The Graveyard Rabbit ~ Western NY State: Yowza, is it cold!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Yowza, is it cold!

As my daughter told her boyfriend yesterday, "I am spending quality time with my mother, I am going through a graveyard taking pictures". That made us laugh in the car and she is a good sport about these journeys, I wonder what her boyfriend must think of me! Last August we went to Virginia for a week to go to the State Library in Richmond and stayed in Williamsburg to do all of the historic museums. We had a lot of fun but it was a hot hot August, temps at 100 and daring to creep higher. It was only fitting that I dragged her out on a zero degree day! The weather was 2 degrees and -10 wind chill but I didn't feel it really, for the most part I was very warm but stomping through deep snow does aggravate and already touchy sciatica.

We brought the camera, paper and the voice recorder and listened to our voice recordings from the August trip and laughed at how silly we can be at times. We drove to Mount Hope Cemetery and made our way back to the Civil War section to take snap shots of the stones there. There are 18 rows, we braved the cold through 13 rows so I think we did pretty good. A lot of stones are weather worn and will require rubbing's but that will have to wait for warmer weather. On our way there, those small things came to mind.. we should have brought.. *fill in the blank*, broom was one item to brush off the stones but my snow brush stepped right up to the task once I thought about it at row 10!.

A view from the street, the Civil War section has two canon's, one at each end and that large monument in the center:

See how blue the sky is??? This is a treat for Rochester, we don't get a lot of sun.

The monument, full shot, the plaque shot and the sculpture shot. I can not ever promise that I will be a good photographer.

Even in the dead of winter, this cemetery is still breathtaking. On a two degree day we passed a funeral, two people buried a loved one. Even this cold, this cemetery is populated. A car went zipping by with two dogs chasing it.. an odd way to exercise your dogs!

Across the street is a section for firemen. I am very partial to firemen, they are heroes in my mind, every last one of them. They risk all for us no matter what. My dad was a volunteer fireman for over 30 years. When he died in May of 2007 he was escorted to his final resting spot by one of the departments engines. I still get misty whenever I remember watching the engine pull out, the men in their dress blues, to escort the hearse. I believe this section is reserved for those that died in the line of duty but maybe I shouldn't be quoted on that. I will have to look that up again but think that is correct. Those are stones I will document as well.