May 30, 2007
I love this picture. I don’t have a name for it, but if I had to come up with one, it would be something along the lines of “Really Sweet Old Man Puts On His Sunday Best, Grabs His Folding Chair And Visits The Memory Of Someone Special”.
We actually chatted with this 86 year old man for quite some time after I took this picture of him, but I don’t know if it needs the story to accompany it. The picture alone is beautiful enough. And you can’t see it in this shot but at the base of the headstone is a single red rose.
We (The InLaws and Mike and I) took Delaney to her first ever Cemetery. It’s funny to me that the thought of a Cemetery used to instill feelings of grossness, spookiness and other such emotions involving facial contortions and gagging sounds, but now, I really find them peaceful and thought-provoking and very very interesting.
Visiting a Cemetery (especially the older ones as we did yesterday) makes me want to hug my child because she lived past 6 months, start referring to my husband as “my darling” and make out with my car. The car one especially after seeing this:
That says “Died on train enroute to Boise” right above where it says the guy was only 35. Like, I really do love Mr. Al Gore and the fight against global warming, but, my car. I want to make out with it sometimes. I’m sorry Al. Forgive me.
Some of the “pair burial” plots made me smile in a sort of bittersweet way. Like this one, for example:
John and Sarah were both born in Switzerland 3 years apart, got married and made the voyage over to Boise Idaho together, died within 2 years of eachother and were then buried next to eachother with sweet little matching headstones. John only lived to see 26 and Sarah died at the young age of 20. She died first which means that John was probably the one who picked out the sweet matching headstones.
And then there was this “Pair Burial”:
Myrtle M. and Myrtle A. both died within 2 years of eachother and were both the wives of W. F. Dolan. Now, I don’t know if Mr. Dolan planned it this way, but his headstone is not affectionately planted between the two Myrtles, Mr. Dolan’s headstone was nowhere to be found. I get the idea that Polygamist men probably were super keen to the idea BEFORE they realized how much work ONE wife was. The poor Myrtles, their man up and left them to squabble it out for the rest of time.
I had to get a picture of this one because she had such a fabulous name.
And I had to get this shot simply because I could not believe all the pieces were still there considering it looked like it fell apart during each and every windstorm. The longevity of this headstone was blog-worthy I thought.
The Cemetery trip was nice and I think we will start making a tradition out of it.
Althought we didn’t go into death and dead people being underneath these big pretty rocks, she still enjoyed putting flowers down.
At first, I tried to keep her quiet and contained and un-three-year-old-like but after awhile I thought it might be nice for the people there to hear child laughter and child energy and general childness. And if they were bothered, then they were probably the type to be bothered anyway. Like the Myrtles maybe. They might have been bothered, but the Myrtles are REALLY just mad at their Mr. Dolan. That’s so like them to place the blame on someone else, even if it is a charmingly saucy three year old in pig-tails.
A little morbid, yes. I have no words or explanation.
Cute.
Cute again.
And hey, if when I die, my husband jokingly puts on my headstone the follwing phrase, I am counting on you all to not let him get away with that.
“She knew her duty and she did it”.
Posted by Jamie @ 1:12 am • random goodness
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May 30th, 2007 at 1:17 pm, Abebech Says:
These gorgeous photos and fun stories almost had me rethinking my decision to return to ashes rather than be buried, but then I read that last stunner, and thought “cremation (or composting) it is.”
Great photostory.
May 30th, 2007 at 3:52 pm, june cutoff cash Says:
Glad I am not the only person who kind of likes cemetaries and the names and stories therein. You just can’t find two people named Myrtle anymore.
That top picture KILLS me, if you’ll forgive the pun.
May 30th, 2007 at 6:37 pm, Shannon Says:
I find cemeteries peaceful and fascinating too! But I really came back for in-law stories…
May 30th, 2007 at 11:48 pm, Rae Says:
So, what SHOULD Mike be putting on your tombstone?
And, incidentally, what IS that thingy that looks like a crazed canary that has landed on the right bosom (I hope I don’t get you in trouble with that hyper-sensitive Net Nanny!) of your silhouetted e-self?
May 31st, 2007 at 9:35 pm, Erin O' Says:
I’m back! I love reading gravestones, myself. We’ve got a few old cemetaries here, but being by the ocean, much of the engraving is worn too smooth to read.
Great post! I’m so glad I’m feeling balanced enough to read my favorite blogs again!
e
June 1st, 2007 at 4:55 am, Blaine @ 5mcckids Says:
Possibly my favorite Memorial Day post ever! Old cemetaries are the coolest. Picture #1 is the amazing! Please, no pictures of you making out with your car. 8^)