graveyards

Welcome to “I Dig Graves!”

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I’m a tombstone tourist, not a historian or a genealogist.

There’s nothing I love more then wandering among tombstones.

Flowers in bloom, pioneer cemetery, Virginia City, Nevada

Virginia City, Nevada

Graveyards settle me, balance my yin and yang.

School boy tombstone, Mount Vernon Cemetery, Atchison, Kansas

Mount Vernon Cemetery, Atchison, Kansas

Have you felt it? All I have to do is walk through the gates, take a deep breath and all the hustle and bustle of my day seeps into the ground at my feet.

Cemeteries want us there. The dead crave visitors!  

Mausoleum row, Mount Mora, St. Joseph, Missouri

Mount Mora, St. Joseph, Missouri

That’s why the living spend so much money on beautiful tombstones. It’s why they write such lovely and interesting epitaphs.  To woo us.

Give in. Get your feet-on-the-ground!

Don’t just drive by the awesome, little graveyards you see along the road. I found one in a grocery store parking lot once. They’re everywhere.

Stop the car. Get out. Take your camera. If the gate’s unlocked, go on in!

The pictures I’ll post on this site are all taken by me. I’ll tell you where I found each cemetery in the hopes that you’ll get in the car or hop on your bike and visit too.

Snowy Cemeteries

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Lee's Summit, Missouri

Lee’s Summit, Missouri

It’s got to be just the right kind of snowy day.

Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Cold but not frigid. Bright but not blinding.

Lee's Summit, Missouri

Lee’s Summit, Missouri

There’s a new kind of depth to the serenity on those perfect snowy days.

Excelsior Springs, Missouri

Excelsior Springs, Missouri

Perfect stillness.

Lee's Summit, Missouri

Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Perfect quiet that seeps in with the cold.

Excelsior Springs, Missouri

Excelsior Springs, Missouri

Take a breath.

Twilight in Forks, Washington

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Forks, Washington

Forks, Washington

Yes, that Forks, Washington. The town that inspired Stephenie Meyer’s brooding location for her Twilight series.  I was in the neighborhood, touring along the wild coastline and couldn’t resist stopping. There were plenty of Twilight fans in town, but I had the cemetery all to myself. 

Rainy weather in Forks

It’s small and plain, kind of like the town, but it had its charm. Thankfully, there wasn’t a werewolf or vampire reference in sight.

Handmade memorial in Forks, Washing ton

I loved the quirky, homemade memorials.

This rose was about 4 feet tall.

Lovely, handmade marker.

Lovely, handmade marker.

La Push, Washington is just down the road from Forks. I wanted to visit the tribal cemetery there, but it was closed to outsiders. I got to go to the beach though, one of the most incredible places I’ve ever been! 

The beach on the reservation in La Push, Washington.

The locals told us that the author had never visited. She really missed out. The landscape was truly inspiring.

Graveyard Benches

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William Jewell Cemetery, Liberty, Missouri

William Jewell Cemetery, Liberty, Missouri

Do you ever accept the invitation to rest and ponder?

Walnut Glen, Booneville, Missouri

Walnut Glen, Booneville, Missouri

 I think you can tell when the loved-ones were serious. Many state the implicit invitation in writing.

“We really mean it! Have a seat.”

Dungeness, Washington

Dungeness, Washington

With others, it’s the careful landscaping or spectacular view that makes me feel welcome.

Hazelwood Cemetery, Springfield, Missouri

Unless the bench is old and frail, or occupied,  I take a seat.

Walnut Glen, Booneville, Missouri

Walnut Glen, Booneville, Missouri

In Missouri, that's all I remember.

In Missouri, that’s all I remember.

 

       

Be respectful. Use common sense and good judgement, but try it sometime. You’ll feel a very visceral connection. More than simply reading the words on a stone or even enjoying the beauty of a sculpture. This is personal.

Lee's Summit, Missouri

Lee’s Summit, Missouri

Let me know what your experience was like.

A Creepy Day

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North Lawn Cemetery, Rolla, Missouri

North Lawn Cemetery, Rolla, Missouri

I took a trip through southern Missouri months ago.  

Angel in a box, Rolla, Missouri

I had a lovely day, enjoying the blood-pressure-lowering tranquility I usually experience in cemeteries.

North Lawn Cemetery, rolla, Missouri

North Lawn Cemetery

But as I looked over these shots this morning, a decidedly creepy vibe came through.

If you squint, it kind of looks like it’s floating.

I don’t try for spooky when I aim my camera. I just look for interesting angles, beautiful stones.

It’s the shadow in this one. There’s a weight to it that I don’t remember feeling when I was there.

But look at this ominous shadow! I totally missed it while I was there.

North Lawn Cemetery

Interesting bright blue orb.

Do you see the creep factor in this group of images too, or am I just in a mood?