Title: The Orange Grove Medium: Super-8, Photography, Artificial Intelligence, Acrylic on Canvas, Silkscreen, Augmented Reality, NFT Year: 2026 Dimensions: 30 in x 40 in Color Composition: Dark Green 77.5% · Orange 10.6% · Red Orange 4.5% · White 4.3% · Cream 2.5% · Raw Canvas 0.5% Tone: Low Key, lightness 14 out of 100 (0 is black, 100 is white) Journal: December 10, 2023 How do people become family? Those who are with you since as long as you can remember. Who always show up and serve with a smile on their face. Family is a feeling. A knowing; Some sort of belonging together. We are born with our biological family, but choose the family we spend all our time with. Even if its for hire. They become not only a part of our extended family, but a part of ourselves. These two lovers known each other for their whole lives and have been together ever since. Soulmates. They live and work at Sunil’s family compound. The people who are caretakers for the people and the land of this home to the point where the become a part of what home is. It was a blessing to meet Ananda & Parvati in the orange grove, to touch and taste their south Indian recipes. We sat with them and Sunil with his mother and shared so much love of what a family feels like. When you eat together, you bond. When you eat great home cooked food together made with love, you are in bliss! They are the miracle workers. The invisible force that combs through the home and make sure the gears are turning even when you are not knowing. Mindful of their help and their presence. Always grateful for the help we receive and reciprocate. Family is a loving presence, an acknowledgement of those who spend their time with you. At the end of the day, family is all we have.