"A taphophile is one who finds they are attracted to walking around cemeteries, reading the headstones and musing upon the family history contained therein."
I have always felt a certain fascination with cemeteries ... when I was young I thought I was just morbid ... but as I've gotten older, I find it's not morbidity but curiosity that draws me to these peaceful resting places.
Curiosity of the stories, told and untold, of lives that have been lived ...
Questions left unanswered ...
Each headstone tells a story of a life ...
If I could only hear.
(This photo was taken at the IOOF cemetery near Dayton, Oregon, last spring)
Julie has started a meme called "Taphophile Tragics" - "A Warm Touch Upon Cold Hard Stone".
I have always felt a certain fascination with cemeteries ... when I was young I thought I was just morbid ... but as I've gotten older, I find it's not morbidity but curiosity that draws me to these peaceful resting places.
Curiosity of the stories, told and untold, of lives that have been lived ...
Questions left unanswered ...
Each headstone tells a story of a life ...
If I could only hear.
(This photo was taken at the IOOF cemetery near Dayton, Oregon, last spring)
Julie has started a meme called "Taphophile Tragics" - "A Warm Touch Upon Cold Hard Stone".
What a delightful sculpture, Clytie. I like how the legs 'disappear' into the soil. Very meaningful. I have not seen a sculpture like this before. Judging from the signs in front, it is relatively new.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you could please just put a line saying which cemetery this was from, please?
Thank you so much for contributing to 'Taphophile Tragics'.
Julie says she has not seen a sculpture like this before and nor had I until recently, in fact I noticed a couple in the newer part of the cemetery I posted today.
ReplyDeleteInteresting piece, I also like the way the legs go into the soil. Is it a visual metaphor for 'Dust to Dust'
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Clytie. thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteI tell you what! It seems exotic to ME to see kangaroos in a cemetery. somehow disrespectful, although I know that has nothing to do with it.
This type of memorial, to me, is a variation upon 'garden art'. Where folks have large meandering gardens where they can package areas into 'rooms' and hide statues and benches near ponds, and the like. I wonder if this design was created to be over a pond and the legs go into the water?
I love the little tuft of grass growing between their knees.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet and sad scene this is. You have me well trained: I was looking for the heart. Instead, I felt it.
ReplyDeleteThis a sweet statue. It makes me sad to think children are buried there. I wonder what their story is.
ReplyDeleteThe statue suggests a contentment together! The girl's hands are at peace and the boy commands a pose of looking after her! Such sweet sadness!
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting though is that there are more names than the statue suggests!
I guess a lot of people feel the same with cemeteries. Lovely find.
ReplyDeleteA lovely statue but there must be a very sad story be behind I think. I can't figure out who are lying there, four people? The first date is 1973, or 1923? It is a mistery.
ReplyDeleteI've always been fascinated by cemeteries as well, especially historic ones.
ReplyDeleteI've had people tell me that it's disrespectful to walk through a cemetery. I disagree. How can it be disrespectful to walk through reading the tombstones of those who walked before us? I believe it's keeping their memory alive in a way. Someone is interested enough to read about them, when they were born, when they died, and to reflect on the lives they lived.
I'd like to visit Lone Fir Cemetery in Portland.
Lone Fir Cemetery
A lovely marker on that grave, but I too think there must a story there.
Happy New Year Clytie. I wish you and your family the very best in the year ahead.
Wow, I didn't know I was a Taphophile. Cool! I'm going to follow the link to Julie's blog. I had to laugh at your comment that you should hate that airport flooring. I might have hated it at one time, too, but I'm loving color. I must be getting older. Just out of curiosity, why should you hate it?
ReplyDeleteI find this to be such a poignant photo. I, too, have been fascinated by the stories of bygone lives of those in old cemetaries. I've also been fascinated by them my entire life.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were back East there were some amazing graveyards, there's another incredible place where I found more people than I've ever heard of who lived to be well over 100. Shasta, California.
What a poignant photo. I wonder what the story was.