Today's cemetery photographs.

[valis2]

Went back to an account today to fix something, and remembered my camera. There is a large cemetery across the street from their store, so I went and wandered around, utterly alone, exactly as I like it. No bugs, no tripping, everything went well, and I took one really decent picture that I totally love. It is the last picture of the twelve below.

The obelisk What a monument. Many of the graves at this cemetery had one large family stone with many smaller individual family stones arranged in a semi-circle behind it. This is one such family stone.

The obelisk's next door neighbor Another family stone.

Another family A very unusual family stone. The picture is awful, but the stone is so earthy and unique that I had to take it.

Cobwebs. Decoration.

Tree shot. Many of the trees at this cemetery are quite lovely. Mostly mature trees.

Beautiful marker.

The crown...

...and the clasped hands. The full markers for made me think that they were peacekeepers of some sort. Law enforcement officials, perhaps.

Another obelisk-type marker. Nice, but the pic didn't turn out as well as I had hoped, though it still has that greenish mystique.

Beautiful detail. I love this marker. It says "Gone Home" above the hand.

Stairs. Old stairs leading up the side of an embankment into the cemetery.

Oh, my favorite picture. It turned out better than I had ever imagined.

Comments

[snapesforte.livejournal.com]

My favourite is the second last one, with the stairs... Have I not visited enough cemetaries, or is it really difficult to find cemetaries with decent shade, like this one? It's so leafy.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

It all depends on the climate and the caretakers. I've been to cemeteries in AZ that have not a single tree. Here in MI most of them are at least lightly wooded, though there are a few that are pretty much just big lawns.

The stairs pic was just the teensiest bit crooked, but Photoshop saved the day.

[mariannelee.livejournal.com]

My favorite is Wood. It as the look of a rock that someone found and said, 'that will be my headstone.' And then the family just had them carve the name. Or, I suppose a carver could have done all that.

M

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Wasn't that interesting? I've never seen such a "naturalistic" stone before.

[cactus-wren.livejournal.com]

I really like that the one says 'Gone Home'. That kind of just says it all to me. I'll have to remember that marker.

Just a week or so ago here (Cleveland area), in a cemetery I drive past almost daily, a couple of teens went into the cemetery & 'for fun' knocked over and/or broke over 120 gravestones. Some can just be righted, but others are very broken, and I read that they cannot be replaced, but maybe most can be repaired. Some of the broken markers were up to 150 years old. I simply cannot understand what would drive anyone to do such a horrible thing. Their parents must be completely disgusted with them. They were supposed to begin fixing the markers today, maybe if I can get a chance, I'll try to go past and take a few pics of the damage and post them.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I've been to a beautiful little cemetery in Cleveland Heights once.

The desecration of cemeteries is so unbelievably sad. I belong to a cemetery mailing list and it is mentioned quite often.

[lady-branwyn.livejournal.com]

Hi, neighbor! I just looked at the front of my Westlife ("The Award-winning Westshore Weekly") and there is an article on the front page about the vandalism at Butternut Ridge. :-D

[cactus-wren.livejournal.com]

Oh my, if you get the Westlife, you must be pretty close by. I'm in Olmsted Township. I'll have to look for the current Westlife & read the article. I'd like to know what these kids' reasoning was for doing this and would ultimately like to know their punishment.

[lady-branwyn.livejournal.com]

Oh, you live out by Captain Janeway--er, Kate Mulgrew!
I live in Westlake but not in the upscale part of town where all the ballplayers live, LOL!
That cemetery is in a heavily-populated (especially since those apartments went in) residential area. I am very surprised that no one heard what was going on. Westlife says the boys could be required to make restitution for the damages, but how can they make restitution for the destruction of irreplaceable objects? Besides, their parents could pay any monetary damages for them. I would like to see them spending many hours cleaning up old cemeteries...

[cactus-wren.livejournal.com]

you live out by Captain Janeway--er, Kate Mulgrew!

Yep, but much as I get around out here, I've never seen her or Tim Hagan around town.

I would like to see them spending many hours cleaning up old cemeteries...

Yes, that would be perfect. Many hours of community service, tending cemeteries. My hubby ran into a North Olmsted cop that he knows this evening, and he had arrested one of the kids. Said the kids had been (stupidly enough) bragging up at the high school about what they did. He said in most instances an officer doesn't hope someone they're arresting will put up a fight, but he said in this case, all the officers were so upset over what happened they kind of hoped the kid would put up a struggle.

[gypsyjolie.livejournal.com]

oooh, I love the "gone home" one and the last one. That's a very relaxing, beautiful cemetery. Lovely!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

It was quite lovely! I enjoyed myself immensely. It's nice to walk around when no one else is there.

[zakkati.livejournal.com]

They're all lovely pictures, but my favourite is the one with the steps.
*sigh* They don't make cemetaries like they used to.
:)

[valis2.livejournal.com]

I wasn't happy with the steps pic...I'm surprised that people seem to like it! Yay for me.

[superbunny3000.livejournal.com]

oh, i like these a lot; nice composition. i like the greenish tone. it looks so lush and...inviting? not quite the word one would normally use for a cemetary, but it fits here.

i like the steps one and the last one best.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you! Yeah, the greenish color is so pretty! It's still spring going on summer here in a way.

The cemetery had a good amount of trees; not enough to take away from the cemetery itself, but enough to make it look nice.

I like the last one best. I can't believe it turned out, because the other one I took like that was completely out of focus. Unfortunately my camera's screen has difficulty with sunlight; it's hard to tell what's going on.

[nivvie.livejournal.com]

Nice pics.

Clasped hands are the sign of the ancinet God Fides, and used in the insignia of some colleges and army regiments, coats of arms etc.

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the compliment, and the info!

[deviantauthor.livejournal.com]

What lovely pictures!

[valis2.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! That was a really nice shoot. It was early spring so everything was still light green.

[deviantauthor.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!