into local thriving farm.
The sun rises over silage tarps that cover Trust Land Farm’s harvest of lettuce on August 31, 2024. The farm recently got their first frost of the season, requiring more maintenance each night before the farm can sleep.
Ellie Costello bends over to fix her leaking irrigation system in the backyard of her house on August 30th, 2024. After Ellie wraps up her work at Trust Land Farm, her job for the day isn’t done. She comes home to small land plot that accompanies another farm that she takes care of by herself.
Ellie and Ryan Costello reattach plastic to their hoop house on their property after a long-lasting thunderstorm with 109 mph winds caused damage to many areas of their farm in Missoula MT, on Aug 31, 2024. Ellie Costello is a self starting farmer, who battled to own farm land for over 9 years. Recently, she was able to lease an 8-acre community land trust, and has been working for the past year to get it started with a small team by her side. Affording land has become increasingly harder over the years, especially being a first generation farmer.
Ellie Costello sits at her desk at home to situate her week’s worth of work on August 30, 2024. Paper’s are scattered around her, as she doesn’t have much time to stay very organized in her first year of starting the farm.
Ellie Costello shuts down the farm stand after the sun sets on August 30, 2024. Once Ellie runs silage tarps over all of her crops and makes sure everything is set for the night, she can collect money from the stand and put away the fresh produce. Trust Land Farm relies on local businesses to partner with the farm, as well as selling goods at the farm stand to stay afloat in their first year of business.
Ellie Costello gets ready to load feed into her truck at the Farm and Feed store in Ronan, MT, on Aug. 31, 2024. Costello is a young, first-generation female farmer and is facing the growing challenges of entering the industry and affording land.
The Octopus
Nowak is a familiar face in Missoula. He is semi-balding and wears square, tortoiseshell glasses, above an array of decaying teeth. In his left dress pocket, lives a multitude of pens and an ancient handkerchief, thats covered by a knock-off Burburry woolen plaid scarf, ridden with holes. He is usually found playing a game of chess or studying a game in solitude at various cafes and restaurants around town. For seven decades, Nowak has studied what feels like an infinite range of possibilities across a 64-square board. Today, Nowak is a local legend in Montana. To most, he is known as the Octopus, Montana’s only chess master.
Greg Nowak studies chess at Clyde Coffee in Missoula Mt, on Oct. 1. Nowak spends each Sunday afternoon at Clyde, and will usually catch the #6 bus in order to go to the nearest Roseauars to get the hot bar for dinner. Having retired nearly 30 years ago, Nowak has been living off of social security and SNAP benefits, barely getting by.
Greg Nowak points across his small apartment, littered with various papers and magazines in Missoula Mt, on Oct. 1.
Nowak would eventually become Montana’s only Chess Master in the year of 2005, and would earn the nickname, “The Octopus,” after proving capable of playing a multitude of chess opponents at once.
Greg Nowak, 78, is Montana's only Chess Master. A self-described "sociable Christian loner," Nowak spends most days playing chess alone at different coffee shops, teaching students, and studying previous games of Grandmasters. Although Nowak has no family left, chess itself feels like company and has given his life purpose and control.