We like graveyards.
I would say 'cemeteries' but 'graveyard' is a much more romantic word, don't you think? And I need to make this admission sound as good as I possibly can.
I don't fully know what the draw is. Maybe the mystery of imagining the lives represented there, or the sacredness, or the peace and solemnity. Whatever it is, we like finding older graveyards and spending time wandering among the gravestones, reading what little there is to read about the occupants.
Our favorite graveyard that we've been to so far is the Old Dutch Church and Burial Ground in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Washington Irving is buried there, as well as people he based his characters on in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It's also the oldest graveyard we've ever been to, and since in Oregon anything built in 1900 is considered old and historical, we loved seeing American history dating to the Revolutionary War and before.
Fall is the best time for graveyard visiting, with the crisp and beautiful weather. So basically we are freaky people who like to spend time in graveyards around Halloween time. I hope that's OK.
Last Sunday we ventured to a graveyard that David had read about online. We bundled Daphne up in her bear suit (from GAL!) and took off. Poor girl was sweating in the thing because it really wasn't cold enough to be bundled so, but I just wanted her to wear it. She makes a cute bear cub.
It was a little weird to pull in and see this right at the entry way:
Lots of Roth gravestones. (My maiden name, for all of you who are confused right now.) I know Roth isn't that unusual of a name, but it's not so common that I would expect to find a whole slew of Roths in the middle of Portland. But there they are, and I took a picture. (Are we related, Mom?)
The earliest stones were from the mid 1800s, which is about as old as you get around here. If you ever read Martha Stewart Living, she had an interesting article in her October issue about early gravestone art and the significance of the designs. It was very fascinating, and fun to remember seeing those designs on the East Coast and then finding a few here.
OK, confession time over. Your turn.
2 comments:
I have no idea if there is a family tie. First I would need some names and dates. Aunt Carol would have a lot more information about the family tree.
Your great-grandpa had only one brother, Amos. I'm not up on how many there were in great-great grandpa's. He brought the family out in the early 1900s. I don't even know how many of his siblings came to Oregon. I guess I should get all this information.
All I know is on my side we can go back to the Pilgrims and you can be registered as a DAR.
Ohh that is weird, because I took some grave photos here in hawaii. One place we found is this old church and there was some remains of a stone building and some graves. Most of the graveyards are just dirt, we've only found one that had grass. And most of the graves are written in some weird language. It looks like chinese or something.
Post a Comment