Behind the Shot
In North Hampton, New Hampshire, Vietnam veteran Robert Chaikin hangs a 40-foot by 20-foot flag from the side of his barn each summer. Easily viewed from busy Atlantic Avenue, the barn is less than a half mile from the rocky Atlantic shoreline. The barn has been a New Hampshire staple, attracting visitors and photographers since the flag was first raised 28 years ago. Max describes life on the New Hampshire seacoast as authentic.
"Things there are really weather-beaten and beautiful. There's a sense of age to everything that's really cool. I'm born and raised in California, I grew up in a ski resort town, and I've lived in a lot of 'polished' places and the seacoast of New Hampshire is not a polished place:'
The barn has been in the Chaikin family for generations. "This is a big barn. It's really hard to appreciate how huge this barn is. They put up this huge cloth American flag with stars that start up about 8 feet from the ground. The windows above the doors are about 6 feet tall. You could drive a fire engine through that front door. At night it's sometimes lit up. Unfortunately it wasn't lit when I was there”·
Max was taken by the Chaikin's patriotic display. "This guy decided to show his love for the nation, and I think that's pretty cool. I'm not particularly political, but I'm a fairly patriotic guy. I love this country. I love what we stand for, even though we take some weird turns here and there”