When It Makes No Sense

And what do you do when it makes no sense? For us, it is remembering, commemorating, dedicating. Here's more private, heartfelt moments from our trip to Scotland in early October —in addition to the more public events we posted about previously in Making Sense (of it all). 

Marker at Binning Wood. We visited Emma’s grave at Binning Wood to see, for the first time, the marker installed on Sept. 26. The plaque incorporates a rendering of Emma’s first tattoo—the polka-dotted woman. Interestingly, the design originates from a Dadaistic sketch of a dancer by French artist Francis Picabia (1879-1953). For the typography, we settled on a font resembling her unique handwriting, Dreaming Outloud Pro (bold)--very Emmaistic! Thank you to those who gave us comments about the marker, an aged bronze plaque like all in the wood, mounted on a locally sourced stone. To find Emma’s grave, try https://what3words.com/lordship.elevates.fidgeted

The white ghost bike and Emma’s black bike. We visited the dreaded intersection, where we righted the ghost bike, tidied things up, and added a fresh bouquet to the watering can. We are bracing ourselves for disappearance of the ghost bike in the near future as works begin to overhaul the crossroads. In its place, we hear, a marker will be installed in the memory of Emma. 

Meanwhile, we received Emma’s bicycle and her personal effects of Jan. 27 from the police, now that the legal process has run its course. The police kindly packed the bicycle in a sturdy box and delivered it to our hotel in Glasgow, and, in a solemn handoff, a carry bag of her belongings. Strangely, the bike exited unscathed from the collision. 

Although it’s impossible to make sense out of Emma’s death, we are trying to extract some meaning out of it. One way we is by dedicating funds we received this summer from a civil settlement to causes we think reflect our daughter’s life. So that she be remembered not for how she died, but how she lived.

Association EBN. This nonprofit, based in France under law 1901, aims to promote cycling and road safety, as well as architecture and the arts. Note: We are not asking for money. Funds from the settlement will finance the association. We are grateful that five people have come forward to form the Advisory Board of the association: Silvia Ascarelli, Pamela Bohl, Coralie Garandeau Mirguet, Chloe Oldham, and Arthur Perkins. All of these people have a personal connection to Emma, which is so sweet. We zoomed for the first time in September for a meet and greet. For our next meeting in January, we’ll assemble a wish list of projects to support in 2025.

It’s still early days, so our website so far is basic: associationebn.org. That mirrors our hope of keeping the group small and nimble. We don’t want to weigh ourselves down in maintaining the association, rather we want to devote our limited resources to making a meaningful difference.