gate guard

098
099

A couple more shots around my home, #1 and this one #2 I think these are better than my first attempt, #3 I also visited another cemetery the other day and got these shots just before sunset.#4 #5 #6 Working with natural light sure is cool!

Today we drove down to Henderson, Minnesota for Henderson Heritage Days.  I took a hike up to the local cemetery.  It was an overcast day so I thought some close in work would be best.  Here is a marker for a woman who had a fascinating first name--Experience Bennett. She died in 1875 at the age of 70 years, 6 days.  She was a mother. Lloyd was some couple's son.  He died too young.

Heres a few more of the cemetery, some I've played with, experimenting a little.  What do you think?

  Bench1
Bench2
Bw
Closer

Sepia
Wide

The pictures speak for themselves.

I received so many kudos for the Angel shots...I decided to post a few more...These all come from the Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston. It may seem morbid...but they take amazing photos and   I personally love the detail in all the sculptures. Lily Wings Solace

Ghostly visits on a day of shooting...   cross your eyes if you want to see it.

The Mausoleum
The Lost
The Mall
The Driver

Well, the last, perhaps. Finally. :)  I still don't know which are my favorites but here they are in no particular order other than alphabetical of course...

Reaching for the cross Rice Rose Rust To My Cross Trio Trio 2 Trio 3 Upward  Watchman Watchman 2 Wentz

It has taken sometime indeed for me to comb through my photos of Greenwood Cemetery in New Orleans, and after deleting those I didn't like or were duplicates, I find that I still have close to 50!  It seemed a little much to expect anyone to read through a post quite that long, and so I will be kind and break them up.  They will not be grouped together in any particular order, other than alphabetical. That way I could keep track of what I had uploaded without losing my mind. (Too much at least.) I hope you enjoy....


Aloha ambience angel edge Aristioe Baroni Before the Cross Brinkmann Brinkmann Close  Broken Cross Carrau Cheneville Ella Embrace Engrave Deuts and Dyad.

I've been wanting to visit this cemetery for some time. But it isn't really near any other cemeteries, and it got pushed aside on our last visit.  This time I was determined, I had seen pictures of a shrine and I wanted to see it for myself.  I knew the neighborhood wasn't very good, but I still wanted to go.  I simply wasn't expecting what I witnessed.

I wish now I would have taken pictures to preserve the moment, but at the time it just didn't seem right.  I watched the coverage of the rescuers going in after Katrina, riding down "streets" on the boats. I watched them spray paint the houses, and knew what it meant.  And what I wasn't expecting was to see the houses...to see the spray paint.  The X meant the house was checked. Other obvious abbreviations used...K9 in back, etc. One stuck in my mind. "Cat rescued :)" And there is no forgetting the sight of the boat still sitting on the grass median.  But...hindsight is 20/20.

Within a literal stones throw of these homes you find St Roch Cemetery.  If you travel straight down the main row you come closer to St Roch's Chapel. On the other side of the impressive cross are a large pair   of hands.  To step inside the chapel you will find St Roch and another statue of St Roch and his dog.  

To your right, behind an iron gate you will find the shrine to the healed. And  here is the other side of the shrine.  Outside of the chapel all alone the outer wall of the cemetery itself, they have an entire series of incredible statues, also, kept behind iron gates which makes it a challenge to capture them. 1, 2, 3,  4, 5 and 6.  

St Roch has more than it's share of the tombs that one sees in New Orleans, but some stick out more than others.  Although not everyone has a tomb, others are buried in raised graves.  Most crosses were more typical although we did see one or two that were unusual. And there were statues that weren't behind bars, although it was more than a little difficult to try and avoid telephone lines in the background.  Weeping Child, prayer, bowing angel and embracing the cross.

We crossed another street only to find St Roch 2, although it's far newer there were places of interest and beauty.

I went out looking for Elk yesterday, scaled the side of a mountain and then didn't find any. A guy told me he had seen some there, but I had no such luck.  I did find a flower that was cool and a waterfall.  Today I went to Denver Idaho, which is no more. Once it was a promising pioneer town, but now all that remains is the cemetery. Kinda symbolic I think.
Sad Flower
 Falls
Cemetery
 Cemetery2

On our trip to find abandoned buildings we passed a road called Roberts Cemetery Road. Intrigued....we drove down this road, and were delightfully rewarded.  Several headstones had a very loving quality to them as it appears as though they are handcarved- Easter, Frizer,  Phillip, poor Sallie looks like her headstone is being uprooted by a tree, and Walter.
The cemetery is in disrepair which can be seen  here and the upkeep in general although it is hauntingly beautiful.  Strangely, for being called "Roberts Cemetery" I only recall seeing one Roberts but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough?  It was a little strange to see this in a graveyard, but maybe it is just the thing...Nicer than a simple stone bench to rest on I would think.

And a run down of the remaining headstones that caught my eye and lens: Anna,  Bauer, Eckie, Ella, Hier, iron cross(light played with to create this effect), Mrs Emma, and Oran.  

We didn't see strangers... but we weren't  alone.

I drive a  red Dodge   Ram.  Yesterday, I drove through a cemetery on the way to work.  (Only you guys understand  that.)

Found this.   The Man  
Saw this.        Monument  (What would make this shot better? I saw it in B&W but it doesn't look I thought it would.)

The drive also confirmed my need for a zoom lens of some kind.  Guess for now I'll go back with my Nikon film camera.  The 2 hawks looked fairly comfortable in the area.

Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do, I'm half crazy all for the love of youDaisy

Falling into piecesInto Pieces

If only I had known you Bugler

I am a history nut, especially since I'm now teaching American History to high schoolers.  So my signs are mostly of points in history.  

First I have some signs from Arlington Cemetary.  We wandered around until we saw this.  It was amazing how quiet it was there even with hundreds of people walking around and watching.  Then I saw this sign.  Next we walked through this area and I see this monument  as a sign.  

Then I needed something fun and humorous to look at.  So I went down to the local marina and caught these guys.  Think they listened??????

This sign is in a classroom at our high school.  I was asked to photograph a student's promotion ceramony.  I wonder if the kids really listen to the pledge they are making when they state this objective......

Then this is the final one.  We collect pictures of this for a class we are teaching.

So what did you think??

I've waited for two weeks to get these shots for the reflection theme. It's been either too snowy or too cloudy. Today it was finally in the low 40s and sunny, so I had my opportunity at last.

Reflection 1
Reflection 2
Reflection 3
Reflection 4
Reflection 5
Reflection 6
Reflection 7

Thanks for looking, I hope you enjoy!

 Church
 1766
 1784
 1809
 Stones
 Stones
 Flag

This past week I drove up to the Fla. Panhandle and these were the daytripper shots. 1st stop was a cemetery in Micanopy
I stand alone
Great Oak
Great Oak 2
Then off to Appalatchacola. . . you know where Forrest Gump crashed his shrimp boat into the dock.
Capt. Fuzz
and it sank.
 Bail Out
 down 1 Fathom
then it was off to Chicopee where it was the End of the Line
Finally ended up in Niceville, where the driftwood is unique. Drift Skywards

I have gone looking for reflections and have found these:
Yellow Stairs Boats and Posts Father's Day Card

I have gone looking for My Grandpa's Art and have found these:
 Anne's Canoe Lace Collar Symbols of the Afterlife Details Proud of a Soldier Beloved Sailor Stepping Angel Baby Angel Woman Clutching Flowers and a kinda humorous one  Dead Duck.

My Grandfather, Joseph Bouska was a carver on the Stone Mountain Georgia Monument for several years, but before and after that project, he worked at his everyday job of making/carving headstones. Since the artists did not sign their work, I am not sure if all of these are ones he did, but the time frame is right and they are all located at Bohemian National Cemetary in Chicago, where he sold his wares. Grandpa died before I was born and I only have "heresay" from my family about his which ones are his work. When I was a little girl we'd go to the cemetary and plant flowers on the relative's graves. Once I remember having my picture taken lying on the ground in front of the Stepping Angel, along with my cousin Cindy. This photo is somewhere in the family...don't know where. (Yes this makes me half Bohemian, one quarter Irish and one Quarter German) By the way, the cemetary has several outside tour guides that do seasonal walking tours of the headstones here because it is one of the most unusual places for headstones and funeral symbols in Chicagoland. The cemetary has also been used in the movies!

Thanks for looking.