The Midwest is the heartland of America, the place where a traditional sense of American self-identity is closely associated. When I drive through the pastoral countryside of Ohio or Indiana, I see well-groomed family farms, small town main streets lined by two story brick buildings, wooden farmhouses surrounded by spirea and lilac bushes, and softball games played in the soft haze of a summer evening. This America still exists, and is a wonderful memory and foundation for those of us who have moved to coastal urban centers.

This photograph was made in rural Brown County, Indiana--in autumn a place of cornstalks rattling in the wind and brown oak leaves blowing along the road. I saw these home-grown pumpkins lined up on a porch rail and knew I had to preserve the moment. The owners were a young couple who were pleased to have me photograph their lovely old home.

Lee Rentz